30.................................one.

There, I said it. I'm 31. I think I'm officially old now b/c I can't say I was 20something last year.

So then I thought, why not write a letter to myself so I can read it in 5, 10, 15, 20(?) years and laugh and laugh about how ridiculous I currently am? How the things that seem huge now really don't matter as much? Sure, why not. Here goes.

Dear Self ___ years from now,

Way to go - today (a few days ago, you were distracted by your new iPhone5 and life in general and couldn't finish this post) you're 31 and have met all the goals you've wanted to by now. You have an amazing family, great career (although I suppose it depends on the day you asked me), and a core of supportive, caring friends. You have a home you never feel is clean but that's because you LIVE while you're there. The little boys you thought you wanted are turning into the most stunning little girls you could have ever wished for and are your whole life (in more ways than one).

Sometimes I think about what I want in the next 5-20 years and it's so daunting I can't do it. Do I raise the bar? Go for gold? Work my way up the work ladder? No, that's not the path for me - I like my job and I want to work directly with kids. That was one of my super criteria for choosing this profession - working with kids - so why would I want to be an administrator and work with adults all day? Nope, I'll stick to my "in the trenches therapy" for now. Things that matter now and likely won't in the future: the immense amount of paperwork (wait, this is NEVER going away, sorry), specific difficult cases that will figure themselves out by 5 years from now (hopefully less!), and .......

Guess what?!?! Who's shocked that I started this post days ago and am just now getting to it again only to know that I can't really fully finish it b/c tonight will include packing as much as possible for a trip to WI tomorrow and if I'm not doing that, I'm either going to try to sneak in a quick workout and/or play with my phone. So, self, this is your life right now...worrying about work a little here and there, worrying/thinking about home a whole lot and loving my girlies/hubs, and trying to hold it all together and not look like I'm a raving lunatic who has no idea what she's doing 82% of the time. I mean 46%. Ok, I really mean 90%.

Life is good, there's always room for improvement, and I'll be better tomorrow than I was today. At least that's my goal. Bring it on, 31! I'm ready for ya!

Love, Liss