Thirty One

I wrote a long post recapping my birthday weekend and then promptly clicked the “trash” button when I was done. It read like an itinerary sprinkled with happy thoughts. It felt a little forced, I couldn’t come up with the perfect way to end it, the poignant yet funny ending line that leaves people with a smile on their face.

But the truth is, things are good. It was a great weekend. We did more of the same old same old- family time, time with friends, doughnuts, one really good egg strata, a date night out while Gracie hung with her grandparents, great-grandpa and great-aunt. There was our first Chicago summer street festival where Gracie danced in the hot sun until she was red faced, sweaty, exhausted but oh-so-happy.

 It was an awesome weekend, filled with little things and moments that all added up to happiness. B and I are both determined to make this summer awesome, even if it unlocks the achievement one trip to the park at a time, for “Wiiiing” and rock collecting. Whereas my twenties were filled with a lot of grand moments- graduations, weddings, babies, fancy birthday parties, nights on the town with friends- my thirties seem to shaping up to be filled with barbeques with friends, afternoons spent in the sun, family dinners complete with kiddie menus and sippy cups, high chairs in my dining room and wonderful-but-less-frequent date nights with my husband, where we relish the quiet conversation and ability to savor an appetizer.

Things are good. Or, as B’s grandfather would say, “They are not just good, they are great.”