::38::

I just had a birthday. Always a time of reflection for me, as well as gratitude. I ask myself if this where I want to be personally, and professionally. Do I go to work happy, do I spend quality time with my family, do I give my kids enough of my undivided attention after school, am I showing Rick how much he means to me, am I balancing things ok, am I being a good friend, am I communicating well enough to those around me my needs, and listening well enough to their needs.
I'm also grateful for another year. I lost another classmate two months ago. He'll never raise his two little boys, be there for his niece and nephew, or grow old and share in these experiences with his wife. I am so grateful to be here. I celebrate being 38, and I'll continue to celebrate every single year I am given.
Truth is I am happy and content. Professionally I have owned and operated my business for almost 13 years. Early on, I worried I'd be one of those people changing jobs every couple years. Not that one day I won't change, but giving to a job for that many years because I have loved it and committed to it.  I am proud of it. When I felt like changing around all the time, it wasn't just the job, it was seeking some type of fulfillment I wasn't getting. Professionally I feel I am in the right place, right now.
Personally, life feels pretty damn good. I feel loved by my friends, family, and Rick. I feel secure because of this. I feel wiser from all that I have gone through. My thirties have had some rough times, but through it all I have known exactly who I am. In my twenties I felt I lost a piece of myself, but it came back, it's what gave me strength through affairs, divorce, deaths, and having to share MY time with MY kids, all in my thirties. My relationship with my ex is good. We have a better understanding of each other than we've had in years. My kids truly become even more amazing people daily. I am traveling and filling my soul with all I seek to see and learn.
Thank you to all who made my birthday week so special. I love you.

This was literally an hour after we got home from NYC. My parents, Rick,Sister, Ian and my 86 year old Oma were all there too!

These are the BEST friends a girl could ask for. With a couple missing of course.

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