Happy Birthday To Me!

I celebrated my 35^th birthday on Saturday. It doesn't shame me to "out" myself on the internet about my age because I'm quite proud of my age. Every year I have a birthday is another year that God has allowed me to stay above ground (Thanks for the insight, Billy!). It makes sense to me!

Funds are bit tight here in the Turtle household. We are attempting to widdle down all of our credit card debt (it's not much) over the course of the year while I am still gainfully employed in order to prepare for my student teaching stint when I will not be gainfully employed. So, that being said, we have been cutting down on some costs (not all – I might go into that at a later time). So, instead of going to an expensive Japanese steakhouse that cooks your meal right at your table, The Man Beast bought two steaks and cooked them along with some roasted potatoes and broccoli. Originally, my dinner was supposed to be on Saturday night, but The Man Beast was unavoidably delayed at work so the dinner was subsequently delayed until Sunday night.

Dinner complete with wine

It was amazing!
 
I'm not a huge fan of steak. TMB and I were discussing this last night as I inhaled my steak that I swear to you melted like butter in my mouth. He came to the conclusion that the reason why I don't like steak much is because I haven't had any good steak (read: any of his steak). He could be right. All I know is the steak was amazing.

I said that already, haven't I?

When I reflect back on my life these past 35 years (because somehow hitting such a milestone requires the need for reflection) I think about how far I've come as a person. My mother called me on my birthday and we chatted a bit and inevitably, we discussed how we wouldn't want to go back and be a "kid" for anything. I know I wouldn't. For the first time in my life, I am comfortable in my skin. (Granted, I want to lose a few pounds and eat healthier, but as a person, I'm comfortable in my skin). I think this level of comfort is something that only comes with age and experience. Of course I have a lot more living to do (and a lot more mistakes to make, and hopefully, a lot more experience to gain). I'm not suggesting that as a woman of 35, my life is over or that I've learned everything there is to learn. I look forward to getting older if for no other reason than the experience and wisdom that comes along with it. It is a wisdom that cannot be read about in books – it must come from experience (and sometimes, that experience is very bad).

But I believe ultimately, we shouldn't think of our experiences as "good" or "bad" because it is what we take away from them that really matter. We learn from our mistakes. (It is important to note right here that some of us don't learn the first time we make our mistakes and sometimes, a good lesson isn't learned until we've made the same mistake several times. Flylady calls this a God Breeze – God teaching you a lesson quietly, in almost a whisper. I call it a Brick Upside The Head. God has plenty of them in His arsenal and they all have my name on them. If God has ever whispered to me, I didn't listen. Instead, I made the same mistake over again until I can only imagine The Father up in heaven, getting mighty fed up with His daughter, and finally chunking a brick in my general direction. Sure, it hurts. But the lesson is learned).

These are the best years of my life (so far)! I look forward to the years ahead as I imagine them in my mind. I am wise enough to know that the picture I have in my head is probably all wrong. What God has planned is probably much better – after a few more bumps along the road (I know I haven't stopped having those; but hopefully, I have learned to listen better so God can talk in a breeze instead of with a brick).