On Turning 30 and Other Frights and Delights

It's 11:11pm and in less than an hour, I'll be 30. I don't know - it feels weird. Maybe it's just the martinis I had tonight, but I think it's also just a weird feeling to leave behind my 20's. It was a long-ass decade. Holy man. Thinking back to when I turned 20 and thinking through college, graduation, four years in NYC, another four in San Diego, a few minute relationships and then a really long one, changing majors, career moves, cross-country moves. It's just a lot happened and I don't know if I should mourn or celebrate or both. I guess both.

They say 29 is your best year. I mean NY Mag wrote about it - plus Buzzfeed etc. It wasn't the best year for me to be honest - it was whatever but it feels sad to leave it behind and enter into THIRTY. Eww. Omg. No. What does this mean? I must make lists.

A few quick things I learned in my 20s:
1. Real friends know how to be friends when it's not convenient.
2. It's okay to change your mind about your goals - it's okay to want to travel or be a mom instead of a CMO.
3. Drinking water and not drinking vodka are both seriously necessary if you don't want wrinkles. So is sunscreen.
4. Go to the doctor. But then go get acupuncture and do yoga because drugs are probably not the answer. If you feel like you need medication to get through a work day, it's not the right work day for you.
5. Appreciate the moment because time starts speeding up after 25 and you might not get more time with your loved ones. I know it's heavy but it's important. Don't screw this one up. Prioritize.

Things I'm annoyed about: 
1. I'll never be on a 30 under 30 list. Like this SERIOUSLY bothers me. UGH.
2. I have to have kids soon - like yesterday. And I'm not ready. And I don't know if I ever will be.
3. I thought I'd be married in my 20's - and I really don't know how long this jig of eating cupcakes and doing yoga is going to last for me. I'm not looking forward to cardio and working out so I fit in a stupid dress.
4. My parents were younger than me when they had me. Terrifying.
5. It's no longer cute to be confused, hungover, whimsical, and erratic. I've now transitioned from young and restless to just plain crazy. It's like get it together or check yourself in now.

Things to look forward to in my 30's: 
1. No longer getting accused of being young and stupid, especially at work. Being 30 means you're mature and know stuff. Still a "Millennial" but now mature. This is good.
2. Probably having kids in this decade.WhoawhoaWhoa.
3. Actually having income to travel the world and not sacrificing groceries and paying bills. Kinda cool.
4. It's acceptable to stay in and watch Netflix, host wine and cheese parties, geek out on books with friends, and give advice. It's fun to give advice - and I enjoy telling kids who are about to graduate to seriously forget career and go travel. But really.
5. Botox? Gray hair? Idk what else?

Found: Bucket List

Goals I set for myself in life 12 years ago before college. I checked off the things I've accomplished...

1. Write for National Geographic
2. Fly over Grand Canyon in glider/ultralight
3. Archaeology
4. Study British Literature - Middle English
5. Learn Latin
6. Go to French theatre
7. Go to play in London 
8. Go to Alaska
9. Windsurfing
10. Surf
11. Write a book and screenplay
12. Direct and produce a film
13. Have a private airplane
14. Skydiving
15. Hot air balloon
16. Study religions through experience
17. Establish a charity
18. Vacation on Mediterranean
19. Have a library

Not listed:
1. Pretty much everything in my current career and life

Current thought:
1. I have a lot of work to do
2. Becoming afraid of heights was not good for my bucket list
3. I may have picked the wrong major

Quote I wrote at 16:
If you don't like where you are and if you are not happy, than either: 1. you are blind to your blessings 2. you neglected to follow a dream and settled for less or 3. you are denying and refusing a crucial lesson

Damn, son 

1. Write Bucket List - Check.

All I Want for Christmas Is a Comeback

I can't take that my last blog post was over two and a half years ago. Or that the last two posts are just old financial articles I wrote, squatting on my fun and witty blog because they had no where to go when their home was removed from the interwebs.

Alas, my dreams of becoming a famous and wealthy blogger will wait for no one, including me. So what I'm saying is that the blog must come back. It probably won't be pretty at first (kind of like this little blogger space I've created.) I just can't figure out how to get a picture to go all the way across the top or how to insert a recipe so that it can be indexed on Pinterest - what's it called, the java hash script thingy? Don't tell anyone I work in digital marketing.

I spent the last two years trying to decide what my comeback post would be about. It's just a lot of pressure! It has to be good enough that people (you) want to come back. It can't rip off of the other bloggers I've grown to love and envy, it should include a fabulous recipe, and some high-qual photography.

But I'm just a little bit too lazy to re-launch with that much pizzazz. 

I'm narrowing down that list to focus on the most important list of the year. My Christmukkah list. Okay, I never really make a list for myself. I just drop lots of hints, because I'm too focused on my giant Excel spreadsheet tracking what I'm getting for everyone else, including item, store, date ordered, shipping information and price. Every year I end up spending around the same thing, even though I never set a budget upfront. Isn't that weird?

You're welcome in advance for all but sticking the bow on my own gifts this year. 

Dear Santa or anyone who cares,
I want:

• This Fresh Cream flavored (scented?) perfume. Because it would be awesome to smell like whipped cream all the days of my life. And I haven't even smelled it yet.
• A beach cruiser bike - probably in a pastel color with a wicker basket and bell with my name written on it in glitter
• Lifetime supply of these age-defying products because I'm going to be stupid THIRTY next year.
• Kitchen stuff (because who has time to wait for a registry?): Blender, pots, pans, silverware, plates, coffee maker, espresso machine, apple corer, ice cream maker, slotted spoon, kitchen scissors, garlic mincer, round cake pans (tiered and non-tiered), & Magic Bullet
• So I can pretend to know how to curl my hair: Chi Air Expert Classic Tourmaline Ceramic 1-Inch Flat Iron
• Makeup - just all of it
• Tea & Sympathy candles preferably Milk & Cookies but Biscuits & Berries is good too - sold out everywhere, so good luck
• A Christmas Pickle so I can hide it on the tree and then find it and get an extra gift
• Sparkly, diamondy stuff
• Kindle/Amazon gift cards so I can read Outlander for the rest of time. (Jamie = Swoon)
• Yoga stuff
• Iron because I have an empty place on a far-off closet shelf
• Piano, otherwise that decade of lessons just keeps going to waste
• Kate Spade discontinued sprinkles makeup bag
• Taylor Swift album (preferably on Spotify)
• Ugg slippers so my feet can sweat in our non-stop 80 degree San Diego weather 
• Invite to the Star Wars premiere

And while we're asking....

• A bunch of vacation
• A life in Europe
• Hovercraft
• Role on a successful sitcom
• Unlimited free miles and fancy hotel rooms

Sincerely,
Ellyn