2010.
Really?
2010.
Wow!
So, be forewarned...this may get lengthy...and there are no pictures (today)...just my thoughts. So, come back another day if you were looking for pictures of the kids or our trip to CO. Today is simply a reflection. My reflection.
Yesterday I turned 30. (No, I am not upset about it and this is not going to be a depressing post!). Yes, 30! So as everyone is taking a look back at the decade that just seemed to flash before our eyes, I am seeing it with a whole other perspective. My twenties are gone and I have entered into a new time. A new decade.
I think it is funny to hear different people's reactions to getting older. Most seem to dread it. When I shared that I was turning 30, most people gasped or made some joke about being over the hill or looked like they were waiting for me to start crying. They weren't going to get that reaction from me though.
I can't help but look back at the decade that has just passed and feel amazingly blessed. A LOT has happened in the last ten years. Here is a quick recap of the last decade to give you a little insight:
2000- I joined the Navy, went to boot camp, moved away from home for the first time (to Charleston, SC), met and, most importantly, fell in love with my wonderful husband. By the end of the year we were engaged and planning our wedding!
2001- David and I got married, finished Nuclear Power School and found out we were expecting our first child! We made the decision for me to get out of the Navy in order to be an at-home mom, while David continued his Navy career.
2002- We welcomed Ian into the world and our lives would be forever changed! What an amazing joy parenthood is!
2003- We bought our first home, celebrated Ian's first birthday and got orders to move to Norfolk, VA.
2004- In January, as we settled into our home in Virginia, we found out that we were expecting our second baby! In September we welcomed Isabelle to the family!
2005- Being a military family, we knew it was inevitable that David would be deployed and 2005 was the year. We celebrated Isabelle's first birthday a week early so that David could be a part of it and then we said our tearful goodbyes. I learned that friends are truly the family that you choose for yourself as my fellow military friends became my family during David's absence.
2006- David got to come home early from deployment to attend a specialty school and we got to enjoy being a complete family unit again! While we were elated that David got to be home with us, I also experienced my first major loss as my grandfather passed away. David also reenlisted in the Navy, committing to serve until 2011.
2007- My grandmother passed away suddenly and I again faced loss. That summer I finally started the blog that I had been promising my family for so long. Ian started Kindergarten and Isabelle started preschool.
2008- We got orders to move back to Charleston, SC. We bought a home and enjoyed the perks of shore duty and having David home more often! In August we were SURPRISED to find out that we would be adding another family member to our crew!
2009- We welcomed Isaac to the family in April and our life has been a whirlwind (a delightful whirlwind, but a whirlwind nonetheless!) ever since. (Which is my excuse for not keeping up with the blog nearly as much as I previously had been!)
So, that brings us to today.
2010.
30 years old.
After looking back at the last decade, seeing how I have been blessed, how many things we have accomplished and how we have grown, I can only look forward to this next decade with anticipation for what God has in store for me and my family. With that, we are facing many big decisions in the next year. Decisions that will greatly impact our family.
Decisions to become DEBT FREE.. Choices about staying Navy or venturing into the civilian world... decisions about having more kids or not...the list goes on...
So we wait. With curiosity. With anticipation. With prayer and patience (I am working on the patience part). We wait to see what is in store for us.
I can't wait to look back on this next decade and see the adventures we have gone on, the ways that God has blessed us, the young people my children have grown into and how our family has grown as a unit.
But today?
Today I am happy.
I am blessed.
I am excited.
I am 30!
