Well, everyone, my thirtieth birthday came and went.
There were no fires. No floods. No volcanic eruptions.
Okay, I’m sure those things happened somewhere in the world, but in my tiny area of existence, no such things happened.
What did happen, you ask? I ate. And ate. AND ATE.
I basically ate anything and everything I could get my carb-lovin’ hands on from sun up to sundown! Doughnuts, cheesecake, Auntie Anne’s® pretzels, truffles, cupcakes, and more cheesecake. And you want to know something? It. Was. GLORIOUS.
Sadly, I didn’t get everything completed on my 30 By 30 list. I’m one book away from finishing my classic novel reading list (why, oh, WHY did I leave Gone With the Wind until the very end?!), I still need to protest something (I really wanted to join the students at Capitol Hill this week but couldn’t) and I’m looking for some folks to go in halfsies with for a bottle of Cristal (I wonder if a rapper would just give me some. They still drink that, right? Or is that too “1990’s”?)
BUT, I have accomplished quite a bit! Here’s a recap of my list:
- Watch all of AFI’s 100 Years, 100 Movies
- Get a literary agent
- Work on a political campaign
- Finish my book
- Go to Italy with BB
- See Graceland
- Meet someone famous
- Participate in a protest rally
- Sew and wear a dress/skirt
- Read every Jane Austen novel
- Enjoy a bottle of Cristal
- Take Noah and Ellie to see The Nutcracker
- Go camping
- Finish my classic novel reading list
- Take a pole dancing class
- Run a marathon
- Get married
- Buy my parents something BIG
- Go to the Red Carpet to see a movie premiere/award show
- Go to every state
- Get a job I LOVE
- Have a baby (or two)
- Change the oil in my truck
- Buy a house
- Donate my hair to locks of love
- Make a meal from scratch
- Milk a cow
- Learn the guitar (one song all the way through)
- Go skinny dipping
- Pay off all school loan debt
Considering I’ve done all of these except eight (and I’ll be checking the classic novel list off soon!) I’d call this a success! I told myself that I’d give myself a “grace period” to wrap up as many as I could by the end of the year. Those that do NOT get checked off will roll over to my 40 By 40 list!
I’ll be honest, I was sort of dreading this birthday. But now I see that my best years are ahead of me.
Sure, my twenties were great! I ended a bad relationship (not Huff the Hubs!), found myself (and God) again, and then reconnected with the man of my dreams (yes, this time I mean HtH!). I went to Europe (three times!), got married, had a baby, and learned some important life lessons.
All of that—the heartache, the disappointments, and the wisdom I’ve gained—I think will be the arrows in my quiver I can use against anything that my thirties my hurl against me. To quote the prudent and zealous beet farmer, Dwight Schrute: “I am ready to face any challenges that might be foolish enough to face me!”
A lot of people say that getting older is the pits. I think it’s awesome! After all, it’s better than the alternative, right?
Besides, I love birthdays.
Sometimes I set expectations too high, people don’t meet them, and then I inevitably take my ball and go home to cry in my birthday cake. But this year? My family and friends not only met the bar, but passed that bad boy in a blur! They really out-did themselves!
My sisters threw me a Downton-Abbey-esque Murder Mystery Dinner (and made me a sweet book):
Huff the Hubs spoiled me all day. And even got a pedicure with me! (Look how excited he was!)
But most all, I was shown love by those around me. And THAT, my friends, is what makes a great birthday.
They even have jewelry, bags, and fragrances!
