Approaching 30

We made it through the madness and to a day off today. :) Things will be quieter from here on out, although we still have a few groups of guests coming through. This last group of guests was great - really friendly - and the party was a big success! One of the guests handed me a couple of her magazines as she was leaving for my "day off reading". This afternoon, I dived right in.

In the August 2011 copy of Glamour, I read THIS ARTICLE on Turning 30 - what a big deal all of us women make about it, and how stupid we all are to do so.

I'll be honest - I have one year and two months left before I turn 30, and in truth it has made me very nervous. I've always thought that 30 was this magical age where I'd have it all together. That I'd have made a success out of myself and could say, "See, I did it!" But, if I turned 30 tomorrow, I wouldn't have achieved half of my teenage dreams. And let me tell you - at 18 I could really dream big.

You see, I'm still figuring it all out. Waiting to see what my place in the world will be for the next ten/twenty/thirty/forty years.

You know what? The fact that I haven't yet accomplished those goals I set at 18 doesn't make me unsuccessful. Along the way I've done so many other things that have been worthwhile - things that were never a priority for me when I set my goals at 18. And truthfully - What the heck did I know about life at that age?

So yes.... my husband and I do not have a home. Instead we're living in a borrowed cabin on a ranch in Wyoming where I work as (GASP) a gardener and housekeeper. If only my 18 year old self could see me now! I certainly never planned on this.

But you know? This is so much better than anything I had planned. We have each other. And guess what? We've paid off our debt (except those pesky student loans), and we have money, (real, substantial money) in our Savings account. That's a hell of a lot better financial standing than most couples our age have.

We'll never look back at this time and say, "What if...?", because we jumped at the opportunity to make a change others only dream of. After all, life is FULL of surprises.

If I can't appreciate that as I approach 30, then I'm delusional.

Besides, who says we have to have it all figured out by 30? The husband, the home, the kids, the career... I have the husband, and he's amazing. The rest? It can wait until the right time. Forcing it now wouldn't be right. Plus, it gives me something to look forward to in my 30s and 40s and 50s and 60s. (And hopefully 70s and 80s, too!)

So, watch out 30 - I'm coming for you. And this next decade is gonna be GOOD.