I'm 30 this year!

I always thought 30 sounded so old, but now that I’m here, I still feel like I haven’t lived that long. 30 years is still a very long time, don’t get me wrong, but you don’t really think about those years in terms of length. I tend to think about them in terms of all of the lessons I’ve learned and experiences I’ve had. They give me so much to look back on and that’s really when I start to feel my age.

30 years is way too much to talk about it in one sitting, which is fine because I truly feel like my 29th year was one of the most significant for me personally. It’s odd because nothing really monumental happened. I was already married, already a mother, and already knees deep in a career. However, I feel like 29 was the year I really became “me.”

Right around my 29th birthday, when Emma was just turning one, I realized I may have missed some symptoms of postpartum depression. I couldn’t say I felt depressed exactly, but I didn’t feel like myself. Without going into too much detail, this realization did lead me to make some changes. I spent a lot of time working on my physical health. I regularly attend a gym, workout group, and run several times per week. I have plans to run a marathon in the next year (don’t hold me to that). I’m the strongest I’ve been in my life, even before kids. I’m at my peak physically and the most confident I’ve ever been in my body, even counting the scars and stretch marks that come with motherhood. I’ve embraced my natural hair pattern and am happily living the curly life. The me from 10 years ago would never have believed the confidence I’ve achieved.

I made a fairly significant career pivot while 29. I used to teach elementary school. Then Covid happened and I left to pursue a career in real estate sales. If you know me well, you’re probably thinking how silly that idea was. (Sales is so NOT me.) However, this shift led to a different opportunity as a transaction coordinator for other real estate agents, and oh boy do I love what I do. I get to spend all day helping others, working with clients, and filing paperwork (I actually really love doing this). I’m still a licensed agent and do the occasional deal, but focusing my efforts on helping others succeed has been such a dream.

My photography business has also exploded. I’ve always liked this medium and wanted to get better at it. This year, I not only got better at it, but got paid for it, made some new friends, made some new business partners, and found success in a hobby that has become a career. I get to practice my creativity and help others capture the most important moments in their lives, and honestly there’s nothing better.

As if all of this wasn’t enough, 29 is when I really found my stride as a wife and mother. I finally got our routine down, made other mom friends and now enjoy even the worst parts of raising a toddler (most days, nobody’s perfect). Our family is in sync and we’ve been able to travel, enjoy new experiences and just be happy being together. My husband and I have weathered some of the worst experiences we’ve faced in our time together this year as well, growing our relationship even stronger. Growing into family life is the most important thing that happened this year, and of all the things I’ve done and accomplished, this is the one I’m most proud of.

I don’t share much about myself personally, so deciding what to talk about when hitting this milestone was hard for me. If you’ve gotten this far, thank you! And thank you to my family and friends for all the love and support I’ve been given these last 30 years. I truly wouldn’t be here without you. Here’s to being 30!