Why I choose to celebrate my 31st trip around the sun

Reflecting on the 31 years I've been alive and its showing me just how much I've actually been through and accomplished.

Life was really amazing until age 9 when my parents divorced. I remember having a really happy childhood up till then. We would go camping all the time, we had a pet racoon named Ricky, I was in dance and had so much fun doing yoga with my mom and riding our horse with my dad. After the divorce it flipped everything upside down. But despite my parents struggles I ended up pretty good. I like to think seeing what obstacles they faced actually made me stronger.

My brother and I did have to grow up rather quickly and do a lot for ourselves which didn't phase me until I got older and it was pointed out to me that that wasn't normal. But we were always fed, we had a bed to sleep in and we felt loved.

Then living through the strange and overwhelming teenage years without my mom or dad hurt me but it also helped me learn resilience and perseverance which has helped me tremendously in my adult life.

Then my life turned back around when my sweet grandma took me in and I was able to have the childhood/high-school experience I craved. That led to finding my sweet husband and we started building our lifes together.

From age 18 to now 31 I have done so much.

I was a nanny in Arizona to two sweet families I miss so much.

I've moved 7 times in 10 years

I've been a pregnant 5 times

Given birth 4 times including one traumatic c-section and saying goodbye to my son

to having an incredibly empowering homebirth VBAC welcoming our Rainbow daughter and final baby earth side.

I've been an army wife and through one deployment, learning resiliency and feeling so much for single parents.

I've joined 3 different MLM companies which gave me the taste to be an entrepreneur and showed me so much of my capabilities and the potential I hold.

Which then directed me to meeting my amazing life and business coach to my now doula career and birth , prenatal coaching.

I've watched women become mothers for the first time and the 4th time. I've become a birth assistant and seen the beautiful side of midwifery and the exhausting side.

My life has evolved an insane amount and each and everything I have been through in my 31 years on this earth has shaped me, has molded me into the mom, the woman, the human I am today.

But here's the crazy thing.

I am not done growing or changing. I am forever evolving and that to me is exciting!

So maybe you will turn 30 or 31 and feel like you need to be settled down and know what you want to do for the rest of your life but truly you never have to be done finding out. That's part of the fun. Trying all the things and following what feels right in that season of your life.

Today, 31 years ago my mom gave birth to me after a long and exhausting labor and for her strength and resiliency I am forever greatfull. Thank you mom for never giving up on me. Thank you for choosing me.

I feel like I should "feel old" today because I'm not in my 20s anymore but truly this is the most excited I've ever been for my future. I see the potential in everything. I see so many succeeding in business and raising their families and doing the things they love and it excites me! It shows me the potential, the greatness that is out there. There is room for everyone to do the things that bring them joy and that turning 31 doesn't mean that I've lost my chance.. it means it is my turn to show up for myself more than I ever have before. To prove to myself that I am capable of greatness and I do deserve to be successful and to shine the light into the dark places.

I'm excited to be 31 today

I choose to celebrate that I have been on this earth surviving every single day for thirty-one years!

Thats 11,315 days!

Happy day of BIRTH to me. And happy becoming a mommy day to my momma because without her I wouldn't be here.

Celebrate your trip around the sun because you are the only you that there is and ever will be.

You ARE uniquely magnificent.