Thirty-Nine

Well I am officially 39 which means in less than a year I will be 40

Last year for my birthday I did my first real photo shoot for my old blog.  It was so much fun that I wanted to do something new and exciting this year.  Just wait until you see what I have planned for my 40th…

Au Darling was the perfect location for this cool, sixties vibe photo shoot.  Kylen also picked and styled all of my looks which was fun for me to have someone else in charge.  Also, Melissa Breedlove is a freaking genius with staging these pictures and the different places around the store.

It’s been a big year for me.  This was my fourth year as a stay at home mom, my second year writing for Northshore Parent, I launched my own blog this year, built my Instagram following to more than 3k and started a newsletter collaboration with Adult(ish).  Also, this year I enrolled my first child in Kindergarten, continued to breastfeed Porter, became a room mom and am chairing an event for the Junior League.  Justin and I have also been being more intentional about our time together and have established a more regular date night scheduled.

As for this year.  I will register my second child for kindergarten and have two, YES TWO, kids in full time school.  Porter will be attending a little MDO program once a week as he and I need a little more distance so I can get more work done and he can learn to have a little more independence.  Justin and I will celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary and I am going on my first girls trip since Peyton was born.

I really wanted to something to chronicle my journey into age 40.  I came up with a list of 40 things I want to do this year.  Some are BIG and some are small but they all mean something to me.  I wanted to share the list with all of you as I will be trying to write about it monthly for the blog as I accomplish these things…

1. Get 10K on Instagram
2. Lose 30 pounds of fat and put on 10 pounds of muscle
3. Really define my shoulders and back
4. Finish setting up my office
5. Go Blonde
6. Monthly time with friends: Lunch / Dinner / Drinks / Coffee
7. Swim half a mile
8. Squat 100 pounds
9. One unassisted pull-up
10.  Donate to a friend
11. Make someone smile
12. Leave a big tip
13. Try 5 new restaurants
14. Invest quality time into my kids talents
15. Coach a soccer game
16. Give away something special
17. Write a handwritten card
18. Wean Pops
19. Have everyone in their own beds
20. Night away with Justin
21. You Tube Channel
22. A new tattoo
23. Spend more time at the Lakefront
24. Porch Cocktails
25. Prima Donnas
26. See a play with my Mom
27. Keep a journal about accomplishing all of these tasks
28. Write my book
29. Renew my license
30. Take better care of my skin
31. Make a good habit
32. Register for a blogger conference
33. Boudoir Pictures
34. Throw a Party
35. Give each kid a YES! day
36. Make one vulnerable and transparent post a month on the blog.
37. Spend 5 minutes a day focusing on something Justin wants to talk about
38. Call my grandparents more
39. Help a friend work on a dream
40. ???? Bonus?????

All Dresses and Accessories provided by Au Darling.  Photography by Melissa Breedlove Photography.

So Cheers to an amazing year!  I can’t wait to celebrate all the amazing things that I know will unfold this year…

XO,

Tippy