the last week of my twenties | turning 30 | weekly notes (april 27 - may 1, 2026)

sunday

I woke up with a headache (probably due to my period), so it wasn't the best start to the day. I spent the first half of the day relaxing, trying to feel better. We had chipotle for lunch and I honestly think having a satiating meal helped. 

We went to Ross because my husband was looking for a few things and I decided to look in the shirt and blouse sections to see if I could find anything for my birthday weekend. I already got my dress for the birthday lunch, but wanted something for our Palm Beach adventure. 

I feel like I've been finding some cute pieces that fit right, which is a first for me. It's making me reflect even more on the fashion industry and plus sizes. When I was a size 16-20 I had such a hard time finding cute, stylish clothes that fit correctly. But now that I'm a size 12/14 I have had so much more success. Of course it feels great to finally be able to go to stores that you once wished you could find stuff at and now be able to, but there's also a flip side to that. I feel like the sizes in the most accessible stores are not always realistic or inclusive. Over the last week I've been able to have success in finding new pants, a dress and blouses now that I'm a smaller size. So while it's exciting, it's also something I've been reflecting on through an industry perspective. 

With that being said, I'm still going to allow myself to be excited. I found a purple tee shirt with a embroidered cross on the front and the back says "faith over fear". It is the softest material and I can see it becoming one of my fav cozy comfort shirts. I picked out 2 shirts for my birthday weekend - one purple aeropostale tee that gives 90's aesthetic (I'm a 90's baby so its fitting for my birthday weekend), and a black and white boho floral top that's a bit dressier. I tried them on with my new black denim flare jeans I got at Walmart because those are the pants I'd wear and both styles work well with them. 

I also ordered a pair of pink and white gingham pajamas and a tiara for my birthday weekend because I want to have a Princess Diaries party at home. The plan is to watch both movies, order pizza and write "sorry" on it with m&ms, and have mint ice cream - all nods to scenes in the movie. I want to go all out. I started a Pinterest board and I want to create a playlist and a decor ideas list. 

Other than that and my birthday lunch, there's a few things I want to do to celebrate my birthday. There's this new tea bar in West Palm Beach I want to visit. So instead of walking into a coffee shop and having one matcha option, this place seems to be mostly (maybe entirely) dedicated to tea drinks, so this is definitely my vibe. There's also a few swedish candy stores in the area, and one of them labels their candy gluten free (which I so appreciate) and I think that would be fun to check out. And if those aren't enough treats, I might want to check out Sees candy as they offer gluten free boxes of chocolate. I'm assuming at the one near me you can build you're own, but I've never been. There's also a Miniso at a mall near me and that is actually something I wanted to do for my last birthday but I think I either forgot or we ended up doing something else. If you haven't heard of it, it's essentially this store full of collectibles and character memorabilia. So for example, if you're someone who likes hello kitty, you can find stuff there. 

I figured it would be fun to document my last week in my 20's. Maybe I'll vlog, or maybe I'll just document it here. It's going to be a fun week planning activities and reflecting. I was thinking about how turning 30 feels like a bigger shift than being a teen and entering my 20's. But maybe I felt this same way then and I just don't remember. It could be that this age is so engrained in us to feel like a pivotal time in our life where we should be hitting certain milestones or be set in who we are, so when we enter this decade specifically, it can feel like a bit of a big deal (at least to me). But at the same time I still feel like I feel like I did as a teenager or young adult, I'm still me, just a bit older.

We recently got back from Whole Foods, so now I can officially say that the grocery shopping for the week is done. I'm excited to get back into eating more whole foods (no pun intended) and cooking at home. But for tonight, I got a frozen pizza by the brand Against the Grains. It's a gluten free cheese one. I've tried their mini pizzas and loved it, so this one should be good. We're just planning to have a cozy night in and maybe watch a movie. Last night we got some fun candy from Five Below, so I'm just wanting to melt into the couch and call it a day.

monday

today was a productive day. I got a lot of cleaning tasks done and filmed a day in my life vlog. I washed my new clothes and started planning my birthday outfits. I was trying to figure out what outfit to wear where and what accessories I could pair with it. I'm not totally decided yet. 

Over the weekend I went to Ulta and finally found the nyx buttermelt blush in the shade I've been looking for for months. I also got a new sparkly eyeshadow and a lip liner. I want to practice my hair and makeup some point this week for my birthday lunch. 

I opened some of the new crafts I recently picked up - the gem painting kit and modeling clay. I made a little trinket dish with the modeling clay and stamped it with a dandelion stamp. This reminded me of the meme of the little girl picking wildflowers and the quote saying something like "im still her", referencing how the little girl that likes to pick wildflowers is still you. I also used this dandelion stamp for my wedding invitations and my daughter loves to pick dandelions, so for some reason it feels very symbolic.  Now we have to wait a few days for it to dry before we can paint it. 

tuesday

I've had a migraine nearly all day. I haven't really done much other than try to rest. I'm pretty sure it's due to my period. It's frustrating because I've been having headaches the last few days. I'm hoping that now that my period is coming to an end they will stop. My birthday is only a few days away and I really hope I'm feeling better by then. 

thursday

today I practiced my birthday makeup and tried on my outfit to try to figure out what shoes and purse to wear. I went with a pinky brown eyeshadow all over the lid and bottom waterline, used the new nyx blush, and an elf lip oil. I didn't wear mascara which I've been preferring lately. today was the first day I've felt better headache wise. 

friday

I feel like theres been a few lessons that have been reinforced this week. 

- sometimes things don't always go how you expect them to go no matter how much planning or prep you put into the idea of how you want it to go

This week was a unique week in the sense that my husband was away for a business trip, which isn't a typical thing and I was dealing with migraines. So those two things I feel like drained me in a way I wasn't expecting. I had plans to work on some house projects and personal projects but the not feeling good took some of that time away. It also felt like I was just go go go for the last few days, cleaning, figuring things out, buried in laundry. I was able to get all of the everyday laundry, bedsheets, blankets and new clothes washed. I also tried vlogging a few days in my life to document this last week in my 20s and while it was a good distraction, it felt like I was talking too much. I think I would have liked to share those reflections here instead. I ended up filming a new vlog. It was a weird week. Now I just have a few days left until my birthday. 

- sometimes we outgrow things that used to be a big part of our identity, and when we try to make it work, it just doesn't anymore. or sometimes, we may just need a temporary pause. and sometimes, we are able to come back to it one day, but maybe differently

this applies to my creative expression with videography. For years, I tried the traditional vlogging format. I don't know if im just burnt out now, or the weird dynamic of watching yourself back in a long form vlog thats odd, or just how my nervous system has changed since slowing down and leaving short form social media... but trying to vlog in the traditional sense doesn't always work for me. Or maybe im just too hard on myself. I keep trying and it doesn't work. I think it's because I've created this creative ecosystem over here on my blog where I can ramble and explain, and it feels more natural for me to write it out then to talk to a camera. Whereas now I prefer to share fragmented moments or make silent vlogs. Maybe I'll try some type of combo format where it creates a video scrapbook type of vibe.

I ended up vlogging parts of the week!