21 Plus a Decade

“Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time.” ~ Jean Paul

“Birthdays are a reward for having shown up 365 days in a row. It’s like getting a badge for attendance.” ~ Gina Barreca

I Have SO much gratitude!

First of all, thank you. Thank you. THANK YOU for ALL the birthday love! You sure know how to make a lady feel special! And I felt ALL the birthday love last Sunday (I know, I know, I know, I am ONLY posting this now!) and even this past week. Actually, if I am being truthful, I have felt it this last month, with two of my best friends kicking it off the end of May! Thank you to my amazing Mertwin and my OG Gemini Twin!

It sounds so cliché, but I really do have the best people in my life. And as the years grow shorter, I am reminded of how incredibly important and special it is to cultivate those relationships, with communication, gratitude, and really making an effort. And I am so grateful to this platform which has given me some of the bestest friends a girl could ask for! SO thank you! You all mean SO much to me! <3

 Thirty Again?

When you get to a certain age, birthdays aren’t given the same attention they are when you are younger. That being said some milestones are worth being celebrated, like a new decade. Last year I turned thirty, but like everyone in the world, my birthday was low key, spent with those in my quarantine bubble. I.e. my fam whom I love, and they did make it incredibly special for me. But there was no denying I missed my birthday traditions I had created with friends from taking vacays, to going out at night, to annual sail boat rides, all of that had to be cancelled. I am not writing this to say poor me, I know how trivial it sounds. And on the contrary, I was extremely blessed, my Dad was finally healthy after being sick for months (None COVID related) and my hometown wasn’t dealing with the heartache my beloved Concrete Jungle was dealing with in terms of COVID. In the grand scheme of things, I was extremely lucky, even while I wished I could have celebrated with my friends and family.

Flash forward a year, and having survived the first year of my thirties (whilst in a pandemic I might add) my friends and family have certainly made up for the birthday that wasn’t last year! In fact I was even joking maybe I would just turn thirty again, since last year didn’t count! Alas renewal of drivers licenses and passports have kind of proven otherwise! But that is okay!

21 Plus a Decade

Age really is JUST a number! And I am a firm believer that thirties are MY (and everyones!) best years yet! There is none of the angst that was wrought in our twenties. We have all hopefully learned from our dumb mistakes and are making fewer ones. (we are human after all!) And we have gained a maturity, security, and a settledness within ourselves.

There is also a realism we experience. Not because we have become jaded, but because we have lived. And we hopefully come to an understanding in the dualities of that. Life unfortunately isn’t all sunshine and roses. But I am a firm believer that with in the breaking we discover the beauty as well as with in that breaking, we find our truest selves, IF we are open to not only seeking but allowing that vulnerability in. Having had a crash course in my very early twenties, and having dealt with all the grief, struggles, and disillusionment that came from it, life is a rollercoaster. A crazy beautiful one. But it is up to us to make it what we want irregardless of the hand that God or this universe or whomever has dealt us.

Life is both scary and beautiful in its unpredictability. A lot of it we don’t get a say in. But we DO get a say in how we handle things and how we view things. whether we are the kind of person that is glass half empty, or glass half full. Having dealt with a lot of outside noise, and bullshit in my twenties, I have learned that it is honestly just a waste of my time, energy, and good juju to focus on the negative and frivolous that can sometimes control us. I am taking these lessons, and letting kindness, love, knowledge, compassion, travel, opportunities, failure, as well as success and focusing on what truly is important, guide me in my thirties. I get to dictate what I want to cultivate in my life, and who I want to be. And so do you!

The Actual Day

PHEW now that that TED talk is over, as I mentioned this past month has been one big celebration filled with ALL the memories and people that make my heart bursting with gratitude. From boozy brunch, to finally taking that annual sail boat trip, which we sadly, but understandably had to skip last year, (and I’ll be sharing…eventually) to eating at my fav Italian restaurant, to ALL the get togethers and phone chats with my friends, 31 more then made up for the lack of celebrating when I turned thirty. Heck it was way better.

The actual day of my birthday, landed on a Sunday and was absolutely perfect. I had planned a much needed beach trip to my favorite beach, which thankfully was not crowded. In true over-achiever style, I did some work in the morning, and my Mom had even let me open my birthday present early because she knew I would want to take some pictures. She was right! I was doing some major fan-girding because she had gotten me a Sewcialite clutch I had been wanting for well over a year!

That evening, I got guzzied up, for something OTHER then taking pictures. Not going to lie, it definitely felt different since it had been a hot second, and I was ACTUALLY wearing heels! I wore my striped blue and white maxi from the Caitlin Covington x Pink Lily Collab Collection. It literally is the perfect summer dress and so versatile and chic, that you can wear it on the beach, to a wedding, or a birthday celebration at an Italian restaurant, like I did.

It was SO nice to be able to go out to eat without stressing and feel normal again. The Italian restaurant we went to has long been owned by family friends, and even during COVID it was the one place we felt safe to eat at, because they were always so cautious. Their food is delicious as are the martinis! And they are the place we always go to, to celebrate special occasions!

I can’t say it was a great day, because really it has been a GREAT month and I feel so insanely grateful to everyone. I KNOW I keep saying it, but I say it because it not only is true, but it is also important to me to tell people how much they mean to me. And y’all do! I really am surrounded by the best people and my heart is so incredibly full and grateful for each and everyone of you! Thank you! <3