33

Today I am 33 years old.  My adult life is flashing before my eyes. There was a point in my life where 33 resembled more of the hustle and bustle of being a lawyer, rather than the hustle and bustle of working, PTO meetings, playing pretend, and making baby food.  Although my life isn't exactly how I imagined it to be, I truly could not ask for anything more.  

At 33, I am abundantly blessed.  

FAITH.  My faith is stronger now than it ever has been.  After years of "soul searching," I have discovered my true self in God's love.  I am not perfect, but my faith gives me hope that through my imperfections, God will love me and all things will fall into place, right where He intended for them to be.  I used to think people just said things like that.  (As though that's easy to say.)  I know now that 1- most people don't just say things like that and 2- things like that are not easy to say without conviction.  I am grateful to be able to say it and mean it.

THE HUBBY.  I hit the jackpot in husbands, folks.  He is a man of faith and is genuine to the core.  He is a hard worker and doesn't stop until everyone he loves is happy.  He is the steady, rationale, rock to my crazy and the peace to my chaos.  He is the absolute best father to my children and that alone is more than I could have asked for.

KIDS.  My kids are amazing.  They've filled a part of my life I never knew I needed.  My Buggy is fierce.  She never needs a nudge to complete a task.  She is a leader.  She is a mother to her brother. She is my best friend.  My Cubby is the sweetest.  He doesn't have a care in the world (unless he's hungry, in which case, he's hANGRY).  In the complicated world of big sister and Mom, he is our sanity and peace. (Sounds a bit like Dad, if you ask me.  Thank God for maintaining some balance in this family.)

FAMILY.  They are and will always be my backbone.  When I was growing up, I wanted to spend every minute with my friends.  Now when I have any free time, all I want to do is spend time with my family (on the phone, in person, whatever).  No questions asked, my family will drop anything in a moment's notice if I need help.  And even when I don't, they still always manage to be there to give me the occasional Mommy break.  I've been blessed to marry into a family that loves hard and laughs even harder and who supports my marriage and my own family in ways I could have only dreamed of.  God blessed me with some great in-laws.

FRIENDS.  Before marriage, I had friends, who then adopted the hubby as a friend when we got married.  Then as husband and wife we made couple friends.  Then when we became parents, we became really good at making parent friends.  All of these people are our sanity.  They provide a community for us (and our kids) to be us, to share stories with, to make new memories with, and who are the foundation of our external "family."  When we make friends, we make friends who become family.  We are so blessed to have a surplus of these people.

WORK.  I've been blessed in my career.  I didn't become the lawyer I originally intended on becoming, but the opportunity to work in higher education has been more than fulfilling.  I spent 1 year in higher education marketing before moving into Education and accreditation under the most experienced, caring, and thoughtful dean.  I was trained by the best for 7 years before moving into where I've been for almost 2 years now, in accreditation at an integrative health university.  I am so grateful for the alternative path that God presented me with, one that allows for me to have the flexibility to be at my children's school functions whenever I need to, to be involved in PTO, to volunteer, and to be home at a reasonable hour to pick up the kids and be able to make them a homemade meal each night, all while gaining the experience I needed to do my job well and to advance in higher education.

So today I am 33 years old and I'm grateful for where I've been and where I am.  Each year has been a year of unexpected, of trials, a year of testing my faith, of blessings and miracles, and a year full of love.  May this year be no different..  God has been so good to me.

God Bless,

Kat