It's my birthday today and I can't believe I'm home writing a blog post instead of celebrating. Honestly, I feel a little partied out. This entire month has felt like a birthday celebration to me from my 7 day trip to NYC and Chicago during the first week of the month, all the way to celebrating with friends later tonight at SoulCycle for a little sweat celebration. 

Truthfully, my birthday had a little rough start with my day. The hubs and I got into a small little tiff. Despite it derailing my day a little bit, it actually was super helpful because I was able to take a few steps back to see that recognition of one's emotions is something we both need to work on in our relationship. That argument inspired me to take a few moments out of the day and write down the lessons I've learned this year.

33 Life Lessons I learned from this past trip around the sun:

1. Love yourself fearlessly.

2. Mistakes are part of being human.

3. Tears are a good thing. It reminds us that we can still feel with our hearts.

4. Good friends will love you in your darkest and brightest moments.

5. Sending ugly face selfies to friends are like notes you secretly passed around in class.

6. It’s perfectly OK to hustle hard for your dreams.

7. Never allow someone to believe you’re not worthy of being enough.

8. Life is tough, but so are you.

9. Your life, your party. You decide who you want to invite into it and how you want to celebrate it.

10. Always be honest, even if it hurts.

11. Say nice things about your body.

12. Be a role model to your daughters and your nieces, first. All others come second.

13. Sex on the counter is HOT AF.

14. ^ Don’t say things like this on the internet, your daughter has an @instagram account.

15. Open and honest communication will always be the key to solve all problems.

16. Be patient with your husband.

17. Sometimes you need to forgive yourself first before forgiving others.

18. Give less fucks. Reserve your fucks for things that matter.

19. Let life surprise you.

20. Don’t be afraid to book that plane ticket 3 days before a random trip.

21. Having the “sex talk” with your teenager is more awkward for you than it is for them.

22. Some days a 7 year old is wiser than you are.

23. Find the innocence in everything you do.

24. Growing up is a good thing.

25. Ignore your emails for 24 hours, the world will still be there the next day.

26. Tomatoes do not belong in the fridge.

27. Goat milk has less lactose than cow milk.

28. No amount of lemon will make kale taste better than cheese and charcuterie.

29. Letting go gives you space for new experiences.

30. Find gratitude in your struggles and challenges.

31. Life is a masterpiece, you are the artist.

32. You are never too old to start something new.

33. Never apologize for who you are. It let’s the world down!

As I head into my 34th year on this planet I can't help but wonder what's in store. Life has been full of so many surprises and I'm just so open and ready to learn, grow, and evolve.

Here's my theme song for the day: