Officially....30....
So...as of right now.....I'm freaking....30...holy hell.
So long twenties.....HELLO thirties!!
Today I had a little reflection time......I took myself shopping for a birthday bash outfit (which was a horrible decision...didn't find anything except a new book & some candles.) :) Apparently that's how 30 year olds shop. Ha.
So........tonight when I was driving home from said ridiculous shopping expedition I had a moment. I was thinking how completely awesome my life is & has been. The people I know. The things I've accomplished. The last decade of my life is seriously epic. I've LIVED. :)
I decided to put together a lil' walk down Sara memory lane....and granted a lot of y'all haven't been there.....but it'll let ya in on me....
SO....IN MY TWENTIES I....
Go married....in 2000. July 4th, 2000. On Miami Beach, I married my best friend...my life partner. I had to get into a heated argument with a Spanish soap opera who was filming on the boardwalk. They wouldn't let us pass to get married!! But I bitched & I didn't let up & the let us pass. :) And at the age of 20, I was married.
I traveled to Miami a gazillion times after I got married there. It was my second home. I loved it & still do. I never thought I'd know another city that way. But I did & I do.
By the age of 21, I moved into a penthouse apartment in downtown Milwaukee. It was fabulous. I was on top of the world, literally. I was married to my dream guy & we had just delved into our dream business.
At the age of 21, my husband & I started a process serving company, that would eventually take off, surprising us with the monetary results. Life after that was pretty darned smooth. Shopping was my forte...& my everything.
At the age of 24 I was noted in a national pet magazine, one with Regis & Kelly on the cover, as being one of the premiere pet portrait artists in the country. I had started www.pawcassoart.com about six months prior. My first independent venture of my adult life.
At the age of 25, I got divorced after noting infidelity in my marriage. I never wavered. I never looked back. I was stronger than I ever thought I could be. It was horrible. I was devastated. But I was strong. It was not the end.
At the age of 25, my best friend & I started Gaudy GIrls LLC, an accessories company. In the next 2 years we would travel the midwest showing our product & eventually travel to New York, NY to show at a national show. We sold out. It was one of my proudest moments. Isn't there a saying that if you can make it in NY you can make it anywhere? Well, we made it. :) The next year we were invited to present our line to Chico's corporate office in Florida. We went. We presented......we all but peed our pants. It was a "vacation"....we kept telling ourselves. But we were out of our minds. In the end, Chico's didn't pick up our line. But CHICO'S ASKED TO VIEW OUR PRODUCT. When it comes down to it....not a lot of people can say that happened to them. It was fantastic. I'll never forget it.
At the age of 27, my best friend, along with another close friend, opened Anomaly Design Shop, LLC. A gift store & graphic design firm. We rented & renovated a space on Brady Street in Milwaukee, one of the most fantastic retail streets in the city. We built a unique outlet for fantastic gifts in Milwaukee. We were a destination. Also providing graphic design & wedding floral & invitations.....We were on top of the world.
At age 29, the economy tanked. The shop had to close. We actually were lucky. We shut down before many & cut our losses before it was pertinent. A dream shattered? Of course. Could that shattered dream been more fragmented? Yes. We got out when we could & we were smart.
At the age of 29.75, I am embarking on another journey in my young existence. It's certain & fabulous & I am oh-so-excited.
So businesses owned in the last decade:
I want to say The Court Runner LLC as that was the process serving company my husband & I started.
Pawcasso Art......my pet portrait company which earned me a local gallery night showing in the third ward & a national mention in Modern Dog magazine as one of the most premiere portraitures in the country.
Gaudy Girls LLC.....an accessories business with my dearest friend Carrie (a friendship which eventually had snags) which we traveled the country promoting & which led us to become experienced in so many fields from silk screening to sewing to jewelry making....best business ever.
Anomaly Design Shop LLC......our shop which spouted out of a dream & a desire. We took an empty shell & created an amazing space which was lauded as a destination on the WEST end of Brady Street. :)
Olive Salt Designs....a crass greeting card company I hope to continue. :)
Ol'factory Candle Co......a soy candle company which rocked everyone's sniffin' socks.
Another which I'm not ready to reveal but which is surly gonna rocket off the platform. :)
ALSO, IN MY TWENTIES:
I moved 8 times.
I owned 3 cars.
I owned 7 businesses.
I was blonde....then in a weird state was brunette....then promptly went back to blonde. :)
Lived with 3 boys. :) Seriously dated 4 of them.......including my husband. Bullocks.
Moved at least .5 miles south in the city of Milwaukee with each move until move number 7 in 2008.
I had two dogs. Both Airedale Terriers.....first Sienna, which ex-husband got......then ex-husband bought me Lucy. Who is the best dog any human ever had the pleasure of knowing.
I flew visited NYC twice. BEST TRIPS EVER!!!! I LOVE New York. Would move there in a SECOND if I had the chance. The first time I went to NY was when a boyfriend surprised me with a trip. He used to live there & was super fun. After we planned a trip to Chicago, he switched it up & before I knew it, we were on a plane to NYC. It was amazing & I have never felt more at home. If I die before living in NYC, you all can spit on my grave. Seriously. I belong there. :)
I flew for the first time totally on my own to FL to visit my parents at their condo in Fort Myers. I loved it. I wore all gothy stuff...a short black skirt with black poofy UGG boots...I loves the looks I got at the FL airport. That's me. :)
I played kickball competitively. Then, the next year, created our own team.....the Chilidogs. Yup. And I wasn't half bad. I was FAST!! :)
I became a car person. I fell in love with Maseratis...oh yeah......and Mini Coopers....the car I've driven for the past 4 years. :)
I've only driven stick shift cars. That's how I roll. And shift.
I became a Republican. And have voted in every election since I was 18.
Basically....my twenties were not typical. I didn't complete college. Something I seriously do no regret. But I really LIVED. I got to seriously know ME. I am READY for my 30's. I am poised to take the world by storm. I know who I am, what I want & how to achieve thus.
Why hello there......30.....you handsome hunk of....erties.
:)
I'm not having a 29-life-crisis. I'm happy to reflect. & oh-so excited for the next decade.
It's sure to be one to remember. :)
