30 Rocks!

To say we have been busy the last 2 months is an understatement!  Shortly after my last post, our family traveled with my parents, brother and sister-in-law to Orlando for the kids' first Disney experience!  That is obviously a post for another day, but it was, of course, a magical week!  June was packed with play dates and days at the park (I love summer!) and even a weekend reminder of what it's like to be an adult, not just a parent!  July was met with a flurry of baby showers (4!), what may actually be the very last "Hanover wedding" we have the pleasure of attending and one amazing and very special girls night out - 30's edition - and we still have a few days of the month left!

As I reflect on these events and those immediately preceding them, I came to one simple conclusion: 30 Rocks!  (Yes, I love Tina Fey too... who doesn't?!)  I will admit 29 was a hard year for me, as evidenced by the ramblings in previous blog posts, but by the time my 30th birthday rolled around I was ready to fearlessly jump into a new decade.  One the eve of my big 3-0, I had dinner with some wonderful girls and tried sushi for the first time.  Yum!  When I got home, Nick and I decided to stay up until midnight to celebrate the first minutes of my milestone birthday.  We were trying to come up with something "crazy" (as crazy as two parents with three sleeping kids upstairs can be!) to do at midnight, so Nick jokingly suggested we do shots...he was shocked when I told him to find 2 glasses because I wasn't going to do this alone!

Yes, a shot at midnight started it off well only 4 months ago and 30 has already been a milestone year for me as I continue to seek out "firsts" that I never truly considered before.  Here's a quick recap of how we've been celebrating a new, amazing decade!

In honor of my birthday (ok, we're both March babies so it was for Nick's too!) we took our first cruise together,,,
and I got to kiss/hug/dance with an adorable dolphin! 

My first sushi experience - The Flaming Scotty Roll!

Our trip to Hilton head, just days after turning 30 :)

I learned to embrace my inner soccer-mom when I became an actual soccer mom this spring!

My first half-marathon!  What an amazing feeling!

Introducing my kids to the Wonderful World of Disney for the first time! (Thanks Mia & Jeeps!)

First Kenny Chesney concert with Nick at Verizon (started as a girls night many years ago!)
and a wonderful weekend of kid-free quality time!

My mom, sister-in-law and I at MY first nephew's baby shower!  I know, I already have an awesome nephew
(and two adorable nieces) on Nick's side, but there's something extra special about my baby brother
 expecting his first child, a son due in October!

Not a "first" for me, but very meaningful just the same.  I had the pleasure of hosting a baby shower for my friend Mandi, who I've known for nearly 18 years (yep, that makes me sound old!) with several of our close friends/sorority sisters from college.  Honestly, who saw us with all these kids 10 years ago?!

Also, July 4 marked the first anniversary of my first competitive run, a 5K (3.1 mile) in Lawrenceburg.  To celebrate, I ran the Firecracker 6 mile downtown honoring and benefiting deployed Hoosiers.  I plan to run an event every year on the 4th to commemorate my new love of running :) 

My advice to my not-yet or just-turned 30 friends reading this...if I can love being 30 as much as I do while caring for 3 kids and rockin' my mini-van, you can absolutely do the same!