I heard from a birdy....

....that someone is turning thirty. And that someone would be YOURS TRULY!!

Yes, today is my 30th birthday. To be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to this birthday. There's something about no longer being able to say you are twenty-something. I think it's how you say it.....you turn 30. No one turns 20, or 25 or even 29. You just say "I'm 25 today", or whatever. But "turning 30" sounds wierd to me. When stuff in the fridge "turns" sour, you throw it out.

But then something happened yesterday that completely changed my thinking about this birthday. I was at the DMV because it occured to me that my license was expiring....due to my birthday. The lady that was helping me noticed my birthday on my license and commented about it. I said, "Yes, I have to turn 30 tomorrow." She told me that her 30s were the best years of her life and that I shouldn't be worried. She asked what all happened to me in my 20s. I graduated Clemson, got married, moved from my hometown to NC, bought a house, and had a baby. She said, "See all the good things that have happened to you....what more good things must be in your future."

That was the moment I decided I am going to embrace this being 30. I am excited about this day. I am PROUD TO BE 30!!!!

So, on this day, I want to share with you some pictures of me through the years.

This is me and my grandmother. The back of the photo says Jan. 1980, so I am 8 months old here. My mom thinks it looks like Quinn is in the picture and not me.

I am not sure how old I am here...probably 3 or 4. I am rocking the bed-head though. And my mom still has some of those Christmas ornaments!

I am not sure how old I am in this picture either. Again, probably 4 or so. I don't remember why we had so much wood. According to Buddy, every little kid needs a picture by a big pile of wood. Notice how sweetly my hands are folded....and yes, that is a Clemson jacket. I was a fan at an early age.

Ok, this is what I've termed as my "mushroom head" look. I sported this style for quite a while. Again, I'm probably 4 years old here. This was a spring picture at the daycare I went to.

All right, fast forward to May 1997. This is me on my prom night Senior year. I did not have a date, but some girl-friends and I all dressed up, went out to eat, and then went to prom as a group. We had the best time and got to dance with whoever we wanted to. (Wasn't I skinny back then? I think I was about 95 pounds.)

This is in October 1997. I was 18 years old. This is the first picture of Buddy and I together. We had been dating about 4 months or so. We were going to Homecoming at his highschool that night. That was my favorite outfit. I loved the plaid pants. And that's my dog, Desi. I got her for my 16th birthday, so she is about 2 years old. (She's still alive by the way, living with my parents).

This is my 21st birthday. Buddy took me to see Travis Tritt perform at an outdoor concert. Back in Greenville, every year on Memorial Day Weekend, they hold a hot-air balloon festival and there is a concert outside each night. My family threw me a surprise party and then Buddy and I went to the concert.

This picture is November 2002, so I am 23 here. We were all decked out for the Clemson/Carolina football game, last game of the season. (Remember....in SC, Carolina stands for USC Gamecocks, not the Tarheels). The other couple was my roommate, Stephanie, and her boyfriend-now-husband, Josh. Steph was my maid of honor (since I'm an only child...no sisters), and I was a bridesmaid in her wedding. We got married 4 months apart.

This was taken in the Fall of 2004. I was 25. This was our first apartment after we moved to NC. That is our dog Tillman. He was 3.

And this was taken last Sunday before church....so I'm practically 30 here.

I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed me with 29 wonderful years of life. I have had good health during all this time. I have a wonderful family, with whom I am very close. I have had many good friends over the years, who now live in many different places all over the world. My prayer is that the Lord will continue to bless me.

And to quote a Tim McGraw song "My next 30 years will be the best years of my life...."