33 years of living ...

I originally posted this on my birthday in 2010 when I turned 30. Thought I'd revisit it on my 33rd and add three new ones!

 

On Sunday, I celebrated my 30th birthday! And of course I got lots of old jokes and what not but I began to think that 30 isn't so bad! I've had 30 years of blessings and love and happiness . . . which brings me to the 30 things I'm most thankful for in my lifetime - enjoy!

1. I was born in America and free to believe and do as I please.

2. I was born to parents who love God with their wholeselves. And they are caring and generous and even after 30 years they still take care of me and I know they will always be there for me and my family. I'm so thankful to have them as examples of what it means to follow God no matter the cost to their pride, reputation, etc.

3. I was also born into a family with a 3 year old big sister, Amy, who, although did her fair share of tormenting me when we were younger, loves me greatly. She has taken care of me, loaned me money when I was in college and desperate and with no real way to pay her back but she believed in me and in my future. She has spent countless hours standing up for me when I was too weak to do it myself and more countless hours being a fabulous aunt to my children and I love her!

4. For two years, my father labored by hand to cut logs for our home, to journey into old water wells to recover bricks to make our floor, and spent untold hours away from us to build our home built with love and his two hands. I have always been blessed with a roof over my head . . . and if you have too, then you are luckier than 84% of the world!

5. I was then blessed with a brother named, Joshua! I remember telling my mother that I didn't ask for him and to please send him back! So I guess torturing is just something big sisters do! We grew on each other and now I consider him to be my friend as well as my brother and I am proud of the godly and loving person he has become! I love him!

6. In 1984, weeks after giving birth to Josh and at my insistence, my parents sent me to Central School, where I met Rachel and Anna (actually I may have already known Anna but I was too young to remember!) and they are my oldest friends!! And there I also developed my lifelong love for learning!

7. From there, I met Rachel's sister, Mary Lea, who became the mother hen of our group, and Lauren, who later was my college roommate, and Elise, who was and is my partner in crime, my confidante, and the holder of too many secrets to ever let go! The six of us, The Gloster Girls, were inseperable and amazingly, we are all still friends and still talk, email, or text on a regular basis!

8. My family has been blessed to be able to travel together every year that I can remember - many memories have come from these outings to Colorado, West Virginia, Washington DC, Florida, Texas, Arkansas, and many small places in between. These are pricless times that I continue to treasure.

9. When I was ten years old I made the best decisions of my life and I've forever been changed because I allowed Jesus to come in my heart! This relationship is such a work in progress that gets better and better every day. Oh Jesus - how I long to love people like you do.

10. In 7th grade I made the decision to switch schools and it was another decision that ranks up there with the most important ones - it was the best decision I could have made at the ripe ol' age of 12! North DeSoto opened up opportunities and experiences I would have never had otherwise.

11. At North DeSoto I made many great friends including, Ashly, my pregancy talk buddy and amazing photographer, Robin, another college roommate and T-ball mom, and Kelly, my work out buddy (i.e. gossip partner while we treadmill a little longer than necessary!), my freak out buddy, pre-k mommy buddy, and lots of other things in between!

12. I was also blessed with intelligence - not at all trying to be boastful because I'm by no means a genius but God has blessed me with the ability to do well in school and for that I am especially thankful!

13. My Gloster Girls and I all went to church together and this helped strengthen our bond to not only grow up together physically but spiritually as well. To have 5 best friends who all love Jesus and all participate in Youth Group together was such a blessing!

14. I was able to graduate as Valedictorian and was offered scholarships to all seven of the colleges I applied to.

15. I chose LA Tech and I am so glad I did!! Go Bulldogs!

16. At Tech, I was introduced to Holly, whom I met at the laundrymat, Missy, who I met in the hallway at Adams Dorm and tried to show her around only to find out she was my RA, Kandy, who "picked me up" during Rush, Holly D, who was in my pledge class - together with Lauren, my childhood Gloster Girls friend, we became as we call ourselves, the College Gang!

17. My Sophomore year in college I helped some friends with their English papers and in return I got set up on my 100th blind date . . . and amazingly later on I married him!

18. I moved in with my high school friend, Robin, and her friend, Christi! Christi and I immediately hit it off and together the three of us turned 21 together, goofed of every quarter during finals, had Sex and the City marathon watching parties, and had tons of fun - it was the greatest!

19. I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Tech in the Spring of 2002! Yea!

20. I got a job!! My company, who I initially turned down about 3 times, has been the best! They supported me through my MBA program, wedding, two children, etc. I am so thankful for them!

21. I got married!! Ryan & I got married on April 5, 2003 - it was a great day followed by a super honeymoon to Niagara Falls and Toronto! Ryan has been awesome! He is an unbelievable father - comes straight home from work and immediately plays with the kids and asks about their day. Spends lots of time reading to them and taking them around town to hockey games, baseball practices, shopping, etc. He has wholeheartedly supported me and made sacrifices so that I could stay home with the babies and put up with me on the days I have to work late. He loves me unconditionally and I am so happy we are together! Every day God shows me new ways to be a better wife to Ryan and I'm so overjoyed to be on this journey of life with him!

22. I graduated Tech with my MBA!

23. One of my biggest blessings arrived -Mason! He was a joyous and happy baby and he is still the most loving little boy I could have ever asked for! He is my heart!

24. Ryan, Mason, & I began building our new home on my childhood "dream home" location! I am so happy to be here and look out my window at God's beautiful earth!

25. About 7 months after we moved in, we added another blessing - Conner!! Conner is a mess and I love him like no other!! He is so independent and smart! I couldn't be more proud of my family!

26. Two months after Conner was born, we had another addition - my sweet brother found him a sweet wife, Erica! Erica is such a doll - crafty, creative, sweet - a great sister-in-law and even better friend! Couldn't have asked for a better wife for my Joshie! And of course I love my sweet niece, Faith, and the new little one to come!

27. God continued to bless me by allowing me to work part-time so I could spend more time with my precious little ones and my boss was great about easing my work load!

28. Another fantastic addition to my fab family - Amy married Blake!! Blake is someone I know I can always count on! He's the kind of guy who will crawl under your car in his dress clothes on a dirt road to check things out for you (he's done it before!) and the kind of guy who loves my kids and takes them cotton pickin'! Couldn't have asked for a better husband for my sweet sister!

29. Of course, along the way I've made many more friends that I haven't mentioned here and consider some to be more precious than family! I have led a very blessed life and am so grateful to my God for my sweet friends who laugh with me, cry with me, laugh at me sometimes, and most of all just let me be me!

30. And thanks to my awesome family below for surprising me at Olive Garden on Sunday and for loving me and encouraging me there was no one else I'd rather celebrate my 30th birthday with than ya'll!

 

31. Since then I've been blessed with my sweet baby Aaron! Its been so fun to see the boys be big brothers and just to see the joy in our faces when we are together - a family of five, complete! God is a wonderful designer of families!

 

 

 

 

32. I'm thankful that since 2010 I've been able to become a full-time mommy to my three little darlings and although we are extremely busy with baseball and soccer and therapy and friends and church that we still sit down together every night and hang out and we love each other fiercely! I'm thankful for all the new friends who have come into my life over the last three years who are passionate about the things I am passionate about. It is going to be so neat to see what God has in store for our friendships and our lives in the years to come! Watch out DeSoto Parish - we are aiming to change the world from here! :)

 

33. Most importantly, I'm blessed that in the last three years I've become so disturbed by being blessed. I'm immensely glad that God has opened my eyes to the needs of the world and my failures and misconceptions.in regards to these needs. I am thankful for Operation Christmas Child, Project Hopeful, 147 Million Orphans, Amazima Ministries, Samaritan's Purse, Fellowship Community Church and other organizations that I get to partner with in big and small ways that "love justice, seek mercy, and walk humbly with God"  and look after the oppressed here and abroad.

 

Whoever you are and wherever you are - thank you for being a part of my story today!