Goodbye 20's

Yesterday I lived through a day we all dread- the day we leave our 20's and we become officially old- I turned 30! There is something that sounds wiser & more mature about being in your 30's. I was thinking this week of all that I've accomplished in my 20's: graduated from BYU, taught elementary school for 3 years, found the love of my life, got married, had 2 children, moved numerous times, bought a home, to name a few. I feel more mature & wise than I was 10 years ago. It's time to start fresh- this is a new era of my life and I'm ready! I only wonder what the next 10 years will bring????

It was a perfect day! Thanks for all of the phone calls & cards- it was much appreciated! I got to sleep in a bit, Bill made breakfast, and then he took the girls to help clean the church so I had an hour or so to myself. When they got back we headed out to do some shopping. I had a few gift cards that were burning a hole in my pocket. We took a break from our shopping to enjoy lunch at Rubio's (well, the girls had chicken nuggets from Wendy's). The weather was ideal for sitting on the patio & watching the birds. I was reminded that THIS IS THE LIFE- enjoying the afternoon with my little family- it sincerely couldn't have been a better day!

After relaxing at home I attended the Relief Society Broadcast at our stake center. WOW! I'm pretty sure that Elder Uchtdorf was speaking directly to me! He knew that I was pondering my current status in life and contemplating some goals for the next 10 years. He encouraged women to see the depth of their own potential. I loved EVERYTHING about his talk, but the following statement really struck me, "In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of even greater importance. Let us open our eyes and see the heavy hearts, notice the loneliness and despair; let us feel the silent prayers of others around us and let us be an instrument in the Lord's hands to answer those prayers."

After the meeting I enjoyed a gourmet meal comprised of prime rib, salad, rolls, and mashed potatoes. The high council & stake presidency prepare a dinner for the women every year & they don't miss a detail. The tables were beautiful, the lights were dim, and the crowd was large!

My sweet husband helped the girls make me a cake & we celebarted when I got home. Madisen insisted on taking my picture while they were singing. You can see he had some help with the decorations (and if you look really close you can see some fingerprints), but I couldn't have been happier!!
Why, you may be asking yourself, did I choose to have dinner with the RS sisters and not my family on my birthday??? Well, we're really going to celebrate next weekend at the beach! Bill planned a little birthday get away with a few friends. We're looking forward to a weekend together- filled with water, bikes, sun (we hope), friends, and conference.