age issues, european vacations, and other first world problems

Happy 4th of July! 

It's been an amazing long weekend, and I've enjoyed nearly every minute... well, except those without air conditioning. Yep, the a.c. in my house decided to conk out over this currently-100ish degree stint of weather we've been having... I seriously have no idea how people did it before this amazing invention. It will (luckily) be repaired tomorrow, so I will fan myself in self-pity until then. 

Between bbqs, endless rosé, and fireworks, I've been in full-on vacation prep mode. I'm not quite done just yet, but I feel like overall I'm ready for my trip this Thursday. Oh, where am I off to? So glad you asked! I'll be flying to Rome, where I'll be until Sunday when we board our cruise ship. The ship is stopping in Corsica (France), Barcelona (Spain), and Sardinia (back to Italy) before looping back to Rome. Italy - specifically Rome - has been on my bucket list since I was a little girl. I am beyond excited to make this dream of mine come true. 

Today I have about 5 million articles to write so I meet all my deadlines before I sail off, but wanted to get in this post as well. So, here's my weekly rundown!

Younger

If you haven't heard of this show yet, you need to check it out ASAP (if you're anything like me, anyway). (Notable name) Hilary Duff costars to Sutton Foster's Liza Miller, a 40 year-old nearly divorced mom of a college student, looking to return to the workforce. Basically, her life's been turned upside down, she needs a job, and discovers that her job search is falling flat in a millennial-obsessed (and ruled) world. Liza's friend Maggie (Debi Mazar) convinces her to pass herself off as 26 years old (and getting hit on by Nico Tortorella (Josh) didn't hurt, either), which lands her an assistant position at a publisher, back in her old playground. Season 4 just started on TVLand, and I was able to quickly binge watch the previous 3 seasons on Hulu since each episode is roughly 30 minutes or less. 

I found the show intriguing as I mentioned a lot of the same age issues that Liza is encountering when I first started this blog (and I was a mere 34 back then). If you aren't a 20 something, it feels like a lot of opportunities are closed off to you because you're "too late." Also, to some, millennial is synonymous with "twenty something." I also relate because Liza is a writer and loves to read (the whole dissipated marriage thing with an irresponsible ex was familiar as well). Fun fact irl - Sutton's middle name is Lenore (just like meee).

goals + check marks

I've been making weekly checklists for myself to attempt to be a better (and more productive human being) and I think it's going well. Still need to make plenty of tweaks, but - I'm definitely checking more off of my list by planning ahead. 

Looking back to my goals for the year, I wanted to share that one was to invite writers I admire out for coffee or drinks to pick their brains. The purpose was not only to fangirl out, but to extend my network and hopefully establish some mentorship/friendship type situations. Well, I'm happy to report I've been lucky enough to meet a few (and grateful they even accepted my invitation). One experience in particular left me feeling some type of way, and I felt it was worth noting. 

Said writer has quite an impressive portfolio, one I could only hope to mirror one day. A few things happened when we met - first, she gave me a lot of advice that I was extremely appreciative of, but I was secretly disappointed because it wasn't new information to me (or that I didn't already know myself). She helped me because this made me feel that much more confident in myself - what's that quote? "I had the answers all along." 

Second, while the majority of our conversation was obviously focused on her and her accomplishments, I quickly gave her a very honest summary of who I was - including the fact that I never graduated from college (she graduated from a top university that was followed by an impressive resume) and that I'm a single mother. I could see in her eyes how much she couldn't relate, and I'm fairly confident in saying that she judged me, whether consciously or not. I believe that she thought she was above me/my level (and she's quite a few years younger than I am). I hesitate to describe it this way even now, as I would never want to incorrectly or unfairly assume, but my gut feeling says I'm correct.

I think a part of impostor syndrome, a topic I write about often, is working with and against the fear of experiences that would make you believe that you have the right to doubt yourself. Well, what that encounter made me feel is something I am proud of. I left feeling proud of what I have accomplished in a relatively short period of time, and proud of the path it took to get me here. I realized that age is just a number, but experiences are priceless. All of my experiences made me who I am and led me here. I feel so grateful - perhaps even in spite of those that may view it differently or look down on me.

two guys, two age groups - one confused 30-something girl

This portion got so long, that I made it a separate blog post. Whew.

I'm off to finish prepping, and will be offline for the next two weeks. July, can't wait to see what you have in store! 

for now, hugs & European kisses - xoxo