Now it's official.

Alright, I'm officially and adult. I turned 30 today. How did this happen? One minute I'm 10lb 1oz bouncing baby boy, next thing I'm cruising through high school, trying to win the heart of a certain little lady and before you know it BAM! 30! I was thinking about it this morning, about all the craziness of turning 30 way before I expected to, and I wanted to share some thoughts I had.

1. Really...how did this happen. I was just eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and watching the new He-Man Masters of the Universe and next thing I know, I've been married ten years, turning 30 and eating PB&J and watching now 30 year old episodes of He-Man Masters of the Universe over Hulu.com. When did the whole 30 years old thing sneak up on me? Who took my micro machines away? How did I get from 6 to 30 so fast? What do you mean TIME?! If time moves faster as you get older, shouldn't we fix that? That sounds like a broken clock to me? I'm gonna need someone to explain this to me. QUICK before I'm 80!

2. I thought I'd be wiser by now. But, as a friend said to me today, I think wisdom comes when you become more comfortable with the idea of who you are, where you are and what you are in life and no longer think grandiose thoughts about the future. When you embrace the reality of life (in a positive way) and become stronger in your "role" is when you become wise. By the way, I'm not there yet.

3. I can no longer have the mindset of "I'll do that later. I'm only 2#." At 30, you really do have to realize you're not old, but you're not getting any younger. Retirement, savings, college for kids, health, fitness, life insurance...it's all getting more and more real, every minute. AHHHHH!! Okay, breath...just breath.

4. I'll no longer hear "you're only 2#?!" when I tell someone my age. People will now hear what they expect to hear. I'm 30 something. At least I hope they don't think I'm 40 something. That would be bad.

5. I have been for a while, but can now seriously accept the fact that I do not, nor will I ever understand the youth mindset again. I cannot relate when I mention things I grew up with. They don't know who Alf was, or the smurfs, or A-Team, or Knight Rider. They never saw an original He-Man toy or truly know what Transformers meant to my generation. They don't understand why I complain about MTV not being about music anymore. I find myself complaining about gas prices and saying I remember when it was only 99 cents a gallon. I am no longer on the cutting edge of technology or social norms. They no longer hear my advice as meaningful or relevant, but rather coming from a detached adult. A "parent" if you will. I am officially an adult to them. So, I plan to accept this role (see number 2 above) and constantly tell them to get off my lawn. Get out of the road and pull their pants up. I'm okay with this.

6. Is this the transition from dreaming to acceptance? From ambition to fortitude? We shall soon see.

Lake Ella...

Today, the boys and I went for a walk around Lake Ella and fed some ducks. I tried to get a few pictures of them because it is always so beautiful there however...they really didn't cooperate. Here's a few!




Gabe




Noah


Joel a few days before his 2nd Birthday!!!






Crazy boys!