Today I turned 30.
My mom didn’t make me pose under an “I AM 30” banner this year, nor did she fashion a crown, but she and my dad hosted a surprise brunch on Sunday. Sherry coordinated it with them. I knew about the brunch because family had traveled in from DC, but I didn’t suspect it was a birthday celebration until a plate of muffins with candles appeared. My mom did, however, make a thoughtful gift:
True to form, she didn’t just tuck money or gift cards into an envelope. She made a paper “flower” with a smiling spatula as the bloom and paper-leaf pockets that hid gift cards to some of my favorite stores. The can used as a “planter” was filled with new running socks (likely my dad’s contribution).
My sisters pooled together for another surprise:
They gifted me a Christine Berrie bicycle print that I’ve admired for a long time. It fits perfectly with my bicycle-themed art collection. Speaking of bicycles, I finally managed to track down a set of the Gap bicycle prints I wanted, thanks to a helpful store manager. We were surprised when they arrived at our PO Box — a reminder that persistence sometimes pays off. Hooray for recycling and small victories.
We haven’t decided where to hang the new bike prints yet, so photos of them “in place” will have to wait until we pick the right spots.
But I do have pictures of the gift Sherry gave me. Any guesses?
It’s a white rhino — the large Robbie trophy from Cardboard Safari. It might sound odd, but rhinos have become a shared motif for us. We even worked one into our blog header. Sherry knows I love the larger Cardboard Safari pieces (we also have a smaller full-bodied Robbie that makes frequent appearances around the house), so this felt like a perfect, playful addition.
Big Robbie is especially fitting because I once surprised Sherry with a ceramic rhino for Valentine’s Day, which turned into a whole rhino scavenger hunt. Apparently we enjoy giving each other horned mammal-themed gifts — and they seem to grow larger with each exchange. Maybe one day we’ll have a life-sized rhino in the kitchen, à la the giant dog on Friends.
One practical note if you’re thinking of getting a large trophy: measure how far it projects from the wall. This Robbie sticks out about 18 inches. We were lucky to find a corner where he won’t get knocked when people walk by or sit down, so while nobody puts Baby in a corner, we happily put Robbie in one.
All in all, the birthday was low-key — exactly how I like it. My family took me out to dinner the night before, and my mom is babysitting tonight so Sherry and I can have a date. Lately Sherry has affectionately called me her “silver fox” because a bit of gray is showing at the front; she insists it’s a compliment, often pointing to Anderson Cooper as evidence.
I never made a formal “30 before thirty” list online, but I found one I wrote back in high school as part of a senior English prompt. It was amusing to re-read the goals I’d once set for myself and see which ones I’d already completed.
I had marked several items as completed around 2005, but there are still a few on the list that haven’t happened — no new countries visited since then, no bungee jumping, no movie roles. That said, Sherry and I did visit Hollywood together in October 2005, and I once bumped into Kelly Clarkson at a client event in May 2005, which almost counts toward another item.
Some items remain uncertain — for example, whether we still had our fish when we got Burger — and others haven’t been pursued, like learning bass guitar. I did work for the National Geographic Channel in the summer of 2001, which was a memorable early job even if it wasn’t glamorous. And although I’d visited Hawaii before Sherry and I dated, we also went to Alaska on our honeymoon, which felt like another checkmark earned.
We’re already planning to extend the birthday celebrations next year when Sherry turns 30; we hope to take a trip to Hawaii as both a birthday and fifth-anniversary getaway. That will give me an extra reason to mark another item off the old list.
A long post like this makes these old bones tired — only kidding. To anyone wondering, turning 30 feels just like 29. Clara is even more fun this year now that she’s walking, talking, and singing quirky little songs. This morning she sang:
“Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you said.”
Thanks to my family for a lovely 30th celebration, and to everyone who made my twenties such an exciting decade. Here’s hoping the thirties are just as full of joy, travel, art, and the occasional oversized rhino.