I love birthdays, but not because of the fanfare, gifts, or attention (And I’m saying this as a Leo… we all know Leos love the spotlight)!
I love birthdays because I genuinely look forward to getting older. Ever since I was small, I’ve always felt older than I am. When I was in high school, I couldn’t wait to get to college. In college, I dreamed about what it’d be like to graduate and start my “real life.” And as I navigated my early 20s, stumbling through my first few jobs, renting my first $1,500 shoebox of a room in San Francisco that I found via Craiglist, I couldn’t wait to get older. Feel more… legitimate?
My 20s have been a lot of things: Hopeful, beautiful, joyful… I’ve traveled with friends, family, and solo, made wonderful new friendships, began a career in something I’m good at and enjoy, got a dog, moved away, came back, and made a home for myself that I love. My 20s have also been stressful, confusing, and emotionally draining. I finally feel like I’m coming out of an 8 year-long fog, and painful, hard memories that once crowded my brain are (thankfully) beginning to fade into the background. I am seeing things more clearly than I ever have before, and I am proud of the woman I have grown into, even though I’ve made my fair share of mistakes and wrong turns along the way.
I turned 28 earlier this month, and although I’m not exiting this decade just yet, I feel like the end is in sight. Along with that comes a bit of relief, as I am excited to bid my 20s adieu and will gladly welcome my 30s. At the same time, I have 2 years until then, and I don’t want to lose sight of that. 2 years is a lot of time, and I hope they will be promising and transformational.
So I’ve begun to wonder: How do I make the most of the rest of my 20s? What do I want to do differently? How do I want to spend my time? Who do I want to spend it with? And who do I hope to become that I’m not already?
I’m hoping that writing more frequently, and introspectively, will be healing and helpful, and maybe help me answer these questions. I have blogged and written about my life on the internet on and off since I was 12 years old (!) and while I recently took about a year-long break from blogging and ~internet things~ to focus on my mental health, I truly missed having an outlet to create and share what’s on my mind.
I hope this newsletter can become something special, but I’m not going to define it any certain way just yet. What you should expect is that I’ll be sharing a mix of what’s happening in my personal life, along with home styling, life in San Francisco, and Ivy pics, of course.
Cheers to 28, and thanks for following along!
Lauren
Life lately:
A few things on my camera roll…
Visit my Instagram for more snaps.
The books I’ve been reading:
Book worm status, activated. I have always loved reading, but since the pandemic began, my love for books has been regenerated. I’ve mainly been checking out library books digitally and reading them on the Kindle app on my iPad, but from time to time, I also purchase a physical book from a local shop.
Here are some that I’ve read (and loved) this summer. Mainly chick lit/light summer novels, but a few really standout stories as well:
I also read a book on dating earlier this summer that changed my perspective on a lot of things and encouraged me to get back out there… it honestly deserves its own post though, so more on that later!
Have a great read I should add to my queue? Leave a comment below!
Introducing my “cloffice” :
WFH life is great for the most part but one thing I wasn’t obsessed with was my work setup. I had been working at the kitchen table since moving into my apartment in the springtime. I love my dining nook, but the bistro chairs were not made to sit in for 7-8 hours a day.
On my birthday, I had the brilliant idea to take EVERYTHING out of my closet, move my dresser to a different wall, re-organize my clothes, and then scour Facebook Marketplace for a secondhand desk and chair. One week later, and I had a closet/office aka “cloffice” ready to use! I’m still waiting on a really sweet slipcover I ordered from Etsy for this IKEA slipcover chair, but I’m so happy with how it turned out. More pics to come!
Desk - West Elm, purchased secondhand on FB Marketplace
Chair - IKEA (old), also FB Marketplace
Lamp - Amazon
Tray - Vintage
Candle - Brooklyn Candle Co (the BEST scent)!
Vase - IKEA (Such a steal, these would be perfect to get for arrangements for a party or wedding)
Bamboo Frame - Amanda Lindroth
Pillow - Target (old)
Pinboard - PB Teen (old)
Door Tassel - Craft fair (See Etsy for tons of similar options)
One last thought:
I saw this on Instagram and had to share, as it sums up how I feel right now about life. Not every day is going to be the best day, but you can find one beautiful thing in each day.
