// week thirty nine // the one where liz turns 41

hello, friends! happy monday! did you get to see the moon last night?! did you feel the magic and gaze at it in awe? i’m always taken aback when i see the night sky – on any given night, it feels like. it just feels like i am part of something so big, so amazing, so important. and i am. and so are you.

but, this post isn’t about the moon (you can read more about my love for last night’s moon here). today’s post is about last week. and last week, i celebrated my 41st birthday! oh, and i mean that i c-e-l-e-brated. i am totally a lover of birthdays. and, in my experience it only gets better + better. sure, it freaks me out how fast life moves, how quickly the years fly by. but, so far, the fact that i am getting older doesn’t mean squat to me. and,so far, 41 feels pretty damn good.

my birthday was on thursday, and i’ve been off from work since then. so, i only worked 3 days last week. my last three days of training. starting this week, i have my very first shift alone! and i’m closing, so that means i have to count money and crazy stuff like that. but, i’ll kick ass. i’ve been trained well, and i feel pretty confident. cuz, i looooove my little job.

anyway, since thursday was my birthday, my boss + friend gave me the day off. and the day after (just in case i needed it, you know). turns out i did.

i woke thursday morning to my love getting up to prepare my birthday breakfast. it’s a tradition we have in our family. to prepare coffee + breakfast + presents for the birthday girl. and then deliver it all to her in bed, while singing “happy birthday”. love our tradition!

it was a slow morning of sipping coffee, opening gifts, relaxing in the living room with my love, doing girly things like painting my nails + coloring my hair (time to go dark again for the autumn + winter), and napping. i also did some face-timing with a friend and my parents.

later in the afternoon, my love told me that we had plans and were going out. but, she didn’t tell me anything else. i love that! so, we got ready and then headed out in the coziest, foggy, chilly autumn weather.

the first stop was an irish bar for beer and fries. i mean, seriously, does my wife know me or what?! no birthday of mine would be complete without beer + fries. YUM.

after about 2 lazy hours of chatting + just being together at the pub, lina told me that we had to go. so, we walked out and across the street and i realized then that we were headed to a new wine bar that had opened up. we passed it a few weekends ago, and i felt a major connection to it, almost as if it was drawing me in. but, we didn’t go then. so my amazing wife made a reservation for us on my birthday night. woo hoo!

when we walked in, lina’s cousin + her boyfriend were sitting at a table ready to hug me + greet us! and then our dear friend (like a brother to us both)  micke, and my brotherr-in-law + his wife, also all came in! so fun! a cozy family gathering at the new wine bar i’d been dying to visit. perfect.

it was a small, dark, industrial-designed place. the perfect spot that we all decided we should visit after a day of christmas shopping, when there is snow on the ground outside. sooooo cozy. we sat and talked and drank wine and ate little appetizer dishes for about three hours together. and the whole time i was filled with an immense amount of gratitude + joy.

it was a very calm, cozy, simple birthday. and it felt like it as absolutely perfect. a day to just be me. and to be surrounded by love.

it felt like a very intentional, slow living, mindful kind of celebration. and with all of the changes that have been going on in my life and with my little family, this was exactly what i wanted. what i needed. a day to connect and be. i didn’t reflect much. i didn’t ponder the past or think to the future. i just lived, aware + awake,  in the moments of the day.

and here i am, ready to step out + forward. ready to see what adventures + opportunities + challenges face me as i begin my 42nd journey around the sun. there is much going on, and some very big are starting right now. this week. today, my love begins her day treatment program. in my gut, i know that this will be good. but, i know that it will be such a huge fight for her. she is taking back control, and the journey back will test her, i know. and i just want to support her as best i can.

as for me, on friday, i leave for my first life coach certification training weekend. this is a huge step for me. and it feels oh so right. but, the timing is crazy, and i will miss being with my love. yet, i know with all of my soul that this is something that i am supposed to do. this is the step that i am supposed to take.

yes, this week, my love and i are both moving forward. separately, on our own journeys. and yet together. because that’s how we roll. and i am so grateful and blessed to call lina my wife, my partner, my best friend.

with all of this love, and the love of family + friends, both near + far, what more could a girl ask for?

wishing you a beautiful week ahead, dear readers!

onwards + upwards! xoxo