Today is my birthday. My 6th 29th birthday to be exact. Who was it that said…
"Don’t trust anyone over 30"?
That always cracked me up, even when I was in my 20s. Don’t younger people realize they WILL be 30 one day. I mean, if they are lucky enough to live that long.
I think being in my 30s is AWESOME! Some may hold on to their youth but I’m a completely different person then my younger self…
That’s me on my 25th birthday in 2001 (I could not find one birthday photo of myself from 2000, I was at my heaviest then and not really into getting photographed) and me last night showing off a new dress I bought at the beach for facebook.
Besides the weight differences I see two completely different people in those pictures. My mid 20s were filled with self-doubt, insecurities, low self esteem, and self pity. I was preoccupied with trying to lower the number on the scale but not really willing to make the necessary lifestyle changes to sustain a weight loss. I took extreme unhealthy measures to try to lose weight. I wore nothing but oversized t-shirts and mens jeans to hide my body. I didn’t really DO anything except watch TV, go to the movies and eat out. Frankly, I was miserable.
My life is completely different now most notably in the DOing department. Now I DO things all the time. I run. I play. I dance. I take walks. I dabble in photography. I blog. I even fly kites. ;) I live an active lifestyle that maintains my weight and I try real hard to disconnect myself from some stupid number on some stupid scale. I’m all about living consciously and balanced. I may still have a smidgen of self-doubt but with every passing year is gets smaller and smaller. I am happy. Actually….. I’m happier then happy. I am content with who I am. <--- wow.. it took me a long time to get there.
I let my 20s fly right by me wasting too much time feeling sorry for myself. I refuse to do the same in my 30s. I’m four years in and taking life by the horns. Who’s with me?
62 Responses to 20s vs. 30s
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What's Cooking in my kitchen?
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I've never had a tuna melt. Is that weird? I guess that's what happens when you grow up not liking mayonnaise. I never ate tuna salad or egg salad or chicken salad. Honestly, they always kind of grossed me out. Then I realized.. hey.. why does tuna salad have [...] -
I have no idea where this idea came from. I was hungry. It was lunch. I had Brussels Sprouts. That was all the catalyst I needed.:) I decided to use a slice of real bacon to add flavor and little fat that would help sauté the sprouts. I'm trying [...] -
WOW was this good. I mean seriously good. It's not vegetarian so don't start throwing stones. I'm calling it a Garden Vegetable Burger because I use the new Laughing Cow Smooth Sensations Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese Spread. It was this recipe on Allrecipes.com that inspired [...] -
I drink water 99.9% of the time but every so often it just doesn't cut it. I want something else. Something more. Something slightly sweet. Today was one of those days. I decided to make a refreshing drink based on the famous Arnold Palmer, half lemonade and half iced [...] -
The other day I made a whole chicken on the grill in pieces. It was delicious! Just a little BBQ sauce and an open flame is all I need to make The Husband happy in the dinner department. I also picked up a few ears of corn from the grocery store. They aren't in season [...] -
Let me explain so you don't think I'm making a chili recipe and just put it on pizza. I'm calling this vegetarian Chili Pizza because chili is what inspired flavors. I think I told you. Little Bean is really into, well, BEANS! We go through a can about every 2 days. Yesterday [...] -
I've confessed my inability to follow recipes here on GreenLiteBites many, many times. I don't know why it's so hard for me. I can barely follow some of my own and I wrote the darn things! I think most of my problem stems from not having all the ingredients listed and, [...] -
Leftover brown rice and leftover sauce meet in this quick lunch idea inspired by my favorite food of all time: Pizza. I swear I can turn anything into a pizza concoction. Have you seen all my pizza ideas? I've used everything from pumpkin to zucchini, polenta to wontons. Nothing is off [...] -
This isn't a recipe just an idea I had to share. I can't believe how good it was! I've never had grilled pineapple. Can you believe it? I just never really had the desire to grill it before. When you love something raw sometimes it doesn't occur to you to cook it. [...] -
I whipped this up for lunch on a whim today because, well, I have a baby who's obsessed with three things… Cheese, Beans, and Avocado. No, really. Look... It's my go to meal for him so I find myself with beans and avocado readily available. [...] -
You know that tradition 7 Layer Mexican Dip? The one with the cream cheese, guacamole, salsa, lettuce, cheese, green onion and olives? Yea. That's the one. Well I had a craving for it the other day. Well, not exactly for it as I can never make anything the way it's suppose [...] -
If you go through the archives of GreenLiteBites I have about 5 total beef recipes. Five. Compare that to the 80+ I have tagged with chicken/turkey there's a clear winner in the meat department on my blog and in my home. I don't have a beef with beef (omg The Husband [...] -
I'm a kitchen sink smoothie maker. Whatever I have on hand goes in the blender and viola! A quick breakfast or a healthy snack. Last year I posted an "Elastic Approach" to how I make smoothies but I still like to share specific combinations that worked really well. This was one [...] -
The other night it was just the kids and I home for dinner and I decided to make what I wanted to make no holds barred. Without The Husband home it's much easier for some reason. Hmmm wonder why? Ok, not here to husband bash.. really.. I'm not! I'm here [...] -
*sigh* I was really hoping to share an awesome turkey burger idea. I had grand plans for my leftover ground turkey. The results was alright but they could have been so much better. I added diced pineapple, red pepper, green pepper, oats and soy sauce to the meat and formed 2 patties. In hindsight I [...] -
I made this on a total whim yesterday having no idea if it would work. To my surprise it did AND the husband actually said he liked it... UNSOLICITED! Here's the story. I had only 4 tilapia fillets defrosted for dinner. I knew it wasn't going to be enough for us [...] -
This is a slight reboot of a recipe I posted last year simply called Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili. Staying true to my use-what-I-have-on-hand roots I, well, used what I had on hand and made a similar dish with a spicy twist. Topping the result with avocado added a cool creaminess that [...] -
Did you hear? The Laughing Cow recently launched Smooth Sensations a line of 5 cream cheese spreads. There's Classic Cream, Classic Cream Light, Strawberries & Cream, Garden Vegetable and my favorite… Cinnamon. It's a sweet wedge of creamy goodness! Today I decided to use my new favorite flavor [...] -
Confession time, I recorded a 30 minute video making this with both kids (partally) 2 nights ago. I miss videos. I really do but they seem so much more difficult with 2 children. I'm also having technical difficulties with my video recording and audio syncing making it VERY time consuming to edit. [...] -
A couple of years ago I shared a modified version of Sloppy Joe's I made for a party. Everyone loved it but I've been wanting to try to make something similar for the family on a smaller scale and without the pre-made canned Manwich sauce. I don't particularly have any issues [...] -
Yesterday I was dreaming about a salad. Not just any salad, but a chickpea filled, cucumber, and red onion salad with a fun, tangy dressing. Unfortunately, I had no cucumber or red onion. Well, that's a lie. I had a half of cucumber but it was a mushy mess and [...] -
Dinner meals are getting harder and harder for me to share lately. I've gone back to just whipping things up without really measuring anything (this meal was going to be one of those until I realized I still had enough light to take some photos.) I've also instituted a few brainless meal nights [...] -
Three years ago I posted a video called "Makin' Hard Boiled Eggs" where I shared my system for, well... making hard boiled eggs. Genius name, I know. I'm smart like that. Anyway, since then I've gotten tons of feedback and comments thanking me but all the information is locked in a long winded 10 minute [...] -
Yup. You read that correctly. BEET as in those red vegetables that stain your fingers pink. Honestly, I have no idea what possessed me to make this. I don't particularly like beets. I mean I like them, but I don't looove them. Two summers ago I made them for [...] -
Yesterday I decided to rediscover simple foods. Part of my cooking slump has to do with over thinking. So I did what I used to do, simply react to what I have on hand. This is what I came up with... Starting from top left around.., [...]
About Roni
Roni started this blog in '05 to journal her weight loss. 70lbs later, she's committed to living a conscious, healthy life and hopes to inspire others along the way. Read more on the about page.
Happy Birthday! You look vibrant and gorgeous. When you are eating well, taking care of yourself, and loving life, it just keeps getting better! I am 47 and this is the best time of my life :-)
Happy birthday and all the best in the years to come… I like my 30′s too :-).
Happy Birthday!! You are beautiful. I too am taking the bull by the horns. The last 30 years have passed me by. No more! Today, the last day of year 52 I will stop feeling sorry for myself and begin to change my outlook so I can become who I was created to be. Just who that is, I don’t know. I do know it’s not the person I am today.
happy belated birthday :) This is a really cute artical, and really keeps me motivated. Im 23 and Id really like to not spend these prime years worried about my weight. Im 40# down, 20# to go, and I want to reach that soon so i can live my life to the fullest. Thanks again Roni!
AAAACK! Ortal! You are missing the point!! And I don’t mean to pick on your or make fun.
You need live life to the fullest NOW not after you lose 20lbs. Putting off your happiness for some number on some stupid scale is part of the problem. There is nothing wrong with having weight loss goals but there is everything wrong with letting your current weight dictate your self worth and prevent you from living the life you want to live.
I’m not DOing things now because I lost the weight. I starting DOing things first and the weight loss was a bi-product. Does that make sense?
Happy birthday! I am with you- in my 5th decade now and loving life more every year :)
From one 34-year-old to another…AMEN, sister! Happy birthday and happy you!
Me! I’m in! I turned 31 in May and I’m loving my 30s. Aside from losing weight and getting healthier, I am really and truly having more fun!
Happy Birthday!!
Happy Birthday Roni!! I haven’t been in a while and stopped by, and your hair is totally adorable! Love it! And you are one hot mama in that dress. I almost got a little misty because I also “let my 20s fly right by me wasting too much time feeling sorry for myself” but I am taking life by the horns now, and won’t waste any more time.
P.S. I am 32~
O-M-G!!!! I missed your birthday….bad bad bad girl (as I slap my hand). I hope it was everything you dreamed of.
I swear you are my soul sista … I see myself in you. You are such an inspiration — sigh…
BTW – I am 35.
I really needed to read this right now. I’m 28 years old and the exact description of yourself when you were in your 20s. I hate it. Although I’m getting married in, uh, 34 days I’m not happy with m-e. My fiance is wonderful, I’m excited to marry the man I love, continue working on the house that we purchased almost a year ago and eventually have children, but me, myself, it stinks. I actually just wrote a small blurb on my other blog about this feeling I’m having: http://www.theycallmecurlysue.wordpress.com
But I just wanted to say thank you and I’m saving this in my Google Reader—p.s. that dress looks fabulous!!