Vacation Highlight: Birthday Best

I have made no secret of my love of birthdays. They're super fun and all about you. Nothing wrong with that.

This year, I was dealing with serious jet lag. I woke up at 3am and faced the day with two hours of sleep, looking like shit.

As we started out it was clear we would be wandering around ancient Rome and exploring. From the Mouth of Truth to Teatro Marcello to the Colosseum. This was the day we wandered the city the most.

Fun little run-in: As we were waiting for the elevators at the Colosseum, an old dude gets off the elevator, and in a bratty tone says to his daughter, "I don't have to do anything, it's my birthday!" I got excited, yelled, "HEY! It's my birthday too!". When he turned around he had a 6-0 button on his sweater. He was exactly twice my age! NEAT!

For dinner we found a suggestion from the Frommer's Guide in our neighborhood. Perilli's on Via Marmorata, Apparently this was the place to experience authentic Roman cuisine. So we did.

The food was amazing. The service untouchable. And the whole experience was delightful. Also, I tried lamb testicles. What?! The comedy of errors went like this.

Me: I think the lamb sweetbread sounds good.
Aunty Cherry: iris, they're balls.
Me: (in my head) I love balls of bread!

She should have mentioned they were nuts.

Anyways, my 30th birthday was ridiculously special, but made even better when ma said 'I had my doubts about this trip but this has been really cool!'

Mission accomplished.

Twenty Eleven

2010 was magical, there is no doubt about that. The Olympics, Paris, Switzerland, Hawaii, Vegas, weddings, it was all decently documented here, so I’ll try to not bore everyone with the details again.

But this year is about to come to a close. With two short days left in the year it is time to look ahead. Looking ahead though, frightens the shit out of me.

Almost 30, still single, and feeling a wee unsatisfied, I don’t know what I want from 2011.
And yes, I know I said I was ok with 30, but I may have been a big fat liar. There is so much shit that I want to do with my life, and I feel like I’m running out of time. I mean eventually, I want to settle down, find a boy to spend my life with, but I don't want to rush anything, and well need to hurry the fuck up. Time's running out!

That being said, I think from 2011, I want adventure. I want to feel like I took some chances on me, and maybe one or two will work, but if not, I want to look back on the year ahead thinking I grabbed it by the balls and made 2011 my bitch.

Also, I would like a new liver. This one won’t cut it for much longer.

60 to 30

In exactly 60 days I will be 30.

And I'm not really freaked out by it. In fact, and I know this sounds silly, but I'm kinda done with my 20's. I feel with each passing year I have grown in ways I didn't know were possible - professionally, personally, width.

But over the next 60 days I am going to enjoy the last hints of youth. I've been delaying the inevitable for a while, but 30 is definitely beyond the point of being considered youthful - just ask Barney Stinson.

I'm not going to do a things to do list, because, well, 60 days ain't that much, and I can honestly say, I've done a pretty good job of doing the stuff I really want. My 20's have been filled with adventure, some (though not a lot of) romance, amazing family and friends. And despite most of my worst moments happening in the past decade, this decade has made me, well, me.

So for my 30th birthday, I'm breaking with tradition and spending time with my parents. We are taking off for two weeks for a wee trip to Italy. It should be interesting - no friends, no connections, just me, ma & pa. We haven't done this in a while.

And maybe I will return with something fabulous from Prada, Gucci or Valentino.

I doubt it though.