#casonsdirtythirty Lookbook
I turned 30 last month and I was kind of bummed about it. I actually don’t mind getting old. I’ve been looking forward to retirement since my freshman year of college. I think I was bummed about this milestone because I’m not where I thought I’d be at 30. If you had told me when I was 12 that at the age of 30 I wouldn’t be married, wouldn’t have kids, my dad would be in heaven, and I wouldn’t be doing the job I always dreamed about, I would have thought my life was over. OVER. But you know what? Screw that. My life is incredible and SO much better than what I thought I wanted. My life is so far off track than what I had planned for that I’m not even close to the tracks anymore. God has me off in some jungle with a machete clearing a path and making my own tracks. Sometimes I can’t see the path more than 2 feet in front of me but that’s okay. He’s taking me on a scenic route and I love it. All that to say, my 30th turned out to be pretty dang awesome thanks to my friends.
I don’t know how I got so lucky when God selected my friends, but they are REALLY amazing. Like, I don’t deserve them. These girls have turned into my extended family. They are my biggest supporters and make me laugh until I’m crying. I was truly overwhelmed with gratitude for these ladies on our trip to Miami. They went above and beyond to make me feel special and I’m astounded at everything they got away with!
Let me sum up what these ladies did… Kat was the queen of delegating and gave everyone an assignment. I was told Joanna couldn’t get on our flight and that she’d be on a later flight. LIE. This girl flew down to Miami 4 hours before we did and got to work! She took a completely separate suitcase solely for decorations. When she got there, Joanna took a cab to the nearest grocery store to have the balloons blown up!
When we arrived, the hotel room was DECKED OUT. I’m talking balloons, confetti, all my favorite snacks and treats, “Welcome to Miami” coming through the speakers, and champagne on ice. (Rumor has it Joanna manipulated some guy named Juan to come help her hang the garland. She would!) Kat put her Etsy skills to work and had a custom garland and personalized cookies made!
Did I mention they got t-shirts made?! All 5 of us had matching PJs every single night and it was awesome.
Our resident photographer was assigned the photo booth. As if the 5 of us would be together for the weekend and not have a designated photo nook. Puh-lease. You may or may not have seen the Instagram explosion over 4th of July weekend. In case you missed it, here are the best of the best from our photo booth!
Of course Holly was in charge of props. That is her specialty!
What? You and your friends don’t do Olan Mills style photos?
Check out this view!
Don’t worry, I can share my weekend with the USA. We celebrated America too!
The dress I had for my birthday night was kind of crazy. I found the French Connection dress on RueLaLa THREE YEARS ago and was saving it for a special occasion. I knew it was loud but I love a good sequin dress. These girls wanted me to stand out even more and secretly planned to wear black dresses on my birthday. Crazy kids. (Loved it!)
Kat, Joanna, Holly, and Audra – from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU for the best weekend of my life. You made me feel so incredibly special! You mean so much to me and I love you more than you’ll ever know.
Stay tuned next week for actual restaurant, hotel, and nightlife recommendations! You haven’t gotten rid of Miami yet!