Cari turns 30

Back in March (I know, i'm kinda late...) I turned 30 and was greeted into this new decade with an awesome party thrown by my dear friends. It was overwhelming how much thought was put into a simple evening and I am forever grateful and humbled by the love shown to me by my friends and family. I've got a ton of pictures from the evening, which i'll share later on in the post.

Anyone remember that movie 13 going on 30? The main character thought her life was so mundane that she wanted to skip it all so she could be "thirty, flirty, and thriving." I always wondered what Jennifer Garner's character would have said to her younger self in order to show her that all of the seemingly mundane seasons of life still count and then it made me think...what would I tell my 20 year old self? What have I learned in the past ten years? At thirty I can say that I am more confident of who I am in the Lord than I have ever been, but there have been many small and not so small things that have lead up to this point. So just for fun, here are a few things I would have told my 20 year old self, had I the opportunity.

1. Fear is the mind killer: Okay, I actually learned this when I was in high school after reading the book "Dune" for a senior English class. But fear has definitely been a controlling factor in my life. I am still learning how to hold my thoughts captive, but God has definitely shown me where I can go if I fear only Him and not everything else. The only thing fear has ever done for my life is hold me back from who God wants me to be.

2. You still have time: marriage, kids, travel, adventures! I remember thinking that if I didn't get it all done by the time I was 30 then something was wrong with me. Maybe I was actually 18 or 19 when I thought this...Anyway, at 30 I just went on my first trip overseas and while there is still more i'd like to see in life, I don't feel like i've missed much because these things didn't happen sooner. If anything, God has shown me the blessings of being single, laying down my roots, and resting in Him. That doesn't mean those aren't still things I look forward to one day. He's just given me a better perspective.

3. There is no wall with God: there was a certain point in my 20's where I thought I had hit this wall. I had heard the sermons, read the books, been to the bible studies, camps, retreats, and youth groups. I loved God but I had heard it all. Please believe me when I say that I don't say that out of arrogance, or at least I didn't intend to at the time. I actually remember going through a state of panic thinking, "if this is all there is to learn then what does that mean for the rest of my life? How am I going to keep living this life if that's it?" Shortly after I went through this panic, I met the dear friends that I now work with. Through their friendships, the Lord showed me how incredibly multifaceted he is! At 30, he is still teaching me new things about himself and also about who I am. My relationship with him is deeper than it has ever been before.

So there it is, my 20 year old self. You're gonna be just fine.

Hey, 40 year old self! Can't wait to hear what adventures God has taken you on the past ten years!

At 30 I am also still kind of weird.

Oh hey, pictures!