Since we are marking George’s age by month currently, it made me think about how many months I will be tomorrow.

On my 30th birthday.

That will make me 360 months old.

That is a whole lot of months.

30 seems like an age where everything is different. The pressure is on to really start adulting. It is time to be serious about family, about planning for retirement, about other adulty things that are oh so serious.

Does this look like someone who is ready to be adulting?

Some think not…but all of us in these photos have reached this time. And we are going to make 30 look amazing!

(Because most people think we are are in our early 20s…)

But to get serious with you for a sec, I think about my life in that 360 term.

There is something poetic about it.

As I turn 30, I really have made a lot of 360s in my life. I have developed and made complete turnarounds.

You make 360s as you go through different phases.

I am not who I was at 5. I am so glad I am not who I was at 15. I wouldn’t even recognize who 20 year old me was. And while at 25 I thought I had myself figured out, there was still so much for me to learn.

But then again, all of that is still a part of me. Even though I have changed every year, those pieces are still part of my inner circle. (See what I did there?) I realize what I have learned over the years has made me who I am today as I enjoy my last day in my twenties.

I have learned that play is important. 

I have learned that drinking from a straw is really the only way to go. 

I have learned that a good belly laugh can make everything seem ok. 

I have learned that N’Sync is really the only boy band that is important. 

I have learned that sometimes you have to put yourself out there even if talking to a stranger is the scariest thing. 

I have learned that a headband will fix any bad hair day. 

I have learned the right way to ride a roller coaster.

I have learned that sometimes that person only needs you to listen to their story, and that “Tell me more about that” is really the best question to ask. 

I have learned that it is really not a good playground unless there is a swing set. 

I have learned that there will always be room to improve, and that I will not always be perfect. 

I have learned that a good book is one of the best escapes. 

I have learned that making a list helps bring down my anxiety.

I have learned being a Royals fan is really the best kind of fan, and the wins are so sweet. 

I have learned that I love teaching but not in the traditional sense. 

I have learned your taste in things may change over time…Hello and Goodbye to that velour phase. 

I have learned exercising can be fun when you find the right activity and/or people to do it with.

I have learned that sometimes you just need to eat a whole bag of Twizzlers. 

I have learned music is a beautiful expression of emotions. 

I have learned ice cream cake is the best kind of cake. 

I have learned that it feels good to dance like no one is watching (even when people are watching).

I have learned that you haven’t experienced real joy until you become a parent. 

I have learned that there really isn’t a bad pizza. 

I have learned to show gratitude.

I have learned that there is so much joy when you hear someone you know is selling Girl Scout cookies.

I have learned that the good stuff in life doesn’t always come easy.

I have learned that I should wear sunblock.

I have learned that dogs are the most loving creatures. 

I have learned that you cannot please everyone, and that you will be miserable trying to do so. 

I have learned that education never stops. 

I have learned that God is the ultimate redeemer. 

I have learned that love is really what life is about. 

So here is to the first 30 years and the lessons I have encountered. High Five Self. 

Some people may think of 30 as a death sentence to the fun life and a time to stress about what they have not accomplished and that it is just the beginning of being old. I don’t believe that is the case at all. First of all, being able to celebrate another year on this earth is such a blessing. I LOVE birthdays! Secondly, I would have to say I have never loved my life as much as I do right now. I am fairly confident in who I am as a person and finally feel that things have fallen into place. Yes there are more responsibilities in this time of my life, but there is some sweetness in that stability that I am really enjoying. I feel like I can enjoy life a little more freely because I know what I like and am more put together in a sense. And seriously who wants to be a teenager their entire life?

Not this gal.

So 30 doesn’t seem so bad. I am not going to have a nervous breakdown or an existential crises because of being the big 3-0. I am ready to make the thirties my best decade yet!

And apparently I am in good company of people who are also turning 30 this year. 85 and alive!

PS. Derek Hough, we need to have a joint party some day. Just saying, our birthdays are a weekish apart. And I would make a great dance partner.

Now bring on the desserts!