I’m welcoming 30 into my life tomorrow. This is kind of like a big deal. I never ever thought I would turn thirty, just like I really don’t believe I’ll ever turn 40. Only other people turn 40, right? So I thought since I’m saying toodles to my twenties, I should probably reflect on some highlights over the past ten years. Goodness, here I go.

1. I met the man of my dreams, Jeremy. This kind of includes my late teen years but he’s shared all my twenties with me, and that’s what really matters. He’s seen me through all of this…

2. I can’t really remember turning 20 but 21 I definitely remember. I didn’t have a party or anything, I just opened presents in the lounge and cried with laughter when mom presented me with a letter I had written to Santa when I was little.  I told him that I had been good and that I needed a lot of “stuff” for my room. Classic.

(opening pressies on the morning of my 21st with my family and Jem)

3. I got my degree in Dietetics from PMB. Man I loved that course. Thought I’d be a dietician but things just didn’t turn out that way.

4. My mom was probably bummed that I didn’t use my degree but she was so cool about it she just wanted me to be happy. I hope I can be that wise with my own kids one day.

5. I worked in the UK for 8 weeks over my varsity holiday. The only thing missing from the experience was Jem.

6. a.)Met one of my best friends, Amanda, at varsity.  She influenced me in so many ways and is the reason I’m doing what I do now, creative work. Thank-you Mands! Xxx


we spent a weekend at the buddhist retreat centre – Mands trying to be serious :)

6.b) I met a lot of beautiful friends in my twenties…Gina being one of them…

(one of our more mature moments)

7. I started a business in 2005, I had just turned 25.  It’ll be 6 years later this year.

8. I did a couple of dusi’s, started mountain biking, we built a house and got two cats. (Friendly Frank and Gorgeous George)

9. I got married to the most beautiful boy on earth…it was such a simple yet intimate wedding. *happy sigh*

10. I did the Cape Epic with my hubby.

11. And trained my butt off for it. It was special. The doing it with my hubby part, not the butt part.

12. I’ve travelled to Austria, Germany, France, Switzerland, London, Spain, New Zealand, Scotland, Mauritius and Zanzibar. I learnt to ski, go off-piste and shriek at the same time. I also got to watch my beautiful friend Gina go down a black slope backwards. #priceless

13. I became an aunty to my sister’s little boy David. She pushed him out natural with no help from Mister Epidural. Respect!

14. I’ve heli-biked, motorbiked, slept next to rivers and under the stars, rafted and ziplined, been zapped by electric fences and bathed in mud.

15. I’ve also been to a lot of spas.

16. I discovered Etsy.com (as did my Visa)

17. I wore glasses in my early twenties but then saw the light and pretty much everything else when I went for the Lasik eye op.


(blocking out recurring Christmas tunes on the aeroplane)

18. I started this blog, Phuthu, initially as a place to boast about our beautiful country…but then it underwent a facelift and is now our little family blog.

19. I learnt the meaning of ISO, aperture, depth of field and exposure. The superjerm taught me.

20. We had a beautiful baby boy, Thomas (sometimes called the Tominator or nator for short.) This boy has brought us so much joy. He’s 10 months already.

21. Hang in there…I’ve got 8 more points to go.

22. I did a marathon when I was 28. We were training for the Comrades but that got put on the backburner when I discovered I was pregnant. Jeremy fell pregnant at the same time and he didn’t do the Comrades either.

23. I did a meditation course and tried out yoga and pilates. Yuh. And that was that.

24. Learnt French. Am still trying to learn French.

25. I’ve watched my brother turn into an incredible man, my sister into an incredible woman and mother.

26. I’ve seen my dad take up a new hobby of making knives and my mom kick ass at bowls.

27. I’ve made a lot of cupcakes. And eaten them. *gives sheepish grin*

28. I’ve driven with my handbrake on, said silly things and done things which I wish I could have control-ALT deleted. All in all, my twenties have been good to me – actually they’ve been amazing, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have experienced so much..

29. Tomorrow, on my thirtieth birthday I’ll be 16 ½ weeks pregnant with my second baby.  The best birthday present of all. Here’s to me and you, thirty.