Today was a good day. Today, August 30th, I turned 30 years old. Far from fearing my “dirty 30”, I’ve embraced it with open arms: this new decade is sure to come with new challenges, new experiences, and new joys.
This week has been busy in London. The days have been long and packed with a flurry of activity: I just got back on Sunday from my epic back to back trips with Busabout and Eurail (stayed tuned for posts recounting those adventures), have spent time reconnecting with Liebling after a three week separation due to the trip mentioned above, and have, after a two month summer break, gone back to work (oh, the joys of being a teacher)! Tuesday evening I also delighted in a major girlie session with Fned and Ms. Kyle Hepp (who just happens to be in London for the week, yay!) at a local pub (how British!) where we laughed and laughed and spoke all at once.
Today, however, I welcomed the start of a new decade. To be honest, I don’t understand why turning 30 for some is tinged with sadness or a sense of impending doom. Getting older is necessary, natural. Age, in many cases, equals a growing and strengthening wisdom, for inevitably as one gets older they also have more experiences from which to learn. Besides, in my opinion, age ain’t nothing but a number. You are only as old as you feel. You can embody the spirit of Peter Pan at 52, feel like Methuselah at 25. Physical age may be static, but your mental and emotional ages don’t have to be. But I digress.
This morning, I awoke to a sunny London…
But by mid-morning the heavens let loose and rain fell. Bad omen?
Methinks not. My day was fantastic. All day long I received birthday greetings and messages from friends and family. Lovely messages that made me blush deeply and give thanks for having such a vast network of support.
The evening was even better, if that’s possible. I met up with Liebling after work, ready for a birthday surprise that he had prepared. To my great pleasure, he took me to a funky new sushi-fusion restaurant located on the 38th floor of one of London’s tallest buildings, the Heron Tower. The restaurant was gorgeous and the view over London mind-blowing. I didn’t bring my camera but managed to take a few snaps on my phone:
Dazzling. But the piece de resistance was the birthday prezzie my true love gave to me (no, it wasn’t a partridge in a pear tree):
We’re going skydiving! Because if jumping out of a plane isn’t a good way to kick off my 30’s, I don’t know what is. Excited!
How do you usually celebrate your birthday? Have you ever been skydiving? Would you ever go?
86 Comments
happy happy birthday to you! what a way to kick of your 30s!
Happy Birthday!!!!
Love the pics!
Happy birthday ! All the best wishes for you.
I can’t wait to read your story about skydiving 😀
Happy Birthday lady! Sounds like you’ve enjoyed it!
Happy birthday, and welcome to the casual thirties. These days we’re all so stunted I think it’s really just an excuse to make up for all of the time lost doing nothing during our twenties. Except you look to have done plenty. Well now I just feel old and decrepit. I’d be upset but I’m just going to watch Matlock and fall asleep.
Oh, but my birthday recently passed. I told someone the only thing I would consider doing as a special whoop-dee-doo was miniature golf. I got dragged to karaoke instead. The lesson here, in the delicate golden years, is to not trust your friends.
Happy belated birthday…age they say is nothing but number…I want to go skydiving too.
Happy birthday!!!
Happy birthday! I am not interested in skydiving, but it sounds like a great present for you!
Aw, that’s a lovely blog post. And you’re very right of course – it doesn’t really matter how old you are, it’s what you do and how you act that counts. Happy 30th year!
Woohoo!! Happy Birthday & Welcome to the 30s!!! I’ve definitely enjoyed my 30s…I feel more driven and focused!
I’ve never gone skydiving..if I make it to 70 years old…will do it then!
Enjoy your weekend.
Welcome to the best decade! Your thirties will be so much better than your twenties. Happy Birthday!
Thank you!!! I can’t wait to see what this decade has in store- my twenties were such a wonderful surprise!
Happy birthday again 🙂
I usually don’t do much for my birthday but I’m thinking I should do something special next May, when I join you in the 30s club. As for skydiving, I’m way too scared for that! I never managed to dive in a swimming-pool so I don’t really see myself jumping in empty space from a plane.
Thank you, again 🙂 I’ve never dived in a pool- I can barely swim- so jumping out of a plane should be interesting to say the least!
Happy Birthday, Oneika! You are an inspiration.
That room in that first picture spells GORGEOUS!
Aww thank you!!
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Like I said FB, what an AWESOME gift. And skydiving is an amazing experience…this coming from a girl who has a slight fear of heights and still jumped out of the skydiving plane…and by jump, I mean was pushed out by my tandem jump partner.
I have a BIG fear of heights so we ll see how it’ll all pan out.. :-0
Happy birthday again. I think the reason why people are uncomfortable telling other people their age is because they fell disappointed about the many things they coulda,woulda and shoulda done! But you certainly aren’t part of such group 🙂 I am grateful to be alive and healthy each and every single day!
I don’t think i’ll ever go skydiving and i’ve never really done anything grand for my birthday, but might do something for my 25th :p
anyone else notice the people in the restaurant are mostly men? including the servers? I suppose only men eat sushi in London!
Yes, I definitely think we should be grateful for life and good health! Didn’t notice the disproportionate amount of men, you’re right!
Happy birthday! (slightly late, but still) Enjoy the skydiving..sounds scary, but yet kind of tempting to try
I agree! I’m scared sh*tless but am too curious to say no!
Happy, Happy Birthday!
Happy Belated Birthday and I hope you enjoy sky diving! That’s something I would stick on my “Just Maybe” list, right next to bungee jumping. If any of my friends are crazy enough to do it as well, I would definitely do it then!
I don’t think I could do it alone either!
Thank you!
Happy Birthday! The 30’s are pretty fabulous. I loved my 30th birthday, although for this one coming up next week, I think is going to be the age where I stop mentioning numbers. 🙂
haha whatever! You are only as old as you feel!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! While I had a fabulous time for my 30th, it wasn’t the easiest of Birthdays. Sky diving is SO much fun! <3
Thanks love!!
Happy belated birthday!
I actually found the birthdays leading up to my 30th were scarier – 28 and 29 sounded really old when I thought of myself as a twenty-something. Then I actually had my 30th and realised I was totally happy with what I was doing and where I was in life and it wasn’t scary at all!
Yay!! Age ain’t nothing but a number!
Happy Belated and welcome to the 30 club! Haven’t had a chance to go skydiving yet. A couple of failed attempts, but it will happen. Excited to hear about your experience.
You can do it when you’re in London! 😉
Happy Birthday!!! It looks like you had an amazing one. That´s so exciting that you are going sky-diving; I´ve never been, but I´m hoping to go later this year in Chile or Argentina!! Can´t wait to have our own London adventures…xx
Thanks chica! Can’t wait till you get here, you have to take me shopping! Love your style!
Happy Birthday!
Previous skydiving plans fell through, but it is still on my list of things to do.
Maybe you can do it for your next bday?
Happy Oneika Day to you… my wishes are a wee bit late, but I firmly believe that birthday festivities should go on for at least a week, so here’s hoping that you are still celebrating! I don’t think I could ever go sky-diving. Heights & airplanes & me = yikes. That being said, mon mari jumped out of a plane a few years back & said it was fabulous. It certainly sounds like a good way to kick off your new decade. {By the way, can you see me waving to you from France? And from my position in {ahem} the late-thirties?} Good!
Merci!! I am terribly afraid of heights- it’s probably a good thing that I’ll be strapped to the instructor for my jump! (Waving back!)
Happy Birthday, Nikita! Have fun skydiving. *and no, i wouldn’t go*
lol!
Happy Belated Birthday Oneika! Your 20s had been awesome may it continued in the next decade. For my 30th birthday I went to Europe to travel for 3 months 😉 I have not had the chance to skydive yet but would like to try skydiving at least once in my lifetime. Let’s dive to a great start
Ooh!What a great present!!!
Happy Belated 30th Oneika.
I was settling into Barcelona and missed the momentous occasion. 30 isn’t so bad wait til you are knocking on 35’s door (me next week) you start to wonder where did the time go?
I usually try to celebrate by travelling somewhere new. It didn’t always work out in the past but I am determined to make sure it does in the future. If I can’t go somewhere I will do something new and different were I am. Though I still don’t know what I am doing this year.
Thank you for the bday wishes! Where would you like to go for your 35th?! Happy early birthday to you!
I went skydiving for my 25th birthday last Summer. You will have a great time it was the best birthday activity planned thus far. Buy the video and pictures of your dive!
You are brave! Were you scared?
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