End of a Decade for Emily

I always was a little silly...

I turn 30 tomorrow. I am treating the occasion like New Years ((no pants and wearing party glasses?!)) with a set of intentions and a drive to be a more resolved me. This starts by laughing at a few of the decisions I made in my early 20s and taking pride in the those that followed.  The last ten years looked a bit like this:

-- College. Complete with dreadlocks and a tongue piercing. If you know me now, your jaw has dropped to the floor.
-- European semester abroad. I never felt more invigorated about the beauty in the world.
-- Art school. This is where I realized how fortunate my childhood had been.
-- Master's degree. Getting an MA in Art History proved I was much smarter than I gave myself credit for.
-- Wedding my high school sweetheart. I never knew how special this was until recently, to have married my first and only love.
-- Move to Seattle. Best decision I have made as an adult -- to begin a life in a new city, away from my family and the only home I'd ever known.
-- Owning a business. Seeing this dream realized is the greatest gift I could have ever imagined.
-- Buying a house. Not nearly as scary as I thought it would be.
-- Having a baby. Much scarier than I thought it would be.

That's quite a bit of action before 30. I'm not at all implying that 30 is the end of change, but I want now to be about enjoying what I've already accomplished. So here are some of my goals for the next ten years:

-- Learn to say "No" and NOT feel guilty about it (this might actually take the full decade.)
-- Wear lipstick more regularly
-- Read more
-- Get my house looking the way I imagine...filled with stuff like this.
-- Take a vacation, without kids, that is not visiting family for a holiday
-- Master the art of pretty hair
-- Complete my family with a few more kiddos

CHEERS, to me.

Thanks, Mom & Dad, for everything.