Happy birthday to me!

I know, it’s hard to believe that this youthful face is now 30 years old. And despite the tendency for people to wear all black on their 30th birthday in order to mourn the passing of their 20s, I’m still smiling.

I’m happy to say that when I look back on my 20s, I can review them fondly – I packed a lot of milestones into the span of 10 years and had a ton of fun along the way. Some highlights from 1998 – 2008:

• Graduating from Grand Valley State University with both my bachelor’s and my master’s degrees (2000 and 2004)
• Some very challenging and interesting internships and jobs along the way, which have provided me not only with invaluable experience, but loads of friends and mentors
• Can’t forget the (too many) fun nights out with the girls in my early 20s / the single years – dancing at The B.O.B. and countless 20-oz drafts at Uccellos!
• Lots of traveling - New York City, Boston, Toronto, Mexico, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and tons of other, smaller trips
• Meeting my future husband at – where else? – The B.O.B.!
• Getting engaged in front of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and marrying Jason a year and a half later
• Ditching Michigan’s long winters for the sunny climate of San Diego

And what better way to ring in my 30s than having a baby in November? So far it seems like each year has been better than the last, and I can only imagine that the trend will continue…