Luke & me at my 30th birthday party, mere hours after we got engaged. I had to wear my ring on my thumb because it was so big.

Today is my 31st birthday. I feel so old & so young at the same time, if that makes sense. For some reason, 30 didn’t feel “old”. Maybe because I like celebrating my birthday more than I dislike getting older. Maybe because I was in a great place in my life, pursuing my coaching certificate, starting this business, and being in the most amazing relationship in my life – a healthy, stable, mutually beneficial one full of love and respect.

One year and two days ago, I got engaged. It wasn’t my birthday, but it was mere hours before my big 30th birthday party, which turned into a birthday/impromptu engagement bash. For those that are reading and don’t know the story, you can read about it on this page of a front-page New York Times Real Estate article (don’t miss our photo on page 1). It was magical, and spectacular, and the most amazing night of my life until my wedding day. If anyone asks me what I’m doing to celebrate my birthday this year, they always follow it up with, “Not like you can ever top last year!”

And that’s part of the reason why I’m keeping things quiet. A day at work, a night having dinner with my husband. A day to reflect on this whirlwind of a year – where I was on January 14, 2008 and where I am today. In one year, I have gotten engaged, planned a wedding, got married, went on my honeymoon, changed my name (almost everywhere, but not quite yet), worked with double the clients I had in the past, paid off $6K in debt, launched whenigrowupcoach.com, launched this blog, continued my day job, continued my coaching classes, wrote a research paper, networked through Twitter, and hired a graphic designer for my logo, business cards, letterhead, etc.

Yes, I have gotten overwhelmed. And yes, I have been afraid. But through it all there has been this since of peace, this sense of knowing myself enough to know I’m making my way the best I can, and there will be a payoff not only at the end of the journey, but during it as well. I became someone more confident and more happy in my own skin – with my own values and with my own choices – than I ever have before. I have created around me a group of supporters, of cheerleaders, of friends & family who only have a positive impact in my life.

On the trying days that I ask myself, “This is my life?” (that usually comes after an hour long date with a photocopier at my day job), I take a breath and close my eyes and see The Bigger Picture. I’ve never been a person who had a 5 Year Plan (“Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” was my most nerve-wracking question when I was looking for work in 2007), but now it’s crystal clear: buy a home, have a rugrat, be a successful full-time coach, spend more time with those I love, cultivate a lasting relationship with Luke, and feel like every breath I take is full of passion, balance, love, fullfillment and happiness. And even though I haven’t reached my “goals” and there is a long and winding road ahead of me, I feel like I’m already there.

At 30, I became a wife. At 31, I will become a certified coach. And in between I remain a daughter, a sister, a performer, a trusted friend. If this is “old”, I look forward to getting older each and every day.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 14th, 2009 at 9:02 am and is filed under Happy Hooplah. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.