The First 30

Yesterday was my 30th birthday and I suppose that warrants some type of musing. As a whole I will say that I have had a wonderful life thus far. I've been given opportunities to explore the world, other cultures, new ideas and mostly, I have met many fantastic people. Here is a snapshot of the first 30 in decades:

The First 10
- Born in Derby CT in 1980
- Started learning German at home thanks be to my parents
- Flew alone for the first time back from Germany; I celebrated my 9th birthday there
- Started playing the clarinet
- Finished school in CT through 5th grade
- Went to Italy, Germany, Canada
The Second 10
- Moved to SC in 1992
- Started and finished middle school and high school
- Continued playing clarinet for 8 years
- Graduated high school
- Spent my 18th birthday in Germany also flying alone
- Started College of Charleston
- Started my first job in high school (appropriately at a shoe store)
- Started my first real job with Bank of America
- Traveled some more, including Europe and the western US
The Third 10
- Graduated College of Charleston with a BA in German
- Graduated U. of Phoenix with MBA
- Studied abroad in Germany for the summer of 2003
- Met Zach
- Moved from Charleston to Anderson to Boston
- Had a baby
- Bought my first car
- Learned how to make jewelry

One of the most valuable lessons I learned in the first 30 is that it is OK to be yourself. As a child you are encouraged to be creative and explore a variety of things to see what you like. In the teen years it becomes acceptable to forfeit who you are in order to stay popular or be "cool" and luckily for the most of us, we realize that we had the right idea when we were less than 10 years old and probably didn't care so much of what people thought. We knew how to have a good time and enjoy the things that really matter. My biggest observation is that I've come full circle to who I am today. As a child, I learned a lot, loved my mommy and daddy and big brothers, had fun and understood that i was the slightly odd girl from the German family (maybe not that odd). During my teen years, parents are no longer cool and it was about gossiping and writing notes and giggling. In my mid-twenties, I realized that my parents are actually very cool, I'm lucky to have two older brothers and admittedly, my mom really did know what she was talking about. Having a child also puts things into perspective and is teaching me not to worry about the small stuff. The main point is to enjoy the years of life you have, find the good in people and don't worry about what people have to say about you - they don't have all the details anyway! Some of it is easier said than done, but it's definitely worth a go. So, happy birthday to me!