The big 3-0

I think I'm going to start counting the years by anniversaries rather than birthdays. 30 sounds so much better than 51.

But here we are, after 30 years, and, well, that escalated quickly...

9 permanent kids

25+ foster and Safe Families kids

6 places of residence, including 1 apartment, 1 3-month stint house sitting, 1 trailer, 1 house of my dreams where I never wanted to leave, and the most recent of which we have been in for almost 18 years

3 dogs, 4 guinea pigs, 2 gerbils, many fish, several hermit crabs, and 1 snake that outlived all the rest

2 master's degrees, 1 almost-master's degree, 1 almost-there master's degree, and 1 doctorate

14 years traveling with The King's Strings which included the chance of a lifetime on a NYC stage with 3 judges, a wonderful audience, and 5 seconds of fame on National TV

Yup, that definitely escalated quickly.