Thirty

One of my best friends told me at the start of this year "this is it, 2014 is the year when things will change for you..." and while he didn't mean turning thirty (although that certainly somehow seems like a change) he was right - this has been a year of change for me. I thought I'd chronicle the last year of my twenties through pictures of the past year.

Twenty-nine has been a year of changes for me...I have to say almost all of them good. So many people have told me that their thirties were the best years of their lives and while I'm not exactly thrilled at the prospect of being thirty (3 decades - I've been alive 3 decades) I suppose being thirty is better than the alternative; am I right? Twenty-nine was a good year, so I'm going to go forward with confidence that Thirty will be even better.

And from here...I leave you with pictures...

Celebrating 29 in VA for the weekend; cake, a football game at Annapolis & family.

Front porch Pumpkin...or should I say, Jack-O-Lantern?

A Happy Halloween from my not so thrilled Hoot Owl!

Autumn leaves in MS.

Going home for Thanksgiving...the bookend to the the worst travel experience ever on the return...

Post-Thanksgiving feast grins!

Test driving the winner in the Natalie Needs a New Car game - ha-ha!

December nights by the light of the Christmas tree.

Christmas Eve with the family.

My "last" Christmas tree in my first home.

Happy Christmas to me - Santa left a whole different kind of reindeer!

Some truly chilly January temps...a perfect excuse to wear one of my awesome hats!

Not one but two snow days in a row - practically unheard of!

Early February flurries at the office.

Weekend fun...ready to go out on the big town of Meridian..ha-ha!

Taking a chance with some new color...nothing like celebrating the arrival of Spring with really dark hair!

Cheering on my precious "little sister" at the Spring Beauty Review! 

Nothing like a Spring morning & a good cup of coffee!

A long awaited return to the Smokey Mountains!

Conquering my fear of heights & zipping above the tree tops in the Smokies!

Signs that a change is coming...

A final family visit to Colorado Springs for a very special reason!

The family with the newly commissioned 2nd Lieutenant! 

Saying good-bye to MS & looking ahead to a new chapter in life...VA!

I think this is my exit!

Starting my new chapter with some of my oldest friends...life is funny like that.

Watson thinks he'll enjoy being a mountain dog...

Exploring the history that seems to be right around every corner here in VA!

Celebrating July 4th - with a coat on! Who'd have ever thought?

Taking a float down the Shenandoah River!

Indulging in my first delicious sip of Butterbeer!

Taking a trip across the galaxy on Star Tours!

We survived the Splash on the Mountain...ha-ha!

A fond farewell to Disney World & the Wilderness Lodge!

Having a spot of tea with the sweet little sis!

A hedge selfie while exploring downtown Winchester.

Cuddling with one of my new favorites - sweet baby Amelia.

A promise perhaps?

Sunday lunch with a sweetheart!

Almost thirty...finally made it to a Drive-In movie!

Enjoying a drizzly Saturday in Baltimore with friends...

Just taking in the morning sun on the deck.

Autumn starts to unfurl it's hold over nature.

Special time with a sweet friend & her precious family!

There's a first time for everything - even finding your way out of a corn maze!

And...we've come full circle. Another year!