Today is my 30th birthday, something that seemed very far away for a long time.  I still remember each of my older siblings hitting that milestone, and finally knowing that I was next (I am the 6th of 7 kids).  It always seemed a little exciting, but rather far off. 

However, about five months ago it hit me that it was coming, and that as much as I like to believe it, I am really not 17 anymore.  I had a "mini-mid-life crisis", which amounted to me buying some anti-wrinkle face cream, and a having renewed determination to take better care of my skin and the rest of my body :).  And even though my exercising has tapered off a little, and I only have energy to wash my face apply the cream about half the time, I think it did its work.  It made me face that I am really leaving the young part of my life behind, and settling into the fun middle part of my life.  I decided that I was not only going to turn 30, I was going to celebrate it – or rather, force my husband to throw me a party to celebrate it :). 

And then yesterday, I started thinking about the movie "13 Going on 30" – it is really the cutest show, but the gist is that the girl want to skip ahead to the part of her life when she is "thirty, flirty, and fabulous."  As I thought about it, it made me realize how grateful I am for every year I have lived, and every experience I have had in my life.  I would never have wanted to skip to this point, especially as I realized all the things I would have missed out on.

I began thinking about specific moments of my life that I would re-live in a heartbeat – pieces of what made me what I am, and make up some of my favorite memories.  Here are 30 of them . . .

1. Sitting by my mom drawing pictures while she worked at her desk.  My brother was a baby, and the rest of the kids were in school.  It was a very special time – just for me and my mom.
2. Dressed as an angel, singing "Away in a Manger" to my sister Cheryl's, and my sister Wendy's boyfriends and their families.  I was six and I felt so special.
3. Riding bikes, playing games, and any other fun times spent with my brothers and sisters.
4. Camping with my family in the Nevada desert.
5. Roaming through the hills behind our house with Holly and Matthew – searching for treasure.
6. Going on business trips with my dad.
7. The trip I took with my mom when I was 8.  We went all over Utah visiting friends, and it was just the two of us.
8. Haning out and doing stuff with my sister Holly her Senior year at Reed High.  I was a freshman, but we stil did everything together.
9. My fourth year at Girls Camp at Bucks Lake – the most amazing experience ever.
10. Fall concert of my Junior Year of high school, singing "Highland Mary" with Chamber Singers.
11. My 17th birthday – I have had many great birthdays, but this was one that was amazing.  EVERYONE remembered, especially my best friend Krista, and even the guy I liked at the time.
12. Any time Senior year when us girls got together.  We had so much fun, and I have never laughed so hard.  Especially the night we "vandalized" the guys' cars :).
13. Walks with Pamela to the Creamery to get milkshakes – I would never have survived freshman year at BYU without them.
14. Sitting on beach watching the sun set over the Sea of Galilee.
15. The road trip to Cortes, CO with my roommate Mehana.
16. Any of my time spent on my mission in the Canary Islands with my Herman Rogers.  Romie was the best companion ever, and made even the hardest days the best days.
17. A day out on the Lake Austin with my sister Wendy and her family.
18. The afternoon/evening/night I spent with Kevin, the day after his 22nd birthday.  It began as some old fiends hanging out, and turned into seven amazing years together.
19. The date Kevin took me on to Salt Lake City – we had dinner at a great Italian restaurant (my favorite), took a walk through Temple Square, and went to a reception for one of his old mission companions.  It was here that he introduced me as his "girlfriend" for the first time.
20. The night Kevin proposed – it was so unexpected, he still swears my answer was "What?" instead of "Yes!"
21. My wedding day, starting from the moment I saw Kevin at the Conference Center before we went over to the temple.  Before I saw him, I was a nervous wreck, but from that moment on, I was filled with a peace that stayed with me the entire day.
22. Teaching fourth grade – I would say the first day, but that would be a lie, as I was so terrified, I was afraid to go, and Kevin had to push me out the door.  Every other day (minus a few here and there) of the two years I taught though, would be pretty awesome.  I loved teaching so much, and truly loved my students.
23. Finding out that we were expecting Lily – I was so happy, and yet so terrified at the same time.  Kevin pulled out "Horton Hears a Who," and read it to the baby in my belly, and from that moment on, I knew it would be okay.
24. My very first photo shoot, taking Rob and Angela's engagement pictures.  It was something I had wanted to do for as long as I can remember, and it was the beginning of a new part of my life.
25. Lying on the couch in our apartment in Spanish Fork, UT, cuddling my new baby girl, Lily Elizabeth.
26. Lily and I standing in the driveway of our new home in Monterey, CA, watching Kevin drive up – and getting to hold and hug and kiss him for the first time in months.  (He had been at Basic Training and then more training.)
27. Cuddling my new baby boy on Christmas morning, a special Christmas present only four days old.
28. Seeing my parents again for the first time after their 18 month mission to Scotland.
29. Taking my family to Disney World, and not only loving every minute myself, but watching Lily soak in every bit of magic.
30. Every wonderful day I get to spend with my amazing husband and wonderful kids.