Turning 30 and a healthy birthday cake

Today is my birthday!

It’s a milestone that many people reach with trepidation. Crossing over from your carefree twenties into the unknown adulthood territory of your thirties is scary, but I think thirty kinda gets a bad rap.

What I always say when people ask me about getting older is that I don’t look at aging in a negative way, in fact, with each year things just get better and better. Now that’s not to say there haven’t been ups and downs, but I’m finally learning to love myself and the life I have created and I think that’s pretty darn great.

However, I am not where I thought I would be when I hit the big three-OH. And I am certainly not where “society” says I should be at this age. I often find myself comparing myself to my peers and to what I “should be” doing at this age and what I “should have” accomplished by now. I have to constantly remind myself that there is no blueprint to this life. I can do whatever the hell I want and f*ck what anybody thinks. And as much as I do believe that, it’s hard not to get sucked into the should haves and should bes every once in awhile.

That being said, I have made deliberate choices to get where I’m at today. A couple of years ago I trudged to work every morning and withered away at my desk for 8 hours until I could finally go home at the end of the day. I longed to feel inspired and to follow my life’s purpose, but all I felt was lost. I knew that I wasn’t happy with the way my life was headed, but I was terrified to do something to change my path.

Two years ago I got up the courage to quit my corporate job and I flew across the world to do some soul searching in the jungles of Bali. The whole Eat Pray Love jam. I could easily romanticize how my journey was, as people often do, but it was not easy. It was f*cking hard. I came back from Bali with a tan, a yoga teacher certificate, and a deepened spiritual practice. My time there truly did change my life. But it’s not like when I got back home that some magical switch flipped and I knew exactly what to do.

So at the ripe age of 28 I decided to go back to school and essentially start my life over, back to square one. The past two years were definitely the most difficult of my life. Mentally, emotionally, financially, everything-ly. It is not glamourous to quit your job and “follow your dreams”. I have had to make a lot of sacrifices. There were many tears and breakdowns (just ask my boyfriend who was my cheerleader and shoulder to ugly cry on). Despite all that, did I ever regret my decision? Abso-fucking-lutely not.

Now here I am two years later, I’m a Holistic Nutritionist and I’ve got this here wee blog and my life really is wonderful. It’s full of love and laughter, challenges and tears. I’m just a little bit more clear on things than I was two years ago, but life has a funny way of changing things up just when you think you’ve got the hang of it.

So what have I learned in my thirty years on this planet?

F*ck what everybody says is the “right” way to do things. Make your own blueprint for life. Follow your passion, but be realistic. Sleep. Save your money! (to spend on life-changing travel and a just-incase-fund)  Do not compare yourself to others. Don’t work so hard on work, work hard on you. Learn to love yourself first. Take good care of your health, but don’t forget that a little red wine is sometimes all you need. Mistakes and failures equal growth. Don’t take life so seriously. Everything will be ok. 

I’ve learned an awful lot more, but that covers the basics. So with that said, it’s time for cake!

This birthday cake is super healthy and easy to make at home. I LOVE baking everything, but I’m a newbie when it comes to cake, so take it from me that if I can bake a birthday cake, you can too!

Did I eat this cake all to myself? Possibly. Did I have it for breakfast one day? You’ll never know.

(I did. I’m a thirty year old woman and I do what I want.)