30... It just feels right!

Hi all,

I know it’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to write home. Life is crazy busy as usual – but this month was different. It was my 30th birthday. And unlike any other birthday, I truly have been celebrating it for a month. I spent 7 days in Mexico with mom, Paul, Ivan and Melanie. Amazing! I needed the rest - and I needed the relaxation. I needed to see my family, and I needed to see the sun!! We spent much of time between the hammock, the sun deck, or a chair in the house – reading a book. From Mexico, I went on to NYC to spend a little time with Dan. A wonderful time, although too short as usual. New York was cold and snowy – though I do live it. And lastly, I finished off with six days in London. A dinner with Anthony, a few days working on my flat, and a ‘Black and White’ party to celebrate the big 3-0 milestone with my friends – and the fact that I don’t yet have any grey hair. :)

People keep asking me – how do you feel turning 30? My answer - It just feels right. I have lived so very much in 30 years!!

- My 0's were a childhood on Hooper Hill... Baseball. Summers filled with hot sun and dirt!. Swimming. The Steel Bridge, Pineapple Sherbert and hot pavement where the tar sticks to your bare feet. A garden which needed to be watered every morning, noon and night!! Corn on the cob. The east wind. Three sided trees. Winters with puzzles, kerosene lamps, and family games. TV from a car battery, meat hanging in the shed outside. Wood heat. Cold Mornings. Old cars. The smell of paint and bondo from dad's body shop. Little weiner dogs and big Irish Setters. Horses. Chickens. Cows. These were the days that shaped and molded me.

- My 10's were filled with Jemtegaard and Washougal High. My first crush (they never stopped coming - only got more frequent). My first kiss. My first car - a robin egg blue beauty! A love of volleyball, of homework (of all things). Teachers who made me think. Mr Cass, Mr Carver, Mr Nickelson. I loved school. Javelin. The smell of a 400 meter track in the summer when the rubber is starting to cinder in the sun. The feel of a perfect throw when it leaves your finger tips and you just know!! Roadtrips with Jenn, Jamie, Renee, and mom driving the Jeep. Saturday's working with Kelly – more boy talk. My first hangover. My first airplane ride. My first love. These were the days that stretched and grew me.

- My 20's were Being a Lute, enduring my first love (and loss), and realising that work never ends. PLU was a special place. The UC. The Volleyball gym. The Track. Tequila. Boys. School - in that order. Sunday mornings piecing together the events of Saturday night. J Professors who saw something in me and pushed hard. Prof. Sepic. Colleen Hacker. You can do better. You can be better!! Friends. TV and backrubs with Hahn, Goin, Gudgeon and Coleman (we almost never went by first name!). My first job - and the job that I nearly didn't take w/ Accenture. The man who encouraged me to take it – loved me enough to push me through the fear - and then broke my heart into a million little pieces. Piecing it back together. Work. Business. Thinking until it hurt. Traveling places far and wide. Seeing things for the first time. New friends in a new way. Jill. Mettie. A thirst for travel. A need to go. Constant learning – the next challenge. London. Life. Exploration. Long walks in strange cities. Hours at 100 cafés – sitting alone – enjoying a cappuccino and watching the world walk by. No friends. The first one. Steven. Jody&James. Marlise. Nat&Jack. Tasting fine Champagne and wearing gorgeous shoes. These are the days that broke me down and built me back up. They gave me strength, choices, and the courage to take them!

So what can 30 bring? New jobs? New countries? Children? More love? I have spent a lot of time thinking about it - and you know what, I have no idea what's next. But if it's anything like the first 30 - I look forward to it with great anticipation, I feel ready to run. I have smile on my face and a glow in my heart. Bring... It... On!

Hope this letter finds you all well!

Love from London.

Suzy