34

Although there is a minor celestial event occurring this afternoon :) , the REAL news is that today is my birthday!

It's sort of a big deal.

Today I am 34.

Man! Another year down the tubes and another year towards the grave, amiright?

I am totally, totally kidding. Promise.
I have never been one to shy away from sharing my age.
Never been one to not celebrate something special.
I love birthdays and growing older and, hopefully, wiser in the process.

This one did not disappoint, either.
We celebrated by taking our boat down the shore of Lake Michigan to a Bruno Mars concert.
I don't think it gets much cooler than that, really.

33 sure was one for the books.
It was by far the hardest year of my life.
I lost so much.
I said goodbye to two loves of my life; my oldest bulldog and my little baby boy.

But as I healed, I gained a sense of self I hadn't fully realized until I was broken down so far, that I was able to rebuild myself into something better.

We fully ventured into the world of infertility and IVF.
I temporarily became a mom and got to experience a little sliver of pregnancy...something I had longed for, for so many years.

Mark and I had our marriage tested through depression, anxiety, grief, and just about everything else under the sun.
But we are SO happy now.
So much stronger together.
We weathered that damn storm and lived to tell about it.
And we are still crazy about each other (even if we drive each other crazy, daily.)

I treated myself to a grown up vehicle, after shuttling around in a TransAm for the majority of my post-college life.

And most importantly, I learned a lot about myself.
I grew as a woman, as a wife, and as my own person in this world.

I cut out a lot of bullshit.
I streamlined my life and my thoughts.
I put more effort into things that are worth it.
I slowed down a lot to savor all the good that comes with each day, even the boring ones.
I said goodbye to a lot of anxieties.
I stopped multi-tasking (I was never any good at that, anyways, no matter what my resume says)
I stopped striving for the perfect set of gym abs, and instead, put more focus to my spiritual side.
I became more in tune with how I react to the world, and how it makes me feel.

I have been working on myself, each and every day.
Some days are far harder than others, but each day is a gift, and I really truly get that now.

I'm happy to be happy and healthy.
I'm happy to have my wonderful husband by my side.
I'm happy to have a goofy bulldog and a sassy cat to fill up our home.
I'm happy to have a good paycheck and a beautiful home and a capable body to handle and maintain all that we have worked so hard to achieve over the years.

I am so very lucky, indeed.
Cheers to 34 and to many, many more beautiful days!
XO