OMG, y’all. I’m 29.

My birthday was yesterday and at the time I didn’t think about my age. I just thought about it being my birthday and celebrating with those closest to me. Now that I’m writing a recap of my day I realize I’m 29. WOAH.

I’ve been blogging here for ages at this point. I’ve blogged my way through several birthdays – 23, 24, 25, 27, 28.

When I started blogging at 23 I was so, so lost. I was looking for a foothold, a direction, a prayer. Since then, I’ve tried different things. I stumbled a few times. I went down dead end paths. I made mistakes. I took wrong turns. I completely fell flat on my face. But I made progress. I kept working on things. I realized that nothing in life is that terrible. When you fail, you learn. When you succeed, you grow. When you work hard, you get better.

At 29 I realize I don’t have it figured out. I’ll never have it figured out. Life is a series of unending choices and different opportunities. There isn’t a correct path and you’ll change so many times during your life. You’ll succeed at things and fail at things. It’s a great adventure!

I do know that my life now is pretty amazing. Yesterday was a great reminder of that. I love my city. I love my family. I love my boyfriend. I love my career opportunities. I love being healthier. I love the life I get to live everyday. I love that on my birthday I got to eat at 3 amazing restaurants, spend time with loved ones, go to the zoo, watch a playoff game, get drinks, and have the best birthday ever.

A few highlights of the birthday celebrations:

The best gift I was given: a handmade silver owl necklace. I love how much work went into it and was told there are still a few things to be done but I needed it on my birthday. It’s adorable and I love it!

Lunch at Las Tortugas, one of my favorite restaurants in Memphis. I love taking people here and I was happy to celebrate my birthday with my mom here. The corn is one of my favorite things to order anywhere in Memphis.

The Zoo! As a special birthday surprise I got a trip to the zoo during the day since I take off work for birthdays (cause why not?!?). We saw the zoo Grizzlies before seeing the Memphis Grizzlies later.

And the game was fantastic! Sorry to my dearest friend and Portland fan Jessi, but I’m so glad the Grizzlies won on my birthday. It was a great end to a fantastic day. I can’t wait til we get to the next round of the playoffs!

Overall…best birthday ever! So much fun in one day. :)

I’m really looking forward to this next year. It’s the last year of my twenties and I’m in a great place. I think there is a ton of stuff I can and will accomplish this year before turning 30. I look forward to all of it!