Today I turned 30.
My parents didn’t make me pose in front of an “I AM 30” banner this year, but they did invite us to a surprise brunch that Sherry helped organize. I knew family was coming — cousins, an aunt and uncle, and my little sister had driven in from DC — but I didn’t realize they were planning a celebration for me until a plate of muffins with a candle appeared. My mom also made a clever gift:
Rather than slipping cash into an envelope, she fashioned a paper “flower” with a smiley spatula and leaf-shaped pockets holding gift cards to some of my favorite places. The can “planter” was stuffed with new running socks — probably my dad’s contribution.
My sisters pitched in on another present:
They bought me the Christine Berrie bicycle print I’d admired on 20×200. It’s a perfect addition to my bicycle-themed art collection. I also finally managed to track down a set of those Gap bicycle prints I wanted — thanks to a helpful Gap manager who sent them instead of tossing them out. Lesson learned: be persistent, and sometimes a polite request pays off. We’re still deciding where to hang the new pieces, so photos of them in their final spots will have to wait.
Sherry’s gift was another surprise. Any guesses?
Yes — a white rhino. Specifically, the large Robbie trophy from Cardboard Safari. It probably reads like one of the strangest sentences I’ve typed, but rhinos are kind of our thing; we even worked one into our blog header. Sherry knows I love the bigger Cardboard Safari pieces. We already have a smaller full-bodied Robbie that shows up in spots like our console table and laundry room, but this big Robbie is especially fitting since I once surprised Sherry with a ceramic rhino for Valentine’s Day. Apparently we enjoy giving each other horned mammals, and they seem to grow larger with each gift.
If you’re considering a large trophy like this, remember to account for how far it sticks out from the wall — this one projects about 18 inches. We were lucky to find a corner where no one will walk into it or bump it when they sit down. So while nobody puts Baby in a corner, we happily put Robbie in one.
The birthday itself was low-key, which I prefer. My family took me out to dinner and my mom is keeping Clara tonight so Sherry and I can have a date night. Lately Sherry’s been teasing me by calling me her “silver fox” because I’ve got a streak of gray at the front — she insists it’s a compliment, pointing to Anderson Cooper as proof.
I never made a formal “things to do before 30” list online, but I found an old one in a high school notebook — a senior English assignment — that I’d updated a few years ago with several items marked “Completed.” That was an unexpected surprise and a fun little time capsule.
Looking over the list, many things remain unchecked: I haven’t traveled to new countries as much as I hoped, I still haven’t bungee jumped, and I definitely don’t have a movie role to my name. Some goals were more attainable — Sherry and I visited Hollywood early in our relationship, and I once worked for the National Geographic Channel during the summer of 2001. I also had a memorable run-in with Kelly Clarkson at a client event in 2005, which counts toward one of the items.
I can’t remember whether we still had our fish when we got our dog Burger, so another item remains a mystery. I never learned bass guitar (or stuck with the regular guitar I owned briefly in 2002), but I have a few satisfactions to check off, like visiting Hawaii before Sherry and I dated and then returning to Alaska on our honeymoon.
We’re planning to continue the birthday celebrations next year when Sherry turns 30 by taking a trip to Hawaii — a combined birthday and fifth-anniversary trip. But that’s for another post. For now I’ll say that turning 30 feels a lot like turning 29 — no dramatic revelations, just gratitude. Clara is even more fun this year now that she’s walking, talking, and singing goofy little songs. This morning she sang: “Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you said.”
Thanks to my family for making my 30th special, and to everyone who made my twenties so eventful. Here’s hoping the thirties are just as adventurous and joyful.