Three Things Thursday- 30 Edition

So yesterday I turned 30.... cue the dramatic music.  On one hand it was neat in the sense that I've accomplished a lot before turning 30 and I'm told I don't look my age (lets hope that continues for awhile. ) On the other hand there is the nagging feeling you can't avoid, thinking you should start that next chapter of settling down, getting married, and start a family. Although I do want those things... its beyond my control so I have to be patient.

Anytime you enter a new decade, there is always time for reflection, but to keep this light, I chose to focus more on what I DO have in my life that I'm thankful for.
My family
Mom sent a care package to my work on Monday and when it didn't arrive she freaked out and thought this was putting a damper on my surprise. Since it was insured, it required a signature thus there was a delay and it arrived on Tuesday (day before my birthday) She is always so thoughtful with her gifts. Obviously you have to have the obligatory 30 knick knacks, but the pandora bracelet (i've been needing a new one) with the 3 charm as well as the book full of great stories are both fabulous.

Close up of the 30

I got my first pandora bracelet for my 25th birthday and its neat to look back on all my charms that mark important events- when I moved to Nashville and left Louisville, my Alaska race, when i hit 50 states etc etc. 

On my actual birthday she kept posting photos of when I was young- surprisingly I hadn't seen either of the below photos. 

One of my brothers called in the morning, the other sent me a series of jib jab cards featuring him dancing along with rest of his family--- love these. 

And of course my dad offered some words of wisdom... although no phone call <cough cough> ;) 

My friends

I came into work yesterday and 2 of my best friends happened to decorate my desk (all before 730am mind you) and it looked like an explosion of glitter and chocolate. I haven't felt this loved in a long time. As a joke, they bought me stripper shoes because they say the 2-3 inch heels I wear aren't "real heels"-- still no idea where I would wear these to, or how I would walk in them. 

They bought me a growler of beer, and my mom had beer shaped cookies delivered to my office.... sensing a pattern here??

After taking a half day off to get some errands done, we rounded out the night with a ladies night at one of the "newish" restaurants in East Nashville called the Tree House... and yes we ate in a tree house :) I haven't had a group of girl friends since I moved to Nashville. Most of my friends were guys, AND I had pockets of friends independent of one another, so to have some of them interact and be friends with one another was something I've been missing for a long time. 

All that I've accomplished

I think too often we focus on what we don't yet have, that we forget where we came from. 5 years ago I was living in Louisville in a 2 bedroom apartment with 9 people. I had NO money to my name, was just getting back into interacting with my family, and had zero direction  on what I was doing with my life. Now I have a great career that enables me to make enough to live comfortably as well as go on some adventures,  a strong support network, completed my goal to run a half in every state, a stable home with only 1 roommate, and most importantly, I like where my life is headed. Obviously there are times when I feel "lonely" or that I measure my success to my peers, but I do snap out of it and remind myself to be grateful for the journey. 

Here's to what I'm sure will be my greatest decade yet!!!

For those that are 30+, did you have fears entering this milestone birthday?

Do you check in with your self to be thankful for all that you have?

June Highlights

June was embarrassing in terms of fitness, less than 30 miles for the month- crazy pitiful.

This pretty much sums it up--- lots of time off

There was quite a bit going on with moving homes and work that I knew this would be my last 'lazy month'  before picking back up the running to be prepared for Hood to Coast in August.  I also feel that since June is "officially" summer, there are more activities always going on that I feel I "have to" take part in so I don't miss out- thus resulting in always being on the go and too tired to workout first thing in morning or end of day.

So what did happen?

Living

I said goodbye to apartment living and the best roommate to date

And hello to a 3 story townhome with double the space and then some from compared to what I'm used to

Who knew how much time could be spent decorating, gardening, and trying to make the space my own?  I have to keep reminding myself that because I'm still renting, I'll have to move everything AGAIN into my own place when that time comes, so to not go overboard--- both with practicality and my check book. 

The second floor is pretty much where I spend all my time and I have lots still to do, but its been fun along the way.  I still have a bonus room off the kitchen I haven't done anything with, along with the entire back room on the first floor that is empty #toomuchspaceproblems

Family

Typically I see my family (siblings) 3x a year- Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter and my parents come down 1x a year to see my in Nashville.  June was a treat because I got some bonus quality time.

Mom came down 2 days after moving in to help me decorate,organize, and pick out some new furnishings. She got the ball rolling, but lots more has been done since then and I'll be excited for her (and dad) to see the transformation when they come down in less than 1 month. 

After her short 3 day stint here, we headed up to Indianapolis for my cousin's wedding reception- love being able to reconnect  with the extended family

My brothers and I- we're a tall bunch

Some of the cousins

Having play time with one of my nephews (my other 2 didn't make the trip) 

And getting to dance with dad

Fun

With all the purchasing of home goods, June's entertainment month was all about embracing what is free!!

Art and Wine Crawl in downtown Franklin

Outdoor Free concerts every Saturday in East Nashville 

And I even managed to score free tix to our company box for Katy Perry tickets 

I know I typically blog about the good things because who wants to be a debbie downer, but June also had a few road bumps as well:

• Roommate I had selected to move in & split the cost of town home with disappeared and never returned any of my messages- leaving me with another month's rent to pay for solo. Normally not a big deal, but 2 months rent  now when I'm covering everything  would actually get me 4.3 month's rent compared to what I've been paying the last 4 years. 
• Piggy backing on the roommate situation, this month was the FIRST time I haven't had a roommate since I was 18. The past 11/12 years there has always been someone around, so the first few weeks by myself was a huge shock and adjustment. I got extremely lonely and would avoid coming home to an empty house. This  meant 1 of 2 things---constantly finding things to do with friends so I wouldn't be at home by myself, or immersing myself in settings where even if I wasn't talking to people I was still surrounded by them (shopping, going out to eat, staying at work later etc) Both scenarios resulted in unnecessary spending. On the upside, I did also start and finish both seasons of "Orange is the new Black", so now I know what the heck everyone else around me is talking about. 
• Work picked up and naturally I acquired more additional responsibilities with nothing coming off my plate to accommodate. Initially I was told I would help out temporarily, but then it changed to assist till the end of the year. On one hand its job security, on the other hand I'm a perfectionist when it comes to my job so it increases the unnecessary stress I put on myself. 
• I realized the guy I had been seeing for 2 months was a complete immature pervert and we were NOT on the same page when it comes to relationships. I often find myself wondering what happened to the good men out there that know how to treat, and most importantly, talk to a lady. I ended things in not the nicest of ways so at least I got that satisfaction of controlling the situation. Next please. 
• Lastly, coming to terms with this being my last full month being in my 20s... enough said. (2 days till dirty 30) 

Overall June was just a very busy month. It was hard to find balance with all the changes, but I feel like I've finally found my groove. July's focus is all about getting back into swing of things and shifting my focus from "if I don't feel like doing it I won't" into a more disciplined schedule when it comes to workouts. So far I've already ran more miles in July than June (not that it was too difficult to do) so off to a great start. 

How as your June?

Anything exciting / noteworthy you experienced?