Halfway to 60!

Today I am 30. 30! Or in the words of my dad, "halfway to 60". Or if I want to take it another step forward, a third of the way to 90. Wow. I wonder if I'll live to be 90? What would a 90 year old Cari look like? Hmmm. I'm laughing trying to picture myself at 90. That's funny. Anyway, here are some thoughts running through my head as I begin this new decade. 

* I'm excited. I know a lot of people (my husband being one of them) dreaded turning 30. It has never even been an issue for me. I think because I had the girls at such a young age (18) I always felt much older. I jokingly say "I've felt 30 for 11 years". Ha! Seriously, though, God created us to live. I want to embrace each new year. 

* I am now the age my sister was when she died of colon cancer. That's hard to wrap my head around. Brenna was diagnosed with cancer at 29. She fought it for nine months and died 27 days after her 30th birthday. If I live to August 13 I will have outlived my sister. I know this is a morbid way of thinking, but it's true. I always knew she died much too young. But now that I'm there, I just can't imagine what she had to go through. The goodbyes she had to face. Planning a will at 29. Telling our parents how and where she wanted to be buried. Unreal. 

* I feel like I am on the verge of a breakthrough. Brandon and I have been working for a few months at getting healthier. Yes, we've taken a bit of a break these past couple of weeks as we've enjoyed some precious alone time, but starting tomorrow we are hitting it hard again. It's not a diet. We are choosing to eat to live. For far too long we lived to eat. Enough is enough. 

* I've learned in the last few years that, yes, you can have a plan for your life. But, ultimately, we are not in control. God moved us from Oklahoma, to Arkansas, and now South Carolina. When I turned 20 I never dreamed I would ever leave my sweet little small town in northeast Oklahoma. Now that I turn 30 I know I can't be so set in my ways because His ways are higher than my ways (Isaiah 55:9). Will He move us again? Is the lowcountry our forever home? I don't know. And I'm learning that's ok. 

* I get to spend today on the beach. That's cool. I'm going to write "Happy 30th birthday to me" in the sand and take a picture with it. That'll be fun.

* In this next decade the girls will hit a lot of major milestones... becoming teenagers, driving, turning 18, graduating high school, college, and I'm sure their fair share of girl drama and boy troubles. Wow. That's crazy. These next 10 years are gonna be quite the ride! 

Life is so good. In the highs and in the lows, I am blessed. 

Now, it's time to go celebrate!