So here's looking at you 36.....
Physical Changes: You guys. This body that I have now is NOT the body I had 10 years ago. Or even 5 years ago. Or even 3 years ago. This was the year for me that often led me to the mirror saying, what in the HECK is happening here? Is this the year I finally have to learn to wear makeup? It's either that or I am heading to the nearest dermatologist for a, ahem, procedure. I chose makeup by the way. Anyway, this year I suddenly had sunspots on my face. Like not small sun spots. (Hello 20 year old me - USE SUNSCREEN and STAY OUT OF TANNING BEDS!). And the wrinkle between my eyebrows from the "wtf look" is increasing it's size. The cellulite. Oh the cellulite. And the stretch marks and the spider veins. Where did these spider veins come from on my legs all of the sudden??? And that metabolism that I've always bragged about? It's on hiatus. Or in sloth mode. Gone are the days of eating whatever I want and staying the same size. And the hair coloring is now happening every 7 weeks. I mean overall, I take pretty good care of myself so things aren't as bad as they could be. But 36 came with some pretty noticeable changes for this girl. Bless my heart.
Awesome Events: I was blessed to witness and be a part of so many awesome events that went down during my 36th year on this planet. I was in the wedding of my friends Sarah and Emma and what a beautiful experience was. Their wedding was beautiful, we had so much fun planning and spending time with Emma's family from Ireland. It was an honor to be a part of such a beautiful event. I got to see two of my friends have their baby boys - Myles and Wilson. I was actually at the hospital with Hannah had Wilson and it was an unforgettable experience. These two baby boys bring so much joy and laughter to all of us! My friend Katie got engaged to the love of her life and now we are in the process of planning her wedding which I also have the privilege of being a part of. And last but not least, my sister Kristen had my newest baby niece Reagan! My parents and I flew to Florida a couple of months ago to meet her and I was IN LOVE. I didn't want to leave her. I don't want a baby of my own or anything, let's be real. But other people's babies? I want to eat them up! I can't wait to watch her grow up alongside her sisters! Overall, my 36th year of life was filled with these events and so many more that I'm sure I am forgetting here. It's a blessing to be able to be grateful and see the awesome things that go on in life and focus on those instead of some of the more negative things. What a shift in perception from 10 years ago!
Kiddos: I can't believe I'm typing this but Sheridan graduated from high school. Is this real life? Wasn't she just 5 years old? We couldn't be more proud of the accomplishments that she earned in high school. Watching her go through this last year of school was full of fun - awards ceremonies, cheer, senior prom, planning for college, and of course some tears and stress. We are in 12 days moving her to Lexington, KY to start her freshman year at the University of Kentucky. It's crazy! Will graduated 8th grade and is now gearing up for high school. Again, what?! How is he in high school? He's taller than I am now. And his voice has changed. And I'm like wait, slow down! He is such a sweet kid and while some 14 year old boys can be a real pain in the rear, that hasn't been our experience with him and for that I am grateful. Looking forward to seeing what this next chapter holds for them!
Pappy: Pappy really deserves his own blog post which I plan to give him at some point. But in my 36th year of life I lost the first of my grandparents (which I realize is very rare). Losing Pappy was very hard on everyone in our family. He has always been this larger than life man in my life and over the past few years as we watched Cancer take that version of him from us, it was hard to watch. His last week of life was as good as can be expected. He was constantly surrounded by family and taken very good care of at both the nursing home and the Hospice center where he eventually passed away. It made my heart hurt for him to go but I do believe he was suffering and I believe he is no longer. I had SO many incredible years with him and so many memories that he will never be forgotten. I do believe that my "dreamer" side comes from him. Again, I could go on about him forever. That will be another post. He earned an entire post.
Business: So a couple of years ago Tommy and I decided that I could go into business painting furniture. I didn't know how it would go. For awhile I didn't know if anything would even come from it. I painted a few pieces here and there but no steady flow of work and not making enough money to really amount to much. But my 36th year of life? This has been the year of Shopdog Furniture my friends! About a year ago I was praying to God and asking him to show me what I could do to help our family financially (two kids to put through college after all!!!). And then this business took off. I'm not even kidding. This past year I have been steadily working week after week and actually making enough money to truly help out our household. I am now booking about 2 months out on appointments. It's so crazy!!! But it's wonderful. I love art and painting and making things look pretty again. I truly enjoy what I do and I will keep doing it as long as my body and my customers allow me to do so!
Spiritual Growth: Toward the end of my 36th year of life I started to feel a little stagnant spiritually. I posted about this already so I won't go TOO far into detail with it all. But at the end of my 36th year I began taking action on this. Towards being a better version of myself in every aspect of my life. Towards being closer to God. Towards being a better person in recovery. All of the things. I'm no longer okay with being "okay" when I can take some simple actions to become BETTER. I want to grow. I am reading lots of books. Listening to lots of podcasts. Surrounding myself with women who are also wanting to better themselves and be closer to God. Being more intentional in prayer. More gratitude. Trying to be more present in life. Trying to police those actions and thoughts that I'm no longer okay having. I feel I still have so much more left to learn and to do here so I'm taking action. No more stagnancy for me. No thank you.
So that's 36 in a nutshell. I know so much more happened but I can honestly say that every day is so good and I am so grateful for that. I think my 30's have been my best decade so far and every year I learn more, grow more, meet more awesome people, and become more happy with who I am and who I am becoming. What now? Let's see what you have 37. Let's do this!
