Thirty

Yesterday I passed into my third decade of living. I'm officially out of twenties, and to really drive it home, I'm closing on a house tomorrow! It's certainly surreal, but as I reflected yesterday I felt truly grateful.

When I was a kid, I envisioned certain things for myself: a beautiful house with the perfect yard for backyard movies or a glamorous job or lots of European travel. I wanted to have reasons to dress up, be able to pull off high heels and lipstick, and finally figure out how to do my hair. I wanted to be able to see shows, go to museums, eat at sidewalk cafes, go to outdoor movies or dancing events. All kinds of things that, frankly, I couldn't do in my tiny hometown. 

Sometimes you might feel a little sorry for yourself when you experience a setback, but on my 30th birthday, I was feeling the opposite. I've been so extraordinarily blessed, and it was surreal to look back and think about all the opportunities I've had. I realized that if 15-year-old me saw 30-year-old me's life, she would be envious. 

For my birthday, I drove to Richmond in the first car I bought with money I saved and met my dad for a swanky lunch at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. I had kimchi tater tots and crispy pork buns — foods I would've probably been too afraid to try 10 years ago. Dad and I looked at contemporary art, getting as close as we could and then walking across the room to have different vantage points, talking about the big ideas each artist was exploring. As I was leaving the museum, I sat down for a second and really took in my surroundings and thought: I've achieved almost everything I had hoped and I'm only 30. I feel so lucky.

Thank you so much for reading this blog of mine and I can't wait to show you my new adventures in domestication: home decoration and renovation!!!