I turned 23 this past Friday.
My sister offered to keep the girls all day Thursday, so Marc and I enjoyed a whole day together.
We felt like we had the whole weekend alone (almost!) because Ocean also got to ride home with Aunt Liz to visit my family. (My sister is the best gift-giver!)
It is so strange, remembering my birthday a year ago, what has since changed. I am older, wiser and kinder. I feel more beautiful than I ever have. I think older people are happier. It seems like each year that passes I am more understanding and balanced than I was the year before.
My body, I am finally at peace with it. I have made it a point to love my body this past year and it has paid off. I do. I am lucky to be married to a man who praises me daily and who makes no secret how attracted to me he is.
Other wonderful things,
I am the mother to these two beautiful girls. Others have asked if we will add more to the mix. We are even getting pressure from complete strangers, a lady told us last week "About time to try for a boy, huh?"! haha! Marc and I have tossed the idea around but we both feel our family is complete. A lot of things factor in but mostly, we are just content with us.
Things I have discovered about myself in these past few years...
I am independent
I am fierce
I am kind
I struggle to say no to others
I am loving
I struggle asking for help
I am selfish
I am beautiful
I am impatient
I expect too much from myself
I am persistant
I am artistic
I should spend more time with my girls
I am a shaker
I am a lover
I am a thinker
I can be too nice and end up being unkind to myself
I am valued
I am smart
I yell too much
I am disorganized
I am organized (is this possible!?)
I hate feeling incapable
I believe in good things
I am empowered
I want to change the world but struggle to change myself
Mostly, I am a human too
& there is no such thing as perfect.
A photo of me on my 23rd birthday.
Ready to keep growing, learning and aging. So happy to do it with my love and these two beauties we created.
xoxo

You are still so young! At 23 I was barely even an adult, I had met my husband but we were still living the spontaneous life, flitting here and there when we felt like it. Happy Birthday Love. I hope the next year brings you even more peace and contentment. X
ReplyDeleteBettina
www.littleoldsouls.com
Happy belated Birthday, Beloved. You are so wonderful.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post, Bekah! I hope your next year of life provides you with as much love and growth as this past one; it's, I think, all anyone could hope for. By the way I've found the same thing to be true- the older I am, the happier I am. It's a good, good thing.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! Sounds like you had a lovely day filled with such warmth and happiness - you are one lucky lady! :)
ReplyDeleteI feel like you are such a soul sister - I have recently had my birthday at the beginning of the month and totally get what you mean - I was just so amazed at how blessed I have been this past year, and every year brings more and more adventures to learn from and grow from, and with the hardships comes such light and awareness...
Hope this next year brings you even more goodness and that it is just as fulfilling and full of growth as the last has been :)
~Bekah
I just turned 23 in December, I have a feeling it's gonna be a good year. Here's to being 23 and growing older, wiser, and more beautiful each new day. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, lady! This may be my favourite post so far - you have grown so much in the past year, and it shows. You are a stunning, strong and loving woman.
ReplyDeleteKeep discovering and learning, & may the next 23 years bring you more joy, blessing, love and adventure than you could possibly imagine. You, & yours, deserve it!
Sar xx
you are so beautiful!
ReplyDeletehappy belated~
xo the egg out west.
wow, i just adore you. Seriously, i have immense respect for you! You are a special human being. I love your honesty and vulnerability. I just love YOU! And happy birthday!
ReplyDeleteYou are so inspirational to me! Happy belated birthday! Mine is this friday, March 1st....we are both Pisces :)
ReplyDeleteI am just now noticing how light (blonde) Luna's hair is. Your family is so beautiful girl!
Happy Belated Birthday Piscean sister! Love the photos of your little ones. It is possible to be organized and disorganized, when you're a Pisces!
ReplyDelete--Cait
happy birthday to you! your home is so lovely. your living room just looks so inviting and relaxing. and i agree with you. i believe we get wiser with each passing year. hope your 23rd year treats you well! :)
ReplyDeletehappy belated birthday soul sister. we are two in the same, worlds apart but so close still. thinking of you often. glad you had a great day and reflected much. <3
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday from a new reader, also 23, from Sweden! Found your blog last week and read through the archives a bit. Your space here seems so honest and genuine. Keep growing! :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday lovely!
ReplyDeleteSo, so glad to hear you had such a wonderful 23rd birthday! Your words are as beautiful as yourself. Lord does the Interwebs get so...BANAL, but here is a great little nook where something REAL is addressed. Your insights are a grand thing to read...They're one of the bits of my recent inspiration to take a second look at myself and do my best to answer more important questions.
ReplyDeleteI turned 23 exactly a week before you, and I always felt like I had a lot in common with you, but that list...We could be the same person in those regards! Getting older is so much nicer than I thought it would be. Instead of dreading turning 25, 30, then 40, I'm really looking forward to it. :) And is Luna's hair lightening up? It looks so blond in all of these pictures!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! I am almost exactly 10 years older than you, and this is crazy to me because I relate to you so much. You are quite wise for your age! :) Hope you had a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday from a long-time reader and first-time commenter! *<:) As a fellow 23-year-old, I find your blog both beautiful and inspiring!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Girlie! It sounds like it was a real year of growth for you. I love that list of self-inventory. Soooo good. Luna's hair is almost platinum. I can't believe she has such different coloring than her sissy. Speaking of color, what color is that red lipstick in the first photo (Brand, color?) It's so pretty.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Bekah!! You've done so much with your life in your 23 years! Also, I totally understand how you can be organized and disorganized at the same time. I hope 23 is a year of love and growth. You're awesome.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! I just started reading your blog and I am really enjoying going through so many of your posts. I love your take on motherhood and the happiness/struggles that go with it. I can't imagine having such a "grip" on things when I was 23 like you!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! 23 is a great age, I am about to turn 24 and I'm sad about that! It is great that you have such a positive outlook. You can see it in your face, you are a gentle, sweet person. I'm glad I found your blog, I look forward to see what 23 has in store for you!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous post! Happy birthday!
ReplyDelete