Happy Thirthieth

TOP // JEANS // SHOES // EARRINGS

PC- Sarah Sweeney

Well, it's only two months later ya'll, but I still have these fun pictures from my 30th birthday sitting here in a draft, and I still wanted to share them. I hit the big 3-0 milestone in August, and I still can't believe it. I honestly forget I'm 30 all the time. It's such a different decade to call my own that I think I'll be getting used to it for some time. 

And I say that, but it's not like I suddenly feel that much older. I just feel wiser. Which I know is super cheesy, but I can't deny it. I feel like I've risen out of some kind of fog, and I can just see and understand more. I'm starting to understand why everyone says your thirties are so great because you really do start becoming the "you" you always wanted to be. You care less about what other people think, you have more confidence in your own ideas and what you know, and you are more self-aware. And I know I'm only two months into my thirties, so bear with me you seasoned 30-year-olds and older. I know you have an even better perspective than I do. But for me, it is really shocking to see the difference in decades so quickly. 

For my birthday this year, I decided to do something bigger than usual, but in a different way. I haven't had a "friend party" for years, so this year instead of just going to dinner with friends, I wanted to have a fun event. I invited most of my really good friends, and we all spent an evening doing something new: painting. Our town has this really fun social painting place called Blanc Palette where you spend the evening painting with a teacher. Everyone paints the same painting, and the way they take you through the process of painting suddenly makes everyone a painter. I'm serious. Everyone's paintings turned out. It was amazing. I picked cacti as the theme for the party, so we painted cacti as well. It was so much fun! Everyone was out of their element together, and I loved the fact that we all got together to create something!

After we finished painting we all ate treats, opened gifts, and laughed. It was such a memorable birthday, and it was especially fabulous because it was with so many women who have been examples to me, served me, or helped me in innumerable ways. I wish I could have flown in my long-distance friends who have done those things for me too! I can definitely credit who I am to so many amazing people in my life, and I'm so thankful for them. Many of you have been there and encouraged me in the times that have shaped and molded me. I'm excited to see what this next decade brings, and if anything I just want time to slow down so that I can really enjoy it!