30th Birthday

My 30th birthday was a few weeks ago. It feels a bit strange to be thirty years old. Being thirty means I graduated high school twelve years ago (how did that happen??). I've been married nearly nine years. I graduated college eight years ago. I've been a mother for six and a half years. I do grownup things like buy cars and teach children. My kids are getting old enough where I vividly remember doing things as a child that my children are doing now, and that is surreal. But wasn't I a kid, like, just a few years ago? How is it that I'm a grownup and have all these little people who think I know everything (at least for now)? I feel like an impostor pretending to be in my thirties.

In the months leading up to my 30th, I wondered how I would celebrate. Would I have a huge 30th bash? Would I have a romantic dinner out alone with my husband? Life happened and we never got around to planning anything. But in the end, I had the perfect birthday: my sweet sister-in-law brought me a happy birthday mocha early in the day. I had a picnic lunch with my peeps at my favorite playground ('my' favorite because of the beautiful blossoming trees all over the place). I sipped my mocha, read a book, and watched as my children frolicked happily (seriously...there was frolicking). In the evening I dressed up the little people in their finest and our family of five went to a nice restaurant for dinner. The kids' present to me was behaving well through the meal. Afterwards we came home for cake and a very special happy birthday song sung by my sweet kids. It was simple, yet wonderful. And maybe I'll start to feel like I'm in my thirties one of these days.