09/04/2026
42 today.
Two years ago we moved to Portugal with an 8-month-old. No friends, no family and no idea what I was doing. I kind of disappeared into motherhood and handled everything for our family (I thought I had to do it all).
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This birthday was different though.
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Mario planned the whole thing. All of it. He coordinated with the hotel, set up the spa, texted all my friends and gave everyone the details. I didn’t send a single message. A lot of people actually thought it was a surprise party because he was the one doing all the communicating.
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And I’m proud that I didn’t have to.
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We did a bougie spa morning and then walked across the street to eat at the food trucks. The couple who owns the Japanese truck .pt set up a little birthday table for me with a sign and a signature cocktail. Mario arranged that too. It was really sweet. Very bougie-casual.
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Some of the women I was with are moms and some aren’t. Which I love. Because it reminds me that being a mom isn’t my whole identity anymore. I’ve built friendships around who I am, not just what stage I’m in.
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We laughed until we were cackling. We went deep, past the small talk. It was unfiltered and real and I left feeling so full.
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This is what I’ve been working towards. Not just organizing and optimizing my life. But making time to have fun, to connect with myself and people I really like, and to actually be here for it. Not stuck in the past or constantly trying to get ahead of the future.
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It took me a while to get back here. But I like who I am right now. And I’m excited for this next year 💛
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ps — I’ve been building something to help other women redistribute the load the way I did. It’s not quite ready yet (there’s always more behind the scenes than you think), but if you want to know when it’s live, link’s in my bio.
