Thirty AF!

Whaaat, I'm thirty AF!

Can I take a minute to talk to you about turning thirty? Well it's pretty straight forward, things hurt that didn't use to hurt, you forget stuff all the time, you always feel busy and you don't feel like you're doing enough. (What!? How is that possible?) You still think that you were 18 a couple years ago and the 90s were only ten years ago. You don't feel old, until you hang out with someone younger hah! Is turning thirty actually a bad thing though? This may be the unpopular opinion but I don't hate being thirty.

One of the things I loved most about turning thirty, cue the cheesiness, is looking at my life and admiring the friendships I've collected along the way. I thought I'd be telling you about what it's like to be thirty, but instead I want to use this time to talk about some of the inspirational humans in my life who made my journey to thirty worth it. They also all just happen to be turning thirty this year soooo we took a day to celebrate because who doesn't like sprinkles and flower crowns? Here are some of the photos of our day and some of our stories.  

We got ready for the photoshoot at the Coast and Copper office since it is right downtown and a block away from our shooting location. We made a Birthday Cake Mimosa that we found on Pinterest. After our toast to thirty years, we blew out the candle on our pink champagne cupcake from Robin's Nest Cakery. 

Despite being Spring, it was unfortunately 30 degrees outside. We kept checking the weather daily as the photoshoot approached, it went from snowing, to raining, to sunny! However despite being sunny it was still cold and windy. Luckily our office is a block away from The O At Backyard Dream Studios, we called them a couple of days before the shoot and we were able to tour the facility and book our session time! It was the perfect location and they were really awesome to work with. 

I've been friends with Kristin since Kindergarten, wait sorry Kristin, actually I have been friends with her since first grade. In kindergarten, I didn't want to be friends with her because she had fringe cowboy boots with a matching denim outfit. ((Truth moment)) after 25 long years, Kristin, I was actually just jealous of them and I wanted them for myself but my mom would never let me get cowboy boots. Kristin is fiercely independent, the way that she can meet new people and make friends anywhere she goes is inspiring.  

Becky and I met in fourth grade, but our friendship can really be counted in ticket stubs, mix-CDs, and late nights. Our weekends in high school were spent at a local show or concert in the city. We would spend hours at the lake and took countless drives with no destination in mind. Now as parents our nights are late for different reasons and our aimless drives are usually to calm a crying baby or let the littles nap a bit longer. Our lake trips have been replaced with rescheduled lunches, and our concerts have been replaced with on-line mom groups and I wouldn't change a thing. I love seeing us rock our new momma roles. 

I have been friends with Andrea since 6th grade, we were both awkward middle schoolers. I feel like that's a given. In college Andrea and I got an apartment together. It felt like it was my first sign of independence and looking back I can't believe those two awkward pre-teens eventually ventured out into grown-up life together. We had our fair share of roommate fights, I probably left too many dishes in the sink but I still haven't figured out who finished the last of the milk without replacing it... FUN FACT I married the boy I dated in that apartment and Andrea married the boy she dated in that apartment. It's funny that our first taste of freedom was also the jumping off point into our marriages.

My high school girlz! Beki, Ashley, and Kendra. I'll start with Ashley. Everyone needs a friend like Ashley. She is unapologetically her badass self. She has always been independent and she will always challenge you to see a things from a different point of view. Beki is my boss-babe, wanderlust, artistic friend. Her talent inspires me to push myself as an artist and she is always my biggest cheerleader when it comes to new ventures. She loves her friends fiercely and she always challenges me to find the good in everyone. I love being a photographer for many reasons and one of them is because you get a backstage pass to people's lives. I had the honor to photograph Kendra's engagement, wedding, and I eventually photographed her baby. It is such a wonderful feeling to be able to be a part of all of those special moments, especially for the people you are close to, it feels like you get to help them hold on to their most precious moments. 

This weird thing happens when you become a parent. You go from having a certain group of friends that always want to hang out, and everyone comes to see the newborn baby and then all at once it seems like people stop asking to make plans. I don't think it's a conscious decision but maybe a subconscious feeling from friends to give you some space to allow you to immerse yourself in baby-life, enter my friend Leah! I didn't really notice that I wasn't having as much grownup time as I used to until I saw Leah make a post on social media reminding her friends that her and her husband are still the same people they were before their new baby, and they would still love to see their old friends. This forced me to look at my own relationships and I noticed the similarities. Steve and I made plans with Leah and her family shortly after for a dinner double date/playdate and we talked for hours about parent life and a million other things. It felt good to know that we weren't alone in uncharted new parent territory. 

Getting out of your comfort zone is hard, so I think it's so important to be inspired by people who aren't afraid to make bold moves. Within the past year this girl moved thousands of miles away from her friends and family to pursue her career. I met Sara in my late twenties, and already she's taught me that you can start a new passion at any age and you should never be afraid to take that leap. I feel like it's so easy to get lost in the day to day routine but it's so important to make sure that you are in the right routine, and when it isn't right don't be afraid to change things up. 

Some of us decided to brave the cold and I am so glad we did! We had a blast (#dadjokesfordays) It was so much fun we almost forgot how cold it was. Almost haha. I love that the Coast and Copper office is so close to lake, it makes my soul happy to be so close to the water. 

Being surrounded by my beautiful friends made me feel empowered and confident to roar into my new decade. When I'm 80 years old I hope I feel like thirty was a couple of years ago. Let's rock our 30's, ladies.

P.S. Just so you know I was definitely jamming to What About Your Friends by TLC while I wrote this.