Another year older

Tuesday was my birthday and I turned 29 years old. While it's not a super special number, it certainly made me sit back and think about where I am today. This is the last year of my 20's. Wow. How did we get here so fast??? While I am slightly sad to be closing in on 30... a number that used to seem so much older to me than it does now, I also can't help but think about everything I've done in the past 9 years. I graduated from Purdue University, I went to and graduated from graduate school. I dabbled in 2 different careers, neither of which fulfilled me or made me happy, until I started my own photography business and have never been happier career wise. I married my husband in 2005, the happiest day of my life until the birth of our daughter in 2008. Bella is the best thing I've ever done. I look at her every morning and sometimes have to pinch myself to realize that I am not dreaming... that she isn't someone else's child... she is my baby girl. I carried her around for 9 months, I went through a long hard labor for her. I encountered many sleepless nights with her and I love her more than I knew I was capable of loving.

We've also have some hard times in the past decade. Jerry unexpectedly lost his job when I was pregnant with Bella....a time in our lives that was very difficult. We've lost family members suddenly, we've spent nights in the hospital, we've learned to cope with my mother's chronic illness (which I am just happy is not fatal). It definitely hasn't always been easy... but somehow we always get through it together, learn something from the hard times and move forward stronger people, and a stronger family.

In my 29th year I hope to make it a great one. We will welcome our second, and possibly last child into our family unit. We will be moving in a new home...one that we hope to make our home for a very long time. Bella is starting preschool and my business continues to grow and shape as I continue find out what I really love to do with photography and grow. I am promising here and now to not mope around being sad that my 20's are almost over..but enjoy the good things that are going to happen in my life in the next year, and vow to enter my 30's with a bang :)

I had a really nice birthday. I didn't schedule any shoots, and I spent the day with Bella. When Jerry got home, we went to dinner and then went for really bad for you ice cream, haha! Jerry helped Bella make me a card and he got me a point and shoot camera for my purse ;)

In other news... this is what my house looks like right now:



Needless to say, I am ready for the work to be done. The painter is still painting, but he is making good progress and the new paint makes a world of a difference in here. The carpet cleaners are coming this afternoon too. We are hoping everything will be done before the end of the week. We have potential renters coming to see our place on Sunday afternoon, and we plan on listing it this weekend as well for rent in case those renters do not work out. Jerry and our realtor are also meeting with Ryland on Friday afternoon to discuss the possibility of building again. We should know more soon. Oh and tomorrow...tomorrow morning...is our 20 week ultrasound! Yay! We can't wait!

And just because she makes me smile, here is a snap of Bella to finish up the post. wearing her princess dress that my mom made her :)