Hello 30's!

Happy birthday to... ME!! Am I actually 30 years old today? Is that what this is supposed to feel like? I was really dreading the start of my 30's but now that it's here... It really doesn't feel so bad. Maybe it's because I have a handsome baby boy in my arms and it's way more exciting to count and recount his fingers and toes? Or maybe it's because looking into his eyes makes the future that much brighter? Whatever it is, I'm not complaining. I feel more myself and alive than I have in a while even if I am running on less sleep, covered in spit up, and without make up on :)

My 30 before thirty project wasn't completely fulfilled. And that's OK with me. 30 isn't the end all be all. But I did enjoy documenting the last year. So this year, I'm going to do something a little different and I'm calling it Project Life. I was inspired by this blogger who has a Project Life of her own where she takes amazing pictures and scrapbooks every single thing that happens in her family life and then updates it on her blog. Her scrapbook is awesome-looking with lots of little nick-nacks and like I said... amazing pictures. I know I won't be able to be as intricate as she is with her scrap-booking, but I don't want to fall behind on Caleb's baby book and I really want to catch up on my own scrap-booking... remember, the one I mentioned that was stalled back in 2006? Whoa. I don't even have a wedding album. I'm also going to continue with the remaining items on the 30 before Thirty list because let's face it, some of them were out the window before I even started. For example, I was basically down to an 8:30 mile, but got pregnant in July and stopped running (and going to the gym) all together. Yikes... So that 15lbs I wanted to lose was compounded with a ton of pregnancy weight and now I'm just hoping to lose that! Technically, it's my 30 before 31 list now?! ;)

So, in honor of this beautiful life and it changing around us constantly, this year I'm taking on Project Life. The first thing I'm taking away from exploring her blog is the daily picture idea which was sort of inspired by her blog and the fact that I send a picture (sometimes 2, or 3, or 4) to my family back home everyday.  I hope to keep improving on my photography skills with my new toy and to share any tips here on my blog. Everyday is something that should be celebrated and my thirties are going to be awesome... I can feel it. :)

your handsome face: month one

I think it's safe to say that, yes... I'm a little obsessed with my son's handsome and rapidly changing face. I need to start taking some more videos because his best faces are made as he's waking up from a nap with the stretching and grunting and frowning and smiling. I could spend hours upon hours just watching you absorb the world around you or drift sleepily to dream land. Oh you, little man, are the brightest light in my entire life <3

One month

"Yea, I'm adorable."

#16 Letters for good service

In my opinion, this was one of the most important items on my 30 before thirty list. I've been directly affected by the effects of positive and negative feedback clients and management provide and know that the positive comments do not come around often enough. So, each time I received exceptional service, I've made it a point to write a few words to the company about my appreciation for this. They weren't novels, but just a few words can really make a difference. My goal was to write 3 and I actually wrote a few more than that given that I had a ton of really great nurses during my stay at the hospital after Caleb was born.

#2 Find a church that fits.

You're place of worship is a very sentimental thing. And even of you identify with a specific religion that doesn't mean that the service will be the same at different churches of the same belief. I guess I never realized just how different those services could be until I started to attend mass here in GA.

I've been to many different religious gatherings and have always found it easy to find "my God" even if I didn't identity 100% with the message being delivered. But something seems very different to me now that I'm an adult and looking for a church. I didn't only want to give thanks and pray, but I craved a sense of normalcy that comes with a weekly service and worship.

I did find a church that is close to our house and comfortable for us to go to as a family and am learning more about my husband and his relationship with God each week as we discuss the mass. The church we chose is beautiful and comfortable (they continually refer to the congregation as family) but its not the traditional mass I'm used to. So, while I have established a weekly routine of attending mass each week (with exception of this week since Caleb isn't 100%) nothing will come close to a Monday evening mass at Saint Andrew's in NJ. Just like Dorothy said... "There's no place like home" I guess.