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To be honest, I never thought COVID-19 complications would go this long. When people started talking about "quarantine birthday celebrations” early spring, I never thought I would have one of those. I truly believed I’d get to be out and about, enjoying this beautiful city we recently moved to.

Shelter-in-place time has both flown and crawled by. It is wild to me that we essentially spent the entire spring season hibernating in our homes. In almost 2 months summer will have come and gone as well. All that to say, when we were enjoying our weekly beach sunset ritual 2 Sunday evenings ago, it didn’t even feel like my birthday was that close. We have really good friends who we play the “deep question” game quite frequently, but especially on birthdays. “Deep questions” meaning thought provoking and reflective inquiries. Anyway, they began to ask me things about my 28th year and I was like wow, I haven’t even processed this year of my life yet. Almost 50% of my (birth) year was in quarantine, about 80% was living in a new place, and 100% of that year I was without a corporate job for the first time ever. Those 3 things alone are a lot to process!

Madewell Linen Wrap Dress (c/o) | Cariuma Sneakers (c/o) | Aerie Sunglasses

Because I didn’t even know where to begin with this year’s birthday post, I went back to read my previous birthday articles. You can read them here: 28, 27, 26, 25, and 24. I often speak on my emotions and how things are going / how they have been. It was fun to look back and remember what was going on during those times of my life. 26 was still my hardest year to date, and though 28 probably ranks close to it, I don’t think I experienced near as much pain. That being said, I really enjoyed looking back and reading how I felt around my birthday, so thought I’d recap some highs (and lows), along with some favorites to remember 28 by.

Highs (and lows):

• My style changed. For one I’m wearing biker shorts and 100% cotton jeans. Did I resort back to my 90’s childhood? Maybe, but more than that, I’m seeking out minimalistic pieces and trying to create more of a capsule collection type of wardrobe. I’m also starting to wear the right size clothing for my body. I talked about it here, but I realized I have had somewhat of body dysmorphia view of my body and was wearing too big of clothing. It probably didn’t help that I was used to the college oversized look and that vibe seeped from my sorority shirts into my main wardrobe. I also went through a very tight clothing phase prior to that, so I guess this is just my style evening out. Regardless, I’m here for it!

  Side note - I also got my hair chopped shorter than it has been in almost 20 years. Hah! Not sure that was a life change as much as an accident, but it definitely has helped my haircut-less self during this pandemic. I also have worn more hats, which I loooove incorporating into outfits. These are my favorites.

• My corporate life dwindled, but my side project thrived. I lost my job exactly a month before my birthday, so it was still very raw when I turned 28. While it hasn’t healed and I still don’t have a corporate position, I have come to love (and be thankful) for my blog even more. It doesn’t match my last salary, but it does compete with my first salary after college, so that is saying something! Also learning I was worth more than my job was probably my greatest lesson learned for 28!

• I prioritized sleep. Okay so this is kind of a quarantine habit / kind of not. Before losing my job, I would get up around 4:30 / 5:30 am. Since I haven’t had to go into an office for over a year those early wake up times have become a thing of the past. In a way I feel like my body is being rejuvenated and revived from all those countless hours I was working and such. I’m for sure still working hard, just making sure 8 hours of sleep is a priority for me!

• I developed the worst acne of my life. I feel like I have made this claim several times, but in this case, it really was. It has begun to heal very nicely, so hopefully it will fully so I can show you the before and after, but wow. This has been so humbling. While it has been physically and mentally painful, I’m thankful for the experience to not only show more compassion to others, but to possibly help!

• I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. I got my first colonoscopy in January and that was an experience to say the least. I’ve been on medication since then and am feeling the best I have felt in a very long time.

• I practiced yoga (almost) every day. CorePower Yoga literally saved me over this past year. Often times it was the only interaction I got during the day after losing my job. My love for yoga has grown even more and I try to practice at least 5 days a week, though I incorporate certain poses daily. Honestly everyone can be benefit from a little yoga in their life! Also I may not always feel like it, but most days it is easier for my to convince myself to get on my mat than it ever was for me to go to the gym or on a run.

• I came to term with losing friends. I’m not talking about death (though I did here) - I’m just talking about when old friends drift apart or even when one ghosts the other. I used to feel so sad and alone with this, as I never knew what I did wrong (for the most part). Because people don’t often talk about this, I didn’t realize until this year that it is fairly normal. While it still makes me somewhat sad, I have come to terms that it is a fact of life, which has helped me start healing.

• I got a Costco membership. Hah! Thought I’d end with a fun one. My in-laws got us this as a Christmas gift and it has been so nice! We bought our Dyson fan from Costco and definetly have developed some repeat purchases that I will try to share later this year. * tear * we are growing up! ;)

Here are a few of my favorite things from my 28th year:

Favorite books -

• American Royals by Katharine McGee (Light and fun - couldn’t stop reading it! The second book is supposed to come out in a month! September 1, 2020.)

• Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah (Such a good story - cried my eyes out, still need to read the second book.)

• Save Me The Plums by Ruth Reichl (I love food and this autobiography!)

• Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris (Deeply moving true story - I still need to read the other book.)

Favorite shows / movies -

• The OC (I never watched this growing up!)

• Silicon Valley (I didn’t watch it when it was live, but really enjoyed the smart humor.)

• When They See Us (The most impactful thing I watched.)

• Trolls 2 (Maybe not my favorite movie, but I honestly couldn’t think of one that came out in the last year that I was more excited about that Trolls 2 - hah! I think the first one was better, but this one was still fun.)

Favorite Meal/ Restaurant / Experience -

• Nobu Malibu in Malibu, CA. 100% worth the hype. The view is fantastic and the food is wonderful. Perhaps I should do a post on

• Lily’s Cafe in Malibu, CA. One of my favorite breakfast burritos and bean burritos. Grab one and go enjoy it on Zuma beach.

• Republique in LA, CA. In the La Brea area, this breakfast / brunch / dinner spot is fantastic. I’ve only been for breakfast / brunch (twice), but it was so memorable and yummy.

• Felix in Venice, CA. The best Italian food I’ve had in LA thus far.

• Gjelina in Venica, CA. Fantastic pizza, pizza, etc. Divine!

• Catch LA in West Hollywood, CA. This place lives up to the hype. The ambiance is amazing and so are the sushi rolls.

• Salt and Straw. I had enjoyed S&S ice cream before in Portland, but had never had in LA until moving here. We stock up on their pints quite often. THEY ARE SO GOOD.

Favorite Trip:

• Napa, CA. It is always a favorite and to be honest I wish I was there now like I was last year for my birthday. It is so calming and relaxing. We were there last August and then again for a day trip in February.

• Thanksgiving in LA. Okay so not a trip we took, but my family came to LA for thanksgiving and it was so fun!

• Oak Glen, CA. We went apple picking and it was only a day trip, but it was such a great time. I wrote about it here.

• Sacramento, CA. California’s capitol is very underrated and is always fun to visit. In February we went to visit a winery in Amador Country and it was such a fun weekend.

• Malibu. We rented a house in Malibu mid-February and it was so relaxing and nice. I love love love being in Malibu.

As far as what I expect for 29, I guess I’m just excited to see where it takes me! I’ve always answered the question of “where do you see yourself in 5 years” with honestly wherever God wants me to go / takes me. I didn’t think I’d be here in LA, without a corporate job at 28, so bring on the next year and let’s see where it goes!!

Cheers to 29 and my final year in my 20’s. Maybe for my 30th I’ll be able to be in Napa or a swim-up bar somewhere;) Thanks for celebrating another trip around the sun with me! XOXO

P.S. I always loved Sprinkles growing up, so thought it would be fun to take a pic at the original Beverly Hills location! You can a free cupcake on your birthday, so be sure to take advantage of that. My all-time favorite is the dark chocolate with sprinkles!!

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