It's Called a Birthday Week

To say my birthday was good would be a gross understatement. It was fricken fantastic.

Chris blew me away with a day of surprises on my actual birthday. He arranged for me to have a massage in the afternoon then took me for dinner at one of my favourite restaurants, Blue Water. We stayed downtown for the night and when I woke up I honestly didn't know where I was. The sun was shining and you could here the hustle of a busy downtown weekday, it felt like we had teleported away on vacation. We read the paper in bed and drank coffee while it was still hot then walked to brunch at our leisure and spent the rest of the day shopping. Chris was so patient and generous and let me choose the most gorgeous new purse. The 24 hours we spent kicking off my 30s seemed like a dream. 

The rest of the week was spent on party prep for my Clueless/90s themed birthday celebration. Considering tat I can no longer do things small scale - otherwise known as the curse of the event planner - I am actually proud of how I kept the decor at a manageable level. Some signs, candy bar labels, a little glitter and a few last minute crafts were the sum total and Chris and my mom handled food and drinks. The party turned out beautifully but the best part was all the effort my friends put into their costumes. They were fabulous! I went as Cher from Clueless, of course, and finally got to wear my yellow plaid Partyskirt bought months ago especially for this occasion. Friends came as Courtney Love & Kurt Cobain, The Spice Girls, Kriss Kross and even Mrs. Doubtfire. The prizes were well deserved. 

We ate, we drank, we danced, we stayed up til 3am and then felt like parents all over again with a 6:45 wake up call. The hangover was well worth it though and I spent the first Sunday of my 30s with my best friend, Lanny, recovering in pjs, eating chips and gabbing for hours. It was a perfect introduction to what is sure to be my best decade yet. 

Hey 30

It was dinnertime before it dawned on me that today was the final day of my 20s. I worked all day with Devon, hung with the kids, did several loads of laundry, prepped dinner as usual and was just sitting down to feed Eloise and Spencer when I received a text from a friend asking what I was doing to celebrate the final eve of my 20s. Well, absolutely nothing. So I poured a big glass of wine, cheersed Eloise and continued on with the evening.

Ah, 30. The past 10 years have been pretty flippin amazing and it's because of this that I am feeling okay about turning 30. Mostly. I do resent that age is responsible for the appearance of wrinkles, finding the odd *ahem* white hair and having to wear glasses to see distance, but these things were bound to happen. I am not pleased that my hangovers last doubly as long and that it is no longer appropriate to wear crop tops, yet I promise to embrace the changes that 30 brings anyway. Even though I'm still a bit miffed about the crop tops.

The thing that gets me about 30 is that it just sounds so grown up. I realize that I have been married for five years, have two children, own a business, blah blah blah, but there is something about being in your 20s that allows you to get away without being a full adult adult. Right? Or maybe I have just been telling myself that. 20 is so long ago now that when I go out with my friends we have become the 'older women' to a group of newly legal 19 year olds. Who were born in 1996, for the record.

One of my brother's hip friends (I'm not allowed to call them 'hipsters', it's not cool) told me that 30 is the new 24. Ya, I'm pretty sure Jay Z said 30 is the new 20, but I'll take it as a compliment anyway. 

Eloise's Circus Birthday

This week Eloise's Circus Themed birthday party was featured on On To Baby, one of my very favourite family blogs. The post was so full of colour and joy, with beautiful images by Jamie Lauren Photography and Christie Graham Photography, a perfect representation of the wonderful party we held for Eloise last year.

It's a little funny that it took us until Eloise turned three to get this party published but that's just the way things go. And better late than never, as this is certainly a celebration that needed sharing.

{on to baby}

{on to baby}

To see more of Eloise's Circus Themed party have a gander at the full gallery.

Another Year

Today marks the beginning of 29 and I have officially entered the final year of my 20s. It's been a good run and a lot of fun, but I'm not into looking back right now.

Like I mentioned in my New Years post, the past year was good to me. New beginnings, some momentous personal leaps and huge changes, but I have a feeling that my 29th year is going to be even more exciting. Come spring we will have a new baby and this summer is shaping up to be our busiest wedding season yet. It's going to be madness, but I can't wait.

Plus, 29 puts me one year closer to finally throwing myself the kind of party I plan for my clients and family. I'm thinking full-on, over the top theme rager. I'm ready to start planning now!