Officially 40

Yesterday I officially turned 40 years old!

It’s impossible to enter a new decade without doing a little self-reflection and one thing that kept popping up in my mind over and over again as I thought about the past 40 years of my life is how freaking lucky I’ve been to have lived a life surrounded by some of the very best people. And I got to surround myself with some of the people who mean the most to me this past weekend which felt like all I could want for my birthday.

Friday

We made our way to Jacksonville Beach, Florida on Thursday and spent all of Friday with my family.

Every morning of any Florida visit with our boys must begin with a lizard walk so naturally that’s how we kicked off our Friday. Chase gave Rhett some lizard-catching lessons and Rhett absolutely beamed with pride when he caught four lizards in a row.

Ryder and Chase were especially excited to catch and release a green anole because, as Chase explained, they’re native to Florida while the brown anole lizards are an invasive species that are more aggressive and competitive than the green anoles for food and territory. Creature Man Chase is forever teaching us fun animal facts!

We spent the rest of the morning at a local park (Sunshine Park our absolute favorite in Jax Beach) and soaked up lots of cousin time.

Friday afternoon was consumed by beach time because the tide pools were amazing! The boys filled their mini catch-and-release aquarium over and over again but the most shocking catch of the day occurred right before we were ready to head to the pool. We caught three bright teal jellyfish and a quick Google search and a conversation with the local beach lifeguard taught us they were Portuguese man o’ war. We learned they’re technically not jellyish but look just like them with long, thin tentacles filled with extremely painful venom.

What really blew our minds was when we realized one of the Portuguese man o’ war the boys caught was still alive. The boys assumed they were all dead but the living Portuguese man o’ war quickly killed and ate the four tiny fish they also had in their aquarium (it looked like they were being electrocuted) and consumed the other two Portuguese man o’ war, too. It was WILD. Nature is absolutely fascinating.

Saturday

Saturday morning Ryan and I said goodbye to our boys and my parents and made our way 4.5 hours south to Boca Raton, Florida. It’s wild how a 4.5 hour drive without kids can almost feel like a date to us these days. We had such a great time blasting our favorite music and just enjoying distraction-free time together. It’s been a long time since the two of us have left the boys for more than a few hours and while we absolutely love family time above everything else, couple time is the jam and something we said we need to try to do more often if possible. Good news: My husband is still great all on his own. Ha!

We had plans to meet up with friends from college and joined them at the pool where they surprised me with a birthday cake the day before the big 4-0.

We all have plans to get together again in early June to celebrate two 40th birthdays in our group (mine and Laurel’s) but the purpose of this weekend was to support my friend Leah and her husband Ricky at the event they put on every year to help raise money for the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation.

I’ve shared about Leah and Ricky’s son Theo in the past over the years on Instagram, but he was the most perfect little boy who passed away following a diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma. The way Theo has impacted my life and hundreds of lives is incredible. When I tell you Theo changed me forever, I mean it. He is someone I think of every single day and he altered my heart and the way I approach motherhood forever. I will never forget Leah saying she just wanted people to remember her perfect son and on Saturday night, the dining room at the Boca West Country Club was filled with people who love and remember Theo. 

Fashion Funds the Cure is a fashion and fundraising event for the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation that Leah and Ricky became involved with several years ago. Following a cocktail reception and dinner, we cheered for the most adorable children battling cancer who walked the runway in a deeply moving fashion show.

I’ve attended this event multiple times in the past but every single year I cry and feel the most intense emotions. Tears flowed as we watch these incredible, resilient children walk the runway with the biggest smiles on their faces; the little girl who walked the runway who wants to grow up to be a mommy, the 10-year-old who is in remission from the liver cancer she had as a baby and now makes hearing aid charms that look like earrings for other children battling cancer, the precious little boy who wants to be a cowboy one day. Thank God for the hope of organizations like NPCF, a vetted and worthy organization that works tirelessly to raise money that is desperately needed for pediatric cancer research.

It was an honor to attend and contribute to the event, an honor to support our friends, and an honor to remember Theo. His parents continue to be the best mommy and daddy to their boy. If you would like to support Leah and NPCF, you may donate here. Please know your donations are incredibly needed and so very, very appreciated.

Sunday

Following the NPCF event, we were up late catching up with our friends on Saturday night until the hotel bar closed. Despite a late night, our internal alarm clocks had us awake bright and early on Sunday. We grabbed lattes and breakfast and then Ryan and I hit the road back to Jacksonville to spend my birthday with my family.

My parents not only helped watch our boys while we were away on Saturday night but they also surprised me with the sweetest 40th-birthday themed decorations and some fun blast-from-the-past photos, memorabilia and projects from my childhood that were so fun to see!

A few favorites:

My energizer bunny Halloween costume!

And all of my school yearbook photos! The boys got a big kick out of seeing Mom at their current ages.

After a late lunch, we made our way to the beach and pool where we spent the rest of the day until we concluded the birthday celebrations with sushi and ice cream cake, two of my favorites.

And now, I would be remiss if I didn’t wrap up a 40th birthday blog post without letting all of you know how much you’ve impacted the past decade and a half of my life. When I think of the biggest blessings in my life, this blog, the ability to connect with all of you, and the support I’ve received from this community thorough my late 20s and all of my 30s is something I cherish more than any of you will ever know. Thank you for being here. Thank you for years of encouragement and support. And thank you for giving me the gift showing up and allowing me to do something I love to do every single day.

40! Can you believe it!?