now say it without flinching...

I had a birthday last week. The big three-oh.

I thought I'd turn thirty with grace and poise (although I'm not sure why--I don't possess either of those qualities on even my very best days). Yes, I thought turning 30 would be easy, because I had a bit of a hard time turning 29 last year.

But the joke was on me, it seemed.

I was sitting in a church meeting on Sunday, April 22, when it hit me: I had exactly one month left of my twenties--which seemed synonymous with "the days of my youth," really.

It really was a hard month for this Ginabean! The days between April 22 through the evening of May 21, things kind of went wayward and awry and...all around not nice. And it didn't all have to do with my youth quickly scampering away; those 30 days threw some major curve balls in my direction, and it caused extra turmoil.

The greatest annoyance, of course, was that I was annoyed about a silly number to begin with! "IT'S JUST A NUMBER!" I kept chanting to myself. "You're only as old as you feel!"

Well. This could go on for a while, it seems, and I'm sure you all get my point.

May 22 arrived (with ferocious velocity), and I went about my business just like any other Tuesday.

Except I got lots of phone calls.

And lots of texts.

And people were extra nice to me.

And a handful of people said to me (on my birthday, as well as those difficult days leading up to it) that THIRTY IS THE NEW TWENTY. At first I scoffed and rolled my eyes, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked it, and it makes sense (in my old, senile brain ;) so I think I'll go with it.

I had to work from 8:00am until 5:45pm. Oh yes, and on that day, I was getting a new car radio/cd player/clock installed in my car. (No, it wasn't a birthday present to myself, but rather, Handsome Rob's original quit working the week before.) Since my car was with my car guy (Larry is his name), I got a rental.

If I wasn't feeling old when I woke up that morning, driving around that silly rental did the trick...

It truly was boat-sized. Felt like I skipped 30 and jumped straight to 70.

Anyway...I met Brooker for lunch at Jimmy Johns, were my boss Matt was having lunch with his wife and daughter...and when he saw me there, he insisted on paying for our lunches as well. (What a swell guy, eh?!)

That evening, a (very) few people went to Jami's house for cake, and it was delicious! (I love salted caramel hot chocolate, so when Jami came across a recipe for salted caramel chocolate cake while we were in California in February, she stole the recipe right out of the magazine. Then she made it for me on my big day. Isn't she a thoughtful friend?!)

The most excellent cake, wearing 30 candles.

Lighting the candles...

Yes. I am well aware that my cake became a fire hazard...

After eating the cake, we sat and visited for a while, and then my good friend Cameron sang me a song, special for my birthday!

The story goes like this: back in September (of last year), I was up in Yellowstone with Cameron (and a couple of gals); while driving through the park, we listened to some tunes on Cameron's mp3 player. One of those songs was "Hear You Me" by Jimmy Eat World. Apparently I told Cameron exactly how much I love that song, although I don't recall that conversation. (It seems legit, though, as I do love that song.) The story continues that he found the music and learned the song, then he played it at this big Halloween party. A party that I didn't actually attend. Aaaand since he supposedly learned the song for me, he held onto to it for something like 7 months, and he played (and sang) that song for me on my birthday.

Yes, my friends. I was serenaded on my 30th. (You better believe that I mentioned it on my status update on Facebook. Within moments of the final strains of the song, even!) THANKS, Cameron!

Sing to me, Cam.

Yep, This made me smile.

*Technically, "Hear You Me" is kind of a sad song--written for a dead friend--but it's still sweet, and I will always love that song.

Anyway...I've been thirty for 9 whole days now, and I can even say it without flinching. Watch this: "I'M THIRTY!"

Aaaand since I've been thirty for a while now (heh heh), I've had time to think about the whole issue of why I was dreading my birthday. I've come to the conclusion that I wasn't bummed out at turning thirty so much as I was really sad to be leaving my twenties (there is a difference). But so far, thirty feels like 29, which felt an awful lot like 24, if you must know. 

So. Yeah. I can say it without shuddering. I'm OWNING thirty, and I have a feeling that wonderful things are directly ahead of me in this new decade.

*If you have made it all the way through this post, bless your little heart. Thanks for sticking to it, and sticking with me!