TURNING THIRTY and being diligent.

(Becky provided the decorations. This is the after the clean-up)

(fresh flowers make me smile. aren't they beautiful?)

I was excited for my birthday. I wanted a celebration. I wanted to be with people that I loved. So we threw a small gathering. Jess made wonderful fish tacos and 3 salsas (a mango/pineapple based one, red, and chunky.)
Marilyn made me a strawberry cake that I had been CRAVING. :) It didn't disappoint. There were hellium ballons floating around everywhere that the kids had a ball with. (I wish I had a picture!) I didn't take any that night. :I But it was a nice evening. Friends came, my parents and in-laws came up (and both drove back to their homes that night, *thank-you*) and my sister Kim and niece Ava came up and stayed the night. I don't spend as much time with my sisters as I'd like, so it was a TREAT.

I hadn't given much thought to entering into a new decade. But today I am reflective. I am excited for this new chapter in my life. I wonder what the next ten years will bring. I often think about the type of person I am. Mostly the wife I am & the mother I am. But also the sister & daughter I am, and the friend I am. I want to perfect each of these. I want my relationships to be solid and meaningful. I want to continue to invest in myself, but also more so in my family because that is where I think the greatest return will be. I think I do a pretty good job, but know if I put more effort into it, I will be grateful in the long run. It is easy to get wrapped up in the things I want to do...

I've been listening to conference talks over and over when I workout. Elder Bednar talked about being diligent. (Steady, earnest, and energetic effort.) I think that is going to be my motto for my thirties. DILIGENT in all things. My relationships, my mothering, my physical being, my spiritual being, and other aspects in refining my whole being.

Cheers to thirty. (Unfortunately I have the chin hairs to prove it.)