Today is my 30th birthday. As I write this blog I am sitting in Greenjeans Restaurant in the Toronto Eaton Centre waiting for my family to descend on me and the party to begin. So before the chaos of Christmas happens, I wanted to take a few moments for a minute of self-reflection today.

When I turned 29 last year I was honestly scared of what would come of this year. I weighed over 300 pounds and though I wasn't unhappy (my therapy has been helping me overcome my unhappiness for a few years now), I wasn't satisfied either. I knew if change was going to happen that it had to happen soon - but I still didn't know how.

In April I discovered Spark and never looked back. Now 72 pounds lighter, I enter my 30s with a hope and a joy that I never experienced in the whole decade of my 20s. I'm down right exuberant! And though this journey has been challenging at times, I'm still doing it - something I never even thought possible given all my failed attempts.

This morning I woke up before my alarm. Even though I was at my brother's house I had been planning to run on my birthday for a few months now. I was excited. Last year I couldn't walk a mile without being winded. Today I ran 2 miles and wanted more. My brother helped me plan my route and watched in amazement as the person I have become headed out the door into the cold morning. What a gift. What an absolute wonder that I have given myself. I have given myself my life back...and this morning I ran 2 miles to prove it.

I have every hope that my 30s will quickly become the best years of my life. But for some reason I don't feel like I need to hope that hard - because I already KNOW they will be.

Happy Birthday Jenn! May you continue to love yourself in the future as much as you love yourself today.