It’s my birthday! It’s my 30th birthday, yikes! Why is it that thirty starts to sound old? I know it’s just a number, but it seems like such a momentous or milestone number. Overall I feel that I am very blessed because by the time I’ve turned thirty I’ve been able to do some pretty incredible things. Travel the world, create lifelong friendships, marry an amazing man, and start a family.

In the last 30 years I’ve learned quite a lot, about myself and about life. Today, I want to share with you 30 of those things that I’ve learned. Some are kind of superficial things, others are much more serious, and most will allow you to learn much more about me.

Get ready for a lot of reading ahead, this one is a doozy!

1. I love it when friends become family. In the military, there are a lot of times when you can’t be around your family. You end up missing birthdays, holidays, weddings, and it helps when you have a great group of friends with whom you can celebrate those occasions. We’ve been lucky in that we’ve found some amazing life long friends, that are now pretty much family.

2. I don’t need an elaborate make-up routine or daily glam sessions. Sometimes I kind of wish I was one of those girls who had a multitude of lipstick colors and knew how to contour, but I’m just not, and that’s ok. I’ll just stick to my 5 minute make-up routine and look fairly decent.

3. I prefer to hear the truth up front, even if it’s not what I want to hear. It usually works out better for everyone in the long run.

4. Motherhood has changed me, how so is an entirely different, equally long blog post. Mostly, I think it’s changed me for the better.

5. I don’t drink coffee or beer, and I should probably just stop trying them and own the fact that I just don’t like them.

6. I thrive on structure. I blame the Navy, but I’m pretty sure it’s my slight case of OCD.

7. Speaking of structure and OCDness, I’m also a bit of a control freak. I like the dishwasher loaded a certain way, I have a routine for a lot of things, and I typically don’t accept help because that means I’m giving up control. It’s something I really need to work on.

8. The older I get the more aware I am of how reluctant I am to try things out of my control. For example, I get more nervous on airplanes or roller coasters or riding in a car driven by someone else.

9. I’ve learned the importance of a good, hand written, thank you note, and how much it means to the person receiving it.

10. I show love by feeding others. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it’s all about gathering people around a table and sharing family recipes and family stories.

11. Despite my love of structure, I can’t stick to a nightly routine. Sometimes I go to bed at the same time as my husband, sometimes I stay up and watch bad reality TV, sometimes I wash my face, other times I don’t. I just can’t seem to stick to a night time routine.

12. Water is EVERYTHING! Drink a lot every day. It does wonders for you health, hair, skin, and the list goes on.

13. It’s hard not to compare your success with other people’s accomplishments. I especially think women are more prone to this.

14. I love our country and we are so blessed to live here. However, it’s easy to turn a blind eye to everything that goes on around the world living in the United States.

15. It does wonders for your mind, body, and soul to get out of your every day grind, leave your small town, or just explore. Stepping away from what you’re used to can open up a whole new world and experiences.

16. Working out with a buddy is so much more fun, but I sometimes push myself harder when working out alone, it’s such a catch-22.

17. Traveling is a lot more fun when you can do it with someone you love to be with rather than doing it by yourself.

18. We shouldn’t take for granted our life experiences. There are so many things that I’ve seen and done that at the time I wish I would have realized were the little things that would be the big things later in life. Even just keeping a journal to document what I’ve done, where I’ve gone, and how I felt at the time would be something amazing to look back on later in life.

19. When I can’t understand something or am blown away by life, I just give it up to God. It offers such a relief to just put it in his hands and move on.

20. I don’t like clutter and am quick to throw things out or get rid of things if it doesn’t offer a purpose. In that sense, I’m not very sentimental and don’t hold on to things.

21. I’ve learned what my style is and what typically looks good on me.  I like classic pieces, that are a little preppy, and usually don’t have a lot of pattern.

22. I did a Whole 30 a couple years ago and realized that processed food is not only bad for you, but affects every part of your life.  Your skin, sleep patterns, mood, and weight are all affected.  When you eat good, quality food it changes your life.  It’s also a lot easier to give up the processed stuff when you give it ALL up at once.

23. We have all made it to this point in our lives with the help of others. Find a way to help others or give back to family, friends, or community through volunteering or charity work.  Sometimes just being kind to whoever is helping you goes a long way.

24. I find that I get more accomplished and feel much more productive when I write down the tasks I want to complete for the day and check them off as I complete them.  And yes, I’ll admit to adding things to the list after I’ve already done them just so I can check them off, haha.

25. I’ve developed a healthy body image.  I don’t know if it’s just my genes or the fact that my husband always lets me know that I’m beautiful, but I’ve just come to accept that this is how I look and I’ve embraced it.

26. Holding grudges only hurts yourself.  Letting go and forgiving others quickly eases your mind.

27. Life doesn’t stop after having a baby, we take our daughter (almost) everywhere we go.  We incorporate her into every aspect of our lives, which allows us to keep doing the things we love and exposes her to so many new things.

28. My inner most fear is not being successful.  I’ve had to redefine what success looks like in order to have a realistic outlook on where I stand with being successful.

29. I like to get other people’s opinions before making a decision.

30. I’ve got a lot more living and learning to do in this life and I’ll be approaching this next decade with an open mind and grateful heart.

29 years and 354 days ago!

I’ll be ringing in my 30’s by spending time with family and friends this weekend and probably a few glasses of champagne!  Have a great weekend everyone!