Today is my 300th post!  I feel rather prolific!  Thank you to all of you who read my thoughts on here and support our blog by checking it out!  It would be awfully silly to write 300 posts if no one ever read them.

Today is also the the anniversary of the day Matt asked me to marry him 5 years ago.  He reminded me this morning… “Do you know what today is?”  August 21… hmmm, 2 days before my birthday… oh yeah!  We went skydiving on my 25th birthday (it was my sister’s high school graduation present and my birthday present) and Matt wanted to be sure to ask me to marry him before we went just in case we didn’t live through it.  I wouldn’t even wear my new ring for skydiving because I was afraid to lose it!  It was a beautiful engagement story and you are welcome to ask us about it sometime.

Since this is post #300, it makes sense to drop a zero and talk about turning 30, which I will do in 2 days.  I could have orchestrated this better so that my 300th post was actually ON my 30th birthday, but I didn’t try to plan it at all… it just happened this way.

My friend Lynn says that once you have kids, the numbers don’t matter because being a parent ages you outside of just growing older the natural way.  I think she’s right.  I think my kids affect my perception of my age quite a bit!  Any hesitation I had about turning 30 has been squashed by the fun events that are already happening due to my husband’s expert planning.  I’ve been getting cards in the mail already!  Usually, you get birthday cards on your birthday or in the few days following because no one sends them early!  But I’ve been getting cards since Monday!  I think Matt must have set up something, but I haven’t figured it out yet.  I know there is more to come… I am forbidden from touching his computer this week because I might see his email inbox and find out what he’s planning for this weekend.  I love a surprise, so I have no intention to look!

Here’s a funny side story… Becky, one of my college roommates, was born the day before I was.  She always remembers to send me a card and I always get it on time.  I almost always forget to send hers until 2-3 days later than the actual day and it’s really sad.  It’s not like I forget her birthday… we practically share it!  I just suck with sending mail on time.  This year, I was all set to do it right.  On Monday morning, I used my fun time to make Becky’s card and send it.  I was so proud… this would be the first year ever that I gave her a card first!  Would you believe that when our postal carrier came to pick up the card I was mailing her, she brought me a card from Becky that same day???  Foiled again!  I blame Matt because he is clearly arranging some sort of something with these cards!  I console myself with the fact that at least Becky’s card will arrive on time this year 🙂

Turning 30 has not been the big deal that I thought it might.  Partially, I don’t really care how old I am.  I don’t feel old (although my new skirted swimsuit is evidence that I am!) and I don’t look old.  On the contrary, I spent all of my 20s looking like I was in junior high.  I’m hoping this decade will help me finally look closer to my actual age.

I think the best part about turning 30 is the excitement of things to come.  I really enjoyed my 20s: not because they were easy, but because they were so meaningful:

–I started the healing process from some really hard life experiences.

–I had great college experiences with wonderful people who are now lifetime friends, both in undergrad and in grad school.

–I learned about myself and what kind of marriage I hoped for, and I found Matt (or he found me; it depends on how you look at it).

–I worked on two master’s degrees (I started one of those right before the babies were born and hopefully I’ll continue it later).

–I realized that I struggle with depression and I’m learning how to work with the many options available to help with that.

–I discovered my ministry passion.  Countless people have poured themselves into my life these past 10 years to mentor me and shape my views about the gospel and mercy and justice issues.  I get to lead in this area at our church and it is a joy.  Mom says that tiny Jaime used to give away her crayons to classmates who broke a color and needed a new one.  It took me until my 20s to realize how deeply concerned I am about how people treat one another and whether they have what they need.

–I began a marriage and learned how self-focused and selfish I truly am (marriage is a giant magnifying glass for this!).  I’m still learning how to let go of my selfishness and my rights and to love openly because it is a privilege to love.

–I found a community of believers to share my life with and to learn and grow from.

–I discovered grace.

–When I was 29, the frosting on the cake of my 20s occurred and I became a mommy!  That was a dream come true and I was never sure if it was even possible.

In the coming 10 years, I’m excited to be a mom of my two young children and to find ways to be significant in my home and in my community.  I’ll have to keep working through the hard healing of pains from the past and present, dealing with my tendency toward depression, finding hope in the power of Christ when injustice is everywhere I look, and the difficulty of giving and accepting grace every day.  I have a long way to go and I’ll get tired of failing far more than I succeed, but I’m thrilled to be on the journey.  Turning 30 is just a step down that road.