30th Birthday Celebration(s)

It has taken me a few days to recover from my 30th birthday celebrations.

My mom started the day off buying shoes and a necklace to go with my dress. Then we got our hair done and nails mani'd and pedi'd.

Mom all rolled up:

Then, we ran home to finish the party favors I made for each of my guests -- cards with my favorite thing about them, or my favorite memory, and a nip-bottle of various types of liquor.

The dinner was fabulous. The service and food were excellent -- from the cocktail hour to the actual dinner to the tasty Tiramisu dessert that I plopped my 30 candle in (yes, I brought my own candle).

After I gave a speech to my dearest friends -- ones that I have known since age 2 on up to age 24... so minimum 6 years -- they decided to toast to me one by one, sharing touching remarks and funny stories. I love these guys. They are my inspiration, and to hear the warm remarks were just what I needed to hear after this tumultuous year and as I step out into 30.

Our next stop was a nightclub in Jersey, dancing until 2am. Then we finished the night at our favorite JC diner, talking until our waitress packed up and left, giving us a hint.

I couldn't have asked for a better birthday, honestly. Thanks to everyone who played a part.

7 Days 'Til 30... Birthday Suit!

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

...no, not THAT birthday suit. I finally found the dress I plan to wear to my birthday shindig (you know... that totally unimportant birthday we're counting down to...).

I absolutely hate, hate, hate shopping. The split decisions, always afraid I'm not getting the most for my money, trying everything on because my proportions are so non-traditional, the crowds, the racks after racks, the either neglectful or overbearing salespeople. It's just not for me.

Knowing this, I split this process up over two days. Yesterday, I just went to browse -- no pressure. I saw this dress at Marshall's, but I wasn't sure, so I snapped some pics and looked elsewhere. Well, nothing beat out this dress, so here we are. I went back to Marshall's to get it. It seems a little prom-dressy, but you know what? I'll make it work with some shoes and accessories. I'm working on being (an almost-30) diva anyway, right? (see yesterday's post) So here we go!

19 Days 'Til 30... Reading on the Sound

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

Today was a hot, busy day. It's been sweltering the past few days.

I returned to CT from New Jersey this morning. I immediately went to the anatomy lab to meet the other residents in my program who were performing procedures on cadavers. Afterwards, I ran errands. All of this was before having to be at work at 5:30pm.

However, I was able to squeeze in an hour for a special something. I sat at Long Wharf on a bench enjoying a view of the Long Island Sound while I read the first few chapters of Emily Giffin's "Heart of the Matter." It was nice to tune out the world for an hour and relax.

My view of the Sound:

The book (great so far... but I'm not surprised, her books never let you down)

20 Days 'Til 30... Time with my Bestie

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

The special something of the day was having dinner with my male bestie, Nate. We were inseparable for decades but lost touch over the years and just recently started hanging out again. I've missed my bud, so tonight was extra special. Here's us at Chili's:

21 Days 'Til 30... Time With Mom

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

Today's special something involved me and my mom spending the day together. First we walked 3 miles, then ran 2 miles (well, I lost her between miles 4 and 5, don't tell her I told you that). Then, we did 25 pushups and 200 situps.

This is her after our workout:

I also introduced her to Muscle Milk, so we could get the protein in within an hour after our workouts.

We finished up the day with manicures (she got a pedicure, too).

24 Days 'Til 30... A Good Run & Cutting a Rug

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

I started today with an amazing feat... I ran for the first time since my 5K on May 23th. I ran for 42 minutes around a park here in Jersey City. Nafeesa of Shoes N Booze ran with me on the first two laps, then I finished up with 2 additional laps.

Next, I went to the hair salon and got a new cut/style.

I finished up the night at a nightclub in Union, NJ with Nafeesa and Zia Bartley of Best Event Planners.