The final hours

So I have approximately 2 hours and 19 minutes left of being in my "twenties" folks. It's crazy. I feel like I've been in my twenties forever and maybe I thought it would last forever. Could you go through any more life changes and life decisions in your twenties? Let's have a brief overview of what has gone on in this decade:

-I graduated college at Pepperdine
-I held my first full time job
-I got married and moved in with a BOY!
-I walked 60 miles in 3 days in the name of breast cancer
-That boy and I decided to do something crazy and move to TEXAS!
-I started a job that would evolve into a 7 year career--much to my surprise
-I travelled the world with some of my closest friends. Memories that will never die!
-I had my first child
-I had my second child
-I quit work and became a stay at home mom
-We moved 6 times so far in this decade, with the 7th time just around the corner.

Wow. That's a lot of stuff...with many other little things in between. I know that to people in their 40s all the way up to 60s think that the 30s are probably like the 20s. And I'm sure they have similarities. But the part that rings loud for me is that I will not have a child-LESS part of my life again (Lord willing) . Many things that happened in my 20's were experienced by me or by me and Brian. And fortunately, we lived it up. We really tried to do a lot before we had kids. And it was wonderful. To think that by the end of this next decade I will have a teenager is .....well, nuts! That is what makes me feel old. Not tomorrow, not turning 30. But I guess where it all is headed. Logic would say that most of my experiences, emotions and decisions that will occur in my 30's will be brought on by my kids. They will consume my life in ways I never imagined and my days, months, and years will be full of their lives, activities, and experiences. All of this will be wonderful, I'm sure. I am not trying to type this in a regretful tone. But what I am committing to is that my 30s will still hold some markers of unique experiences I have had, leaps that I have taken, and growth that I have achieved apart from my kids. This will take deliberate action on my part but I'm ready for it. I am confident God will open doors for me and gently whisper to walk through. My mind zig zags all over with what that might look like.

The fact that we are about to embark on a new journey to Indiana makes it all that much more mysterious. But I'm excited. I am. People often talk to me about our move as if I must be really be stuck in a hard place or the automatic, "Oh, I'm sorry". Now, I would probably do the same thing depending on who it was but what I am starting to see is this giant beginning. To begin this next decade of my life with the most crazy move we've done is kind of fun. There is so much to build on and we can only gain from this....a new church, new friends, a new part of the country, closer intimate time as a family, and a fresh reliance on Jesus as he leads us in and through this. I have already seen some amazing things He has done to me in the last 4 months. Preparing me every single day for this new decade.

I'm rarely this sentimental and you may perceive this post as a cheese fest. But for whatever reason, these are poignant moments for me. And hey, if I actually keep this blog for another 10 years, it will be fun to look back and read this as I prepare to document the progress that has happened as I turn 40. Well, with 1 hour and 47 minutes left as a 29 year old, I leave you with a some quotes on age. Pick whichever applies more to you in your current mood. :)

Youth is a wonderful thing. What a crime to waste it on children. ~George Bernard Shaw

The years teach much which the days never knew. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were? ~Satchel Paige