And then I turned Thirty

Well, it happened. I passed out of the most agonizing decade of one's life that is supposed to be simply wondrous and filled with all sorts of excitement and living life to the fullest and all of that other garbage do you know what I felt when I first awoke? Relief. Sure, there was a tiny jot of sadness that I'm no longer the youngest kid in the room, but really; I'm fine with that. A professor once told me that your 30's are far more satisfying because you know yourself far better than you did in your 20's, and you begin to "hit your stride". While this may not be true for everyone, I am finding this to be very true for myself. I think about when Steve and I were goggly-eyed newlyweds, and while those early days were wonderful in their newness and sweetness, I would not exchange what we've worked through and built together for all the honeymoons in the world. And so, goodbye, 20's. Even though I will remember you as the decade in which I graduated from college, got married, bought a house, had 4 (soon to be 5!) kids in 5 years, I will not miss the growing pains. I am genuinely looking forward to the adventures that my 30's will bring. Who knows what the future holds??
  This year, I had the delightful experience of having my birthday occur during our family vacation, which, I might add, was disaster-free this time around! Praise be unto the Lord!! No ER visits! No visits to the walk-in clinic! No barfing children! Sure, there may have been two brown recluse spiders in the shower during our stay, but no one got bit, so who's complaining? Not I! Ah, but it was a glorious day.  I drove ALONE into town with the WINDOWS DOWN and MY MUSIC playing as LOUD AS I COULD STAND IT because I COULD and darn it, I wanted to hear the music again. Do you hear me? I WANT TO HEAR THE MUSIC AGAIN. AND THEN... Brunch with my lovely sister Meg at Early Girl Eatery...surprise pedicures booked by my mama and little seester Angela...and just a fantastic time in Asheville, North Carolina. My love for North Carolina is no secret around here, and I was beyond relieved to see that the mountains were as beautiful as ever, the tea just as sweet, the foliage just as lush, and the pulled pork just as smoky as I remember. It is a grand thing to not be disappointed. To top off an outstanding morning, Steve and I were miraculously able to enjoy a date, thanks to the mad babysitting skills of Meg and her Ricky. A yummy dinner at Luella's Barbeque, followed by some wildly delicious ice cream and a most wonderful time of lazily wandering around one of the most amazingly astounding bookstores I've ever been to in my entire life. It was pretty perfect. And what's better than that? So take that, Thirty. I fear you not. Here's to embarking on another decade, even more adventurous than the last.

Oh, Baby.

Well, hi there. It's been a ridiculously long time, but I was busy bringing this sweet girl into the world...

Her name: Katherine Jane Johnson.

Born: August 5th, 3:11 am (yawn!)

Weight: 7 lbs, 11 oz.

Length: 20 1/2 inches long

And for the fifth time, we are smitten. Kate turned one month two days ago, and while this past month has been filled with sleepless nights, major nursing issues (sorry, gentlemen), figuring out life with 5 kids, homeschooling older kids with a toddler trundling around screaming and going all mafia on everyone else and a tiny newborn in tow, I totally can't imagine my life without her.  I am grateful. 

3 boys and 2 girls! I can only imagine the adventures we'll have. In the meantime, I will do my best to do a weekly post here at The Epic Adventures of Skarymop & Co. It will most likely be a little bit of everything. Food, recipes, pictures, and my rather useless musings on life, liberty, and the pursuit of sanity. Or something like that. Ahem. Thank you for reading, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!