Behind and the Big 3-0!

Hello! 

I’m so happy to be writing this blog as I have been so behind on blogging…and on life.  The days and weeks fly by so fast that I can hardly keep up.  I’m trying to figure out when I started to feel this way and I realized that I’ve been behind all year!  Yikes!  Professionally, it’s super busy and personally, it’s even busier, and both of them combined have created this tumultuous environment that I call life.  I’m sure all of you can relate, because each of us are in our own unique, tumultuous environments and if you’re not, I’m super jealous.

There is too much to get caught up on, so I’m going to have to do it in segments.  Today, I’m getting y’all caught up on the big 3-0.

I never thought much about turning 30, except that I wanted to be making a 6-figure salary and have an executive level position.  By executive, I wasn’t really referring to a c-level title, so maybe executive position was/is not the right description, but when I was 20, “executive” was synonymous with “person of influence” (this was before I read this, which I highly recommend reading, if you haven’t already).  I never thought about my wedding, getting married, or having kids.  I’m a pretty girly girl, so I’m not sure why I never thought about those things, I just didn’t…weird, I know.  Fast forward 10 years to where we are today.  I just turned 30 and am in the midst of planning my wedding and getting ready to be married.  I left the opportunity to hit the 6-figure mark, but am doing something far more rewarding and to me, priceless.  As far as influence goes, I try to share God’s love and goodness as much as possible, but often, I fall short.  :/  I’m working on it though!  In other words, God had other plans for my life. :)

Whew, enough with the heavy.  Time to share how I celebrated!!

Sunday, 8/28 – 2 days before…

• Went to dinner with Kristin, Randy, Dar and Ronnie.  So nice to catch up and fellowship with friends over food.  D+R just got married in July (Sherwin was in the wedding), and K+R will be married next year.  Enjoyed all the wedding talk and advice from the newlyweds.

Tuesday, 8/30 – my golden birthday (because I turned 30 on the 30^th!)

• Midnight – text messages start…Wendy texts, then J, and it continues throughout the day.  Thank you, friends and family, for making me feel so special and loved!
• 9ish - I walk into work and had this waiting for me (see pics below)!  Jason had stayed late the night before, shopped for the decorations then decked out my cubicle!  I do work with the best people in the world…Tin, D, J, Sonia – you guys are amazing and so awesome in your own ways.  I love you guys!!

• 12ish – enjoyed a yummy sushi lunch and fabulous birthday cake (Sonia made my fave!)
• 7ish – ate dinner with Mommy and Daddy (their anniversary is also 8/30) and Sherwin at the Derby…great service, tasty food and precious time with some of the people I love the most!

Thursday 8/31 - Janet!

• Daddy surprised us with tickets to Janet for our birthdays (Mommy’s was 9/6)!  It was at the Greek Theater, and as always, she was phenomenal!!  LOVE her!!!

Friday, 9/2 - Monday, 9/5 - Viva Las Vegas!

I decided that since I couldn’t have a big shindig (due to the wedding), I would do Vegas.  It’s the perfect place to close my 20’s.  People have been telling me that 30 is the new 20, that I’ll love my 30’s more than my 20’s, and in a way, I believe them.  I’ll be starting a life with Sherwin when I’m 30 and that alone, is more joyous than anything that happened in my 20’s, almost*. 

OK, so back to Vegas.  I don’t want to do Vegas for my bachelorette, but it did seem like a good way to say goodbye to the 20’s.  It’s completing the chapter in my life when I was carefree and sometimes careless.  :/  Since it was Labor Day weekend, it was SUPER busy, both in Vegas and at home…and for various reasons, our final headcount for the weekend was 10 and perfect.  I did miss friends/family that couldn’t make it, but they’re all in my heart so they were there in spirit! J  At the last minute, Nafan-Chan and Diana made arrangements to come too, and that was super special.  They haven’t gone on a trip by themselves sans kids since Lolli Oli was born, so it meant a lot to me that they came.  It meant a lot to me that Hongie, Chris, Dar, and Ronnie (Hanh and Wee too!) came also.  It was a weekend of BIG FUN and a celebration I will remember for the rest of my life.  Love you guys (even those that didn’t make it :)) – cheers! 

Note: more vegas pics to come…maybe.  I didn’t have my camera with me most of the time, so these are all I have for now!

 Didn't get to go to Marquee this time, but want to go back soon so we can go!!

 Chandelier at the Cosmo...GORGEOUS!  My new fave hotel...so swanky!

 Hongie and I at the secret pizza place! MmMmmmm...

R+D and me and my #1...at the Cosmo again! 

Nafan-Chan and Diana at the Cosmo...it's the only day I had my camera! 

Thank you to everyone who celebrated the big 3-0 with me (in person, or by giving/sending me birthday wishes), I love you all so much and each of you mean something special to me!!  XOXO

Some of my birthday cards to remind me of the blessings in my life!

*Sherwin accepted Christ in my 20's, so that's gonna be a hard one to beat. :)