a very thankful birthday.

34.

this is the number of years i have now inhabited this earth.

34?

is it really possible i am entering my mid-30's???

recently we went to a field hockey game that mike was covering. 

he started asking me the rules of the game because i used to play.

my response was, "i don't know, that was 20 years ago."

i almost choked on the words!

20 years ago?

i was a freshman in high school 20.YEARS.AGO.

{imagine me looking at you with extremely large eyes}

my dad tells me that the only really important birthdays are the decade birthdays: 30, 40, 50, 60, etc.

everything in between, he tells me, is non-essential.

{or whatever word he makes up to mean non-essential}

i realize 34 is a completely random number.

have you ever known anyone to love the number 34?

well, i take that back.

it was charles barkley's number & you should know if you don't already, 

i do love me some sir charles.

aside from that, i guess it is a pretty unimportant age in the grand scheme of things. 

however, on my 34th birthday, being that it's so close to thanksgiving, i can reflect on the awesome blessings i've had since my last {non-essential} birthday.

• i experience the love of my Heavenly Father on a daily basis & he takes me just as i am
• God has blessed us by providing so that i can stay home with our son just as i had always dreamed
• He's also provided a job that mike loves & does well
• my husband works hard in order to support us
• our marriage has been tested & grown by God's grace
• i've learned so much since becoming a mom ~ love in its most beautiful form
• we've witnessed the growth of eli in such remarkable ways: sitting, standing, walking, kissing, hugging, hi-fiving, knuckle-bumping, eating & eating & eating, mimicking, playing, loving, snuggling, & sleeping through the night :)
• we got to create some memories with a few family trips
•  i get to watch on as my parents experience grandparenthood for the first time ~ it brings me such joy
• we are reaching people on a weekly basis by providing food through the food pantry
• we serve on a weekly basis at our church that we love dearly
• i participated in the beautiful wedding of one of my very best friends
• God has kept us all healthy and sick-free
• i'm learning to be more content with what i have & who i am

let's be honest, i could never contain my blessings list to one blog post.

big things, little things, there are far too many. 

but now i enter into another year of life looking forward to what's in store.

to see what's been written in this chapter of my life.

alright, 34, bring it on!