Buh-Bye Twenties!

I am in my very last week of my twenties and although I typically feel age is just a number + I can rarely remember my age (I don’t know why I always want to reply “26!” when people ask me my age…), I can feel this milestone coming hot and heavy.

THIRTY. Woah.

Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t be happier with where I am in my life. I am surrounded by beautiful + wonderful friends and family. My son is the coolest dude I’ve ever met + my heart is filled to the brim with pride for him. My husband is the dreamiest man I’ve ever set eyes on + I thank my lucky stars we met and fell so truly in love. But 3o just feels so…new.

And that’s exactly what it is. It’s new. It’s exciting. It’s a fresh start.

My twenties were pretty flippin’ great: I moved to Toronto on my own (to pursue a dream of mine–and although I am not currently actively pursuing that dream, so many more dreams came to fruition!), worked many many many different and weird jobs (some which were just downright dangerous + insane…hello, hoops!), stayed up wayyyyy too late, ate really great but bad-for-you food, never washed my face or cared about eye cream, danced my face off night after night, made a lot of mistakes (and cried so many tears!), learned many life lessons, drank wayyyyy too much alcohol (no regrets!), met lifelong friends who quickly became my family, met and married my first love (how romantic!), had my first baby (somedays I can’t believe this is true), and started this little ol’ blog of mine (which has become such a fulfilling and creative journey for me and, oh my gosh you guys, from deep-down, bottom of my heart, thank you all so very much for reading + following along. Your love and support blows me away!).

Now that I am entering my thirties, I notice a few major league differences in my life.

1. My group of friends is much much much smaller than it once was. Maybe because I’m also a first-time mama + one of the first mamas in my gaggle of friends, but I have my people who have stuck by + grown with me.  I have new friendships that feel like they’ve been with me forever. And I have old friends who have gone their own ways–we talk here and there, but life. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I get it. Life is busy and great and we’re all living on this beautifully wonderful + crazy planet trying to navigate our lives and ensure that we are following our hearts and doing what we love to do (that is my hope for everyone, of course! Wouldn’t it be lovely to be able to literally do what you love to do, always!? PS. You can!). My group of friends is smaller, and I kinda love it.

2. I really, really, really, don’t have the time for drama. Guys. I’m an actor, I’m dramatic; it’s kinda my thing. But I really don’t have the time to be dramatic or surround myself with it. And, ugh, I kinda hate drama. I’ll get a taste of drama and I will literally start to zone out…I really can’t have it. I understand that statement itself sounds dramatic…ha, fine. I guess what I mean is, I do not have time for things that are chock-full of drama and silliness. I have work to do, posts to write, pictures to take, a baby to care for, and adult acne. I really don’t have the time.

3. I cry a lot. I know I mentioned above that I cried a lot of tears in my twenties…this is true. But oh my word, these days, I cry all. the. time. The difference is I’m not crying over the same things. Long gone are the days of bawling into a bottle glass of cheap (read: very cheap) wine and being the most emo with every boy I dated/crushed on/looked at. These days you will find me crying at a commercial, when George says a new word or walks over + throws his arms around my neck (omg, just typing that makes me want to bawl, he is the sweetest!!), the latest Grey’s Anatomy episode, or when I can enjoy a hot coffee in silence. Hashtag mom life, hashtag thirty life.

4. I need to take better care of my skin. I want to laugh out loud at this one but it’s so dang true. I literally need to wash my face twice a day or else…acne. Seriously, what the eff is with adult acne (I’m fairly certain it’s karma for never washing my face in high school + having the occasional pimple). And moisturizer is a  m u s t.  And I never gave a second glance at eye cream, but these days, I’m all about it. Oh, and sunscreen!! What was I thinking when I was younger? I don’t want to look like a leather purse, geez! ANYWAY. I have become much more intentional with my skincare and I feel ten times better because of it.

5. I can’t eat allllll the donuts. Well, I physically can but I definitely can’t handle it. I’ve always loved food + thankfully for me, I have great genes in regards to weight (aaaaand I wish I realized this when I was a teenager and was so unbelievably harsh with myself. I wish I had loved myself more then…ANYWAY) and I can eat pretty much anything I want. BUT it hurts my body. It really, really does. And I’ve been known to do a Whole 30 here and there (you can read all about my second round last November here) but I have very little willpower when it comes to food. I. WANT. IT. ALL. This is something I try and work on daily (even though I’ve been slipping HARD lately aka all summer aka this past year) and I know I will slowly become even better and even more intentional with what I am eating to fuel my body.

6. My body hurts sometimes. Ha, I’m a granny! No. But, for real. I’ve never been athletic (arts life foreverrrr!) and the closest thing to being active + physically fit was back in my early twenties (pre-Aaron days) when I had a personal trainer and a seriously toned booty. I never missed a session because my trainer was sweet…and kinda hunky. And oh my goodness, my butt was a shelf. I freakin’ miss it! Even the non-toned booty I once had has completely been sucked away with breastfeeding… hashtag mom bum (but not for long! One of my 30 goals–more on this in a later post!). So. When I was in my twenties, my body didn’t hurt the same  way as it does now and I used to bounce back pretttttty quickly. Nowadays, my body hurts because the only activity I do all day is lift and carry George around (which really is a workout to a degree, the little butterball) but it’s not toning or strengthening any muscles + I find at the end of the day, my body feels worn out and weak (not for long, dammit!).

7. I love myself. As cheesy as it sounds, it is the truth. Sure, I have my dark days (which instantly remind me of my late teens and early twenties) but overall, I dig myself. I work hard at not comparing myself with others, I take pride in the friendships I have, and I feel loved every dang day. I feel much more responsible for my actions, words, and those around me + I know my value. It’s funny how you can spend your whole teenage-hood and early twenties trying desperately to fit in or be cool or be wanted by the hot barista at Starbucks, and then you get to your late twenties/thirties and you’re like eff that, I’m awesome, I have worth. I am enough. Boom!

8. Brunch. I literally live for brunch. That’s all.

I welcome my thirties with open arms! I have made a list of goals for my 30th year + a more long-term one for the entirety of my thirties (which truthfully, feels a little daunting to me at the moment; I may just take it year by year to save my sanity) and I plan on sharing it on the blog soon.

Have you hit the “30” milestone yet? Have you noticed a shift in your life since saying buh-bye to your twenties? Leave me a comment below because I wanna know!

Thanks as always for reading, you’re the very best!

XO