So, today is my birthday. Woo hoo!

I used to think this day was all about me; but after becoming a mama, I realize it is more about my mama than me. This year, I am so contemplative on this beautiful October morning as I realize how much she has given up to see me become the woman that I am. I think about the anticipation that followed this day twenty-nine years ago. I was a prayer my parents never thought they would pray: the last of four children. As my mom paced the hallways of a foreign hospital, I bet she would have never guessed all the joy and heartbreak her little baby girl would bring…

She is quick to tell me that all of the heartbreak was worth all of the sacrifice. She loved being a full-time mom; it was her favorite job in the world. She often tells me how heartbroken she was to return to work…even after all of us were in school. She wanted to be there for us more than anything in the world; certainly much more than advancing her career. Honestly, part of my hesitation in becoming a mother was largely because I had such an amazing role model…how could I ever measure up?

So, today, I dedicate this birthday post to my mom…because really, this day is about you. You have been a constant support system even when it looked like I wasn’t going to pull myself out of the mire. You allowed me to make my own mistakes, but you were always there to discipline and to speak truth into my life. I am so grateful for you. Thank you for your sacrifices. Thank you for being my best friend in the entire world (until Steven came along). Thank you for showing me how to love without bounds. You are the best mom a gal could ever ask for.

In light of my mom being the best mom, I’ve decided to make a list of thirty things I’d like to do before I’m thirty…so I can have the best year yet :).

1. Finish a manuscript (or two)…and dedicate it to my fourth grade teacher who believed I could do it…

2. Watch Bennett take his first steps.

3. Stay up until midnight on New Years Eve and kiss Steven to ring in the new year…this used to be a little more plausible, but now it is a feat if I stay up until 10 p.m.

4. Run four half marathons (odd number, but two in the fall and two in the spring!)…one at or under 2 hours!

5. Spend a one-on-one afternoon with each of my best gals (you girls know who you are!)

6. Take a successful flight with baby Bennett.

7. Watch my little boy marvel at the Phipps Santa…look at twinkling lights of the Christmas season…and play in the snow (real or manufactured on ‘Snow Mountain’ :))

8. Get to share my story of life change with more people than last year, and tell more people about how awesome Jesus is.

9. Learn how to make steady income off of this little blog…or maybe figure out how to write my way to a paycheck 😉

10. Dress my little boy in red and black from head to toe and take him to a game between the hedges.

11. Watch Bennett and his dad run and play in the waves at the beach.

12. Read a few more classic novels that I haven’t had the time to read before.

13. Attend Bennett’s first Braves game at Turner Field.

14. Watch Steven walk with little B on Toomer’s corner after an Auburn Victory.

15. Enjoy a Falcons game with the whole family inside the dome.

16. Have dinner with my entire immediate family…for no particular reason at all. Just to spend time with each of the people I love the most.

17. See at least 1 student from each of the schools in which I’ve taught and get to give them a hug.

18. Take a girls trip to the beach (with or without babies).

19. Build new relationships with ladies I’ve just met!

20. Hear my little boy say “mama.”

21. Watch the sunrise on our front porch drinking coffee with my husband and little boy at least once.

22. Take a trip to Nashville with my whole family.

23. Travel to Mexico to see my parents, aunt, and uncle with my little boy in tow.

24. Watch my little boy marvel at the whales and fish at the aquarium.

25. Watch the bachelor with all of my Chamblee grad gals!

26. Hold my newest niece or nephew, lay hands on him or her, and praise God for his faithfulness.

27. Finish putting materials together for another unit to use when I return to the classroom.

28. Make one person smile every day for the next 365 days.

29. Not letting a week go by without at least a text message to those I love.

30. Enjoying every day with a heart full of gratitude. I have been so blessed to be in this season, and cannot wait to see where God will lead our little family in the future.