As some of you may already know it was my birthday last Thursday & I turned the big 30 (she gasps & places her hands over face for dramatic effect!). I have always been a bit funny about getting older, at my 21st birthday I distinctly remember saying oh god I will be 30 before I know it & bam here I am! You can imagine that on the weeks leading up to my birthday I had been dreading it, but how do I feel now I have well & truly waved good bye to my 20’s?

Well I’m not quite terrified of 20 year olds, that poster just made me laugh! One big advantage I do have though over the big 30 is that I have always looked young for my age, when I first entered the ‘going out out’ territory I would always be the one out of my friends to get asked for ID, every single time! I would dread approaching the door men as I knew what was coming, thinking I just wanted the ground to swallow me up or else die with embarrassment! I would moan to my mum about it the following day & I always remember her response being ‘your be grateful when you get older’ which at the time I hated hearing but now, well she couldn’t be more right! I recently went to California & of course you have to be 21 to drink there & most places we went too I got asked for ID but this time I was only to happy to show them, so yes although I might be 30 it definitely feels wonderful knowing I look younger.

I often hear women in their 30’s say that they prefer it to being in their 20’s, one reason being that they feel more comfortable in their own skin. Now I have been thinking about this & one thing I would say is that I have become more accepting of who I am and people liking me for me. Now what I am about to tell you is something very personal, which may even come as a surprise to you but I was born with Spina Bifida. (If your not familiar with the condition you can find out more about the disability here). Whilst I was in hospital being operated on at just over a year old I caught meningitis which left me completely deaf in my right ear. Now you may wonder why I have decided to share something so personal on my blog? Mainly to reiterate my point about being more accepting of who I am which I think has happened gradually as I have got a bit older. Whilst I am truly thankful that I am not effected severely by my disability, I have been lucky enough to lead a fulfilling life. It does of course come with its problems & limitations, which in the past I have found upsetting wanting to be like everybody else. Not letting on that anything was wrong, but now I know that its okay & I don’t need to pretend or hide away from it. When I was younger I of course like most if not all teenagers just wanted to fit in, so this was a subject I never felt that comfortable talking about but since I have got older I have realised that I have a truly amazing support group around me with my family, friends & of course Steve that love me for who I am!

Life plan?

When you were at school did you have the ‘life plan’ conversation with your friends? Mine went a little something like this…I’m going to be married by the age of 23, have a baby at 26 & somehow have also managed to have a successful career & own a home too all before the age of 30! Now I think back to those conversations & laugh at my 16 year old self, how clueless I was. As my wise 30 year old self now knows, life just isn’t quite that simple. The point I’m at in my life now isn’t exactly where I thought I would be at 16 BUT overall I have to say I am happy with what I have achieved so far. I have tried my hand at various different job roles in business administration, retail, fashion and home ware and have been lucky enough to travel, something which I absolutely adore and is a great love of mine, closely behind flowers of course! I had the time of my life (the dirty dancing lyrics were not quite intended) travelling through Central America visiting Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala & Mexico for 3 months in 2008 living out of a backpack, the most amazing memories which I will never forget! Breaks to Europe, Belgium is another place I am very fond of especially Ghent such a picturesque city with its quaint river running through it & gorgeous architecture. Last month myself & Steve went on an epic road trip through California (you may have seen some of the snaps on my instagram feed), we visited; San Diego, LA, Santa Barbara, Monterrey & San Francisco, if you haven’t been I highly recommend you do it!. Now  don’t get me wrong there are still lots of places on my ‘to visit’ list but I feel lucky that I have had the opportunity to experience some of the world.

Love life?

During my single years I kissed some toads & have a few very funny stories (not for the blogs eyes) but 4 years ago I met Steve & feel so very lucky that I did. The most loving, supportive & caring partner any girl could wish for & he took me by complete surprise when he popped the question a few weeks ago when we were in San Francisco, so much so I immediately burst into tears! I just felt so overwhelmed with emotion & happiness I can’t quite put it into words and of course I said yes, so now we have our own wedding to plan! Can’t wait!

Studies?

I gained a 1st in my Floral Design & Event Management degree. Studying on the course was by far one of the best things I have ever done! I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed my time at university. Attending as a ‘slightly more mature’ student (I was 25 when I started the course) I found I was a lot more focused & so eager to learn. Without sounding corny (but I’m going to anyway!), my degree allowed me to fulfill my creative potential & led me to realise what I am good at & truly love, working with flowers.

Career?

I am so incredibly proud of all that I have achieved with Joanne Truby Floral Design in the last two years. How far the business has come, building it up from scratch without a penny to start off & no business loans. I have been lucky enough to flower some of the most prestigious venues, had my work featured in national magazines & on renowned wedding blogs. As well as meeting some of the loveliest people in the wedding industry, many of whom have become great friends. Yes I am not completely at the point where I want to be just yet with the business but I am excited for what’s to come in the future, the best is yet to come as they say!

So I guess turning 30 is not to shabby after all 😉

How did you feel when you turned 30? For those of you who are not quite there yet, how do you feel about the prospect of turning 30?