As I laid down in my bed Sunday night, tired from a whirlwind week, a busy month and a tremendous year, my mind raced with excitement and memories. The days leading up to this weekend were long, but really, for me it’s been a 30-year road. A happy, fulfilling road that I never planned or expected, but one for which I am eternally grateful.

Later this month I’ll celebrate 30 years on Days of Our Lives. I remember the audition well, and remember thinking at the time that the three-year contract they were offering seemed like a lifetime. Now, looking back on the years since then, I think this 30-year gift of daytime is the best career I could have asked for.