Embracing the Number 30!

I know why 30 is a hard birthday. It’s a definitive end to my “youth.” I mean, marriage and kids and life really did that to me slowly and gradually over the course of the last 6 years, but 30 just seems like a bigger deal. Still, choosing to embrace my 30s now, and excited for all the ways God has blessed me and will continue to bless me in the future. J

Here are 30 things about me on my 30^th birthday. You’re welcome.

1. When I smash an ant, I smell my finger. Ants have a distinct smell. You should try it.
2. I could drink milk with anything. I like it with anything sweet, of course, but I will drink it with pizza, much to the chagrin of my husband.
3. I hate cold weather. I don’t like sweaters or scarves or thick socks. Although snow is sometimes fun in very small doses, I much prefer the heat of summer. Warmer weather always improves my mood.
4. I do not do scary movies. At all. The guts and gore aren’t the issue; it’s the never-ending replay that goes on in my head for DAYS after seeing something like Signs. 
5. I have little spatial intelligence. I could get lost in a box, and north/south/east/west directions just irritate me. I also have severe anxiety about not knowing where I am or how to get to where I need to be. Even after living here for more than a year, I still call Andrew to ask how to get somewhere if I’m not 100% sure.
6. Unless I’m baking (and only then b/c I learned why it’s a necessity), I rarely measure ingredients. It’s like my little way of sticking it to the man. Bold, I know.
7. I’m a compulsive email checker. I hate the way unread emails are bolded (they were red at work, which was even worse), so I have to have them un-bolded.  
8. I love sweet iced-tea, but I hate flavored sweet teas – lemon, peach, raspberry. I like flavored hot teas, though.
9. I have a very intense sense of urgency. I don’t like for things that I want/need to get done to take longer than they absolutely have to. I’m not impulsive, but I don’t like for things to drag out…
10. I told Andrew to never buy me flowers or chocolate or a gift for Valentine’s Day. This was not a trap. I don’t mind that others celebrate V-Day, but I’m not into it. I think it’s much more romantic when Andrew knows I’ve had a rough day, and he comes home with my favorite dessert or sends me a sweet text. And sometimes, he does that just because. I love that.
11. I prefer vegetables to fruits.
12. I believe the song lyric that says “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” I have so fervently wanted and prayed for some things that never materialized the way I wanted them to. Now I know that God was protecting me from the good to save for me His best.
13. I think the hardest part about growing up is learning that the people you deem heroes and look up to are actually just like the rest of us: sinful humans. It’s not a bad thing and doesn’t make that person any less heroic or worthy of your respect, but it’s a hard realization as you move from childhood to adulthood.
14. I kill more spiders (and kill them with smaller weapons) than my husband. Although, I did plan to kill a squirrel that got into the house and woke me in the middle of the night (by running across my face) with a BB gun. But that was an exception.
15. I always wanted to be a mom, but never knew the depth of my passion for all things motherhood (and what it would ask of me) until Jackson was born. I regret nothing.
16. I’m obsessed with pictures. I treasure photo albums, scrapbooks (though I don’t make them anymore), and my new love is the photo-book. I have very few “decorative” pieces; pictures cover my walls. Also, I have a hard time replacing pictures in frames, so I just buy more frames and put up more pictures.
17. If I had time, I would write a book. I don’t have time.
18. With unlimited money, I would not buy expensive cars or a huge house or brand-name anything. After doing all the responsible things with it (duh), I would make sure my family took regular trips together b/c those are some of the highlights of both my childhood and adulthood. Quality time is so important to me.
19. My favorite food is the old-fashioned hamburger. My favorite hamburger condiment? Mustard and relish (okay, that’s two condiments).
20. I do not like pedicures or foot massages or feet. I find pedicures a necessary evil, at times, but I don’t enjoy them. Long toenails gross me out. Maybe it’s all those years dancing with nasty blisters and such? I know a lot of dancers who love pedicures, so I’m inclined to think it’s just me. I only let Andrew touch my feet when I was swollen pregnant with Jackson. He was instructed to stay far away from my toes. But, I love baby feet. Or maybe just my babies’ feet.
21. I love music and love to sing-along. Tunes get stuck in my head easily, especially kid-show theme songs. That’s not so awesome, but comes with the territory. When I can, I like to sing responses to you, not say them. Using actual song lyrics is a plus.
22. The earliest two memories I have involve my maternal grandfather’s hospitalization and funeral. I can remember sitting on his hospital bed on what I later learned was one of his last good days, and I remember dropping a flower into his grave as the casket lowered while my mom held me. I was three.
23. I didn’t realize a sister could be such a blessing until I became a young adult, and now I can’t wait to give that to my girls.
24. People always ask me if I plan to put my daughters in dance. This is such a loaded question for me because I have had so many positive dance experiences (from great mentors to great friends to fun shows to meaningful memories). Yet, I also realize there can be a very dark side to the dancing world and would never wish that part of it on them. I won’t tell them no, but I won’t force them to try it either.
25.  I have several different laughs. Few people know the difference between the fake ones, the polite ones, and the real ones. Apparently, I’m passing that on to my children.
26. I love the smell coffee, but rarely drink it. I’d rather save my caffeine intake for chocolate and sweet tea.
27. I never learned to play an instrument, but wish I could play the piano or the guitar. Maybe I’ll put that on my bucket list.
28. My very first CD (not tape) was Green Day’s Dookie. Who bought that for me?
29. If I could travel anywhere in the world, I’d go to New Zealand.
30. One of my biggest pet peeves is about the age/year thing. After your baby is born, from the time he first starts to learn how to do all things human all the way up until his first birthday – that is his first year of life. Once he turns one, he begins the second year of life. That means that as I turn 30, I’ve already experienced the 30^th year of my life, and I’m beginning the 31^st year of my life.  You’re welcome for that public service reminder.