On Sunday, I celebrated my 29th birthday. All I can think about is how I’m one year closer to 30, which has been a milestone age for me since watching 13 Going on 30. I admit I was a bit pessimistic during past birthdays because I expected a lot of well thought out gifts and plans—receiving gifts and quality time are my love languages—but this year, I just feel extremely grateful to be here.

When I think of 29, I think of the Friends episode Monica tells Rachel she needs to move out because Chandler is moving in and it’s the end of an era. To wrap up the end of my era, I thought it would be appropriate to recap some major moments from my twenties.

GIF via The Loop

2011-2014: The Beginning

Me and Angel on our “first date” with my dad circa 2011

Angel and I have been together since I was 19 years old and our relationship has played a huge part of my personal growth during my twenties and makes getting married to each other this fall all the more special.

In 2013, I graduated with my B.A. in Communications and was blessed to land a back-to-back internship with my high school. I learned a lot about the different areas in communications and got to be part of some cool projects such as, the launch of Our Kakaako, writing for the alumni magazine, and managing the organization’s social media platforms—including being an “official Tweeter” at the school’s biggest annual event.

That same year, Angel and I moved in to our apartment together. Actually, we lived together prior to the apartment, but it was his place and this new place was ours. Moving in to a space that was ours made our relationship feel so much more real and it has been a true test for our relationship.

2015-2018: Making Moves

Me at Iao Valley in Maui

Me at the tide pools on Lanai. It was my first time to Lanai and my coworker was nice enough to show me around

In 2015, I was hired for my first full-time job where I was fortunate enough to travel A LOT. That same year, I found a lump in my breast (thank God it was benign), and experienced a traumatizing family emergency. All of these ups and downs left me feeling depressed and hopeless and after years of rejecting the idea of therapy, I finally sought help. Choosing to go to therapy was the best thing I ever did for myself and the first step in my radical journey of self-love, acceptance, and forgiveness. Taking care of my mental health gave me the courage to keep pursuing my dreams and in 2018, I left my job to become a corporate social media manager.

2018-2019: A Year of Learning

My first few months as a social media manager were exciting and tough. There was a lot I wanted to do creatively but the lack of support and guidance made me feel like I was a failure. (Not a good place to be when you’re a recovering perfectionist.) About six months into my new job, my anxiety was at its worst and it affected my mental health and relationship. I would often go home crying or so on edge I would take it out on Angel.

One night, I experienced a panic attack so strong that it felt like I was dying. It had been a while since I last went to therapy, but I knew I needed to speak with a therapist again. I was lucky enough to find a therapist I like and when I started working on myself again, a lot of great things started happening like, I learned how to set boundaries, my relationship improved, I got engaged, we went to San Francisco for the first time, and I ended 2019 leaving my job.

2020 So Far …

The beginning of 2020 was great! I started my new job (still as a corporate social media manager) and we went to Kauai for my bridal shower. Then the world shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Everything during those first few weeks of the pandemic happened so fast; We postponed our spring wedding, our state went on lockdown, and I started working from home.

Even though the pandemic has been uncertain, there have been some great things to come from it like, being able to continue my therapy sessions through telehealth, an increase in my creativity, and rebranding my blog. Angel and I are already homebodies so we don’t mind staying home, but we do miss traveling.

Recapping my twenties this way has allowed me to see how much growth I’ve made over the last decade and I can’t help but feel grateful for it all. Thank you all for the sweet birthday wishes. I’m heading into this next trip around the sun with an open heart, and I’m looking forward to finally getting married and growing this community even more. (There’s a fun thing launching real soon!) Stay tuned!

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