The last day of my twenties

I'm turning 30 tomorrow.

I don't really mind, just thought I should post a little on the last day of my twenties.  I probably won't wax nostalgic, even though that's my style.

Here are some things I've learned in the last decade:

• I'm pretty rad.
• People don't always know me as well as I think they do.
• Good friends are important.
• You don't have to move every six months, but if you do you are less likely to hoard...
• I like Jeremy.
• My mom is my biggest fan.
• I should have finished my degree.
• Life is generally good.

Happy birthday to me!

Camping

My friends will read this and call it "Famping". Yes, the fake camping. I stayed in a tent, but my parents and uncles and aunts (and me by default) believe in using the comforts afforded to us by "modern" technology. Like propane lanterns. And gas stoves. And Dutch Ovens. So we don't backpack in and take a 5 gallon bucket for our waste, and we enjoy a shower at least every other day. But I wouldn't say we're weak.

I will concede, however, that the only reason I even attempted the hike to Delicate Arch is because I couldn't let my 74 yr old grandmother go and still hold up my head.

Had I known I was pregnant at the time, I wouldn't have gone up that blasted hill. No wonder I was carsick.

I'm not very diligent

So I made the commitment to blog, but I haven't in almost two months! A diligent person I am not. It may have to do with being busy, which is a lame excuse, but I am... Busy, not a lame excuse.

The last couple of months have been kind of fun, a little eventful, and mostly rad because

spring has sprung and is about to turn into summer. It's been a real spring this year, with several weeks of cool weather, and cooler nights, and we have only had to turn on the A/C once. Which means open windows and an aired out house and Jeremy has so nicely kept on the house work which helps me out immensely and makes me even happier to be married to the man.

The most fun time was going to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival with my mom, my sister-in-law Erin, and Tera from work and her daughter-in-law Mari, which happens to be one of my oldest friends who I haven't been able to see in quite some time since she moved to Washington and that's kind of far away to travel. It wasn't so far when I was single, but being married and paying for two people to go on a trip is much less doable than paying for one.

Seeing Mari made me wax nostalgic. Ah, the college days, when we were care-free and could live on $550.00 a month and think we were living large. It's funny how things change. Living in the dorms and affectionately referring to our roommate in Stansbury as "the evil whore", even though she was really neither of those things, she just had different opinions than we did. And a much more conservative sense of fun.

Then living in SLC with Kelly and Aaron and Ty, and having a grand time and a great party house. She not only was my first adult friend, in college, but she introduced me to many people that have become very important parts of my life. I think if she wouldn't have lived in a house we affectionately called "the barn" a series of events wouldn't have been put in place that led to meeting Jeremy, getting married, and generally making my life what it is now.

Do you ever sit back and think "I love my life"? I am doing that right now.

Back to the tulip festival. What a fun time we had! It's located about an hour north of Seattle, WA. We spend two days in Seattle and then stayed at a bed and breakfast in Mt. Vernon, WA. It's part of Washington's farm country, and right next to the Puget Sound. We had

a beautiful view of both of those from the deck of the BnB.

Without going into to much more detail, I'm so happy that we

planned this as a spur of the moment trip. I was browsing

the interwebs one day and found an insane deal on flights to Seattle and called all the gals in my family to invite them. My mom and Erin were able to go, and it was one of the best times I've had. I always enjoy my mom, and always enjoy Erin, but haven't ever been on a trip with just the girls (with them). It's so great to have a family who gets along so well, and to have an opportunity to spend time together without all of the distractions that are remarkably enjoyable, but cause huge interruptions. I'm hoping next time it will be all of my sisters-in-law. I think I didn't get sisters so I could fully appreciate the women that my brothers married. AWESOME women. Great mothers. Talented and smart and funny individuals who put up with the Whiting clan with the patience of Job. Times ten. Maybe fifteen.

And now summer is coming with all of the family get togethers, and friend get togethers, and camping trips, and warm weather, and Memorial Day Weekend, and the 4th of July.

Can't wait!

I'm jumping on the bandwagon...

Sigh. That's what I say. But in an effort to keep in contact with my family and friends, and share my life with them as we grow up and change and move away to far away places, I'm going to try to (albeit half-heartedly) to keep up on this thing.

Considering the fact that I'm not even very good at Facebook, that may be difficult.

But, at the same time, it's kind of fun to read everyone else's stories about their happenings, so maybe instead of thinking about a Christmas letter, I can do this instead!

Bandwagon, be kind...