Personal | In my 30s

[Photo by Shannon-May Photography, 2013, when I turned the big 3-0]

This week I turn 33 (I won’t mention what day just because I don’t want it to seem like I’m fishing for salutations…I’m definitely not.) I’m about as non-interested in birthdays as you can get; I’m that jerk that won’t even write a mandatory “HBD” on a friend’s Facebook wall because I don’t see the point. We were never big on birthdays in our family and I’ve carried that nonchalance over into adulthood, even though I try to make birthdays special for my kids. But for me, forgetaboutit, I don’t need or want anything. Just another twirl around the sun, as they say.

Although, as much as I don’t think about my birthday, I do think about time and aging quite a bit. To my husband’s amusement (annoyance?), I point out how much we are aging and how much time is going by all the time, as if it’s something new; “Dan, kids who are in high school now weren’t even ALIVE when Romeo and Juliet came out!”, or “Dan, soon we will have been together longer than we haven’t in our lives!” (when we hit 40), or “Dan, it’s TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTEEN, 20 years ago was the 90s, not the 80s!”. He, being the super logical and stable guy that he is, doesn’t understand my obsession with the passage of time; maybe it’s because I’m a photographer and constantly trying to freeze moments in time that I can’t seem to grasp that despite my best efforts, time is going by, and quickly at that.

[Photo by Joni Burtt, 2016]

The wonderful thing about it, though, is that I’m not disliking getting older, in fact I love it about 85% of the time. Sure, the physical aspects of aging aren’t always fun (why are my hips aching suddenly? Will these circles under my eyes EVER go away?), but with age definitely comes a lot of goodness, and I really believe that my 30s are going to kick my 20s’ ass. At 33 I’m more confident than I’ve ever been in my life, and I know who I am more than I ever have before. I strive to keep my ‘bubble’ small, and drama-free. I don’t pay attention to all the shit that’s out there, and I don’t allow worries or fears or doubts to creep into life (too much). My career is established and although I still wonder what the heck I’m doing sometimes, I know beyond a doubt that I am so, SO lucky to do what I love to do for my job, and I try not to take it for granted. My marriage is better than ever, 10 years in, and it’s my absolute greatest joy in life. My kids are growing and this is the decade I will learn to let them go, little by little, every year. I’m accepting my body more and more, and keeping taking care of it and myself a priority so that I can take care of others. I still have crazy wanderlust but am most content at home, with Dan, falling asleep on the couch watching Netflix. There is still so much to do, and see, and learn, at 33, but man, it’s been good so far.

So, in celebration of 33, here are 33 things that I’m loving/thankful for:

1. Dan (everything about him)
2. Victor’s missing teeth
3. Violet’s puckered lip kisses
4. House of Cards
5. Jillian Michaels’ workout videos
6. Iced tea
7. My Canon MKiii and 85mm lens
8. Chickens in the summer
9. Still being able to speak Spanish fairly easily
10. Tattoos
11. Working from home
12. Fresh garden peas from my backyard
13. Rosalie and Coraline’s adorableness (and hair)
14. Social media (most of the time)
15. Reading novels again
16. Friends who live nearby
17. My tree
18. 90s music
19. Sunsets (and still freaking out about light, all these years later)
20. Pumpkin granola and vanilla yogurt
21. Game of Thrones
22. My parents’ support and weekly visits
23. The UFC; and
24. Conor McGregor (*crush*)
25. Online photographer friends to chat with about work
26. Striped shirts
27. My sister, my best friend
28. Living in Norton in a big old house
29. My boobs (hey, they’re still decent at 33 after 2 kids, reason to celebrate!)
30. Halloween
31. A bucket list of travel destinations
32. My health
33. My life.

Have a great week everyone!

Comments

Thanks so much!