That’s right. I am now in my third decade. I didn’t think much of turning 20, but 30 hits a little harder. You look back on the past ten years and see how far you have come and consider all the next ten have in store (with a little more clarity then that of 20). And there is so much to look forward to.

I am grateful and blessed to have great family and friends who made my 30th birthday a real celebration. My in-laws came to town on Saturday.

We spent the afternoon at the playground; first time Z was able to explore and enjoy the swings, slides and climbing up and around.

Then to cool off we went  for coffee. We then came home and almost everyone decided it was time for nap. After an afternoon snooze we had a late BBQ dinner: Teriyaki Kebabs and Corn.

The next day was my birthday party! We met a few friends at a local coffee shop for a Paint and Sip event. We got a back room of the coffee shop all to ourselves. After talking, ordering drinks and settling in we began our group painting class. Our painting was of a misty forest at sunset.

We all did the same painting with instructions from our host. But it was amazing to see how each of our own personalities and styles came out. Everyone’s paintings turned out great and unique.

After this, we went out to dinner and came home to check in on the in-laws and Z. We put Z to bed then had ice cream and root-beer floats.

On my actual birthday. I got my free coffee and went to the park to enjoy it while Z was in a swing. That night we went out to eat for dinner, then went to a MOPs ice cream social at the church with our friends.

At the social my friends spoiled me with a giant chocolate cupcake filled with cream cheese and beautiful summer flowers.

Not a bad way to celebrate 30 years. Thank you to everyone who made it special.