I’M 32!

I haven’t had as much time to reflect on the fact that I have yet another year of life under my belt. I almost skipped writing this post entirely– partially because it’s been hard to find windows of time where I feel in the “right mindset” to write in between nursing and Jack’s naps. But isn’t that, after all, a good starting point for how I’m kicking off this next year?

Last year I wrote about feeling “settled” and that feeling has only intensified. I have always felt like my “thirties” would be a great decade for me and it’s proven to be the case even more. A lot of the groundwork I laid in my twenties has been paying off and it just feels good. So much happened while I was 31. We got married last September. I signed a book deal. We got pregnant. I wrote the book. We had a baby. I’m almost embarrassed by the whirlwind of a year because it has felt like my dreams were all coming true.

If I had to sum up exactly how I feel right now, it’s that I know I’m right where I’m supposed to be.

I posted this photo on Instagram this past April with the caption, “I feel like I am right where I am supposed to be ✨”

What’s interesting is that this past year has also proven to be filled with many, many challenges. It wasn’t a breezy year, despite all of the incredible highs. Yet, I feel like in any other period of my life, those lows and personal difficulties would have crushed me. I can acknowledge and recognize that I have done a lot of growing and I’m just able to better handle the not-so-great moments. Of course they’ll always be there (and I’m sure there will be even more setbacks along the way), but it’s a relief– and a confidence booster– to know I’m a better and stronger person today than I was a year, five years, ten years ago.

I’m looking forward to this next year. It feels like I’m entering an entirely new stage of life and I welcome the turning of a page with both open arms and an open heart.