Dirty Thirty

HAHAHA - I'm def not adopted, but it is my birthday and I thought this pic was funny.

Well, folks, here I am - 30 years old and still young and spry as ever. Ok, maybe definitely not so spry at the moment, but I'm hoping to regain my spryness very soon. I thought turning 30 would be a drag, but really, it feels good. It's like ripping off a band-aid and realizing, hey, that wasn't so bad.

One thing that helps is that I can say without reservation that I made the most of my 20s. I really lived it up in my 20s, folks, and Hallelujah for that. My mom always says that time will pass no matter what you do, so you have to make the most of it.

Someone also told me a long time ago to get up and do things when I got the opportunity, even if I felt like staying home and being lazy or taking the more comfortable route, because I'll never regret having the experience. At the time, something inside me perked up and thought, this is great advice, so I took it.

So here are some of the greatest hits of my 20s, in no particular order.

1. Marriage! I married Gavin just 3 months shy of my 25th birthday, and now I look back and think - wow, I was a child bride. But it was the best decision I ever made. It's been such a great ride so far. I love him more and more every day and here we are about to pop out a puppy! I love you heeeeeeny!

2. Trips with friends to fun places! (NYC thrice, Vegas twice, New Orleans twice, Key West twice, San Antonio, Denver, football road trips to Nashville, Birmingham, Atlanta, Auburn, Tuscaloosa, Athens, etc.)

There was a time when I felt a tiny bit guilty taking these trips, because I may have had homework (during college or law school) or perhaps the responsible thing would have been to stay home and study or do laundry, but I stuck to my philosophy and went anyway. Sometimes I just packed Maddie up and took her with me. Looking back, those memories are priceless. I took a lot of these trips in law school, so much so that Gavin called me "Miss Goes-out-of-town-a-lot." He has a way with nicknames. We were courting then, so I think he just missed me.

All I can say is that you really are only young (like that) once, with that kind of freedom and energy, and when I look back, I remember the things I did, not the things I perhaps "should have" been doing at home. I guess they all got done somehow.

Props to Gavin for encouraging me to take all the "girl" trips I have taken over the years - he never put up a fuss about the money I spent or the time I spent away from him - thanks Bear!

3. Family trips! My fam knows how to travel - Canada, California, the UK, Utah, NYC, such great times and memories with loved ones. Also, my trip with Gavin to Italy was something I'll never ever forget.

4. Study abroad program! 6 weeks in Oxford England, with backpacking jaunts to various places in Europe on the weekends, including Amsterdam, London, Dublin, Belfast, Paris, always staying in inexpensive and sometimes scary hostels. I was so lucky to be able to do that with a group of pals from law school. I had practically no money, and barely got home by the skin of my dad's Visa card for "emergencies only", but I had the time of my life.

5. Sports car! Glad I rocked the convertible sportscar for a couple years - it was something I always wanted to do and loved every minute of it.

6. Career! I have been really fortunate to have had great and challenging jobs with excellent mentors and fun opportunities. It's been demanding at times, but, to my own shock, being a lawyer has suited me well, and I'm really happy with where I am now.

7. Baby! I have wondered throughout this pregnancy whether my last hurrah as a 20-something would be to have a baby. How very silly of me. Elise loves my uterus - it must be like a 5-star hotel in there or something. It's ok, though - it will be a great way to kick off the thirties.

It hasn't all been smooth sailing, but it's true what they say, that when you look back on your life, you remember the good things, so hang in there. Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes. I really really really hope to be posting about a birth verrrrrry soon!

Love ya!