Birthday Celebrations: Turning 30!!

As I tied up my shoestrings this morning - I made sure to tie them extra tight as the right one came undone during yesterday's run. I glance down, and for the first time in a while, take notice of my shoes. This usual methodical and mindless activity of tying my shoestrings grabs my attention for some reason and after further examination, the wear and tear I've already put on my shoes becomes evident. After some quick math in my head, I then realize I've logged an amazing (to me, anyway) 232 miles in the five months I've owned them! I am not sure whether to be more proud of the shoes or myself for withstanding all those miles! Upon further inspection, I can see a fine crease has developed on the top of my shoes where my shoe bends as my toes push off the ground; the white border around my shoe where shoe meets sole now has a brownish hue to it and my once white laces have yellowed a bit. The tread is starting to get worn down - more so on the heel; the New Balance logo on the inside heel has been rendered illegible and ironically, there is no bad foot smell to speak of!

I grab my iPod and head out the door. The air smells great! It poured down rain last night and it still smells of rain with an almost faint scent of fall. I always start at the second light post down from our street and notice dog poop on the sidewalk. "Wonderful," I think to myself, and then make a mental note of its location so I don't step in it on my way back. I come upon the second light post and hit the start button on my watch. I'm off!

As I run, I try to clear my head, but thoughts go to what I need to get done. We leave for Italy this Saturday and I still have laundry to do, packing, I need to clean the house, get our boarding passes printed out, etc. It's taken a few months to plan and I'm excited to site-see and of course just vacation! Speaking of Italy - the reason for our trip is also...my 30th birthday celebration. I don't know quite how to feel about turning 30, honestly. The number alone just sounds, well, old. I will no longer be categorized as a "twenty something." I think back over my life and what I experienced and accomplished in my twenties: I graduated from college, I got my first job, my first apartment, bought my first car, changed jobs, I met and married the man of my dreams, we bought a house together, we've traveled and seen some amazing places, we've lost family members and gained some new additions, and now we've moved across the Atlantic together. I can only imagine what my 30's will bring, and I am excited! My thoughts go back to my shoes again (I've never given this much thought to a pair of shoes, by the way) and I still can't believe in five months I've already put over 230 miles on them, which means, they only have about three hundred more miles to go before they need replacing again!

As I turn a corner, I hit my two mile mark - half way done already! After all this thinking (and running), I realize, oddly enough, that my shoes and I have a lot in common! We are still young and have a lot of life left in us; the fine creases (aka laugh lines) show a life well lived; we are dependable, supportive and strong; we both have a good soul/sole; we were made in the USA and we clean up pretty nicely after a good washing! While turning the big 3-0 is a big milestone, I've realized getting older isn't a bad thing and I certainly have learned a lot along the way. Also, I am fortunate enough to not have to turn 30 all by myself! I'm a triplet, therefore this special day is extra special for my brother, Andy and my sister, Amy and I. I have had the honor of co-celebrating my birthday with my siblings for the past 29 years! A picture comes to mind of the three of us on what must have been birthday number 2 or 3 - my parents had t-shirts made that said "1/3, 2/3, and 3/3!" How great is that - after all those diapers and all those sleepless nights x 3 - my parents still had a sense of humor! Andy was born at 12:23pm, I was born at 12:30pm, and Amy was born last at 12:44pm. We've always been there for each other and despite the fact we are 3,000+ miles apart, I will still have my amazing brother and sister right along side me to celebrate! Happy 30th birthday to the best triplet siblings a girl could ask for!

Me, Andy, Amy