Catching Up: The Big Three O

Jonathan and I both turned 30 this year.  Thirty. XXX.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (that's 30 h's).  I never imagined myself to be 30.  In fact, I would say that the past 10 years I've just sort of been winging it.  I don't think that I've actually had a plan for my life since I was about twenty years old.  Since then, it all feels like a really good but very unpredictable ride.

Turning thirty was not the dramatic event I thought it might be.  I woke up and felt the same way I did when I went to sleep the night before.  I looked in the mirror...it was the same face.  Sure...I'm seeing more wrinkles, sagging, etc...and everything I've read has told me that my metabolism is about to go into hibernation and that my eggs are drying up, but all in all I feel like that same girl I was five years ago, mostly.  Hooray!  Hopefully I can stave off the byproducts of my 30's for a few more years before I have to actively invest in anti-aging products and buy a gym membership.  Ew.

Jonathan of course embraced thirty.  "I like my wrinkles, they make me look wise."  "It's good that I look older because people will take me more seriously at work."  "I can work the Bruce Willis-look."  "Hello, Amanda.  I am a grown-up.  I have been one for a long time, and so have you!"  Ehhh....

Jonathan loves being thirty.  I've just decided not to think about it.  :)

We both had wonderful Birthdays.  Mine was more celebratory than Jonathan's, of course.  Jonathan is so much better at birthdays that I am.  Plus, I threatened him that he had to make my birthday memorable.  I had to make Jonathan celebrate his birthday.  After much arm twisting, he consented to an intimate birthday celebration the night before his birthday, since he would be watching the Republican Debate on the 22nd.  Awesome.

Here's mine:

I woke up in the morning (Jonathan got up with Sawyer and let me sleep in until almost 10!) and came downstairs to an immaculately cleaned house and decorations!  Jonathan also made me breakfast, which included homemade english muffins. 

It was a beautiful fall day.  Not very cold and a beautiful blue sky.  As a gift, Jonathan took the day off of school in order to devote the day to me and my birthday.  He got teary when he told me he was more than happy to do it because it's probably the last time that he will ever get to blow-off an entire day to spend completely with me. We rode the train into Boston and went shopping!  I bought a new winter skirt.

When we got home there were a pile of people waiting for us in my living room.  My sister made the most ridiculously delicious meringue cake with raspberry filling and chocolate ganache.  They all sang happy birthday and I blew out 30 candles!  It was perfect.

My birthday is also Halloween!  Here were our costumes:

Church Halloween Party. We are wearing our Japanese clothes!

This is Jonathan's real Halloween costume from the anime movie Spirited Away, "No Face" or "Koanashi" He made this himself!  

For Jonathan's birthday, I prepared an intimate dinner for the two of us to share.  Of course, it was Japanese.  It took me four hours to prepare.  We finished it off in about 45 minutes.  But Jonathan loved it, so it was totally worth it!

We had tonkatsu (panko crusted, deep fried pork loin cutlet) with cabbage yuzu salad, spinach rolls with toasted sesame seeds, slow cooked marinated shiitake mushrooms, and homemade miso soup.

Followed by a salad of marinated raw tuna, avocado, scallions, and micro greens, served with rice.

I forgot to take a picture of the dessert, but we had homemade green tea ice cream with a steamed kabocha cake.  Yum.

I hope our next 30 years find us as happy and healthy as we are now!