Today is my “golden birthday”: I’m 30 on September 30th! It’s hard to believe that as of now, I have completed the first three decades of my life and am entering into the fourth. Seriously, how is that possible? Where did the time go? I’m a bit sad/panicked about how I’m 30 already. It’s not so much the age, it’s just the fact that youth seems to be slipping by too quickly. But, I’m also proud of what I’ve done with my life so far, and I’m extremely fortunate to have loving, supportive family, wonderful friends, the best husband a woman could ask for (the kind you dream up when you’re a kid but never expect to actually exist), two adorable, sweet sons, a mellow dog, and a cozy house that’s just the right size for us. I can’t express how lucky I feel to have those and all the other amazing blessings in my life.

So, in honor of my 30th birthday, I found some old pictures. Let’s go back and revisit the highlights of each decade!

First decade: Well, not too much to say here. Same old story of being born, having a carefree childhood, dressing in horrible 80s fashion.

Here’s my mom with a barely-month-old me. It’s unfair that she didn’t pass on her “look radiantly gorgeous immediately postpartum” genes to me.

June and I. I was in third grade, and June loved the walk to and from school with me and my mom each day. At the time, we lived only about seven houses away from the school.

And apparently, that was where the cuteness ended and the awkward phase began for me! Note this next picture, taken when I was 9 or 10. Bring on the glasses and the chub!

I’m on the very right in the orange shirt and blue leggings (WTF?!). From left are my cousin Patrick, June, my grandma, my mom and standing next to me is my cousin Stacy.

Second Decade: Obviously, more happened from ages 10 to 20. I was a nerd in high school, got into my dream school (Northwestern) to study journalism, and, of course, I met Johnny!

Here I am with my friend Ben at our Latin Club Banquet in high school. This was in June 1996, so it was the end of our sophomore year. Yeah, high school was not the peak of our physical appearance!

Johnny and I on one of our first real dates (a date party for Delta Zeta winter quarter of freshman year in college)

The Third Decade: Man, a lot happened in my 20s! I got my bachelors and masters degrees in journalism (in a total of four years; I’m very proud of that!), had an eight-year career with a consulting firm, lived in a total of four apartments in three cities (Chicago, New York, Los Angeles), married the love of my life, got a dog, had two kids, bought a house and became a stay-at-home-mom/tutor. Of course, not everything was rosy … I lost my beloved grandmother in my 20s, and not a day goes by when I don’t think of her. But, I’m lucky to have had her with me for so long, and I’m so happy that she knew I was pregnant with Jack before she passed on.

Johnny and I before the Delta Zeta fall formal at the start of our senior year

Here I am with my family in June 2001, when they came out to attend my first graduation from Northwestern.

How is it possible that I only have one picture of Johnny and I at our college graduation in 2002? Well, here it is, June 2002. I must have some more in an album hidden somewhere.

Johnny and I at a Towers Perrin Christmas party in December 2002. This was during our brief but angst-ridden on-again, off-again period.

Here I am with two of my very best friends, Ann and Michelle, the day before my wedding in 2004.

Married!  

Jack is born!

And, almost exactly two years later, Derek!

I can’t wait to see what’s in store for me in this fourth decade. It’s hard to imagine my 30s being as exciting as my 20s; then again, I don’t think I would have envisioned my 20s being as fabulous as they were, either, so who knows? The most important thing is that I am happy, healthy and surrounded by loved ones. That’s the best gift ever. Thanks for strolling down memory lane with me!

This past weekend, Johnny and I went on a kid-free getaway to … Disneyland! Yes, I know, Disneyland is a kid’s paradise, and while it’s fun to go with kids, it’s definitely also fun to go without them. We’ll bring Jack next year, for his fourth birthday (I can’t wait!), but for my 30th birthday celebration (yikes, the big 3-0 is coming up in just … gulp … 15 days), we wanted to return to the place where we spent the first day of our honeymoon. We haven’t been back to Disneyland in the last six years, so this was really special for us. We also spent Saturday night at the Grand Californian Hotel, where we stayed on our wedding night. To make the weekend even more awesome, June and Charles came with us. Well, they didn’t stay at the hotel with us, but the four of us toured Disneyland and California Adventure together on Saturday and Sunday. I rarely get to spend time with my sister without the kids, so this was really special. The four of us had such a great time! And, the kids had a blast, too, with “Auntie Susy” (our fabulous occasional sitter). Between the tickets, the hotel stay, our dinner Saturday night at the Blue Bayou, and the sitter, it certainly wasn’t cheap, but then again, you only turn 30 once! We’ll be eating ramen for the rest of the fall to make ends meet.

If you’re on my Facebook, you’ve already seen all these pictures, taken with Charles’ awesome camera, but I’m going to post some here for those of you who aren’t Facebook friends with me. (Feel free to add me! I’m on FB all the time.)

Here’s the group! Obviously, Johnny, me, June and my soon-to-be bro-in-law Charles

We took many pictures while standing in line

For his birthday in June, Johnny received this hilarious T-shirt from June and Charles. He wore it on Saturday and got a lot of high-fives and fist-bumps from various random guys at the park, especially when he was taking a picture with me and June.

Yes, I can testify that my husband is awesome. He knows it, too.

Another key theme of the weekend was food. For lunch on Saturday, we had clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls, followed by two snack breaks (one for kebabs, one for ice cream).

That night, we had a delicious Cajun dinner at Blue Bayou, where we waited for a table by the water and watched the Pirates of the Caribbean boats go by.

Of course, most of our time was spent in line (actually, the waits weren’t too bad) or riding rides. To pass our time while we waited for Matterhorn Bobsleds, we took a series of “contemplative” pictures. I think the people around us thought we were crazy. Whatevs, they just wished they could be us.

I also got a reputation for having “digital drama” because I was constantly doing something on my phone. I recently got a new phone (the Samsung Intercept, in pink floral!), my first smart phone, so I’m addicted. There’s always something to do, whether it’s go on Facebook or check my email or text someone. Johnny made fun of me by sending a text to June that said, “Dude, the people I’m with are SO boring. I have to resort to texting my other friends.” Ha!

Here I am, embroiled in my digital drama

I’ve loved Disneyland since I was a little kid, but this time, there were two rides that I was less than happy with: the Finding Nemo submarine adventure (which I found boring and claustrophobic) and Autopia (seriously, if I want to drive in bad traffic, I’ll do it in my air-conditioned car, which doesn’t stall every two seconds). I do think Jack would love both of those rides, and I can’t wait to see his delight, but my advice is, if you don’t have little kids with you, skip those two attractions!

However, we did get good pics on Finding Nemo and Autopia.

After dinner, we walked back to the hotel so I could get my cardigan and jacket (it got cold!).

Then we came back to watch fireworks.

The next morning, we got up bright and early to go to California Adventure. Little did we know, the hotel people were wrong when they told us the park opened at 9 a.m. It really opened at 10 a.m. Grr! However, we passed the time by taking pictures with the “California” letters in front of the park.

June and Charles in the “C” for “Cheng” (yes, they share the same last name; no, they’re not related); we’re in the “O”

Then we took a series of jumping photos. They were so fun!

Johnny as Mario; June and I jumping. Johnny said he was going to jump with us but decided to make fun of us instead. Boo.

June and Charles’ awesome kung-fu jump; Johnny and June levitate.

Finally, we got into the park. I was underwhelmed — Disneyland is a lot more fun than California Adventure. It felt kind of dead and deserted. We still had fun, though!

Charles also got a couple of paparazzi-like shots, which are fun.

Can’t you see that picture of me and June in a tabloid (if one of us were a celebrity, that is)? And, I love the pic of me and Johnny holding hands.

What a fun early birthday celebration. Thank you, guys!

At long last, Derek is walking independently! Jack walked a week after his first birthday, so for the last two months, I’ve been anxiously awaiting Derek’s first steps. He took his sweet time … Derek turned 14 months on Sunday, and today, he took three independent steps at the pediatrician’s office. Once we got home, he got more adventurous. I managed to capture the following video on my phone (sorry it’s sideways … in my excitement, I forgot to turn the phone in the right direction!).

What a major milestone! I’m so happy (and a bit sad).