On April 19th, I turned 30.

I always thought I'd be kind of freaked out by this birthday. If you asked me 5 years ago, I might have pictured an enormous farewell to my 20s (girls trip to Bali, going heli-skiing in Alaska, something like that). And I probably would have imagined being pretty freaked out by the prospect of turning a new decade (thanks in part to my kinship with Rachel Green, who as you know, didn't handle her 30th very well). But, as seems to be the case with just about every big change I've faced, by the time it got here I was ready.

Still, I'm one of those people who does care about birthdays. They mean something to me - a chance to check in, refresh, and reprioritize. And let's face it, maybe I like feeling a little bit special for a minute there (*insert blushy-smiley-face*). So the weekend didn't come without its good share of preliminary stress and troubles. Was it going to be special enough, something I'd remember down the line? Am I where I hoped I'd be at this point in my life? Was it going to be terrible without my family and besties (back in Boston) by my side?

Somehow everything settled in a few days before the big three-oh, when I realized I am where I want to be right now, in every way.  And I was lucky enough to celebrate with a weekend full of my favorite things: Jimmy, friends, the ocean, fire, camping, good beer, road trips, food, games, and music.

Here are some silly photos from one day of that weekend - bocce and bonfire on Ocean Beach.

A Lil Piece of Home

I've been getting back in the groove after a trip home to Massachusetts last week. The visit was half-work half-play, but even the work parts felt wonderful. I had been craving the snow, not truly believe it was winter yet despite the date on the calendar. I needed to see my family's holiday tomtes and slurp my mom's homemade maple syrup. I needed some snowfall on red barns and warm kitty snuggles. I needed my besties in matching New England-girl boots, and even slushy Boston sidewalks, which warmed my heart this time around even though I used to despise them. And I needed my soothing Atlantic ocean, which is so, so different than the Pacific.

Thank you family and friends for giving me so much warmth and love that I think it might just last me until next time :).