A Look Back at 29 & Hello 30!

Birthday girl, comin’ at ya!

Like usual, when my birthday rolls around, I get excited. I am one of those people who love my birthday and having any reason to celebrate. I love making a big deal of life’s important moments, and birthdays are the perfect thing to make a big deal of. If you are a friend, family member, or individual who has followed my blog over the past few years, you will know that when it’s time for my birthday, I typically put out a blog where I look back on my past year. It allows me to reminisce on the high points and 29 definitely had some highlights. I am grateful for what my 29th year had to offer, from adventures, a new job, bonding with Buster, and an eventful first year of marriage. So yeah, plenty of happiness and positivity to reflect on.

This look back feels special as not only am I celebrating a birthday, but I’m about to enter a whole new decade! 30 always felt so far away yet here it is, knocking on my door. I very much place importance on milestones and never want to feel like I’m just letting these moments pass without recognition. Including taking a trip down memory lane from the past ten years.

Overall, I enjoyed my 20’s. I made great friends and great memories. I lost friends and made difficult memories. I graduated college and paid off my student loans. I worked many internships and jobs. Sometimes I drank too much and said too much. Sometimes I didn’t say enough. I started therapy and spent a lot of time self-reflecting. I had my heart broken, but also married a man I love with every fiber of my being. I lived with friends, with my parents, on my own, with my gramma, and with Andrew. I moved to a new state and adopted a dog. I failed, I succeeded. My 20’s were full of vibrancy and adventures and lessons. It was a period of mistakes, of new experiences, of craziness, of exploration, of changes, of laughter. I learned so much about myself from age 20 to 29 and I feel all of that in the woman that I am today.

Now, for 30. Especially with my 2024 resolution being to focus on positivity and self-care, I very much want to prioritize a healthier and happier mindset entering this new year and decade of my life. I want to remain grateful for my health and the well-being of my loved ones. I want to continue to push myself to accomplish my dreams and life goals. I want to cherish the friendships I’m lucky enough to have and let my family members know how much I care about them. I want to continue to travel and be open to new experiences. Plain and simple, I want my 30’s to be full of happiness and fulfillment.

OK, back to our regularly scheduled program! Let’s take a look back at 29 before I hit 30!

Day Trips and Weekend Getaways

We took many day trips and little weekend getaways in my 29th year. Some highlights include Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Idyllwild, LA, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, and Borrego Springs. Thankfully we were able to take Buster on plenty of adventures, while also maintaining that travel bug the two of us share.

Visited Chicago and Celebrated One Year of Marriage

To celebrate one year of marriage, Andrew and I flew out to Chicago and spent a few days exploring the city. It was a city neither one of us had visited before, so we definitely made the most of our time there. We went to a White Sox game, toured the city by boat, ate delicious food, wandered around the Lincoln Park Zoo, and visited many tourist landmarks.

Took a Day Trip to Disneyland

Of course, had to try and sneak a trip to Disneyland in. My parents came to San Diego to visit and we were able to take a day trip up to Anaheim. Even at 29, it feels special and magical to me to spend time in Disneyland with my parents. Also, while we were there and literally about to board Space Mountain, an earthquake hit. All of the rides shut down and now we have an interesting story to tell.

Spent the Holidays in Washington

Like usual, we came up to Washington for the holidays to spend that time with friends and family. Having Buster, we had to drive up and take a little extra time with our traveling. I was incredibly grateful that Buster got to meet Tanner and spend time together, even though Buster was still pretty timid. One of my favorite parts about being up in Washington was celebrating NYE with Andrew at Ivar’s Salmon House. We got all dressed up, enjoyed an enormous buffet, and got to watch the fireworks and drone show from across Lake Union. It was a great way to ring in 2024.

Visited the Grand Canyon

One of my dearest friends gifted us a national parks pass for Christmas and I was eager to put it to use. We planned a long weekend trip to Arizona and figured while we were there, we could swing by the Grand Canyon for both of our first times. I was absolutely blown away by the sheer vastness of the natural marvel and the beauty of it all. Can check this national park off my list now!

If you haven’t yet, read my recent blog post about our dog-friendly trip to the Grand Canyon!

Ran My Second Half Marathon

Last year, I made the decision to sign up for my second half marathon. When I ran my first one, Andrew trained and raced with me. Unfortunately, Andrew was not able to join me for the second go, so I decided to try and accomplish it on my own! I didn’t want to hold myself back just because it meant I would have to do it by myself. I started training in December 2023 and completed the half marathon in March 2024. I was completely proud of myself and am looking forward to more races in the future!

Said Goodbye to Tanner

Unfortunately, one of the sadder moments of my 29th year was recently losing Tanner. My family brought him home the summer before my sophomore year of high school, meaning he was in my life for almost 15 years. Half of my life. Tanner was there for so many of my formative years and saw me through many life changes and milestones. He lived such a fulfilled life that included plenty of adventures and a whole lot of love. I am thankful that my parents and I had so much time with him, even though no amount of time really feels like enough.

29 really packed a lot in. Some other notable highlights from the year:

Took Buster to a San Diego Padres vs. Seattle Mariners Bark at the Park game
Took many trips to the San Diego Zoo
Started volunteering with The Animal Pad, the San Diego-based rescue we adopted Buster form
Attended Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in LA
Friends and family visited us in San Diego
Saw the Jonas Brothers with my mom
Went to one friend’s wedding and another friend’s baby shower