mind | My First Day Of 35

“35 is big,” he said.
“Alright,” I said.
“How do you want to celebrate? I’ll make a Facebook event!” she said.

WHAT.

This was basically the conversation I had weeks leading up to my 35th birthday. I did not feel like it was a huge deal at all (and I didn’t want to make it a huge deal) but practically everyone told me it is a ‘milestone’ birthday.

“Alright,” I said again.

Last year was the milestone birthday for me. At the end of that night spent with good friends and drinks, it occurred to me that I often get so caught up in what I should be doing, that I forget about what I love doing. 34 inspired me to love life and love it hard. And on my 35th, I set out to find more inspiration.

And there it was: May 27

One of my besties, Zulay, happened to be in town to celebrate her father’s 66th birthday – which coincidentally, is one day before mine! She reserved the whole day to spend with me and the first place we went to was Kids Day at Wesbrook Village!

The fam and I usually venture out to the west end for organized endurance events like the Run Canada Day, so the Kids Day was very new to us. There was plenty of underground parking, with the first 2 hours free! Once we fetched the whimsical Kids Day map from Wesbrook Welcome Centre, we headed straight to Hot Box Yoga for family yoga. We learned to breathe like a dragon, jump like a frog and growl like a bear! The class ended with a relaxing massage and the most joyful savasana. I was thoroughly impressed. Even though K declared she was not going to participate, she ended up loving it! Zulay and I both felt amazing after the class.

After yoga, we were all famished so we went to the Village Square to enjoy a picnic lunch provided by Doughgirls Comfort Kitchen + Bakeshop. It was then that, Liv, my self-proclaimed ‘Sandwich Hater’ miraculously decided that she loves sandwiches – but only Doughgirls’ ham + cheese is allowed to cross those picky 6 year old lips. K devoured hers and then went ahead and ate most of mine as well. I really need to start ordering double portions around these hungry kids!

K is obsessed with scavenger hunts, so naturally, she was determined to complete the one that was listed on the back of the map. We stopped by most places to search for the ‘balloons’, including the splash pad and community centre, where we discovered this beautiful piano:

 

Next up was the UBC Farm Tour. During my years at UBC, I never heard about these farms! So it was a pretty amazing discovery for me. They talked about food sustainability, explored the apple trees and Liv even got an opportunity to go inside their chicken coop (which she put to an end pretty quickly).

The girls also tested out the bouncy castle, multiple playgrounds and craft table, while Zulay and I chatted with Christine Chan (Director of Marketing) about Wesbrook Village and all its amazing offerings for families.

We ended our very eventful afternoon with a car nap (mainly the girls) and a very special visit at grandma’s, while a few close friends and I celebrated with some long awaited Greek food and a few bottles of Okanagan wine.

 

This isn’t the end of 34

As my first day of 35 came to an end, I was a little disappointed that I did not have profound insight like I did at 34. All I know is: I want to keep loving and continue to grow as a mom and a writer.

But as I type this, I suppose that is profound in itself. 35 doesn’t signify an obligatory new beginning; rather, it marks 35 years of experiences that has made me ME. And my hope is that these experiences will continue to grow me into my 35th year.

What inspires you on your birthday?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Disclosure – My family and I were invited to Kids Day at Wesbrook Village. All opinions in this post are my own.