30, flirty, and thriving

So I turned 30 on Sunday.

I wouldn't say I was sad about this milestone birthday.  I guess I was more indifferent about it.  But I did say more than once that day, "I'm too young to be this old."

Not that 30 is old...but...you know what I mean.

It was a great day, despite a few kinks in our plans.  Max slept through the night for the first time since...I don't remember the last time he slept through the night (teething can bite me...ha).  I viewed the uninterrupted sleep as his gift to me.  And then I went into his room to get him up and his face was covered in snot and he had a fever of 100.6 degrees.  But he was happy and smiling.

We decided to cancel my birthday get-together with friends and family and keep Max home for the day.  Victor made me fruit crepes for breakfast, which is my favorite meal at my favorite breakfast/brunch/lunch place, First Watch.  He did a pretty good job, too.

"First Watch, eat your heart out," he said as he placed the plate in front of me.  Filled with bananas, blueberries, and strawberries.  Topped with yogurt.  Delish.

Mama sent me pretty birthday flowers.

The "vase" is an ornament jar.  Too cute!

The in-laws came over for dinner and ice cream cake.

Can't go wrong with a Carvel cake with crunchies.

30 candles + 1 for good luck.

Max had fun with his avos (Portuguese for "grandparents") and tios (aunt and uncle).

Sharing secrets with Vovo

Santa Max was all smiles with Tia and Tio

I actually enjoyed the low-key day.  It was perfect.  Max is still snotty but less fever-ish and is working on growing a few more teeth, so no need to worry about him.

Instead of being deep and enlightening about plans for my next 30 years of life, I'm going to share 30 incredibly random facts about me that you may or may not already know.  Happy 30th birthday to ME!

1. I was born in Texas.  Yeehaw!
2. I have a terrible short-term memory.  If I don't write it down, especially if it's a task that needs to be completed, I'm likely going to forget it.
3. I think pickles are the absolute worst.  They're ugly.  They stink.  I can't eat any food they touch if one tragically winds up on my plate.  One time when Victor and I were still dating, he thought it would be hilarious to taunt me with a pickle and touch it to my face.  I thought it was terrifying and I cried.
4. I was obsessed with Hanson when I was in 7th grade.  My room was wall-papered with pictures of them from Tiger Beat and BOP magazines.  Taylor was my fave.  We were going to get married.

   

   I totally had this book.

5.  I am really good at procrastinating.  Too good, actually.  I believe I work better under pressure.
6. Double standards make me angry.
7. When I was little, I loved the movie "Annie" and would sing "Tomorrow" to anyone who would listen.  Also, I still love the movie "Annie."
8. I prefer lakes to oceans.  I like the sound of ocean waves, but being in waves freaks me out.
9. A part of me dies inside when watermelon season is over.  My diet consists mostly of watermelon in the summer. 

   

   Heaven.

10. I used to be a lifeguard and perfected the art of "whistle twirling" while in the chair. 

    

    I put my lifeguard suit to good use for Halloween my junior year of college.

11. Blue is my favorite color.  Any shade of it.  I have lots of blue clothing as a result.
12. I don't like being the center of attention.
13. I love making gifts for people.  Sometimes I think I get more joy out of the whole process than they do about receiving the gift.
14. My parents put me in dance classes when I was little and I LOVED it.  I also joined the Folk Dancing Dolls in 5th grade (gave up recess to practice with our music teacher).  I even took hip-hop classes when I was in high school and participated in the staff dance numbers at my old school's talent shows.  I love a good choreographed dance! 

    

    Dancing queen circa 1992-ish

15. I love Jodi Picoult's books.
16. Violent/gory/scary movies/shows freak me out.  I can't watch them.
17. Hearing people chew their food/gum makes my skin crawl, especially the "banana noise."  Gaaahhhh!!!
18. I was Betsy Ross in my 3rd grade play.  I had 29 lines.  I was in the local paper (along with much of the rest of the cast--life in a small town).  I wore a bonnet.
19. My closet is organized by color.
20. I get agitated and short-tempered when I'm secretly nervous or worried about something.  Victor is often the victim when this occurs.
21. Falling to my death is one of my biggest fears.  You won't find me on top of a ladder.
22. I have never broken a bone.
23. One of my favorite things to do is perusing cards at a card store and laughing too loud at the funny ones.  My mom and sister do it too.  It must run in the family.
24. I could watch Law & Order: SVU all day.  It's actually on right now.  I've probably seen most of the episodes, but I can't always remember how they end so of course I have to watch them again.  If a scary part comes up, I just change the channel or leave the room for a bit (a result of #16).
25. I've tried many times to like tomatoes and I can't do it.  The best I can do is sun-dried tomatoes.  Those are delish.
26. I wish I was more into fashion/accessories, but I'm a creature of habit and wear the same jewelry every day.  I also tend to choose comfort and function over style, especially since becoming a nursing mother.
27. I loved my childhood and hope my kids can have a similar upbringing.  This requires lots of bike riding, pretend playing, outdoor adventures, book reading, sleepovers with friends, small birthday parties, and minimal electronics.
28. I pride myself on my midwestern manners.  I say "please" and "thank you" a lot.
29. I get overly-attached to TV shows/characters.  I can feel the depression creeping in as "Parenthood" comes to an end. 

    

    Don't leave me!!!  (source)

30. I'm not allowed to eat cereal for breakfast now that I'm a stay-at-home mommy because I can't stop refilling my bowl.  I love cereal.  When I was working, I didn't have time for refills.

Here's to being 30, flirty, and thriving!