I'm going to be 30 next month. I'm married, own a home, have two children and now that I'm no longer in my 20's, I'm officially an adult. The last 29 years have brought some wisdom along with the wrinkles. I've learned to protect myself from the sun, become more self aware and to appreciate everyday things.
When I was younger my biggest dream was to travel internationally. And I did. I went to New Zealand for a month when I was 14, after I fund raised $3,000 to make it happen. I studied abroad in college and hit all the big name cities in Europe, I spent time in the Caribbean and have been on my fair share of tropical vacations. I spent a month in Namibia right before I got pregnant with Owen. These were amazing experiences that changed my view of the world and helped shape me into who I am today. After college I realized that while international travel is exciting and exotic, there is also remarkable things to see within the US. Ty and I went to New York, DC, and Boston. We road tripped to Yellowstone and Glacier and I visited friends in Iowa, Chicago and New Orleans. After Owen was born we decided that instead of trying to do big vacations we would take advantage of all the weekend trips available close to home. There is a lot to do in the pacific northwest. It is beautiful, which is why we love it here. We spent weekends in Chelan, Wenatchee, Suncadia, Seaside and Sunriver. It was lovely. We hiked, swam, rafted and I fully appreciated being close to home for the first time. This summer we scaled it back even more. We decided that in order to have fun family adventures, it isn't necessary to venture much beyond the city limits and during this season in our lives that makes the most sense. We've been staying home and having a blast without paying to stay in hotels or shaking up the boys schedule. We've gone on multiple hikes, taken the ferry to Bainbridge, strolled through the Tulip festival, swam at the Magnolia pool, had happy hours and spent lots of afternoons at the beach. We've had the nanny come while Ty and I have date nights at fun restaurants and even a date day where we tried our hand at stand up paddle boarding.
I took a lot of things for-granted when I was younger. I remember when I was in middle school my aunt Diane and I drove from Portland to San Francisco. It was a lot of hours sitting the car, which I considered to be boring, so I took multiple naps. I remember her telling me to wake up and enjoy the scenery, exclaiming how beautiful it was. I was unimpressed. Looking back it's a shame that I missed out on what could have been a wonderful journey. I'm hopeful I'll be able to make that drive again some day and see what she was saying. The 30 year old me spends my days marveling at the beauty that surrounds me. The sunsets, the sound, the mountains, the changing of the leaves, the breeze. Traveling will always be one of my passions and I want to see as much of the world as I can. But I'm grateful to have learned that whether it be near or far life is a journey full of adventure and awe, as long as you're willing to embrace it.
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