I’m currently writing this post from the couch on my birthday (Sunday). Sometimes things don’t go as planned, but a low-key day at home on the couch with James (who is also feeling under the weather) ended up being just what the doctor ordered. (We’ll just have to save my fall-themed birthday celebration for when we’re both feeling better… hopefully soon!)
As I mentioned last week, leading up to my birthday I was feeling a little bit strange about the whole thing. I honestly hate to admit why – but with each year lately I have trouble not thinking, “Well, there goes another year we didn’t get pregnant, and I’m another year older.”
When I was younger I always envisioned starting a family in my late 20’s, and definitely thought I’d be a mom by the time I was 30. (If you read this post – you’re well aware of the whole story.) I struggled a bit with this the year I turned 30, but was also so busy launching our business into full-time mode that I didn’t focus on it as much (thankfully). But the last two years my birthday has really hit me.
This year – “32” really hit me.
I mentioned this to James (even though I was pretty embarrassed to even say it out loud, if I’m being honest), and in typical James fashion he snapped me out of it… He said if all goes well this coming year with the doctor we could potentially be parents when I’m 33 and that would mean we’d “have those little rascals out of our hair by our early 50’s.” haha.
And so instead of focusing on things I thought I would have by this age and don’t (kids, a house, a retirement fund, and a hefty savings account) – I’m going to focus on the things I never saw coming and are way better than I could have ever imagined. So while maybe we won’t be adding kids (or any of the above) to our list of things accomplished in my 32nd year – we will be doing lots of other things and enjoying plenty of day to day things we should be thankful for too.
So to keep myself in check – here’s a list of things I’m thankful for and things I’m looking forward to in my 32nd year!
1. Giordano’s pizza finally delivering to our address!! This means we got to lay on the couch all day today and never had to leave to pick up our delicious deep dish olive & mushroom pizza for my birthday lunch/dinner. YES.
2. James for always making me smile. I didn’t even admit this to him yesterday – but he was driving me so crazy when we were getting ready to head out to the wedding we were shooting that I locked myself in the office/guest room so I could get ready in peace. Within seconds James was knocking on the door pretending he needed to get his tie and shoes out of the office (they were not in the office), and then said something so ridiculous I couldn’t help but smile. (I can’t remember what it was, dang it.) And then followed it with, “I know you’re smiling in there Christy! You know you can’t help it! You’re grinning from ear to ear! Now let me in!!” I ignored him and didn’t reply, because if I had he would have heard the smile in my voice. haha. He also wrote me the world’s most insane birthday card, complete with illustrations on the envelope. I wish I could share it with you all, but he made me promise I wouldn’t post it. Let’s just say it had me laughing this morning in bed as I read it, even though I was feeling miserable and sick.
3. Chloe for never letting me feel sorry for myself. She’s so oblivious to life sometimes and could have cared less that we were sick today. She seriously acted like a lunatic, running around the house with her bone, and barking at us and everything else you could think of for hours. It drove me nuts, but was so funny and cute we couldn’t help but smile and get off our butts to play with her.
4. Fall weather. I’m just going to say it … we had the most perfect weather for the wedding on Saturday! It was 70 degrees, sunny, no wind, and just a dusting of clouds. It was so perfectly comfortable and beautiful I couldn’t stop talking about it! Not hot, not cold, not windy – just perfect. It is also nice not looking like a hot, sweaty mess all day at work. And not to mention it is the perfect weather for cozy cardigans and new boots! 😉
5. Celebrating our 2-year full-time business anniversary! We’ve been doing this for longer than that – but I’m so thankful that we’ve been able to support our little family on income from our business alone for the past two years! Time has flown! We feel so unbelievably blessed to have chased our dreams and be doing something we love every day! (Much more on that coming in a post soon!)
6. Going to Hawaii for the first time this November! We are over-the-moon excited to travel to Hawaii to shoot Tanya and Greg’s wedding this November, and are blessed to be able to extend our trip before and after the wedding to enjoy an end of the year vacation for ourselves! That will be our last wedding of 2013 (as of now) and it is the perfect way to close out the wedding season if you ask me!
7. Chloe for being cuddly and sweet when I need her to be (occasionally). As I type this Chloe is curled up between James’ legs on the couch and laying her head on my lap. I always feel like I won a prize when she chooses to cuddle with me. Is that weird?
8. A Packer win on my birthday! I didn’t get to watch the game (thanks to the Bears game taking over the local stations) – but I’m still happy my guys pulled it off!! Clearly Aaron did it just for me knowing it was my birthday and all… 😉
9. Going to see the Grand Canyon for the first time this February! James and I are heading to the What If Conference together this year and decided since it is happening just outside of Phoenix that we should take advantage of it and check something off our bucket list… visiting the Grand Canyon! I seriously cannot wait!
10. My niece and nephews for making me feel SO loved, so blessed, and for reminding me that life turns out just the way it is meant to be. We got to spend a lot of time with the little ones in August and get to see them again this weekend (!!) and it has been amazing. Being around these three has a way of making all our other “problems” disappear. (Photos below are from them Face Timing me on my birthday! Clearly I am in a robe, on the couch & yet to shower…) 🙂
11. My family and friends for just… being the best. They are all so supportive, so kind, and always there for me. I don’t know how I ended up with so many amazing people surrounding me, but I am SO thankful.
12. Laptops, and for James letting me borrow his. 🙂 Because lord knows I wouldn’t be typing this post or culling a wedding if I had to sit at the desk in my office today! 😉
13. Going to Punta Cana this February for Melissa and Steven’s wedding! Our dear friends also asked us to shoot their wedding and we are SO honored! I cannot wait for some down time with lifelong friends for more than just a couple hours at a time, and somewhere tropical on top of it! Yay!
14. Getting to work day after day next to the love of my life. I take this for granted way more than I should. It is so rare to get to spend this much time with your spouse and to get to choose how you want your day to day life to look.
13. For unexpected surprises that turn out to be better than anything we could have planned for our lives. I’m remembering this more than anything as I embark on this year in my life. The things I least expected are by far the best things that have come our way. So thankful for them and hopeful for the future.
