Thirty, Flirty and Thriving

I'm not freaking out about entering the 30's.
I'm freaking out about leaving the 20's.
Major things happened in my twenties.
I met my eternal companion.
I got married.
I had a baby.
I had another one.
I bought a house.
I bought another one.
I made friendships that changed my life.
I discovered blogging.
I got published (sort of).
I learned monumental things about myself.
It was a good decade.

And now I am starting a new one.
Ten years ahead of me.
A blank slate.
What will it bring?
Another baby?
Another house?
Published for real?
Only time will tell.

Now that I'm old and wise and have a plethora of worldly experience under my belt, let me share with you some of these jewels of knowledge I've obtained.

1. Life is full of surprises. If you go on vacation 8 months pregnant, you will come home with a baby.
2. Judging comes back to haunt you. If you judge someone for doing something, you will inevitably end up doing it yourself and looking like a complete hypocrite.
3. Never say never. You may think you'd never get engaged to someone you've never met, but deep down inside, you know it's the cool thing to do.
4. Your kids teach you things you never would have guessed. Like, eyelashes are not necessary.
5. There are consequences to breaking the rules. If you slip across a toll bridge without paying, it doesn't mean you got lucky. You will get a ticket in the mail.
6. Friends come and go, but family is forever. Forever. Even if they won't speak to you or let you in their house, they're still stuck with you for the eternities. Whether they like it or not.
   
7. Miracles do happen. Apparently you can give birth...twice...and still have no idea what a contraction feels like.
8. Faith can move mountains. You can do everything possible to prepare for the worst, but when it comes down to it, it's really just between you and the Lord.
9. Fame is fickle. Enjoy your five minutes. Even if you think you're hot stuff because your words are on the back of a book, life has a way of putting you in your place about ten books later.
10. Soulmates are real. Because not many other people would come home to no dinner, no clean clothes, a messy house and a sleeping wife and tell you you're the best.
11. Friendships change. And that's okay. Not many people understand this. In the end, you gotta surround yourself with the people that make you happy.
12. Dieting sucks. Because chocolate will never be healthy and broccoli will never taste good.
13. Parenting is hard. Because even when you think you're doing good, your son's preschool teacher calls to discuss the bruise he left on his best friend's chest when he punched him.
    
14. God is love. At the end of the day, your beliefs and your relationship with Christ is what will get you through the next one.
15. Your parents were right. As much as you hate to admit it, they really were.
16. Life has a way of keeping you humble. It's hard to have a big head when you're driving a monstrous minivan with square patches all over it.
17. Sometimes there's no scientific reason. It's quite possible to feel like death on a stick for five months and never find out why.
18. Some things never change. If nuts made you gag as a child, they can still make you gag at 30.
19. Comparing is never good. You may have a cleaner house than me, but I can still flip you off with my second toe.
    
20. Some things just are. You may hate it with every ounce of your being and try to hide it from all the world, but you know the truth--under all that color lays a head of hair that is no longer blonde.
21. Math is hard. It is possible to fail Math 95...three times. I don't know anyone personally that has, I'm just sayin'...
22. You gotta be true to yourself. You're only hurting yourself by pretending to be someone you're not. And really, you're not fooling anyone.
23. Expect the unexpected. You may think you wanted to have five kids, but maybe after two you realized you're just happy you've kept the two you have alive this long.
24. You just never know. When you were ten and someone asked you what you thought your biggest challenge in life was going to be, you probably didn't answer, "Throwing up."
25. Tender mercies are real. Like meeting Blake Lewis on an airplane.
26. You can only do your best. And somehow learn to be happy with yourself for doing just that.
27. Be kind to others. Jesus said love everyone, treat them kindly too. When your heart is filled with love, others will love you. Nuff said.
28. Kids keep it real. Like when you get dressed for the day and put on makeup and they ask you why you're "all fancy."
29. Passion keeps life interesting. Be passionate about something. Even if it's a teenage vampire.
30. Life is good. Really, it is. Because all that crap you've had to go through was just to make the good times that much sweeter.

And..................................comment!!