Hey everyone,

It’s my birthday! (Well, by the time this posts, my birthday will have been yesterday.) But still!

I’ve been having a rough week, though. Food poisoning that led to some scary body symptoms…especially scary because I have health anxiety. Plus, both my cat and husband haven’t been feeling well (husband has a never ending summer cold and the cat has been acting strangely, we had the vet come to assess). So, we’ve all been on the mend together. But I gotta say, I am grateful to have them to recuperate with, even if we’re all recuperating. We spend time eating bland foods and complaining to each other (even Nora the cat.) Makes me feel like we’re a real family.

On another note…

I’ve been growing a small garden on my back patio!

I don’t know if I told this story here before, but I used to live in a one bedroom apartment in a complex with sixteen other apartments. I had a parking spot, but zero outdoor space. When the days would get warm, I’d have to open my windows or take myself to the park down the street to enjoy the weather, but what I really wanted was an outdoor space of my own where I could set up comfy furniture and read.

When my husband and I (then boyfriend) were looking at places to live, the thing that appealed to me about this house that we’re in now was it’s little outdoor patio. It’s small, but it’s enough. And now I’ve begun to finally put into action what I’ve always wanted aside from a place to sit and read…a little garden.

I’m growing lettuce, cherry tomatoes, basil, and some wildflowers including sunflowers and blue buttons. We’ve had some days of very intense rain here in New Jersey, so even though I’ve planted quite late, everything is sprouting, which makes me so excited to see! I think the first frost here is October 15th, so there’s still time to see what blossoms. My hope is to be able to make cherry tomato sauce with the tomatoes and basil from my little harvest. Fingers crossed.

Birthday number 38. My 30’s are drawing to a close, which is so strange. This decade has been quite a ride. I feel like this is when I really started doing the things I always wanted to do. Traveling and writing professionally/leaving teaching were the big ones. But also getting married and buying a house, which, if I’m being honest, were things I never thought I’d do.

My 30’s haven’t been easy. Far from it considering the uphill battle that has been learning how to manage my anxiety. Unfortunately, this fight has been the undercurrent of the last eight years. But it’s made the good moments that much sweeter.

I’ve decided that my word for the next year is grow. I think this has been my word before, but it feels more relevant than ever to my life as I grow my writing, my goals, my garden.

Let’s see what the next year brings.

Until next time, friends. : )