Glitter Is My Favorite Color: My First 30 Years...

Tonight is the eve of my 30th birthday. Wow. Where did the time go? At first, I wasn't making a big deal about the fact that it is the big 3-0. To me, it's just another day. However, after friends and coworkers kept talking about it, I've started to get hyped about it. One of the biggest questions I've been getting has been "how are you going to celebrate?" Well, I'm going to dinner with some friends and family tomorrow night at my favorite place, Alamexo. Next weekend, I'll be heading back to SoCal for Curtis' graduation and my big family dinner at North Woods Inn. Plus, I'm going to Europe. Pretty sure that's the best celebration ever.

As I'm getting ready to turn 30, I've been thinking about what I've been up to these last few decades. I'm not married with kids, don't have the career of my dreams, don't own my own house, and am fairly poor. Still, I'm super happy with my life and where I'm at. I decided to go back to my beginning and make a list of the top 30 things that I'm most excited about that have happened in my life. Here they are in no particular order:

Graduated from High School (go Bearcats!)
High School Marching Band Drum Major
Played in a band for President Clinton
Bought and paid off my first car
Earned a Bachelor's Degree (History) and 2 teaching certificates (CBEST & TESOL)
Went parasailing
Played softball in college
Caught a foul ball at a Dodger game
Became an auntie to the 2 cutest little girls
Learned to speak 6 different languages
Had a solo at a choir concert
Became the Stake Music chair in downtown SLC
Earned an awesome reputation for throwing awesome parties
Worked at Disney's California Adventure
Moved to a different state with nothing but a job waiting for me
Experienced my first NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS, NHL games
Took a horse-riding class and learned to barrel ride
Booked my first solo trip to the Czech Republic and Poland pre-Germany
Sang in a German choir
Went through the temple
Became a Scholar-Athlete and lettered in High School for track & field (shot-put & discus)
Was printed in the "Who's Who in America's High Schools" multiple times
Discovered that I can sing, even though people told me I never could
Played sports since the age of 4, even though I was born without hip sockets
Pulled the sword from the stone at Disneyland and became "Queen Rachelle" for a day
Became one of only 2 rollerbladers at Disney's California Adventure
Became an accompanist for elementary school choirs
Hiked a volcano
Sang in the Tabernacle in Temple Square
Fed stingrays in the Caribbean

There are plenty more experiences that have happened in my life that have shaped who I am. I think what everything boils down to is this: I am happy, I am confident in myself, I know what I want in life and how to get it, and I am strong. I can't wait for the new adventures that await me in my years to come!