On Turning Thirty

Today is my 30th Birthday. Holy hell. How did that happen? I went through the same emotions as everyone else. I freaked out about it for awhile, and then I simply embraced it. Everyone says that the best is yet to come, and I believe them. When you approach a milestone birthday, you find yourself reflecting on everything that has happened up until that point. The past ten years have been kind of a wild ride. But the funny thing is that the second I woke up this morning, I truly did feel as if it was all behind me. I can suddenly say, "That happened when I was in my twenties," as though that explanation alone somehow justifies any horrible decisions that were made. In a sense, I feel wiser, bolder, and way cooler than I did last night when I was still a measly 29.

The things that run through my mind about the last decade include:
Quitting college after a year and a half because I felt like I wasn't smart enough.
Unexpectedly getting my first major promotion.
Marrying and divorcing a bastard.
Having a beautiful daughter who made my life worth living.
Getting fired and learning that I could come out fighting.
Making millions of mistakes, but learning from all of them.
Going out on a lot of bad dates.
Going back to school because I realized that I'm smarter than most of those 20 year olds.
Letting go of my first love, and deciding that it was worth the risk to try to love someone else again.
Learning to trust my gut.

Today, I let Kylie skip school halfway through the day so that we could hang out together. I had no desire to spend my birthday alone. We had lunch at Brixx Pizza, where I ate an entire wild mushroom pizza (with vegan cheese).

Then we went to Pier 1, Barnes & Noble, and did a little Christmas (yes, Christmas) shopping at Banana Republic. After shopping, we drove to this pottery studio where we were able to pick out our own piece and paint it ourselves. They fire it for you, and in a week, you can pick up your finished masterpiece. I have always wanted to do it, and today was the perfect time.

Kylie chose a piggy bank shaped like an ice cream sundae, which I thought would be impossible for her to finish. I picked out a cool bowl that I wanted to paint to match my kitchen.

My child clearly is an artist at heart. Her bank looked amazing, even before it baked.


I decided that I hated my bowl halfway through, rinsed off all of the paint in the sink and started over. It was the closest I came to a meltdown all day. I can't wait to see the finished product.

Here is to new beginnings, getting a do-over on all of the things that I got wrong in my twenties, and to embarking a new chapter in my life. I think that there are great things in store for me.