This is it – the end of an era. The last year of my 20’s. Today is my 29th birthday! 🙂 I’m most definitely eating ice cream cake for breakfast and have every intention of celebrating all weekend long, so take this as your open invitation to celebrate with me. Eat the cake in my honor, and for the love(lovelove) of all that is good, SOMEONE pop some bubbly on my behalf and enjoy every sweet champagne sip. 😉
Black feather dress (Rachel Parcell) // Earrings (TJMaxx)
For past birthdays, I’ve shared my favorite songs, fun facts, things I know to be true, things I’m grateful for…the list goes on.
There are 29 Lessons in 29 Years to queue up for your podcast listening – but today, here on CUR, I want to mix it up a bit and just chat. 🙂
This new year feels a bit…different.
Maybe it’s because it’s the last in a decade; I’ll admit I’m itching for my 30’s because I feel like they’ll be my decade, you know? The decade where I really feel like me – maybe (hopefully?) a bit less of an emotional roller coaster and a *bit* more confidently settled. At least, a girl can dream, amiright? 😉 My 20’s really ran the gamut of highs and lows and every life “biggie”…graduating from my dream school, starting my own business, marrying my best friend, getting pregnant, almost dying, NICU life, launching a podcast, buying a house (twice), a global pandemic, buying my own baby grand piano, writing a book, publishing the book, Olivia thriving, went to Disney a few times, joined a music ministry, got a dog, hypothyroidism, TTC again (+ struggling), and now this pregnancy with this baby.
I mean, wow. As I write all of this out, it feels so weird and so meta to have so much summed up in quick 2-3 word bits.
So let’s break this down – a little ODE TO MY 20’s – and give a bit more light to some of their most transformative moments.c
Graduating from my dream school. Truly a feat, seeing as your girl nearly failed her senior year advanced corporate accounting class that she put off until the very end. 😉 So much of what I learned at Wharton – and really, what I took with me post-grad – had literally nothing to do with financial statements or economic anything. Truth be told, I probably forget most of the curriculum already. But I leaned into learning me and becoming myself apart from academic or achieving for the first time ever, which was the start of a ride that I’m still on.
Starting my own business. I could’ve never predicted CUR today from the rinky dink website I launched, probably in the middle of an accounting class. HA. I’m so, so grateful for everything that is Coming Up Roses – but, most importantly, for you. For the people I’ve had the privilege of meeting along the way and connecting with over this blog (and podcast! and book!).
Marrying my best friend. If they weren’t laughing at my starting a fashion blog at Wharton, they were laughing at my dating the GA. But look who’s laughing now. 😉 I guess it’s true “when you know you know”…
Getting pregnant. On the first real “try” with the OG. Oh, how lucky we were and how little we knew…
Almost dying. In hindsight, learning the most about everything not going your way and surrendering everything to His.
NICU life. Undoubtedly, the hardest time of life so far. Battling post-partum depression alongside situational depression and probably other kinds of depression, too, with newborn life completely turned upside down and life in a hospital becoming your “normal” – did not love that for me. But, again in hindsight…I can see God’s hand on our little family. I can see His favor in the midst. I can see His good taking root beyond what would’ve felt “good” to us in the moment, and I can be grateful for the good that blossomed since.
Launching a podcast. Now one of my personal favorite parts of what we do around here. 🙂 I’ve had the opportunity to chat with so many truly INCREDIBLE women and bring so many POWERFUL conversations to the show, which is just an honor. It’s an honor to share stories and provide a platform that can help bless your life and help you go from surviving to thriving in whatever season you’re in in your own life.
Buying a house. IN a global pandemic. I mean, what were we thinking?! But really, ’twas a God thing. When the pieces came together as they did, there’s just no DOUBT it’s a heavenly wink. Our house came after a string of other plans fell apart, which just made space for God’s plan to come together. Funny how that always works. 😉
Bought a piano. This is probably no big deal to anyone else, but let me tell you – my DREAM for as long as I was learning to play the piano was to have my own baby grand. I learned how to play on a 52-key Casio keyboard (mind you, “real” pianos have 88 keys, not 52). While my parents were eventually able to get an 88-key digital piano once my lessons required it, I was only ever able to play on “real” pianos in concerts or accompanying for school. The literal FIRST thing I bought once we had our new house was a baby grand. Off Facebook marketplace. But A BABY GRAND. I cried. Was a proud moment, for being able to buy it yes, but moreso for having continued with something for so long that has become such a part of me in all the best ways.
Writing a book…and publishing the book! Caffeinate Your Soul feels like a literal lifetime ago already. And it’s funny how you pick up something you wrote years ago and find things that don’t necessarily ring true for you anymore already. That process was a process from the actual writing to illustrating to working with a hybrid publishing team for bits and pieces of it all…so much was learned. There are approximately one million things I plan on doing differently next time, if I’m so fortunate to get a “next time.” Stay tuned. 🙂
Went to Disney…a few times! For someone who grew up never having been to Disney World, this never gets old. I was 15 on a high school trip the first time I went to Disney. Now, I’ve had the immense privilege of getting to work with the team a few times AND bring my family along for the magic, and it just gets more magical every time!
Joined music ministry. I never really knew this was a dream until God laid it on my heart. I never set out to do it – God literally told me that I had to. So here I am. And it’s been a huge, huge blessing.
Got a dog. Never did I ever think those words would ever come out of my mouth – but here we are. I’m still not “a dog person,” but I do love Lucy. 🙂 She’s the most psychotic puppy sometimes but still the goodest girl…although I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit stoked for her to settle down out of puppyhood and chillax a bit. Mama is sick of puppy training. HA.
Hypothyroidism and TTC again. You never really see it coming – a diagnosis. Or something popping up in the plan that just wasn’t part of the plan. I admittedly knew very little about hypothyroidism before hearing it for myself, and it was weirdly relieving to have a “reason” for certain symptoms I had been experiencing for so long. This is all still TBD and a work in progress, as so many diagnoses are, but I’m proud of myself for making some lifestyle changes and choices to just improve my overall health and wellness. The diagnosis was the catalyst for an ongoing journey of leaning into learning – learning about products, foods, chemicals, and just the different things that we put in and on our bodies and their impact on, well, everything.
This pregnancy with this baby. What a blessing. This littlest love(lovelove) has me feeling all the feels. But I’m grateful. And I’m hopeful.
Now, I’m not one to discount a whole year – because a dang lot can happen in a year – so my goal is to just be as present as possible and resist any feelings of being “in-between” or “not quite there yet” as I see thirty on the horizon.
I’ve got a hunch that 29 will be a bit of a blur, largely thanks to baby boy debuting this summer. Lots of biggies still happening behind-the-scenes on all fronts, from team transitions here at CUR/THRIVE to inevitable changes in family/home life as we all navigate a new normal. So my biggest hope + intention is to sit in each season with grace.
Grace for myself, grace for my family, grace for everything.
I know it’s all going to need grace, so my birthday wish is for God to LAY IT ON ME, LORD. I’ll take ALL THE GRACE!!!
So, here we are.
29 and feelin’ fine.
Thanks for coming along for the ride. 🙂
