Happy List

The Happy List #50: Birthday Week edition.

Last week was my 33rd birthday week. Not just a day, but a week! I sure know how to milk something for all its worth haha. But y’know, sometimes you have to stagger out some of the celebration/s and somehow it just becomes one big festival of birthday. I am not complaining! I think being alive for another year is always something to celebrate, whether you’re 1 or 100! Or you know, some kind of obscure, non impressive, non-milestone number like 33. Although, 3 is my lucky number, so two of them next to each other has to be a good omen, right? RIGHT? Oh goodness, I hope so!

I had so so much to be happy about in the past week or so and I sincerely thank everyone who had anything to do with me enjoying my birthday so much. You’re awesome.

Here are just some of the many things that made me feel happy…

Celebrating with my MG (we’ve been over this – it stands for mums’ group)

We don’t just celebrate our kids’ birthdays, but our own too, and I was so excited to have a girls’ night out! Not only do these girls have my back in so many tough situations, but they’re a shitload (technical mathematical term) of fun to hang out with in the good times too. We had dinner and I had pork belly and mojitos and the bitches wouldn’t let me pay for anything and they surprised me with a gorgeous gift and man, am I a lucky girl.

Our night after that was just an average bogan night on the home town (if you lived here you would understand ?), but good company made it so awesome. We danced to ‘pub rock’ played by a cover band, the 40 something year old front man sporting dyed black hair and a ginormous flavour savour – which is how all pub rock should be delivered – and sang all the back up vocals loudly from the dance floor whether anyone wanted us to or not. I really think that classic pub rock playlists have not changed one bit since before I was born and that it is quite amusing.

It felt really good to be out and about, with a new outfit and a face of make up too. Feeling like I’d actually made an effort! What a novelty!

Getting my guitar out

Some of you may have already seen my Insta story on the topic, but basically I hadn’t played my guitar since some time in 2010. It’s a beauty and she’s as good as new because sadly, she got put away not too long after I received her as a birthday gift from Mr Unprepared back then. We had a quite terrible year that year, followed by a year in which we became parents (which is awesome but time consuming – HA HA HA) and I just never picked it up again. Just kept it in its bag and moved it from room to room.

I’d mentioned to Mr Unprepared that I’d love to get playing again (especially to share the joy of music with the Little Mister), but that I’d like to get a few things for it first. He listened and he took care of everything! I walked into my office on my birthday morning to find my beautiful baby with new strings, a flash tuner, a new stand and even a matching pick.

AMAZING. She’s more beautiful than I remembered and she sounds AWESOME. I am so grateful. I’ve got to face the fact that I will have to cut my beautiful manicure short to play properly but that’s OK haha.

Turns out I only remember how to play (I use the term ‘play’ very loosely – I’m no musical prodigy) Blink 182 songs…might be time to update my repertoire (and grow out a nice flavour savour BAHAHA).

Dinner with my little family

I appreciate any family bonding time as a little family of 3 so much. We hadn’t been out to dinner, just the three of us, in so long. It was so great. Of course we laughed our arses off at being in the restaurant at 5:30pm (a five year old’s hangry meltdown avoidance strategy) – it was empty! Mr Unprepared joked that he’d booked the whole place out just for us for my birthday. He thought he was Kanye West or some shit. It was great, though. The Little Mister was very well behaved and if he occasionally forgot his indoor voice, nobody was there to notice!

The food was great (it was so well presented I felt like a Masterchef judge when I shoved a fork into it) and the mojito was strong. Perfect! I think we should do that more often, birthdays or no birthdays!

Online splurging shopping

On my birthday, I was feeling really disillusioned with the current clothes shopping situation in my home town. There’s not a whole lot of variety to choose from at present. I was feeling frumpy again and I wasn’t sure if I’d have anything cute to wear for my girls’ night out. I also realised that I lacked a great casual wardrobe that is easy to put together as we transition from summer to autumn to winter. It’s that weird in-betweeny time.

Luckily, I remembered that I had internet access and some birthday money! After some false starts (dodgy aforementioned internet and some crap where I had to call my bank), I finally picked out a great wardrobe for myself (with everything 40% off)! Almost every top and skirt will mix and match, can be layered up for winter and should be fat day/PMS proof (fingers crossed I’ve nailed the sizing because I fluctuate like a mofo)! SO EXCITING. I am impatiently awaiting delivery!!

Getting my hair did

I was very excited to make a hair appointment for the first time since August 2016. My hair was getting really long and I would describe the style as blaaaaaaaaaaah. I was quite over it.

I went to my fave salon and they did some magical shit. We’re working on gradually lightening some panels under the top layers so I can rock some rainbow inspired hair (currently the turquoise is working for me). Which means I’ll have to go back again soon. Bummer. NOT!

I also got a beautiful cut – a long bob which falls just right – because my hairdresser is a genius. SO GOOD.

I know it’s such a cliche thing to say, but there’s nothing like a fresh hair style/colour to really make you feel good about yourself. It has given me such a boost!

It can be a bit hard to keep this stuff up financially, but I think I will try harder this year to prioritise it.

Other stuff that has made me happy:

  • Wrapping up my 100 happy days photo challenge – more on that later…
  • Absolutely nailing my ANZAC biscuit making
  • The Little Mister attending his very first ANZAC Day dawn service (and being so good)
  • Lilac fingernails
  • Surviving the school holidays with only a couple of “OMFG WHEN WILL THIS END” moments
  • Nailing all of my self care goals for the week – it felt so self indulgent but I must have really needed it – been through the wringer and back with all of the infertility/fertility stuff I guess
  • The Little Mister’s musings about just about anything (as long as he isn’t interrupting the grown ups incessantly or whingeing of course haha). He makes me laugh.

What has made you feel happy lately?

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