Actual Birthday Recap

I woke up at 6:30am and continued cleaning. I've always despised cleaning....well, the getting started part, I guess. I think cleaning is like going to the gym. I never want to do it, but once I'm there, it isn't so bad & I always feel good when I'm finished. I was reading a few weeks ago that cleaning the house is just another form of prayer or meditation. That shifted something in me...in the way I am thinking about cleaning. A part of me was annoyed that I couldn't sleep in, but mostly I felt like spending all morning "mediating" was probably a great way to start my birthday. Goal for 30...meditate with my new steam cleaner more.

Then my mom arrived and we went to Burger Up for lunch. We split a delicious salad and a quinoa burger with truffle oil fries. Mmm. I meant to take a photo before, but got too distracted by the deliciousness. This (above) is all you get...the last lone bites of my birthday salad. I also caught myself eating too fast again. I'm working on that. It is a lifelong habit, learned from my dad, who developed the habit when he was a medical resident and would have five minutes to eat a sandwich out of a vending machine for dinner. Most of the time I don't remember that I need to chew slower until my food is almost all the way gone. Anyhow, goal for 30...chew more.

Then we wandered over to Sulphur Creek Farm (where I go to those weekly potlucks) to meet my insanely talented friend, Mark Tucker. I first saw Mark's photographs hanging in my friend Diana's house. I've admired/drooled over his work ever since. I got to spend the afternoon jumping around in creeks, swinging on big swings, climbing into ponds and running down gravel roads.

After the photo shoot, I quickly changed in the barn and off we went to the Grand Ole Opry House to see Ray Lamontagne. Our seats were incredible (thanks to my lovely friend, Dara). Brandi Carlile opened for Ray. I had never seen her live, but had always liked her songs on the radio well enough to sing along. She blew me away. She was such an amazing performer/entertainer. I cried during her second song (below) of the show, and turned to my mom and said, "Gosh. I think we're going to need more beer for this concert." Ha. As her encore, she played one of my favorite favorite songs ever (I have two favorite songs)....Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. I guess a lot of people like that song, which makes me feel fairly unoriginal, but I don't care. It breaks my heart every single time...the lyrics. Ugh. Love it.

Then Ray played my other favorite song. More tears. Both favorite songs in the same night? What an unexpected birthday treat!

I can't think of a single thing I would have changed about the day. It was amazingly perfect. Special thanks to my mom for being here to share it with me.

The last day of my twenties...

Today was the last day of my twenties. It was filled with lots of uninteresting errands. I managed to squeeze in a quick nap at one point, which was lovely.

The most exciting thing that happened today....My sweet friend, Dara, told me she had two amazing seats for the Ray Lamontagne concert tomorrow that she can't use, so it looks like mom and I are going to dinner and a concert! I had thought of taking a trip, but didn't have enough money. I'm kind of glad I didn't though, because I'm really excited to spend the day with the woman who worked so hard to bring me into the world exactly thirty years ago. It seems very appropriate.

I've been so surprised by how many people have read this blog over the past twelve weeks, and how many people have sent me private emails of support/lovely thoughts about it....even some from complete strangers. I've also recently received some frantic messages from people asking that the blog not end on my birthday. While that is so incredibly flattering, I am not sure how I feel about that quite yet. It definitely started out a temporary project, and I want to try to honor the spirit of that, I think. Anyhow, I have decided to definitely continue posting through the beginning of next week. There are some pretty special things coming up (going to keep a few blog surprises up my ole virtual sleeve). Birthday festivities are stretching out through Monday of next week, and then I'll post a final blog post once I feel like I've fully arrived at thirty.

For now, it is time to put on that dance mix and get this house cleaned up before my mom gets here in the morning! More later tonight...

Birthday Plan Brainstorming....

Blogging from Bongo Java East. I have a few minutes to kill before a yoga class. I'm trying to decide how to spend the big birthday that is coming up. I had these grand ideas earlier in the year about spending it on a lovely beach somewhere or in some amazing country I've always wanted to see. Finances aren't going to allow for anything grand, unless the winning lottery ticket blows into my mailbox in the next 5 weeks, so I'm starting to think of more realistic 30th birthday plans. I don't know why, but I feel like I need to have a plan for that day. I guess my fear is that it will sneak up on me and I won't be able to find anything to do, end up alone at my house, eating a frozen pizza in my wedding dress, crying into a glass of wine and talking to my cat, Stinky. Or something. I refuse to let this type of scenario happen. I will celebrate this birthday! Here are a few of the options in no particular order:

a) Ray Lamontagne concert. I love him. Love him. Always have. The last concert of his I went to was years ago....the night I met Aaron, actually. Going to see him again on my 30th birthday seems like it would bring this intense phase of my life (that began that night) full circle, and bookend the whole mess with some beautiful music.

b) Meditation retreat. This starts on Sept 21 in Hot Springs, Arkansas and lasts 3 days. I went on one earlier this year & loved it. Something about doing this during my actual birthday seems appropriate and healthy...but it also involves coming up with some money.

c) My amigo Sam & I have discussed having a joint birthday fiesta. His birthday is on Sept 19th. Mine is the 21st. Possibly a little wine tasting at Arrington Vineyards with some food out on the big porch. This would probably happen on a weekend before/after. People could just come and go as they please. This could happen in combination with anything else on this list.

d) My best friend lives in Santa Rosa, CA. That is not close to Nashville and is a constant dilemma. She is going to be in Indiana the week of my birthday though! We've talked about meeting half way. Seeing her, her husband and her son would make my heart very happy.

Ok, better get over to yoga before they lock the door! More posts later today.