The Big 4-0.....no!!!! No?

Please, can't I still be in my 30's?

The momentous occasion, in which my 30's will be a shadow of the past, arrives in 4 days. I can't believe it!

But I did accomplish something big--being single for such a long time, I prayed that I would be married before I was 40. See how the Lord answers prayers with a little bit of humor attached? I was nearly 39 1/2!

I will remember my 30's as a decade of growth, milestones, and major events. I felt a lot more comfortable in my skin throughout my 30's. I bought a house (which as a single person in Southern CA is no small feat,) I lost my dad and 2 grandparents and a step-grandpa and a stepsister, I became an auntie--twice--to the 2 most adorable children in the world, I loved and lost (as I dated a wonderful man for several months who passed away tragically at 42 back in 2006,) I changed school districts, I was laid off after 7 years in my new district, I got married, and I left my beloved home state of California to begin a whole new life with my husband in Washington State.

My goodness, I'm tired just reading this!

Let me focus on my first point though: I really have felt a lot more comfortable in my skin in my 30's. I am more accepting of myself as a person, recognizing my strengths as well as admitting my flaws. I feel like my personality has become more mellow, and yet stronger, without being abrasive. I've learned about tact in ways I never knew (a lot of tact was required in different situations as a teacher, especially in my most recent school district). And despite the bumps along the way, I know it has helped me grow. All of the "life bumps" I encountered in my 30's helped me to grow.

So what do I look forward to in my 40's? Well, one thing I have learned is that no matter how much you prepare, life often has other plans for you, which you can embrace, struggle against, or push aside. I would like to think that my 40's will be the decade where I'm no longer living for myself, but as half of a partnership that will last for many decades to come. I'm looking forward to growing together more and more with my wonderful husband. Perhaps we'll have a child, perhaps not (some current medication I'm on for my eczema is putting any efforts on hold,) but, whatever happens, I think will be for the best.

I look forward to meeting more people in my new neighborhood and church community. I look forward to enjoying life more at a slower pace. A lot of my 30's was lost to working as a teacher, and, noble as the profession is, it engulfs you, especially where I worked. My 40's will hopefully be the time where I can focus on old and new hobbies, my house (we do love our house here in WA,) and, again, supporting my husband in any ways he needs.

I feel very hopeful for this decade, and it is probably a good thing that I didn't get married until I was 39, because now I appreciate it so much more than I think I would have in my 20's or 30's.

So what do I say to the 40's? BRING 'EM ON!