My Thoughts on Turning 30

30th Birthday Inspiration | Turning 30 by popular lifestyle blogger, Alicia Tenise: image of a woman wearing a Rent the Runway LIKELY ADD TO HEARTS High Low Lovelle Gown and sitting on a white couch next to a Maliha Creations cake on a Target Marble & Acacia Cake Stand and some Amazon 40 Inch Gold Digital Helium Foil Birthday Party Balloons.

Welp, my friends: my twenties are officially over. Hello, thirty!

Growing up, I think I had a lot of expectations for turning 30. If you were to ask me 5-10 years ago where I thought I’d be in life by now, my answer would not match up with my current situation.

Where I’m at right now is so much better. Here are some of my thoughts on turning 30!
 
Likely High Low Lovelle Gown | Turning 30 by popular lifestyle blogger, Alicia Tenise: image of a woman wearing a Rent the Runway LIKELY ADD TO HEARTS High Low Lovelle Gown and holding a bottle and glass of champagne.

Maliha Creations Pink and Gold Birthday Cake | Turning 30 by popular lifestyle blogger, Alicia Tenise: image of a Maliha Creations cake on a Target Marble & Acacia Cake Stand.

30 Birthday Party Decorations | Turning 30 by popular lifestyle blogger, Alicia Tenise: image of a woman wearing a Rent the Runway LIKELY ADD TO HEARTS High Low Lovelle Gown and sitting on a white couch next to a Maliha Creations cake on a Target Marble & Acacia Cake Stand and some Amazon 40 Inch Gold Digital Helium Foil Birthday Party Balloons.

Pink and Gold Birthday Cake Maliha Creations | Turning 30 by popular lifestyle blogger, Alicia Tenise: image of a Maliha Creations cake on a Target Marble & Acacia Cake Stand.
Best Birthday Cake Charlottesville | Turning 30 by popular lifestyle blogger, Alicia Tenise: image of a woman wearing a Rent the Runway LIKELY ADD TO HEARTS High Low Lovelle Gown and holding a Maliha Creations cake on a Target Marble & Acacia Cake Stand.

Turning 30 by popular lifestyle blogger, Alicia Tenise: image of a Maliha Creations cake on a Target Marble & Acacia Cake Stand.

Shop the Post: Hot Pink Gown | Sandals | Birthday Cake via Maliha Creations | Marble Cake Stand | Gold Balloons | Similar Pink and White Balloons

When I was in college, I thought I’d be married, a homeowner, working at a great PR firm (and actually utilizing my college degree) by the time I was 30. My own mother didn’t have me until she was 33, so I wasn’t sure if I’d have kids by this point in my life.

And, spoiler alert: none of that happened. My life has taken a few crazy turns, and I’m in a very different place. However, I couldn’t be more content with the way things ended up.

Thoughts on Turning 30

I’m not married, but I found a fantastic partner. I don’t work at a big PR firm, but I became my own boss, which ended up being so much more fulfilling. I don’t have my forever home yet, but I’m traveling the world. I don’t have kids, and my maternal instinct really hasn’t kicked in. I don’t know if I’ll ever want children, to be honest. And I might struggle with anxiety, but overall, I’m super content, and I know I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. 

And for some giggles, when I turned 26, I made a “Thirty Before 30” list: a roundup of things I wanted to accomplish before I turned 30. Here’s how I fared:

  1. Learn how to swim (…this is SO embarrassing but nope, I really can’t swim) I didn’t get to this, and I’m still embarrassed. 
  2. Perform on stage one more time while I’m still in decent dancing shape Does Tik Tok Count? 🙂
  3. Go on a road trip with my girlfriends 
  4. Learn how to cook 15 signature dishes 
  5. Go to Paris Check!
  6. Buy my first pair of designer shoes Still haven’t done this yet. Still want to.
  7. Host a TV segment Technically, I’ve been on TV 10 times after I wrote this post. I didn’t necessarily “host” a segment, though!
  8. Become a morning person I wake up considerably earlier now that I’m my own boss.
  9. Stick to a workout routine Technically, I got into a groove when I lived in Philly. I’ve lost it, but I am the most active I’ve ever been in my life
  10. Travel to Africa This is still on my bucket list
  11. Run a 5K My knees will not allow me to do this. Ha!
  12. Volunteer 100 hours Something I still need to work on.
  13. Start a YouTube channel Technically? Yes, I started one. Didn’t keep it regularly updated, though.
  14. Eat pizza…in Italy No go. Tom went to Italy without me for work. How rude! /sarcasm
  15. Buy a house/condo Nope. 
  16. Read 52 books in 52 weeks Nada
  17. Learn how to ice skate (nope, I really can’t do this either) Not a huge priority for me, tbh.
  18. Move to a new city I moved 3 times after writing this post.
  19. Buy a stranger their coffee
  20. Adopt a dog Not with my travel schedule!
  21. Learn how to ballroom dance Anyone want to convince Tom to do this with me?
  22. Sell my car, live life only using public transit My car got totaled ten days before I moved to Philly, and I went 1.5 years without a vehicle 🙂
  23. Raise $1000+ for charity 
  24. Go to a music festival in another country Not a priority for me anymore.
  25. See the Northern Lights Technically saw them on my red-eye flight to Paris!
  26. Learn how to ski or snowboard LOL, no.
  27. Host a dinner party
  28. Send someone a surprise in the mail
  29. Plan an epic 30th birthday party. Does an epic 30th birthday trip to the Florida Keys count? 🙂
  30. See Beyonce in concert (THIS IS TOTALLY WORTHY OF BEING ON HERE #BEYHIVE) I STILL HAVEN’T DONE THIS? I’ve failed. Goodbye!

Note to self: get to a Beyonce concert.

See My Old Birthday Posts:
 

29 | 28 | 27

26 | 25 | 24

What are your thoughts on turning 30?  Let me know in a comment below!

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