Mid-August to mid-September is a parade of birthdays in the midst of school starting, which leads to a lot of *big* feelings around here. And let’s not forget just three months ago when I poured my heart out as Cole graduated high school. I am so grateful to celebrate these amazing humans – not every day is easy but every day is worth it.
And I like to take the liberty of celebrating THE WHOLE MONTH of September, so my birthday month is still going strong around here.
Kiddo’s 17th Birthday!
It’s been nearly 3 years since Kiddo came to live with us, and every milestone still feels really special. They even asked me to help them with their hair. They din’t grow up with curly hair but magically (puberty) the texture changed not long after they came to live with us. We joke that’s it’s passed down from me!
Cole’s 18th Birthday!
Cole made us a family. He changed our lives. He is so cool and funny, and I am just so proud of him! His only request was a pretty low-key dinner with us back at L’Auberge Chez François.
Trust me, I even offered a tattoo appointment, which he politely declined. I guess I was a very different 18 year old! I am so grateful to be here, watching an individual come into their full self is magnificent – really. It’s true what they say, the days are long and the years are short.
Stacy Turns 42!
I personally have loved getting older. I’ve spent a lot of time this year figuring out what’s next for me, feeling such a pull to help others in a different way. In a vulnerable bonus episode of The Whole View, I chatted with my friends Anna Vig and Audrey Vargas about my growth the past few years and what led me to launch StacyToth.com. In fact, just this week the head social worker at our Agency told me I “could be” a clinical therapist. I’m taking all I’ve learned from training, certifications, and lived-experience and pouring into you in the coming months and years!
Also, let’s just take a moment to appreciate Stevie (yes, the name of my hair).
The Urge to Purge
Part of my “gift” to myself this year was to do some serious purging of clothes, with an ultimate goal to be more intentional in my purchases in general going forward. I’ve realized how heavily I lean on the quick gratification of “retail therapy” or comfort foods and have worked hard to create new neural pathways of behavior for healthier coping. All big words to say – I don’t need stuff to be happy.
This also led to another big clean and organize of my office and the garage, to the misery of the rest of the family, LOL! Though, Matt did admit that not only did it make him feel better to organize, but apparently he finds me really attractive in hyper-organizing, sweaty, get-things-done mode. Win-win.
I ended up sending 200 lbs (!!!) of clothes and shoes to ThredUp, and also sent off packages to The Real Real, a friend, and my sister. Note, codes for all the stuff we use and love to make our lives better (like NomNom, HelloFresh, and ThriveMarket) can be found here.
On my actual birthday I spent a lot of cozy time with the kids, Matt made Nonna’s Chicken Paprikosh, and we played the Sea Farer’s Expansion for Settlers of Catan as we watched Little Mermaid and enjoyed the Bavarian Cream cake from Amphora Bakery.
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