I Turned Thirty!

One of my latest goals on The World Race has been too watch all 10 seasons of Friends. Yes, not everything we do out here is spiritual. Some days we have a lot of down time and this is one of many ways to pass it. Just this past week I watched an episode where Rachel was turning 30. Throughout the episode they did flashbacks of all their 30^th birthdays. It was quite humorous. My favorite was Joey because he just kept saying, “God, no why!!” Let’s just say I can relate.

If you have read some of my blogs over the last month you know that my 30^th birthday was approaching. I wasn’t super excited about it because life isn’t really what I thought it would be at 30. A lot of the middle schoolers and kids I used to work with are now in college (some even married), I’m still not married, I have no secure job or steady income and I have not a clue what this upcoming year holds. Plus my birthday is just hard. I experienced the biggest lost in my life, my father, 13 years ago on my birthday. It is a hard day every year. I still remember every detail of that day like it happened yesterday. But every year God is faithful and the people I am with love me well and do all they can to make that day special. 

Let me share a little bit about what Team BLING did to make this year pretty special. Well, it started 12 days before my 30^th with the 12 days of Liz. For 12 days they sang to me and gave me a little gift every day, starting with my favorite, buffalo wings and bleu cheese and ending with another of my favorites, a cold beer (if they could’ve found yuengling in South Africa, they would have). Throughout the middle I received some white chocolate, pretzels, diet coke, pens, a moleskin, a travel mug and more. It was pretty sweet. On my actual birthday we were traveling to Romania. Travel days are never fun, although flying is much better than a long, overcrowded bus ride. Again they went above and beyond. Sabelo, our friend at the camp we were staying at, had the kitchen ladies bake me a massive cake. Emily and Chiu, wrote me poems and blew up a picture that I can’t post here because I’d probably get in trouble, but it was funny. And Team BLING knowing I’m the sentimental one and being that we were with the whole squad, got a bunch of people to write me notes of encouragement that were given to me throughout the day. The day ended with the BLING tradition of 30 humorous reasons they love me and a poem constructed by our very own Kristen McKee. I definitely felt loved, honored and celebrated. 

I mentioned in the last blog I posted that I was inspired by a friend and a girl in Africa to make a list of 30 things I want to accomplish in this next year. I would much rather show you that then the poem and list of 30 reasons Team BLING loves me. Some are ambitious, some are ridiculous and some are super fun. I hope and pray that somehow they all are accomplished by the time I turn 31. I already accomplished number 30 on my birthday!  Enjoy the list!