starting a new decade..

I am officially a 30 year old! How is this possible? I was feeling great about the new decade, until my older sister reminded me that I can no longer tell people I am in my 20's, I now have to answer with "30 something". Honestly, I had never thought about that until I received her text, thanks Erin! 

 I am mentally, physically and emotionally, the best I have ever been. I have worked so hard in the past few years to become a better, more grateful person. Of course, I have more work to do, but I am happy with the progress I have made. My twenties were fun; I graduated college, I traveled, I married my husband, I moved three times,  I said goodbye to my husband for 4 different deployments, I got a dog and I had our son. It was a whirlwind, but a good one. 

 From 21

to 29 ....

I thought it would be fun to compile a list of 

30 things I learned in my 20's. 

Here is what I came up with;

1. Be positive. Life is too short to be worried about the negative, try your hardest to embrace the positive in life.

2. Surround yourself with the "good ones". Throughout my twenties, I learned that friendship is not in numbers, it is in quality. You don't have to be friends with everyone that you meet, and you don't have to stress about the reasons why someone chose not to be your friend. Move on and be thankful for the friends that are meant to be in your life. 

3. Marry the guy who loves you. Marriage is hard enough, loving your partner should not be hard. There are plenty of men to choose from, don't settle and most importantly don't let someone settle on you.

4. Go to bed early and sleep in. Trust me you will miss the sleep and you will miss the option of sleeping in. Saturday errands can wait, snuggle up! 

5. Wear sunscreen and stay away from tanning beds. If you choose to still use those god forsaken things, please don't post about it on social media. You will be moved to the stupid column, very quickly. No, we don't care that you are tanning AND doing your laundry at the same time. You can't reverse sun damage, so be good to the largest organ in your body! 

6. Exercise. If I would have been more passionate about exercising in my 20's, I would have set myself up for a healthier pregnancy and an easier transition into the balanced life. Finding time to exercise will only get harder as you get older, set the expectation of yourself early on! 

7. Call your mom (and dad, and sisters, and brothers and friends). 

8. Love your body. If you aren't happy with something, work to change it. 26 is that magic age where you can no longer eat three late night tacos and still have abs. Love your new body and make it work. Confidence is hot people!

9. Travel, travel and travel. It only gets more expensive as you add to your family. Traveling is where you should be spending your money, not on late night bar trips or fast food. Save and take trips, experience the world and experience the cultures!

10. Move away from home. Even if it is for a short time, move. You will meet new people, have new experiences and learn so much. Who knows, maybe you will find a new place to call home!

11. Write letters. There is nothing better than receiving snail mail. 

12. Write thank you cards. They are not a thing of the past, don't listen to anyone who says that. They mean something and they make the person know that you truly appreciated what they did for you!

13. Don't wear Old Navy flip flops. Just don't, your feet will thank you in a few years. 

14. Use your crockpot! It's an amazing invention. There is nothing better than coming home from work and having dinner done and hot!

15. Eat your veggies. There are so many different ways to get in your veggies, find one that works for you and do it.

16. Get your annual checkups. Who likes to go to the lady doctor? No one, it doesn't matter, GO! Speaking from experience, early detection of anything is vital. Schedule the appointment, put it in your calendar and go. 

17. Be thankful! Write down three things you are thankful for at the end of each day. On your worst days, go back and read through what you have written down. There are always things to be thankful for, embrace them!

18. Drink water. Put a lemon in it, put a cucumber in it, it doesn't matter just drink it. And while you are at it, make sure it's from a reusable bottle, plastic bottles are so last year!

19. Read for fun! Your early twenties were spent reading because you had to. So get yourself some dirty novels and read up, or embrace the amazing YA novels that are constantly coming out. Mindless reading = amazing! 

20. Pray. God is there, when we need Him, when we think we don't need Him and most importantly when we are happy. 

21. Take care of your skin. Find a product you love and use it. Be gentle (I'm working on it, Mom), and find what works for your skin. 

22. Listen instead of talking. This is something I am constantly working on. I so admire people who can sit and listen. Not every conversation has to be about you, or include you even. Be the person that people want to talk to. 

23. Be with a guy that will be a good father. Having a husband that is a stellar dad is such a turn on. Honestly. If you don't want kids, be with the guy that will be a stellar uncle. This is not something that you can teach or change about someone, either they are or they aren't.

24. Host parties! There is nothing more satisfying than planning an amazing party, where everyone has fun. Pinterest is there people, use it! 

25. Spend money on your home. You worked hard for that space, be proud of it and show it off. Buy that throw pillow and get those curtains, you will thank me for it later. 

26. Drink wine. Not much explanation for this one. Have a glass or a bottle, just remember the recovery takes an extra day as you breeze through your twenties. 

27. Eat the donut. Life is about balance. Don't deprive yourself of things that make you happy. Go for the one with bacon on it! 

28. Tell the people you love that you love them, daily. Raise kids who are comfortable loving, and let your husband or boyfriend know that you love them. Love really is all around! 

29. Watch the news and read the newspaper. Know what is going on and don't be the fool who thinks it is not important to stay current on current events. 

30. Love yourself! Life is hard enough, love the person you are and love the decisions you have made. We all make mistakes, we all have regrets, but the person who can own them and continue to work on becoming a better person, is the person that I want to be! 

Here's to my next decade, may it be as exciting and informative as my twenties!