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Well, here we are. My 30th birthday! I’m not sure what I pictured when I thought of my 30th birthday, but I can tell you I don’t think I saw myself being in Los Angeles, 6+ months pregnant with twins, amidst a recovering pandemic. I typically do some sort of reflection / big birthday post, but I just didn’t feel like it this year. Call it third trimester exhaustion or significant milestone birthday crisis - not sure what it is! To be honest, I don’t feel well most days. From heartburn and acid reflux to a growing uncomfortability, I just haven’t really felt like celebrating. Don’t get me started on hormones and anxiety! To be fair, we did already celebrate my birthday last month in Hawaii. I plan on doing a blog post on it soon, but we traveled to Lanai partially for a babymoon, partially for my 30th, and partially for our 5 year wedding anniversary which is later this year.

Nick encouraged me to do some sort of gathering for my birthday, as I might look back and regret it. So, I started brainstorming. Don’t get me wrong, I would prefer to stay in bed and watch 13 going on 30 (which I still plan on doing today), but I finally came up with an idea I liked. Last year I did a potato chip and wine pairing and it was so fun, but I’m not drinking right now because I’m pregnant. That got me thinking about what beverages I do like. Tea popped into mind, as that is something I have always enjoyed drinking and have continued to drink throughout my pregnancy. An adult tea party gathering it was!

Madewell Denim Jacket (c/o) | Elaine Turner Caftan (c/o old, similar here, here, and here) | Olivia and Oliver Mug and Saucer

The beach is one of our favorite places, so it just made sense to have it there. If you want more inspiration, I shared my DIY boho beach picnic set up last year. We had a folding table we brought, just to keep the food away from the sand. Tea sandwiches are great, but SANDwiches… not so much.

Overall this tea party was thrown together pretty last minute. My point in saying that is that we could have definitely put more into it, but it was a fairly easy theme to bring together. We already had the teacups and saucers, which also doubled as hors d'oeuvres plates. The menu was more of “my favorite tea-like things” versus a true tea menu. We had pimento cheese finger sandwiches, a cheese board, shortbread, donut holes, petit fours, strawberries, cucumbers, and grapes. If you don’t have time to do it yourself, I would check your local area, as several shops offer tea boxes where you can just pay and pick them up. Regarding tea, I keep a lot on hand, so just brought a plethora for people to choose from. I didn’t bring any loose leaf, but did grab some bags. The bulk of what I brought was Pique tea, which is great for a lot of reasons. For the beach they were particularly good, as they are crystals and dissolve pretty much instantly. For the hot water, we just heated up water (we love this electric kettle) and put some in our thermoses. The party was set for 7:00 pm, so it was after dinner / pre-sunset perfection.

If you want more of an in-depth tea party, I actually had a tea party birthday as a little girl! My mom threw the best parties, and that birthday was no exception. The invitation was a puzzle that the guest had to put together to see all the party details. We made hats (sun hats with silk flowers and ribbons) and played croquet. Maybe this is why I a tea party… I was reverting to my inner child?

Okay, okay, I’m glad I did something and celebrated in some kind of way ;) Today is my actual birthday and I plan to relax, not really work, and hang out with Nick. Oh and eat some cake! I’m not not looking forward to 30… I think my lack of enthusiasm is really just related to the fact(s) that I have a lot going on and quite a few changes coming up. Additionally I feel like my birthday is so trivial compared to things going on in the world, that my attention is just lost.

30 marks a lot of milestones though and I am welcoming them. I can’t believe it is already mine and Nick’s 5 year wedding anniversary in a couple of months. Prior to that the twins will be here… In 2 months or less they will enter the world which will probably be the biggest life change thus far. What can I say? I’m beginning my 30s with a bang. Bring it on :)

Thanks so much for reading this and for being in my corner. It makes me feel so loved! On that note, I didn’t really want anything for my birthday this year… it is more about the time and effort put in. Whether it’s a card or a simple text, let your friends know you love them. Life is too short!!

Want more 30th birthday ideas? I wrote this post a couple years ago when we celebrated Nick’s!

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