Today’s first post is by Lindsey from Mr. & Mrs. Smith! Lindsey’s blog is one of the first blogs I started reading, and I just adore her! If you don’t read her blog, I’m not sure we can be friends. :) Seriously though, she is an awesome Christian woman and a wonderful mom, and I am so thankful to call her a friend. I can’t wait for Neely and I to visit her this summer! I love her!

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The Closer I Get to Thirty…

I turned 27 in January. Did it bother me? Not one bit. My only reactions were “Yeah! I get presents and a party!” and “27 should be a good year”. Now, don’t get me wrong. I know 27 isn’t old. But the older I get, I know that it’s not “young” either. The other day, someone sent me a Facebook message about my 10 year high school reunion next year. Really? REALLY?! I can’t believe it’s been that long.

I hear so many people say that they would love to go back to high school. I honestly don’t think I’ll ever say that. High school was a good time. I was in the “popular” group, but never felt popular. I weighed 108 pounds (at 4’11”) and never thought I was thin enough. I looked at all of my pretty girlfriends and never felt pretty enough. I went to Governor’s School and always worried about grades. I played volleyball and softball and was always worried I wasn’t going to play good enough. That’s a lot of pressure.

Now? Now I’m 27 and I feel better than ever. If you read my blog, you know that I’ve lost 17 pounds since Thanksgiving. It’s taken a lot of hard work, sweat, waking up early to work out, and going to bed wanting a piece of cake or another piece of pizza. But it’s all been worth it. So many people have asked about my motivation and inspiration. My answer? ME. I did this for me. Not to fit in with those high school girls or to impress some dumb guy. I did it for myself and that’s why I think it’s working. You see, the closer I get to 30, the less I care about what everyone else thinks and just do things my way. Don’t like my outfit? Oh well. I do! Ha!

I feel sorry for young girls now. I hear of 8 and 9 year olds thinking they’re too fat or that their outfit isn’t cool enough. I am so thankful that McKayla (my 8 year old) isn’t like that – yet. She even told me one time, “I know this isn’t in style but I don’t care – I love it!” The other day, she said, “I know I’m beautiful.” I hope that never changes.

The closer I get to thirty the more I realize that the people that matter – my family and REAL friends – love me for WHO I am. Not how I look or what I’m wearing or anything else. They love me for me. And that makes getting “older” a whole lot easier!

Stop by my blog and say hi sometime! http://mrandmrssmith920.blogspot.com/