Ok, so maybe turning 30 is not THAT bad. I woke up today and felt great. When my sister called me when we were on the way to church she asked the greatest question people ask on your birthday, “So how does it feel to be 30?” My response, “Well, I really feel that I have reached an age where I will finally be appreciated, you know, like a grown-up, in fact I feel very distinguished.” “Really?” she said, “No.” I said.

Welcome to Jessica’s land of dry sarcasm. And I heard this only gets better with age too.

I realized today that my 20’s were AWESOME. I mean, I really got a lot done :) I got married at 20, had my first baby at 21, then had three more over the course of the next 8 years, and then started my dream business at 28. Now I am 30, and Brett and I will be married 10 years in a few months! Wow. Oh, and we are super excited because WE are getting OUR photos taken by some awesomeness in a few months!! (hmm…who could it be?)

So here is what I’ve been doing on my birthday day:

Went to church, came home and took a nap (which I never take the time to do), wrote this blog, then I am going to Ikea with my hubby (alone), going to dinner at my favorite Peruvian restaurant, and then going to see BATMAN tongiht!! Yea! Fun day.

Thanks for all the sweet emails and birthday wishes! You all are the best!! :)

Photo props to my 8 year old photographer daughter. She was workin’ that camera!!

One on my oldest and dearest friends Renee asked me last March to do something special for her. Her 97 year old grandmother was not doing very well, and she wanted a unique way to remember her when her time came to leave this world. She asked me if I would go to her nursing home and do a photo session of her, (she calls her Grandma “Mee Mee”) and then she wanted to make two photos books. Her plan was to give the photo books to her Mother and her Aunt when her Grandmother passed.

Very recently my dear friend lost her Grandmother. I asked her permission to share some of the photos that we captured of Mee Mee last March to share with others. She gave her books to her Mother and Aunt after the funeral, and they were very touched by Renee’s thoughtful idea.

Here is Renee’s beautiful Mee Mee.