Happy Birthday to me....

Today I turn 34.
I never really cared about getting older until trying to have a baby became such a problem. I actually like my 30's... I just don't like this tick tick tick... of my "advanced maternal age" as my doctor so nicely calls it. My goal was to have a baby in my armsby my 32nd birthday because that is the age my mom was when she had me... (and truth be told I always felt she was a little old... and wished that she acted like the younger mom's....) But today all I can do is look forward to the coming year... and try very hard not to lose hope.

So... except for the TTC thing... I feel pretty good about 34... In fact... I am doing pretty well on this list I found...

(By Anonymous)
By the time she's thirty, every woman should have:
1. One old boyfriend she can imagine going back to and one who reminds her how far she has come.
2. Enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own even if she never wants to or needs to.
3. Something perfect to wear if the employer or the man of her dreams wants to see her in an hour.
4. A purse, a suitcase and an umbrella she's not ashamed to be seen carrying.
5. A youth she's content to leave behind.
6. A past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age.
7. The realization that she is actually going to have an old age and some money set aside to help fund it.
8. A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra.
9. One friend who always makes her laugh, and one who lets her cry.
10. A good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family.
11. Eight matching plates, wineglasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored.
12. A resume that is not even the slightest bit padded.
13. A feeling of control over her destiny.
14. A skin care regime, an exercise routine and a plan for dealing with those few other facets of life that do not get better after thirty.
15. A solid start on a satisfying career, a satisfying relationship and all those other facets of life that do get better.

By the time she's thirty, every woman should know:
1. How to fall in love without losing herself.
2. How she feels about having kids.
3. How to quit a job; break up with a man; and confront a friend without ruining the friendship.
4. When to try harder, and when to walk away.
5. How to kiss a man in a way that communicates perfectly what she would and wouldn't want to happen next.
6. How to have a good time at a party that she'd never chose to attend.
7. How to ask for what she wants in a way that makes it most likely she'll get it.
8. That she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents.
9. That her childhood may not have been perfect, but it's over.
10. What she would and wouldn't do for love or money.
11. How to live alone, even if she doesn't like it.
12. Who she can trust, whom she can't, and why she shouldn't take it personally.
13. Where to go, be it to her best friend's kitchen table, or a charming inn in the woods -- when her soul needs soothing.
14. What she can and can't accomplish in a day, a month and a year.
15. Why they say life begins at thirty.