.thirty one.

Today is my birthday. I am not, as Sesame guessed, 17 or 69. I am 31. One of my family members so kindly told me I'm now closer to 40 than I am to 20 which is depressing. 

I honestly can't remember many specifics from this year (I think I blocked out parts of it) but I came up with a few things worth noting.

Trips: I took a 30th birthday trip to Maine with Autumn and Joanna.

 I saw Katie for the first time in 3 years. 

I went to West Virginia, Denver, and on a cruise. I went to Ohio to hug Michelle after too many months apart.

Shows: My current favorites are This Is Us, Million Little Things and Virgin River. I just started Sweet Magnolia's which is a mix of Gilmore Girls/Hart of Dixie/Hallmark small town movie. In other words, it's right up my alley and checks all the predictable chick-flick boxes.

Beauty: Incoco nail appliques. I love having painted nails but get so frustrated when I spend an hour painting them only to have them chip the next day. I found the Incoco nails at the beauty world headquarters that is Walmart.

I continued my hunt for the perfect mascara. It's been a long mascara road but someone has to bear the burden and I selflessly volunteer. I picked up a Rimmel mascara on sale because it said "buy one at $8.99, get one for $1.99" and if there's anything to will get me to plunk down cash it's a good sale. The second one kept ringing up at full price and I did not want to be that person who holds up the line, but I made her look at the sticker herself and even went so far as to wait for the manager to approve the price. Such cheap mascara is too good to pass up. I pair it with my L'Oreal primer and walk around town like this.

Celebrity sightings: Josh Groban, Josh Turner and Jimmy Carter. I did not get a picture with any of them but their people told my people they'll be in contact soon for a photoshoot and autograph. 

Books: I can't think of a favorite book I read this year. I didn't read nearly as much as I would have liked. I enjoyed What Alice Forgot, House Rules, and The Things We Do for Love.

Firsts: We bought a house. I was a stage mom at the dance recital. We survived (more accurately, are surviving) quarantine and life being turned on its head. I completed my first year of being a homeschool parent instead of a student. 

Negatives: I haven't been home to visit since early July and thanks to the current pandemic it could be a while. I saw several frogs. People close to me got very sick. I lost a baby in October and one in April. The latter has been an ongoing saga since February but that's a story for another day. 

Listened to: AB talk practically around the clock for the 362 days we were together since my last birthday. If I had to pick a soundtrack for the last year it would be ''Mom. Mama. Hey, Mom? Can I listen to my story? Mom! I'm hungry. What is the man doing? How many furs do you think Linus has? How many rocks are in my hand? What are the inside of planets made of? Can you google where my shoes are? Do I have email? Is it almost lunchtime?"