On October 5, my countdown began: 30 days until my 30th birthday. In honor of this, on each of the 30 days leading up to my birthday I will recount one memory from the past 30 years… either one that has helped define me, one that makes me laugh, one that makes me think, one that encourages me…  or maybe a little of everything. If possible, I will post a photo to go along with the memory.

It’s my 30/30/30 Project: 30 years. 30 memories. 30 days.

Here is my memory for Day #12:

Of the 29 New Year’s Eves I’ve celebrated, only one has been on a beach.

It was New Year’s Eve 1994 and I was on Margarita Island in Venezuela with my parents and Audrey for a swim camp/family vacation. It was such a memorable trip on so many levels… but one of my fondest memories was dancing on the beach with friends as we welcomed in 1995, thinking about how nice it was to be wearing just a wrap skirt and a tank top, our feet in warm ocean water, on December 31…