2 and 1 days to 30

wow. tomorrow is the big day. how quickly 30 years go by. i don't feel mature enough to be 30. i remember when i was a kid that my parents were in their 30's and they seemed so old :) how can it be me already. the circle of life continues and stops for no one, not even me :) it's been nice to go back and think about some of the key components of my first 30 years. there's no better way to end than to give a shout out to my 5 amazing siblings. i feel so fortunate to have been raised in a family where i had brothers and sisters surrounding me at all times. holidays were awesome. i absolutely loved our tradition of all sleeping in the same room on christmas eve and staying up really late watching movies and playing games. i loved the sibling gift exchange on christmas day. we would play baseball in the basement using socks as the ball and a rolling pin (the same one my mom still has) as the bat. of course there were fights. carrie, missy and i would fight about taking each others clothes ALL the time. i have a great memory of trying to leave for school with missy driving and me in the passenger seat and trent coming out and sitting on the hood, refusing to get in the car until i got in the back so that he could sit shotgun. since me, troy and kiley were the "2nd round" we got to go on more trips together than the older kids did. we have the great 1994 wardwell family vacation on video and it's a classic and really captures the spirit of our family...lots of laughter and sarcasm is how i would describe us. we truly were lucky to have each other and i can only hope my kids are as fond of their siblings when they're adults as i am. trent-the oldest so he was the first to fly the coop. he was such a great example as an older brother. he left to serve his mission so willingly and he would write all of us individual letters consistently throughout his mission...that meant so much to me and i still have those letters. he's the rock. missy-she is the laughter. she's always been the most sarcastic and the one to crack all the jokes. i totally idealized her as a youth and thought she was so cool. she has a good heart. she knows how to lighten moods and bring smiles to our faces. she's got the most famous line in wardwell history..."we've been through rain, snow, heat" "dad" no one else will understand that but all of us will and we'll all smile when we read it. carrie-she is the quiet and steady one. she's always been good. she's never faltered. she's fun and serious. she's the best example of a mother. before i had kids i always said i want to mother them the way carrie does for hers. she's the picture of steadfastness and takes all the bumps that life throws her and continues strong. troy-we call him the "chosen" one. i'm not really sure why that started but it just kinda did. we all joke about how he's mom and dad's favorite. :) troy is a great combination of all our personalities. he's serious and strong but he's also hilarious and sarcastic. i loved how our relationship strengthened as he and i both got older. he's always been a great example to me and he's one of the reasons i decided to go on a mission. he's the one mom and dad NEVER had to worry about. kiley-she's the selfless one. she's the one that would drop anything to help any of us. she is truly amazing that way. she never asks for anything in return. it's only fitting that she was the one who had to make the most selfless decision that anyone could ever do in this life and she did it with courage and strength and all due to her love for another. i loved being able to watch her play her high school sports and follow her career. i love them all so much. i've been so lucky. happy 30th to me. i only hope my next 30 years bring as many blessings and happiness as the first 30 years have.