The BIG 3-0

Saturday I turn 30. Growing up, I thought 30 was pretty old. I have a young mom, and I can well remember my MOM turning 30. And now I am 30. I am growing older, but I’ve also never been better. That might sound boastful to say about yourself, but I’m not trying to brag. It feels like I am in the sweet spot of life right now. My life is the best it's ever been. Given that, I can't be sad about getting older, or turning The Big 3-0. To tell you the truth, I haven’t been this excited about a birthday in a long time.

Like all of us, I’ve had my share of ups and downs. There were MANY good times in my twenties! There were also some not so great parts, but I learned a lot from the tough times. I feel like I am at a good age because I can look back on what I’ve learned (some of it learned the hard way), and also look forward to what the future holds.

In my twenties:

-My Mom and I took an amazing two week road trip across Texas
 

-I moved to Columbia to attend USC, and made some of my best friends for life

 

- I graduated from the University of South Carolina

- I got my first real job-it was a pretty sweet job for someone just out of college!
 

-Adopted Trinket

- I got laid off, like many other Americans, during the economic downturn

-Lived with my best friend Ashley

 

 The kitchen of our old house

At Lake Warren before a pageant
 

-Did a lot of pageants

The Hampton County Watermelon Festival Pageant was the most fun pageant I ever did

 

-was a bridesmaid

- After being laid off, I had to take a job that was a salary cut. I barely scraped by during the almost three years I was at this job.

 RIP Ricky. I miss you.

 

- Was too poor to eat.  One time Ashley and I ran completely out of groceries until pay day. I still remember going to a birthday party on that pay day. The birthday boy asked me, “So how was your first real meal of the week?” I am like Scarlett O’Hara, I’ll never go hungry again!

-Dated someone that put me down constantly. Now I know that no one is worth going through some things, and you can’t change anyone. I am very thankful that God had someone better in store for me.
 

-Helped Nick pick out his our first home

- I moved on to a much better job

- I got engaged to the man of my dreams on December 15, 2012

 

-I got accepted to and started grad school. It is hard. Very hard. But I think back to how I struggled financially at my old job, and that keeps me going.

 

 

-Discovered my love for travel –The Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, and Mexico have been some of my favorite places

- I hit the biggest I’ve ever been

- I lost 15 pounds for our wedding

-I got married

- I grew as a person and learned a lot

There were some mountain top experiences, and also hard times. There are some seasons of life that I am honestly SO glad are over. I learned from those times though. Going forward, I hope to keep changing for the better. Most of all, I thank God for blessing me with another birthday!