here's to 29.

a week from yesterday, i turned 29. january 14th. part of the reason why i feel 2014 is going to be a good year for me. it was as uneventful as it could possibly have been. when i say i worked on my birthday, i mean i worked. i went in for my usual 6am shift. worked until about 1pm and then had to go back for an overnight at 11pm. 

i tried to make the in between as special as possible. i got a fancy lunch and a chai latte from one of my favorite places near my house, bloc 11. and then i watched some bad tv before i spent the next few hours trying to sleep. 

it almost felt a little like a birthday when terry came home from work. he woke me up from my nap with a cupcake with a candle in it. and a few gifts. i had asked for pancakes for dinner which he of course made me. and then we hung out until i had to go back to work.

but overall, it never really felt like i had a birthday this year. and maybe it comes with getting older, too. next year, however, is a big year and i want there to be balloons.

i don't know if it is because it is a new year or i am a year older, but i am starting to feel older, in a good way. i don't know if any of you know this feeling. it isn't because my body aches more (which it does, but not important here), but its more of a mature feeling. i am starting to know what i want. i don't know how exactly to achieve all of these things that i want. but i am as sure as hell not going to settle for anything less this year. 

i want to go into 30 looking back on my 20s, knowing what i learned, how i've changed, and who i have become. but more importantly, i want to look back on 29 and be like 'damn! you did all that this year'. 

i know i am asking a lot of myself, but if i wasn't, how do i expect to change or grow. i keep reminding myself there is a purpose and a bigger outcome from a silly little blog post, those dreaded crunches, or taking the extra time to plan my meals. it is all for the larger goal. its all for becoming that girl i envision myself being.

and as for the clothes, i wanted to feel a little bit special on this particular day. it was this past saturday. and luckily for me, saturdays are my days for layering and wearing heavier season appropriate clothes. if you don't know why, it is 85 degrees or more everyday at work.

i got this jacket a few months ago at, where else, but goodwill. i hadn't worn it yet, but after going through everything in my closet the day before, i vowed to wear it soon. i mixed a couple denims, buttoned up to show off just my collar and my new necklace.

i don't know about the rest of you, but i am really into ankle jeans right now. i also only really like high waisted jeans and finding the combination seems to be a little hard for me. i got this pair of jeans recently. the waist is perfect, but i needed to get them hemmed. something came over me saturday morning and i just took scissors to them. i wasn't waiting. i made them the length i liked and now they have a cool, frayed look.

and i can't post this without mentioning this coat. it is another amazing goodwill find. i can't say it is amazing because a girl working at j. crew yelled at me for how unfair it was that i found it. i love a cape. it is not the easiest to pair with every bag, but boy can you layer under it. this one in particular is a beautiful wool that just happened to be handmade at a company from maine.