Turning 30

August 10th was the day that I turned the big 30!

This year has been a year filled with great joy and great challenges for me. Some of the wonderful things that have happened have been watching Nash grow and develop. He is such a blessing and so smart. He makes me so happy! Nate and I absolutely love being his parents. Another great thing is that I changed jobs. I used to work as a Guardian Ad Litem for Spokane County Juvenile Courts, which I loved. I didn't really expect to leave but I had heard of a new unit opening up with DCFS and had a couple offers to apply. So for the 4 months I have been working for the State doing relative home studies. I interview and conduct background checks on any relative that has placement of a dependent child. It is a slower paced job, which I'm not used to, but I have been blessed with a wonderful unit and supervisor and really enjoy being there. Sometimes change is hard for me, but this time I'm glad I stepped out and took a chance.I still miss many people from my last job but try to pop in every now and then and visit them. The biggest challenge for me has been my health. I spent much of this year not feeling well and wondering what was wrong with me. I imagine keeping up with a toddler, working full time, and remodeling a home, was part of it, but I knew something was not right. Finally after a brain scan, echocardiograham, chest xray, ultrasounds, and blood test after blood test, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease similar to Lupus. I experience extreme fatigue, joint pain, shortness of breath, muscle weakness,and a foggy brain. I was tested for MS, and thankfully that came back negative. I have a specialist I really like and respect, who has started me on some medication which seems to be helping. It is so difficult to put into words how much we take our health for granted until it becomes compromised. I'm so thankful to be feeling better and know now the signs and symptoms to watch for. Another challenge for Nate and I has been our house. This house has been a huge project for us and seems to be never ending. I really want to sell it and move on, but unfortunately the real estate market is not the greatest right now, so we are grappling with what to do but trust it will all work out in the end.
So to celebrate my 30th birthday my wonderful sister, mom, and friends planned a special birthday bash for me! I can truly say it was one of the best times I've ever had. Emily, my mom, Peggy, and Mary had a girls weekend in Seattle. We ate wonderful food, shopped, giggled, saw a Broadway Musical, and just had the best time. I can't say how thankful I am to have such wonderful, wonderful family and friends. Thanks you guys for making turning 30 not such a bad thing. Thank you too for starting this new year of my life off with such a special gift! I love you all~ Kim