I may be an odd duck, but by the time I reached 29, I could not wait to turn 30. I was ready for those years to be over and I can say that I was not disappointed. Each year I take stock of my life and look at where I am and how far I have come. When I look back I see some amazing years.

1. I have traveled more.

The dole whips are amazing!

Amber LeBlanc

In 2016 I wanted to travel more. I wanted to go more places and expose my children to new adventures. I have been a get up and go kind of girl when it comes to travel. An overnight trip to San Diego could happen any week. In the last couple of years, I have gone on two road trips up the coast into Canada and back down through Yellowstone. One of those trips was with two teenage boys, that is an article all on its own. I have been to Disneyworld and put my feet in the Pacific ocean one week and the Atlantic ocean the next.

I have become comfortable in my own skin.

Amber LeBlanc

I am not a super skinny person, but I'm not overweight either. I have curves that come with being a mother. Even though, if you ask my mother, I have had them since I was a teenager. I am in better shape now than I was ten years ago. It's not just about the way my body looks, but what I put in it. I make healthy choices more often than not. I think about not just what I look like or how I feel now, but how I want to look and feel in 30 years from now. The lifestyle I lead now is a building block for when I am older. I want to be able to move and do things as I age.

Education and experience have started to come together

Amber LeBlanc

Education is important, but a college degree is not everything. I know some brilliant people who do not hold degrees. They do have life experiences and knowledge that I can never get sitting in a classroom. Experience is not everything either, it does not teach you how to do certain things in the business world. There is a lot to be said for taking the time to get a degree and applying it. This is the age where for me it has all come together. I have experience at work, I know what I am doing, and my degree has helped me with processes that a job can't teach.

As I reflect on my life and my year, I can speak with the confidence that these are some of the best days of my life. It's not to say that things will not be better, but it's also not necessary. I am enjoying my life. Too often we rush through life hoping to get to the next phase and we miss the moments. My goal for this next year is to enjoy the little moments. Stop and smell the flowers, spend a little more time wandering, soak up my kids while they are still kids, these are the things that make them the best days.