Happy 31st Birthday to Me!

And here I am. In my 30's. MY THIRTIES. People. What the heck? Who knew that once you're in this decade that you really start getting lines on your face? You ask for vacuums and dust pans for your birthday? You feel like you climbed a wall from your 20's, fell off the other side and landed on your head in your 30's? WHO KNEW?

But whatever. Aside from that and the oddity that I'm realizing that I'm actually going to keep getting older, this first year in my 30 plus has been absolutely amazing- mind blowing! (I mean, mind blowing for me, probably not to anyone else haha)

I set off into it knowing that I wanted to start these next ten years making a deep set path for the dreams that have been dancing in my heart for so long. And by the grace of God, I feel like this happened! Because having God as my coach, teammate, leader, friend, and Father really made impossible things happen.

I still cannot believe that I finally went back to Armenia! I did it! It was an incredibly personal journey I had been longing to go on since I returned home. Maybe that sounds strange, but that's why it's so personal. It's hard to make anyone understand exactly why I needed to do it, but it was imperative for my life story. And going back was everything I needed it to be. It was one of the most freeing, healing events of my life! And I feel like a new person, that I can move forward in life now in ways I couldn't before.

And as if that wasn't enough, I got to go there for the photo workshop with John Stanmeyer, a National Geographic photographer. Since then, no, I have not soared into the sky of photo journalism and landed a job right next to this legend, BUT I learned so much. I finally started to open the space in me that feels most right when painting with my lens. I learned that nobody is a God, no matter their credentials, and that anyone, even myself, can become anything I want to be. This event was not a whole chapter in my book, but a middle page in a long tale, and I'm SO excited to see where it goes.

Selfie with John

And then, as if THAT wasn't enough, I (and I use that term lightly, as it was really an effort of several people!) started my non profit! That was a journey in and of itself that started long before I even knew it was starting. But it was an incredible life milestone even making it all official and it's kept me busy this 31st year of my life. It's already taken me on a ride of emotions from ecstatic, humble, angry, peaceful, and everything in between. And this is only the beginning. 

(Kind of a funny photo of me but shows how spacey I've felt at the end of this year haha)

 And then, of course, since those weren't enough big events, we decided to throw getting pregnant in there. ;) Okay, so we had been wanting that more than any other thing, and after the miscarriage last year, it's been a journey as well. A wonderful one, really! I cannot believe that I get to have a third girl. It's wild! Spazzy little me- I've grown three beautiful girls and continue to spend all my days with them (so far that third on still just in my belly.) ;) And nothing has compared to this.

And let us not forget that I dyed my hair a few times... 1/3 life crisis? 

There were so many more things squished in there and it was a beautiful year and I can't imagine a better way for me, personally, to start this new decade, to continue my aging, to LIVE. So let's get going 31, you've got a lot to follow through with now!