thirty

Thirty.  I'm thirty.  This birthday was hard and wonderful all at the same time.  I've been learning that is how life is.  Sure, there are seasons that are characterized more by sorrow or more by joy but it seems like more often than not, they are all mixed together.
Have you ever heard of Shauna Niequist?  She is a fabulous author and her book Bittersweet is pretty much exactly where I'm at.  Have you ever read a book and thought that it was written just for you?  Yeah, that's how I feel about this book.  She sums up much more eloquently than I'm able that in the tough times, you can find pieces of joy and in happiness, suffering and pain still exists.  I can sometimes be a little black and white and this concept has been revolutionary for me.  Life is sorrow and joy all mixed together and God uses both times to teach us, love us, and draw us nearer to him.  
But back to my 30th.... it fell right in the middle of a tough time but was seriously exactly what I needed.  I needed to say goodbye to my 20's and start afresh.  I needed to get out of my head and space and be around family and friends and celebrate.  I'm going to share much more about all that happened over the last couple of weeks because really, it deserves a couple posts on its own.  I'll just say I have an amazing husband who celebrates me, loves me, takes care of me, and spoils me rotten.  I have a wonderful family and incredible friends who take care of me and love me.  So thankful for them.  So blessed.  
You might notice that I'm speaking a little more from the heart and not just sharing my latest crafting pics.  You can expect more of that here.  As I approached my birthday, that is something that I kept thinking about over and over again.  I feel ready to be more open and honest and share more freely what's going on in my life...both the good and bad.  So thank you for reading.