Hi! I am back from a slightly unintentional blog break. My old MacBook Pro was seven years old, and while we had a great run, it was really slowing down. So, I decided to send it into Apple’s Trade-In Program to get a gift card for its value to use towards a new MacBook. It was really easy: they send you a box with a return label, you ship it to them, they send you a gift card for its value, and then they recycle it. (They take non-Apple devices too—you likely won’t get any money, but it’s a great way to safely recycle old computers, phones, and tablets lying around your house!)
Luckily for me, right before I was about to purchase a new computer, they announced the new MacBook Airs. I purchased a gold one and it is so lightweight and gorgeous! The one downside of ordering the new model was that there were some shipping delays—I had to wait about two weeks for it to arrive. Luckily, I had my work computer if I needed to do anything critical in my personal life, but I didn’t want to do anything for TOT on it. Now that my new MacBook Air is up and running, I have a long list of posts I want to get up soon for you guys—including a gift guide (even though I know most of you have probably already done your shopping)!
It’s been a while since I did a life lately post and I thought it’d be a good way to give y’all a smattering of updates from what’s been going on with me over the past month or so. Starting with…
I TURNED 30! /
If you had asked me in 2019 how I would have spent my 30th birthday, I would have told you I wanted to spend it on a beach in Mexico with my friends. That obviously didn’t happen—at this point, we all will endure a pandemic birthday—but despite no sand, no surf, and no bottomless margaritas, I had the best birthday yet. I truly felt so loved and celebrated and it makes me want to be better at showing up for my friends and family on their birthdays, too.
My actual birthday, November 15, fell on a Sunday this year, so I started the celebrations a little bit early. I took Friday off of work, slept in, and went out for Mexican for lunch with my mom. Friday evening, I went to Soul Cycle in Union Market and rode a class outdoors—this was my first time back on the bike since March, and I missed it so, so much. The class was done “silent disco” style, so everyone had headphones where they could hear the instructor and music. I felt very safe—the bikes were 10 feet apart, and since I went to class at 7:30pm on a Friday, there were just eight or nine other riders. I was probably 30 feet away from everyone else. The activation is running through December 31, so if you’re in DC and also need your Soul Cycle fix, I’d definitely recommend it!
On Saturday, I had a small birthday celebration with three of my closest friends, my sister, and my cousin at Walsh Family Wine out in Loudoun County. It was the perfect day. I had been to Walsh once before and I chose it because I really enjoyed their wine and the laid back, welcoming atmosphere. I booked a reservation for six online for 12-2:30pm. The original plan was to head to Sunset Hills or Hillsborough after our reservation ended since both wineries are nearby and don’t require reservations since they both have more land, making it easy for patrons to picnic and spread out. Because they didn’t “sell out” reservations for the second reservation slot, 2:30-5pm, we were allowed to stay the whole day, which worked out so nicely. We grabbed a table on the patio near their outdoor fireplace since we had a ton of snacks and sweets, but they also had barrels of hay set up on their lawn, each with their own individual fire pit. It was the perfect fall day—in the 50s, but with no wind. We literally closed the place down and had a great afternoon of conversation, laughs, and lots of wine. I have the best friends and family, and they made my pandemic 30th birthday party one for the books.
After we left the vineyard, a few of us went back to my sister’s apartment in Arlington, ordered Chinese food, and watched holiday movies. It was the perfect end to such a perfect day.
On my actual birthday, I woke up and nursed a hangover with my favorite breakfast and the mimosas my team from work had delivered to my house—which was SO thoughtful. I watched Home Alone and took a nap, and then for dinner, my sister, my cousin, and I went over to my parents house for dinner. My mom cooked my favorite meals—cajun meatloaf, lemon basil carrots, and a potato casserole—and got me a supermarket cake for dessert. (I love supermarket cake! In college, our tradition was to get everyone a Kroger cake.) It was the perfect way to wrap up a very special birthday weekend.
Here’s to my 40th in Mexico! ;] Read more “Life Lately (The One Where I Turned 30!)”