Sometime within the past year I've realized that I'm not 22 anymore. One would assume, reasonably, that this would have hit me- oh, somewhere between ages 23 through 29, perhaps? But it didn't. Throughout this time period, I felt the same. I knew I wasn't a teenager, but didn't feel much different at age 29 than I felt at age 24. It was sometime in year 30 that I realized a few things:

First off, now that I'm of a certain age, any cinnamon rolls or french fries I eat go straight to my ass within 24 hours. I wish I were exaggerating.

It's not uncommon for me to grow lines on my forehead overnight. I've got a long line going straight across my forehead, created from thousands of hours of raised-eyebrow surprised looks throughout my lifetime. I've also got a short horizontal line between my eyebrows. She is not a pretty one. I once had a traffic camera take a photo of me when I was speeding through an intersection, so one day a photo of me driving arrived in my mailbox along with a $70 speeding ticket, thankyouverymuch. Much to my dismay, my driving face is one of anger and confusion. Apparently, 11 months of Denver driving has resulted in a fine addition to my forehead line collection.

I also realized after 30 that a crazy night of drinking no longer results in a cute little Saturday morning hangover. Try going out on Friday night and STILL feeling the effects come Monday morning. Not adorable in the least.

I also realized somewhere around my 30th birthday that having a passion is a wonderful thing, but having an obsession is maybe not so healthy. Balance is SO important, and it was something I had been missing out on for almost 5 years. I thought being obsessed with jewelry making would launch me to the moon, but now I am starting to learn that you can't have true happiness unless you are nurturing more than just that one part of yourself. Of course, I told myself that I took time to take bubble baths and to smell roses, but in the midst of all those bubbles was me with a pen and paper scratching down new necklace ideas.

This year, I've made a conscious effort to find more balance. First of all, I'm still doing jewelry- just not skipping dinner most nights for the sake of art. I'm not saying Yes to everything that comes my way. I've got a few small shows lined up for this summer, and am starting to create months and months ahead of time- rather than 3 weeks in advance.

I'm also trying to better manage my finances. So far, I'm in the beginning phases. I have started contributing to a retirement fund and educating myself on these topics- something I wish I would have started doing 5 years ago. I'm listening to a book on tape, Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. I haven't used credit cards in years, but still have old debts lingering out there, so am hoping to get more aggressive regarding payoff and becoming debt-free. I would love to be one of those people who doesn't use credit cards at all. Finally, my sister Becki and I have signed up for the Denver Half Marathon, a race which takes place in downtown Denver in October. Serious training starts soon, but in the meantime, I'm trying to get to the point where I can run 3 miles straight without walking. So far, I'm about halfway there.

Speaking of marathons- I just read that a 70-year old woman who runs marathons ran after some teenaged thieves after they stole alcohol from a corner store. I read that story earlier today, and had to remind myself that even though I'm not 22, there's a lot of life in all of us no matter what our age.

I'm afraid this is what the city does to a gal.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

happy birthday to you,
happy birthday to you,
happy birthday, dear mom,
happy birthday to you.

happy birthday, mom! i hope you have a wonderful day. weekend birthdays are the greatest...

much love,
nicki, brandon & koda

my sweetie is out with his friends tonight, so i bring you things that are making me laugh right now. let me just include a disclaimer stating that sometimes almost anything can be deemed funny when one is drinking bud light by one's self.

hahaha- pathetic, i know.

the quote "life's a beach." i am suddenly combing eBay for a t-shirt with this saying. please, someone, intervene!

the word junk. in reference to item number 3.

the thought of others getting the Pussycat Dolls song, "Dontcha," stuck in their head. (thanks for commisserating, Becki!) I have maybe downloaded this song on my iPod, and perhaps also listen to Fergie tunes when I'm jogging.

SNL's Two A-Holes.

My boyfriend doing the running man.

sweetness defined

This just might be the sweetest thing I've seen all year. Hint: be sure to watch at least a minute and twenty seconds into the video...