Go Candi...It's your birthday!

I'm turning 30. Tomorrow. :)

Anyone who knows me knows that I love my birthdays. It doesn't bother me even a little to be getting older. I make a production out of it. I sing a song about it, and more often than not stretch celebrating my aging in this lifetime for a few days rather than simply the day I was born. This year is not different.

It started with my mom taking me to have my nails done as a treat. I went to the place where she has her nails done ever two weeks (at least). So she's on a first name basis with the peeps in the nail salon. The girl doing my nails, LeLe, chatted with me like she'd known me all her life. At one point she said, "we love your mom and she is so proud of you. That's why I feel like I know you. She talks about you constantly and we get all the updates." It made me smile and that smile meant more to me than the schmexy nails I walked away with.

I spent the rest of my evening with friends and family. I was surrounded by friends who have been in my life for years, and some who have been in my life a much shorter time. The whole combination has left me nostalgic and philosophical today. I've realized something, at the end of it all this is what it is about: having people who love you and know who you are. Or maybe I should say know who you are and love you anyway.

One of my closest friends gave me a birthday card with a coupon in it for me to choose my birthday celebration with her. All of the choices were so me. It made me smile to realize this person truly knows me. I shoved more of my lovely friends than not out of the respective comfort zones last night in one way or another. I seem to be good at that lately. Thing is, they let me. And they love me anyway. The let me because they love me. And that makes me a lucky girl.

I have learned over the past five years that we are never done growing. We never stop learning and with knowledge comes maturity. This is why 30 is no big deal to me. It kind of excites me actually. Knowing the things I have learned in the past five years, ten years, fifteen years, I'm pretty damn psyched to see what's around the next corner.

I'm off to spend the day with myself today. I'm pretty psyched about that too. :) Thanks for taking the time to read my random thoughts.

Happy Birthday to me!!!!!