and then sat down to my computer and i started reading my friends' blogs. there's steph, who makes me green with envy as she uses her amazing talent to do creative things and keep her house clean & beautiful and take care of her family while her husband travels. and there's katie, who is anxiously and prayfully going through the adoption process with her husband to bring adorable little georgina home from haiti. and there's erin, a college friend, who just recently had her 3rd child and turned 30 around the same time, and a week later was diagnosed with breast cancer- i've been following her story and cry every time i read a new blog post of her's because i am so touched by the way she is finding joy and peace despite her trial. (if you are ever feeling down in the dumps about anything, read her blog, it will bless you!)
and i sit here, wallowing in self-pity over the fact that today is the day i say goodbye to my 20's. so silly and insignificant compared to the happenings in the lives of friends and family. so, the one tear has been shed, and now i want to ramble on about how blessed i am!
at the beginning of october i was having health problems, which brought me to take myself to the dr. after a few weeks of feeling pretty crummy, some bloodwork, a visit to the endocrinologist, an iodine uptake and scan, there was a chance that i had a thyroid disease and i was a little scared. the Lord was gracious and it turns out that i just had a case of thyroiditis and hopefully my thyroid is working to regulate itself back to normal levels. this could take months or it could take years, but either way, it can be regulated with or without medication...most importantly, it CAN be regulated and i am thankful for that!
we celebrated kate's 2nd birthday the week after i found out about my thyroiditis, and then a week after that i was scheduled to have my wisdom teeth extracted. (found out our dog had ringworm 2 days before my surgery and spent the day bleaching and vacuuming every inch of the house). best advice i can give about wisdom teeth extractions, which probably won't apply to anyone who is reading my blog, have your wisdom teeth out BEFORE you become a parent. i was so blessed to have my in-laws come for the weekend of my surgery to help take care of the kiddos and prepare meals for the family. (thank you guys!!!)
and then monday came and thein-laws had gone back to pittsburgh, jesse went back to work, and... i was home with the kids. it doesn't get much worse than having to take care of a 2 and 3 year old while you are recovering from a sickness or a surgery. (ok, i am exaggerating) but when that vicoden runs out, it's probably not going to be a pretty sight. i mean, it wasn't a pretty sight here. 4 days after my surgery, the day i took my last pain killer, i got dry socket in one of my incisions. if you don't know what that is, google it. it's painful, i assure you. i was so thankful to have my amazing friend come to help me with the kids so i could get an appointment with the surgeon, who had medicine and dressings for the pain. (we also had a leak in the upstairs bathroom on the same morning, just to add to the chaos). i cried a lot that day. and then the next day, i cried as hard as i can remember in a long time, when i found the diamond missing from my engagement ring. a sentimental loss, but yet an earthly loss. it was a good (and tough) reminder that we should hold loosely to the things of the world, and hold tightly to the things of the Lord. i am so thankful that it was just a diamond that was lost, and not one of my children! and even more importantly... what Christ did for me on the Cross is so much bigger than any worldly treasure i am clinging to here on earth. i am so thankful for that reminder (as hard as it was to get to that point ! :) )
i did a lot of vacuuming the following day, thinking the diamond was lost somewhere in the house, but it hasn't turned up yet. i am content to have a temporary band on my ring finger for as long as i need to. jesse helped me pick it out on http://www.pandora.net/ (my wedding band and engagement ring are soddered together, so i can't wear either of them right now).
the drama has died down over the last week or 2 and we have spent a lot of time together as a family. i am so thankful that God has blessed me with 2 adorable children who are healthy and fed and clothed, and a husband who loves us all more than himself. i really don't deserve any of it.
so am i sad about turning 30? i do feel like i am falling apart a little bit, but i have so much to be thankful for!
the kids and their "thanksgiving tree", november 2010 
