#31 All men should carry handkerchiefs.

This blog is best if read while listening to Figure Me out by The Summer Set.

As most of you know, I recently turned 30!  I had a tough time with this.  Yep, for some reason turning 30 didn’t feel all that great to me.  Now, I know all of the things people say about turning 30, and I also realize that—for the most part—they are correct.  Yet, I still am not 100% loving it. That being said, there is something about celebrating 30 years of a life.  I have experienced a lot of things, I have learned a lot, and there has been a whole lot of joy.  However, a lot of things have changed as well.  So, what follows are my thoughts on being 30, being single, owning my first home, and life in general.

1)    Washing my hair and putting on make-up has become a real struggle.  Honestly, I am just as over it as other women my age, but attempting to figure out how much I should be still trying brings a new level of struggle to it…and it is so real.

2)    My back hurts, like all of a sudden, and often…

3)    I literally can’t hang, at all.  If I have one beer with dinner I might as well make it six, because the next morning I will feel exactly the same way, no matter what.

4)    I have zero understanding of how two people fit into a queen sized bed…

5)    All of a sudden, movies like Bridget Jones Diary or Sex and the City just tick me off… Oh yeah, my life struggle is attempting to decide between Colin Firth and Hugh Grant as well, OR whether I should go to a fabulous party in Manhattan or brunch on the Upper West Side. Oh the decisions! On another note, I have a new appreciation for Documentaries.  Real life, that’s where the party is at!

6)    Mowing my lawn is harder than getting my PhD

7)    I do have to admit one thing is true about Bridget Jones Diary: “I will not fall for any of the following: alcoholics, workaholics, commitment phobics, people with girlfriends or wives, misogynists, megalomaniacs, chauvinists, emotional con-artists or freeloaders, perverts.”  Even if that does whittle the dating pool down quite a bit.

8)    The reason I don’t do online dating is because I have, and my job already provides me with a ton of frustrating/confusing/stupid emails on a daily basis.  Why do I need more?

9)    My Keurig is more precious to me than my left thumb. Not my right thumb though…that would be crazy.

10)  There are two options when it comes to home repair: 1) prove to yourself you can fix it yourself and 2) call the repair man.  Option #2 is faster; option #1 holds no glory.

11)  You can never have too much wine.

12)  There is roughly a 6 to 8-month time period, after ceasing regular work outs and eating healthy, where you can still fit into your pants relatively easily.  Any longer than that and you’re going to have to get creative.

13)  Country music has become intolerable.  Yes, we know, that girl in your song is so fabulous in her cotton dress, legs up to there, and tantalizing smile.  I don’t wear cotton dresses because my legs only go up to my waist and there is cellulite in between.  I’m not that girl and can not relate to her.  Where the heck is George?

14)  Having two sinks in your bathroom is absolutely necessary.

15) Recognizing that, odds are, you may be entering a level where you could end up in the running to be a step-mom; which is not a bad thing at all.  Yet, in the back of your mind you know that Disney never made a movie featuring the kind, genuine step-mom…

16)  Flirting has become more of a game of Russian roulette.  If a guy is cute, funny, and/or interesting you better double, triple check that he is not already spoken for; a hundred bucks says he is…

17)  Pizza and beer fixes just about any problem…except for what is highlighted in #7.  Heart shaped sunglasses are a close second.

18) A majority of 30-year-old single men don’t give a crap…like at all.

19)  Hair salons have a service called a “blow out” it lasts for 4-5 days with the use of dry shampoo.  The whole thing costs about 30$ and if you play your cards right you can greatly reduce the stress of #1.

20)  Brie and grapes are a perfectly acceptable breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack item.

21)  Eating out and going to the movies are actually more enjoyable by yourself.  At least in my opinion, and here is why:  A majority of restaurants have available space somewhere for one person, turning your potential 30-45 minute wait into a quick “let me put something together for you.”  The same goes for movie theaters.  There is always a single seat somewhere in a movie theater.  In both cases you get there when you are ready, you order/sit down when you’re ready, and you finish up when you’re ready.  On a further plus side, you will always meet someone new as well.  People will always strike up a conversation with you, no joke.

22)  International travel is a piece of cake, as long as you have a well stocked back pack.

23)  I used to worry about my weight because I was concerned about looking fat.  Now I am more worried about having to buy all new dress clothes.  Suites are not cheap!

24)  Rotisserie meats at grocery stores are God sent.

25)  There are worse things than dying alone. Top of that list for me would be living alone. In 30 years I have learned one undeniable thing about myself.  I only want to bring things that are positive into my life.  It is far better to live life in a way that is always increasing, than to shove your life into something that will leave you feeling limited.  Reacting out of fear leads to making destructive decisions, and a life full of destruction is not life at all.

26)  Netflix and equivalent are a stupendous waste of your life.  So are meetings...

27)  Investing in a sprinkler system is not.

28)  My parents are my two favorite people.  They have always been the best parents, but now that I am older I see that they are actually the best people I know.  I can't get enough of the time I spend with my parents. 

29)  Most of the time I feel like a complete fraud. 

30)  The last 30 years haven’t been very long, and the next 30 (I fear) will go by faster than the last.  One life is not enough for me.  I will never be able to finish all of the grand adventures that my heart desires in the time that God has given me.  All I can do is try and spend each day to the best of my ability.  I am grateful for the first 30 years God has given me, He has blessed me beyond measure.  Even though things aren’t as I hoped, they are in many ways much better.  Turning 30 hasn’t been easy, but it has happened none the less.  I have a choice each day to step out in faith, or allow fear and anxiety to overwhelm me.  I pray that each day I will choose faith. “Even to your old age I will be the same, and even to your graying years I will bear you.  I have done it, and I will carry you, and I will bear you and I will deliver you.” Isaiah 46:4