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The Birthday Questions: Goodbye 31… Hello 32!

Each birthday, I reflect back on the year’s events and wind up feeling totally gobsmacked over how much I crammed into just 365 days. 31 is no different.

Here’s a rapid fire rundown of the year’s events.

I kicked off 31 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at an epic dinner with Jeremy and my parents whilst working onboard a cruise ship. At the time, I was furiously working to get a handle on my nifty new J-O-B. AKA work that has some semblance of security with the option for healthcare. Jeremy and I headed back to NYC in June, got married in July, frolicked around Europe for 6 weeks, and hung out in NYC in September. We headed back to sea for 4 months, but wound up being separated for half of it. I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced a more stressful two month period of life. And that’s saying something. I ended 31 with a bang via climbing mountains in Nepal, looking for animals in Borneo, and bopping around Thailand for a bit before joining a ship in Yokohama, Japan for another 4 month contract.

There were epic highlights that have earned places in my “core memories” box. Then there were a handful of extremely challenging stretches that I blame for the new forehead wrinkles that have me googling “botox near me.”

31 tested me. But I survived, at moments I even thrived, and I undoubtedly came out better at the other end.

Which leads me to “The Birthday Questions…”

“The Birthday Questions” are 4 questions I ask everyone on their birthdays. It’s a fun way to prompt reflection and speculation. You can check out my answers for 27, 28, 29 30, and 31 you feel inclined.

So today, April 9th, it’s my turn to take the hot seat.

1. What was the best part about this past year of life?

With such an eventful year, I feel like I’ve earned the right to have a two part answer.

To start, getting married is at the top of the list. Jeremy and I eloped at the courthouse with just 4 people there to celebrate, and I can’t imagine a better day. The ceremony was short and sweet. We did a fun photo shoot with Jordan Eagle (check out her website here). Got our favorite carrot cake from Billy’s Bakery. Then went to a fancy pants steakhouse dinner that definitely helped us rack up some airline points on our credit card.

I wasn’t expecting much to change with finally saying “I Do”– our lives would be exactly the same. But the moment felt much more momentous than I expected. Tying the knot solidified the fact that I get to be with this person for the rest of my life. The future seems less daunting and scary knowing I will have my partner there with me through it all.

The other best thing that happened during 31 was a 10 day trek in Nepal to Annapurna Base Camp. Pushing my body up and down mountains in high altitude conditions while taking in some of the most spectacular nature I’ve ever seen led to a mental freeness I’ve never experienced. I could go on and on… and in fact I did in a prior blog post! Which you can read HERE! Nepal was on my travel bucket list for years, and the experience was one that I will hold very close to my heart for years to come

2. What was the biggest thing you learned?

On a practical note, I finally learned how to curl my hair. Tiktok, a heatless curling rod, and mousse are to thank. In fact, it was a big year of self care in general. Who’d of thunk Katie Askegaard would be dropping dollars on face masks, hair masks, and Korean skincare products! I’m not convinced the products actually work. But dedicating 20 minutes of time to just caring for myself is a potent de-stressor. It’s a revelation that many a woman have realized well before 32. But better late than never!

On a deeper note, I realized that I can get pretty gnarly anxiety. I always believed that I was just a worst case scenario type of person. But one day when I was talking with my best friend about some plan b, c, and d for a situation that was never going to go wrong, she said, “This is anxiety…” I sat with the thought, eventually accepted it, and now am working on tools to manage it.

3. What are you most looking forward to this upcoming year?

Stillness and rest without the need to be a part of hustle culture. For the last 10 years, I’ve been hurling myself through life at 120mph. It’s been rewarding, but exhausting. If all goes according to plan, 32 will come with very minimal change and no need to partake in the “grind.” I’ve done hard things, grown a lot, and accomplished a lot. This year, I just want to be still. Or at least still for me….