On 30.

Today is my thirtieth birthday. Here are some thoughts. Warning: extremely self-indulgent.

(I wrote this Saturday night.)

"Time and tide wait for no man, but time always stands still for a woman of thirty." - Robert Frost

(Listening to: Adele’s 21)

Monday I will be 30. Tonight I am 29. I am sick. It’s been a weird day. I am crying. Not sure why. It’s okay.

I am not that tired and can’t decide what to do. I looked at my bookshelf, deciding to read a book for the first time in too long. Instead of something new, I grabbed one of my all-time favorites, The Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life.

I’m just a few pages in but decided to stop and do a little assessment of here and now. I like doing these things. Sure, I might be the only person to read this, now or five years from now (see: my assessment of Jill at 25), but putting this on the Internet means it won’t get lost, burned in a fire, or with handwriting I can’t read when I am 80.

Anyway, here it is.

30.
Jill.
5’ 5.5”
140
hazel eyes, no glasses or contacts
all my teeth, not that white, no braces, no flossing, rare cavities
3 surgeries to date (1 removal of unicorn horn, 2 removals of herniated L4 disk, one to come)
no broken bones
no chicken pox
no kids

Art Director

family: Mom, Dad, Joel, Jasmine, Jack, (new niece/nephew to come November 2011)
cat: Bert
parents’ cat: Bentley
brother’s dog: Scout

Ways I am stil in my first 30 years:
Pia The Pig
Obsession with candy
Fascination with high school
Prefer books with lots of pictures and chapters
Wearing lots of clothes from high school and those made for high schoolers
Watching too much MTV

Spotlight on how to feel much younger than 30:
Listen to Dave Matthews Band
Call Katie, Marcy, Dana, Allison, Shayda, Marj
Play soccer
Look at Dad’s desk to see all of the things I have made him through the years
Or my art on walls on parents’ home

Blessings:
Way too many to count, but the most important: health, freedom, family, friends, cat

Things I wish I had done by now:
Been on Wheel of Fortune
Written a book
Competed on the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team
Become an American Gladiator
Skated on a roller derby team

Things I am surprised I have done by now:
Lived in four states
Had two back surgeries
Zip-lined in Nicaragua
Designed a lot of wedding invitations
Bought my dream car
Walked in a fashion show
Been on a game show

Heroes:
Mom, Dad, Joel, Jasmine, Jack, entire extended family, Kim Zmeskal, Nastia Liukin, Jim Henson, Debbie Smelko, Tanya Pinto, Sarah Chidgey, Jeff Guyer, Stephanie Mullins, soldiers, teachers, firemen, survivors of any debilitating disease including ignorance and hatred, marathon finishers

Favorite thing ever worn:
Red prom dress (even with strap breaking mid-dance. It was tight.)

Favorite alone time ever:
All-nighters at parents’ dining room table working on art projects, blasting Dave Matthews Band on Sony Diskman, circa 1996-1998

Favorite ways to lose myself:
Play soccer
Design
Dance at a concert
Drive with top down, blasting music, wind in hair

Easiest way to totally dork out:
Watch a live gymnastics meet

Personal triumph:
Conquering my childhood fear of getting kidnapped

Saddest day ever:
When childhood cat, Sully, died

Most confusing day ever:
When Grandpa Ben died

Best day ever:
Countless, but watching best friends get married, nephew being born, graduating high school and college, first DMB concert with Katie, celebrating milestones of loved ones

Jobs I have had:
sales associate at Limited, Too
scorekeeper/hot dog warmer upper at Soccer Spectrum
sales associate at New York and Company
beer cart girl at Prestonwood Country Club
sales associate at Anthropolgie (four hours)
Art Director

Jobs I would still like to have:
Writer
Acrobat
Gymnastics Commentator
Mentor to teens with eating disorders
Art or Advertising teacher
J. Crew Color-namer
Candy shop owner

Oldest friends who will be at my wedding:
Allison, since age 3
Marcy, since age 6

Way to make me melt/nervous/happy:
A twirl on the dance floor

Still trying to master:
The Smoky Eye
Red lip
Whistling
Seduction
Drawing cars

First Concert:
Alanis Morissette

Favorite artists for the last 15 years:
Alanis Morissette
DMB
Barenaked Ladies
Train
Matchbox 20
Death Cab for Cutie
Mumford and Sons
Florence + The Machine
Zero 7
The Fray
Georgia O'Keefe
Andy Warhol

Awkward traits:
Laughing before a kiss
Flaring nostrils when laughing
Involuntary jolts
Rubbing my thumbs with index finger (very involuntary)

Doppleganger:
Sara Gilbert

Doppleganger wish:
Zooey Dechanel

Under 30 celebrity crushes:
Elijah Wood (age 0-17)
Adam Brody (age 22+)

Boyfriends: 2
Loves: 4, maybe 5

Best show I have ever seen:
De La Guarda
Cirque du Soleil Love

Tattoos: 0
Scars: 2 (1 large, 1 small)

Best times of my life in last 15 years:
Junior year of high school
Junior year of college

Hardest time of my life which turned out to be life-changing:
2003-2006

Cars:
1988 Jetta
1998 Jetta
2003 Lancer
2005 Mini Cooper

Most life-changing stretch of land:
1-35 Dallas to Austin or Austin to Dallas

0-30 tastes:
Little Debbies
Donuts
Matzo balls

0-30 smells:
Desitin
High School Boyfriend’s clothes
Bath and Body Works/Victoria’s Secret pear lotion

Funny coincidence:
Cookie Monster speaking at college graduation (he ate the microphone)

Things I do other people find weird:
Save 1,000s of old emails
Rewatch old gymnastics competitions
Collect Muppets
Etc.

Odd fascination with:
Eating disorders
Abandoned malls
Eyebrows
Palindromes

8 things I am good at:
Roller skating
Gymnastics trivia
Checkers
Wheel of Fortune
Spelling
Introducing friends
Bubble letters
Pulling all-nighters

8 things I am bad at:
Basketball
Flirting
Finishing books
Watching movies
History
Being on time
Not laughing when my mom starts laughing
Getting a tan

Things I adored as a child:
Limousines, dollhouses

Least favorite word:
Tie: nipple, panties

Favorite words:
Tend to be colors: (ruby, scarlet)

Something I feel very fortunate for:
Visual memory of most of last 30 years

Something nice that I will strive for that will most likely not happen: My home to look/smell/sound/feel like Anthropologie

Something I continue to do but shouldn’t: judge a book by its cover

Important numbers
3/9
3/11
4/9
4/20
5/2
5/6
8/21
8/29
10/11
11/28
12/12
12/31
7241

Type:
Tall, thin, brunette, glasses

Name I have always thought my husband would have:
Ben

Names I hope my husband doesn’t have:
Will, Phil, Bill, Gil, Guy

Name my husband probably will have:
Jack

Something I will forever smile about and forever be perplexed by:
My dad uses toilet paper squares as bookmarks

Important letter combos
DFW, TX, JBE, WW, JJP, UT, ABQ, YR, NM, NY, CA, JK, KJM, MWC, TRG, CAKES, TBI

Maid of Honor/Bridesmaid Honors:
6

Things I have purposely stolen:
Belt from Marshalls, circa age 6
High School Crush’s lunch from locker, age 18

Number of times I have been moved to tears and speechless from amazing acts of kindness, love, and generosity:
Lost count

Summary:
Childhood memories of laughs, soccer games, flips, tumbles, goals scored, goals met, amazing friends, family who are best friends, moments of surprise, fear, triumph, excitement, highs, lows, firsts, lasts, trips, loving, LIVING. I’ve paid my dues, grown my wings and spread them. It's been colorful and awesome.

My last 30 years:
Happiness.

My next 30 years:
Possibilities.

"I think I'll take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now it's time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord have mercy on my next thirty years

Hey my next thirty years I'm gonna have some fun
Try to forget about all the crazy things I've done
Maybe now I've conquered all my adolescent fears
And I'll do it better in my next thirty years" -Tim McGraw

It's been a ride my loved ones.
Thank you.



Pia The Pig