Elizabeth Takes Us Down Memory Lane!!!

Elizabeth from She Likes Stripes is totally awesome!!  She has been 30 for a whole week now so I most definitely look up to her :)

When Cynthia asked for guest bloggers to help her celebrate Birthday Week, I jumped at the chance, and not only because my birthday is a week before hers, and that we're both turning 30 this year.

Ever since I can remember, I have had a bit of a strange relationship with my own birthday. I LOVE it, but it has a history of turning me into a bit of a basketcase. I can remember very strongly spending the week or so before my birthday every summer thinking about all of the milestones... "This is the last time I'll ever ride my bike to town while I'm 12!" "This is the last time I'll ever eat ice cream as an 11-year-old!"


(1984, 3 years old and clearly VERY HAPPY to have received an impossible-to-find Cabbage Patch doll. I'm still not good at hiding my displeasure now.)

It's a little bit... ridiculous, but it happened, almost every year. I can remember gifts (like the lava lamp I received for my 13th birthday, the one I wanted so BADLY), celebrations... so many details. I have been a bit nervous, honestly, as I have gotten older and have been facing the stereotypical milestone ages.

So in the past few years, I have marked my own birthday by writing a list of things I wanted to do each year. I am certainly not the first person to write a Birthday To Do List, but I have SO enjoyed writing the lists and documenting my progress each year with photos and eventually mini scrapbooks.



I am not planning to write another list to commemorate turning 30, mostly because my 27, 28, and 29 lists have been so enjoyable and memorable. (And it's getting much harder to come up with new things every year!) But I would HIGHLY recommend writing a birthday to do list, at least once. It's important to achieve a balance - keeping things from being too specific ("go on a trip" on my 28 to do list, rather than saying to go to a specific place), but also keeping fun, frivolous things on the list ("go on a picnic" or "play mini golf" or "drink beer samplers" in with more serious things ("finish couch to 5k" or "try not to freak out about turning 30"). I'd also say that this kind of list is the perfect time to include simple things that you always have wanted to do but just haven't gotten around to ("get new glasses" and "get a tattoo" and eating at certain restaurants).



And most importantly is to keep it fun - or, don't feel bad if you don't get to some of the items. And to document with photos, keep ticket stubs, etc so that you can then turn your list into a physical memory that you'll always be able to look back on. I love the idea that I'll be able to hand these minibooks to my future children and they can see what I was up to when I was 27 or the year before I turned 30.




But most of all? I think we could all use a dose of Cynthia's enthusiasm when it comes to both birthdays and getting older. Since we're the same age, I've tried my hardest to take Cynthia's perspective (that things just keep getting SO MUCH better the older she gets) rather than defaulting to my childhood panic about no longer being 29 and now being 30.

Happy, HAPPY birthday, Cynthia, and I personally think turning a day into a week-long celebration is something we should ALL be doing.

Thanks girl for sharing all your birthday nostalgia, I love you that much more after reading this!!!  
You can read Elizabeth's birthday posts here and here

Jodi is kickin' it, Ronald McDonald style!

Jodi from Jodi Mckee Photography is taking us way back and possibly bringing along some grade school birthday memories.  Kid Jodi is the cutest thing in the whole world.  Be prepared!!


While our lovely Cynthia is turning 30 this week, I do not have especially fond memories of my 30th. Not that I wasn't excited for it, because I do love celebrating my birthday, but because I had a terrible head cold and stayed home sick from work. Booooo! I did make it out to dinner with some friends, but it wasn't quite the party it could have been.






As a kid, my birthday fell around the same time as a friend of mine (that's her behind me in the cute dotted dress) at school. I remember that we often had to alternate years with having a big party. One year at her house, one year at mine. Or have the party a completely different weekend. That was sort of a bummer.

But one year, we had my party at McDonald's. And it was awesome. My memories include dropping straws in to cups as some sort of game, french fries, presents, cake and if I remember correctly, minty shakes. The healthiest option for a group of six year olds? No. But was it super fun? YES.





Happy, happy birthday Cynthia!!



Girl, you're the best!  Thanks for sharing this adorable memory!  I love celebrating birthdays with you!!

Erin from Pepperknit

(ooops this post went up earlier than I thought)  
So I asked some of my birthday loving friends to share a little something this week on my blog.  I think Erin, who blogs over at Pepperknit, is so full of life and her excitement for food, friends, knitting, and photography is contagious!!  
                  
I approached my thirtieth birthday with nothing less than complete abandon. It was time to shed the baggage of my twenties (a long but unfulfilling relationship, a change of jobs for the much, much worse) and claim my adulthood. I started telling people who asked—and they always ask, when you have a girlish voice and youthful looks—that I was already thirty when I was probably just a few months past twenty-nine.

But even though I’d been “living” thirty for almost a year, it wasn’t mine yet. I hadn’t really been able to join all the women in my life (just a few years older than me) who assured me that their thirties had been their best years so far (these statements have proven accurate, btw). Even friends in their forties admitted that they didn’t really start feeling the kind of confidence and comfort in themselves that they currently exuded until they hit the “big” 3-0.

For the first time that I could remember as an adult, I decided to be demanding on my birthday. My ex had always said I was “too hard to shop for” and never really did anything special for me. I never thought to ask for more than the simple dinner out we would eat. But this year, without him, I was going to be with friends (it was Thanksgiving weekend, and we always did friends Thanksgiving), and they were asking what I wanted. They told me it would be all about me. So I told them.

“I want to go to the top of something—anything, whether a mountain or a building, but the top—and I want to take my picture there.” The details wouldn’t matter, for once in my life. The rest of the day was going to be, as they say, “cake.” (And it did involve a delicious cake!) But I had a vision for my thirtieth birthday moment, and the confidence and comfort in myself to ask for it.

They happily obliged, being more outdoorsy people than me who knew about local hikes and things in Portland, OR, where we all were. We climbed to the top of a mountain, and while taking the relatively challenging hike I realized that the top of a building never would have sufficed; I had had to EARN this achievement. It was cold, the altitude was thin. But as I stood there looking out over the Columbia River, I felt it.

Thirty.

It was mine. I was whole. I was ready.



Happiest of birthdays, my dear Cynthia. May your thirties be a time of wholeness and acceptance, and may they be the best years of your life.

Thank you so much Erin for sharing your 30th birthday adventures on my blog.  Go check out Pepperknit for NY love, pretty yarn being knitted into the coolest clothes, and yummy food photos!

Guest Blogger: Rebecca of MinnChic

Hi Thatgirl Photography readers, this is Rebecca from MinnChic. I'm a personal style blogger from St. Paul, MN.

When Cynthia asked me to do a travel-related guest post, I thought it would be fun to write about my typical travel outfit.

For most of my trips I stick to a travel uniform; a colorful cotton dress, a neutral cardigan, super comfortable shoes and a huge bag. Tights get packed too, especially if it is going to be cooler during my vacation.

My typical travel outfit is super comfortable. It makes packing a snap, and I can wear it to a museum, restaurant or baseball game without looking out of place. The big bag is key to traveling for me, because I can use it to store my sweaters if I get warm, and I also can carry guidebooks, water and sunscreen.





Outfit Details:
Dress and Tank - Old Navy
Sweater - Gap Outlet
Tights - Target
Shoes - Born
Bag - Vintage Samsonite

Here are a few shots of my travel clothes in action:

In New York City


On the North Fork of Long Island, NY


In Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Rebecca, it was so awesome to have you here! I LOVE your bag! Check out MinnChic for Rebecca's fun and classy style (too bad it's getting warmer because she has an awesome collection of tights).

Guest Blogger: Elizabeth of She Likes Stripes

Hi folks! My name is Elizabeth and I'm super excited to be blog sitting for Cynthia today. I met Cynthia through the magic of flickr, and I think it's pretty safe to say that we've graduated from internet friends to real-life friends. As for a little about me? I like stripes, tea, books (I'm a librarian so this probably goes without saying), baseball, photography, things that are brightly colored, and crafts. My blog is shelikesstripes.com.

When Cynthia asked me to write a guest post for her, I wasn't really sure where to start. I was thinking of writing about how because of Cynthia's (and our mutual friend Kim's) outfit posts, I actually bought and WEAR skinny jeans (I even bought gray ones! And I love them!) AND I have skinny belts that I wear on TOP of cardigans. This is big news for me. But truthfully, I don't think I could take a whole-outfit photo to save my life, so instead I'm going to talk a bit about crafts. I'm currently working on a project called Handmade52, and the basic idea is that I'm going to craft, bake, or make something every week for 2011. So I'm always on the lookout for crafty inspiration. (Otherwise, I'll end up with 52 hats at the end of this project.)

A few weeks ago, I found this tutorial for how to make earrings out of vintage buttons, and was pretty intrigued. And then over the weekend, I saw Bridemaids (HILARIOUS. Seriously. Even my boyfriend loved it. Also gross. Also, I need to dig up my Wilson Phillips cd.). Kristen Wiig's character, Annie, has an amazing wardrobe in the movie; it's all blazers and tshirts and boots over jeans and cute dresses. But what caught my eye was that she wears different pairs of studs in every scene - brightly colored hearts, circles, flowers... and they don't necessarily match her outfit. (Like, a blue pair of heart-shaped earrings with a red dress.)


(photos all screencaps from the trailer on imdb)

So then I was obsessed.



I bought a few sets of super cheap buttons, and a tool to remove what I now know are called shanks (the little hook on the back of a button), plus some earring backs. I also figured this would be a great opportunity to try to fix the red flower earrings that my sister gave me for Christmas a few years ago.



Except the super-cheap wire cutting tool I bought at the craft store? Totally wouldn't cut through the buttons. So this craft is on hold until I can get myself a better tool... but I can't wait.

I tried googling Kristen Wiig's earrings and didn't really find much, but etsy saved the day. A basic search for heart/flower/star stud or post earrings turns up quite a lot of incredibly cheap options. But I found a few shops that have lots of great options:


(photos from their respective etsy shops)

Acute Designs - mostly flowers but great color choices

Pink Flower Cube - hearts, stars, lots of other shapes

Paper Biscuit - hearts, circles, rainbows

I can't promise I'm not going to go buy a pair in every color as soon as I finish writing this... but I will follow through on trying to make my own, because buttons are super cheap. I just love this look. Next on my list? Growing my hair a few more inches so I can make it look like perfectly wavy Kristen Wiig's. (Love!)

Elizabeth, I can't wait to see how this project pans out! Thanks so much for coming over to my blog. Please check out the rest of Elizabeth's craftiness at She Likes Stripes.

Guest Blogger: Jodi McKee

Hello! I’m Jodi from Jodi McKee Photography and I’m so happy to be filling in for a day while Cynthia is on vacation.

Over the past two months, I’ve been lucky enough to travel to Austin, TX, San Francisco, CA and Washington, DC. I thought it might be fun to give you my favorite things to do in each city.

First up, Austin. If I were only there for one day, I would be sure to have at least one meal at Torchy’s Tacos and take a nice photo walk up and down South Congress.

Delicious tacos at Torchy’s

Bottle cap art in a gallery on South Congress

A brightly colored wall on South Congress.

Just one day in San Francisco? Man, that’s a rough one.

I would start by heading over to the Exploratorium. It is possibly the most fun museum EVER. Highly recommended. Stop for a drink and a bite to eat at Liverpool Lil’s and then take a drive through Golden Gate Park. Be sure to get out and stop a lot along the way. It is a seriously beautiful place. Finally, as the sun begins to lower in the sky, be sure to make your way to China Beach. It is a magical little spot. Not to be missed.

Fun for all ages at the Exploratorium

Liverpool Lil's on Lyon Street.

Pretty California poppies in Golden Gate Park.

Dusk on China Beach

One day to spend in Washington, DC?

Start off with a tour of the U.S. Capitol Building and then take

a stroll past the White House. Grab a bite to eat at Logan Tavern

on P Street and then walk over to Logan Circle

to admire all of the gorgeous homes. And while you’re in DC, be sure to take a

ride on the Metro. It always feels so futuristic to be down on the platform there.

The majestic dome of the U.S. Capitol building.

My dream house on Logan Circle.

The space-age DC Metro

Hope you enjoyed my picks! Thanks again to Cynthia for having me over.

Thank you so much Jodi!! Check out Jodi's site for more of her kick ass photography.