Turning Thirty-Two

I turned thirty-two ten days ago. And, surprisingly, I don’t have the slightest urge to complain about it. I mean, what is there to complain about really? Thirty-two is not exactly old, and, as I often remind myself, many are denied the privilege of growing older. Still, each birthday is a sign that time does keep on moving, often faster than I’d like. These moments don’t just come on birthdays. They come when I think it has been ten whole years since I graduated from college. They come when I realize my little brother will be twenty-nine this year. They come when I’m flipping through family photo albums of my parents and their friends when they were in their thirties. These memories are so clear that it’s crazy to think we are the parents now. And as quickly as these years have flown, they will continue to fly. My kids won’t be little forever. Someday, in the not so distant future, I’ll look back at this post and think, you thought you had perspective at thirty-two? You sounded like an asshole. :)

I can’t remember a bad birthday, but I can say that my thirty second birthday was a great day. I took a nice walk with the boys in the morning, complete with a trip to the playground and some frolicking in the backyard. I took a guilt-free siesta while the kids were napping. I checked facebook to see that so many of my friends, past and present, and family members had wished me a happy birthday. As cheesy as it sounds, it was truly touching to see how many people reached out and to reminisce about the role each person has played in my life.

That night, after some cake with my guys, I went out for dinner and drinks with some of my favorite women. My best friend, Marissa, organized a girls’ night at Unwined to celebrate all of the summertime birthdays in our family. Joining in on the festivities with Marissa and I were my mom, my Grammy, Auntie Ava (my godmother), my cousins, Kelly, Shannon, and Vickie, and my sister in law, Brittany, and her mom, Anne Marie. We drank, we ate, we laughed. And I was reminded of how lucky I am. If I think about all of the awesome ladies in my life, we could have filled several more tables. And that’s just the females. Don’t even get me started about all of the amazing males in my life...

...I’m starting to ramble (must be the wine), so I’ll end with a heartfelt thank you to each and every person that brightened my day. Life is good.

xoxo J