I promise that after this post I'll stop yammering on about my 30th birthday. It was just a really big, really important birthday for me! Probably the biggest and most important since ... well, I'd say 25, but I didn't know that was going to be a pivotal year in my life (got my MFA, sold two books, fell in love HARD). My 21st was sort of anti-climactic, since I was the last of my group to turn 21 and also I spent my 20th birthday in England, where the legal drinking age is 16. And I'm not that big of a drinker anyway.

But I digress.

I have to say this is the best birthday I've had in a long, long time, and the fun stretched out over three full days. I spent most of Friday (my actual brithday) working on getting my house in shape for Saturday's party. Seriously, it was like the best aerobic exercise ever - I think I sweated for five hours straight, lifting and moving and hanging and trashing and unpacking. Then I took a quickie shower and put on a little makeup and a nice-ish outfit and drove to my parents' house, as they were taking me to dinner at PF Changs. Only, I was running late, and then my stepfather was getting pissed because I was late, so even after I got there he dragged his feet for another half an hour, and by the time we got to PF Changs there was a 75 minute wait. This turned out to be fortuitous, as my stepfather snagged us spots near the bar and PF Changs has quite an interesting cocktail selection. I think I ended up having something like seven cocktails in three hours. (AGAIN: I am not a big drinker. In fact, this was the first time I've been drunk in ... god, I can't even remember. Once this time last year, I think.) We got lettuce wraps and scallops & shrimp in white sauce and calamari and spicy ahi tuna - and those were just the appetizers! For main dishes we split four total - Dan Dan noodles and twice pan-fried noodles with pork and duck and I can't even remember the other thing. Then for dessert they gave me a free banana spring roll thing because it was my birthday. I left feeling stuffed and wobbly but generally in a good mood.

This meant I got a late start on Saturday, because I was kinda ... hungover. There was more work to be done on the house and I had to go the liquor store and the grocery store and clean the bathroom and the kitchen and move whatever didn't go in the LR and dining room into the craft room (which we call the Crap Room, since all three dogs have taken dumps in there AND it looks like a warehouse right now). I was running so late, in fact, that I couldn't even get into the shower until 6:45 (the party started at 7, so I waited for my mom to show up) and then GirlChris, one of my writing students and a fabulously funny and fashionable woman, showed up at 7 on the dot and helped Mom cut up veggies and lemons and limes and stuff. I didn't have time to dry my hair or even put on makeup (!), but I did get to don my pewter shimmery ball skirt that I have a reason to wear like once every two years.

And then everyone started coming at once, and I got really overwhelmed, but oh - it was so lovely! Almost everyone I care about (who lives within reasonable driving distance) came and had drinks and played with Scout and made friends with each other. We had a vanilla cake with chocolate mousse filling from Sweets to You by Ginger, which was awesome, and then everyone kept yelling at me to open presents so I did, and they were lovely too but even more lovely was what everyone wrote on the cards. Such beautiful things that made me feel loved and special and happy (once again) to leave my 20s behind.

My mother, though - she took me by surprise by giving me her mother's antique hand-knotted pearls with the decorative diamond and pearl clasp. They're so gorgeous - a little aged, so they have an ivory glow, but they're a nice weight and the length is perfect - the clasp hits right below the hollow of my throat. I almost cried when I opened them but I was so stunned I couldn't get past that to tears.

And then the Rosens gave me a mezzuzah for the house, and a gorgeous decorative trivet, and this hand-painted mirror thing with a womans face on one side - hard to describe but the colors match my decor PERFECTLY. Everything was perfect, actually - from the wrought iron triptych candle holder thing that Dawn got me right down to the cutie pearl gray and yellow argyle sweater GirlChris got Scout ("He looks like he's ready to go to college!" I squealed when I first saw it on him).

Anyway, I could list all of my perfect gifties here but that seems sort of tacky, so I won't. Needless to say I felt way spoiled.

Mom and Amy helped me clean up at the end of the night, and then I was kind of wired so I kept trying to watch TV but would nod off after an hour or so. Which meant that Scout and I slept in on Sunday (he kissed me awake at 7 a.m. to walk him but he was tired too so we went right back to bed). I did the last of the dishes and watched a little TV, and made some calls and wrote some thank you notes, and for dinner I made nachos with all of the leftover veggies and some Mexican shredded cheese. (Tonight I get to eat the leftover Swedish meatballs from IKEA - YUM!) Oh, and I went to Borders yesterday afternoon and spent some of the gift certificates I have for there. I really hate Borders, though - at least the one on Route 202. They only had one paperback copy of CONTENTS and none of my other books, and they didn't have Andrew Auseon's FUNNY LITTLE MONKEY, even though it's one of their Original Voices picks, and they had Jordan Sonnenblick's book shelved in MG instead of YA, which seemed dumb to me. And the coffee boy was mean to me. So I left with a whole bunch of gift card money still on my card, but I did get Scott Westerfeld's PRETTIES (I'm finishing up UGLIES now) and a scrapbooking technique book and a 30-minute meals cookbook and a Christopher Lamb novel and something else I'm forgetting.

Today in the mail I received the garnet and silver ring I bought myself as a 30th birthday present - garnet being my birthstone and the stone of creativity - and it's a little big so I'm wearing it on the middle finger of my left hand instead of the ring finger on my right. I also bought myself a pair of silver and garnet earrings that are exquisite, and a tiny pair of three-stone diamond earrings that were ridiculously cheap for such a nice cut. My uncle had sent me an overly generous check for my birthday, so I got all of this out of that money plus still had $40 left to spend on whatever.

Late this afternoon Mom and I went to the Marshall's on Kirkwood Highway - my crack den, seriously - and I ended up spending a little more than $40. BUT, I did buy some grocery items and a yoga mat and a digital pedometer, so I think healthy food and exercise equipment can't be considered frivolous. The stainless steel airtight canister with the glass paw print on the front, for Scout's treats, probably is - but that was $12. I spent another $15 on socks - very necessary - and another $15 on a really good coffee bean grinder. The rest of the bill consisted of $2, $3, $4, and $5 items. It's like IKEA in that way - you think you're buying cheap, but those little items add up!

My shopping spree is, sadly, over now - it has to be, as I am a homeowner and must be responsible in a non-shopping kind of way. Except I still have a ton of gift cards that I got as presents - several to Home Depot, one to AC Moore, the aforementioned Borders cards and an iTunes card (audiobooks! My favorite!) - so I don't have to stop SHOPPING entirely. Just, you know, stick to the cards.

Curse my mother for passing on the bargain hunter gene.

I just realized that it's going on 8 p.m. and I am starving, so I better go heat up those meatballs. Skitty Scout is sleeping peacefully next to me wearing his little sweater and he's just so adorable. We have a big, busy day tomorrow - lots of writing/editing that needs to be done, plus trips to Pike Creek and Bear and N. Wilmington for various reasons -

But I really need to say that I am honestly the happiest I've ever been. Saturday put a lot of things into perspective for me. I've had to let some friendships go this fall/winter, and for a while I felt sad and mopey about them, but then this weekend, surrounded by all of these people I love who love me, I realized that the people who are in my life are there for a reason, and that I am beyond blessed and lucky to have them as my friends and family. It's sad when friendships have to end, but in retrospect you tend to realize they ended long before they actually ended, if you get what I mean. At least, that's been my experience.

Happy Monday, everyone! And another big congrats to John Green, whose LOOKING FOR ALASKA won the Printz award. Funnily enough, at ALA last January Barry Goldblatt (bgliterary) told me it was going to win, and so I sought out an ARC based on his recommendation. And look! It won! (In somewhat related news, Barry is going to be speaking at my region's SCBWI summer conference, and his client, Shannon Hale, just won a Newbery Honor for her PRINCESS ACADEMY.)

Signing off for real,
Lara

P.S. Thanks to all of you who sent such kind birthday wishes - you really helped make my day!

(I just looked at the clock and realized that by the time I post this, it will officially be my birthday.)

So, in May 1997, GLAMOUR magazine published a list called "30 Things Every Woman Should Have and Should Know By the Time She's 30." Me being the anal 21-year-old I was then, I cut it out and pasted it somewhere safe, looking it over every six months or so and checking off the things I had/knew. Since I am now on the eve of 30, I figured I would post it here for posterity.

The List

SHOULD HAVE:

1. One old boyfriend you can imagine going back to and one who reminds you of how far you've come. This is one of the only ones I couldn't check off, and it kind of irks me. I have plenty of old boyfriends who remind me of how far I've come, but not a single one I could imagine going back to. The closest I come is regretting how I handled the situation with P, who besides being a classmate is technically the ONLY one-night stand I had in my entire life.

2. Enough money within your control to move out and rent a place on your own, even if you never want or need to. I get a check-plus for this one, since I don't even rent, but actually OWN my own home. On my own. At 29.

3. Something perfect to wear if the employer or lover of your dreams wants to see you in an hour. Another no-check for me. I'm sure I could find something passible and clean, but not perfect - on either count. I don't even own a single power suit!

4. A purse, a suitcase and an umbrella you're not ashamed to be seen carrying. Check.

5. A youth you're content to move beyond. Big check.

6. A past juicy enough that you're looking forward to retelling it in your old age. Check again, especially since someday I fully expect to see my "juicy" past in print for all the world to read.

7. The realization that you are actually going to have an old age - and some money set aside to help fund it. Proud check - I've got an IRA, a nice-sized savings account, and an ING account that I don't touch ever.

8. A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill and a black lace bra. Check, check, and almost check - the black lace bra I ordered online recently (and NOT because of this list, but because of my annual bra shopping) arrived as a pair of boy's boxer-briefs, and I'm waiting for the exchange. But also: I have an electric sander, a jig saw, a soldering iron, a cordless screwdriver, a lazer level, a stud finder, a leaf blower, and an entire tool set that's housed in a green plastic case that looks like a John Deere tractor - a gift from my mom when I was like 22 or something.

9. One good friend who always makes you laugh and one who lets you cry. Check.

10. A good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in your family. I checked this off in February 2003, when I bought my gorgeous solid cherry wood desk and hutch to replace the metal computer cart I wrote my first two novels on.

11. Eight matching plates, wineglasses with stems and a recipe for a meal that will make your guests feel honored. Check, check, and check - even if I don't cook for other people that often anymore.

12. A resume that is not even the slightest bit padded. Well, I actually use a CV and not a resume, but yeah. Check.

13. A feeling of control over your destiny. I could've checked this off at 17.

14. A skin-care regimen, an exercise routine and a plan for dealing with those few other facets of life that don't get better after 30. This one's a draw. I do HAVE a skin-care regimen, but I'm lazy about enforcing it. I've been taking Scout on 30-minute walks every day the weather permits, and I'm turning the sun porch into a fitness room, but I wouldn't call it an exercise routine yet. But I've been eating much healthier in the past several months - protein-enriched yogurt, soy milk and fruit smoothies for breakfast, veggies at least twice a day, whole grains instead of white flour, cutting back on sugar, etc. And I dropped 12 lbs. this last month alone. So, I am confident that my health will continue to improve as I enter my 30s.

15. A solid start on a satisfying career, a satisfying relationship and all of those other facets of life that do get better. I hesitated on whether or not I could check this off, because i have a more than solid start on a satisfying career, and I have a satisfying relationship with myself, which I think is often harder than having one with a boy (or girl, if that's your preference). I have a house I love and a dog I love even more, and my car is paid off, and so on and so forth. I think I might want to get married someday, and I'm almost certain I'd like to have a child, even if I end up doing it on my own (possibly through adoption). And for the most part, I have little desire to be anyone's girlfriend or wife right now, since my career is so time-consuming. Not to mention that most of the boys I end up falling for turn out to be my dad in sheep's clothing. So, you know. I guess I'll reevaluate at 35.

SHOULD KNOW:

1. How to fall in love without losing yourself. I have this checked off; the harder thing is to figure out how to break up with someone without losing yourself.

2. How you feel about having kids. Check.

3. How to quit a job, break up with a man and confront a friend without ruining the friendship. I have this checked off, but I'm still horrible at breakups, and I've ended a lot of friendships in the past five years, so maybe I'm not so good at the confronting thing. But I sure do quit a job with class.

4. When to try harder and when to walk away. One of the hardest lessons I've had to learn, but one I've mastered in the past two years.

5. How to kiss a man in a way that communicates perfectly what you would and wouldn't like to have happen next. Big check (I'm a hell of a kisser).

6. How to have a good time at a party you'd never choose to attend. Fake it 'til you make it, is my motto.

7. How to ask for what you want in a way that makes it most likely you'll get it. Check. (I think.)

8. That you can't change the length of your calves, the width of your hips or the nature of your parents. Check to the third power, thanks to years and years of therapy (all good).

9. That your childhod may not have been perfect, but it's over. CHECK.

10. What you would and wouldn't do for money or love. Super check.

11. How to live alone, even if you don't like to. I'm one of the only women I know who can honestly say "check" to this - even better, I actually LOVE living alone.

12. Who you can trust, who you can't and why you shouldn't take it personally. Check.

13. Where to go - be it your best friend's kitchen table or a charming inn hidden in the woods - when your soul needs soothing. Check.

14. What you can and can't accomplish in a day, a month, a year. Check, check, check - it's accepting your limitations that's harder than knowing what they are.

15. Why they say life begins at 30. Check! (Thanks, Doug.)