Birthday Thoughts

It’s my birthday! Today officially marks 27 years in the books, though it honestly feels like just yesterday I was celebrating my 21st and beginning my senior year of college. I’ve found that time really moves fast once your school years are behind you. I can’t believe that Nick and I hit our 5 year milestone of being New York City residents in August. It’s scary but exciting to think about where we’ll be 5 years from now. Still living in New York? A new city? Will it still be just the two of us? Who knows!

Pink Off The Shoulder Dress | Saint Laurent LouLou Medium Chain Bag | Christian Louboutin Pumps | Kate Spade Watch | Pearl Stud Earrings | Burberry Nail Polish in “Elderberry”

But before I get too ahead of myself, let’s talk about this weekend. So I’m big on birthdays and going all out to celebrate special occasions. Nick knows this and actually planned an incredible surprise for me. Late last week he revealed that he was taking me to Charleston for the weekend! We’re lucky that we have the ability to travel so often together (Nick’s bank has a very generous vacation policy) but a gift like this is particularly meaningful because Nick is not a planner.

^ My birthday gift to myself making it’s debut 😛

I tease him about it all the time– something as simple as choosing a restaurant and making a dinner reservation is a struggle for him. He even jokes to all his friends and coworkers that I’m his “calendar” and will check with me first before committing to anything. I don’t mind being the planner in our relationship (#controlfreakproblems) but it really pulled my heartstrings when he revealed my birthday weekend itinerary including flights, a room at the cutest B&B in downtown Charleston and yes, confirmed dinner reservations.

Well, as you can see we didn’t make it to Charleston. Out of caution with Hurricane Irma we decided it was best to postpone our trip. Poor Nick, I felt terrible!!! He was so proud of himself for planning everything too. Thankfully he was able to get the hotel deposit refunded and vouchers for the flights that we can use for when we reschedule. Of course it was sad to have to put our plans on hold at the last minute, but with everything going on across the country it’s important to keep things in perspective. My loved ones are healthy and safe, my home isn’t in any danger and instead I was able to spend a weekend in the city that I love most! Not a bad trade off. 🙂

Cancelled plans = good excuse to hit the town in a new pink party dress! Shoutout to Glamsquad for killing it on my hair and makeup. I wish I had enough patience to always style my hair like this– the perfect undone waves!

I didn’t want to end this post on a somber note, but one last thing: remembering 9/11. I’ll be honest, normally I try to keep my head in the clouds on my birthday and not think about the tragedy associated with the date. It’s a painful day for so many people, especially the residents of New York, and it’s hard not to feel guilt for talking about something as frivolous as a cancelled trip to Charleston.

Whenever I’m feeling down I like to look up inspirational quotes for hope and motivation. Here’s one that I found this morning:

“Today is a gift that’s why they call it the present”

Pink Off The Shoulder Dress | Saint Laurent LouLou Medium Chain Bag | Christian Louboutin Pumps | Kate Spade Watch | Pearl Stud Earrings | Burberry Nail Polish in “Elderberry”

It’s true: every day is truly a gift. Just going to bed and waking up healthy should feel like a present to all of us and I’m going to try my best to remind myself of this year round– not just on my birthday. xo