Hello 28

Hello 28, goodbye 27.

{My dad and I, circa 1988}

Today is my 28th birthday.  I hear a lot of football teams say "it was a rebuilding year" when they have a scrappy season.  Well, I'd like to think of 27 as my "rebuilding year."  That isn't to say it wasn't filled with a few milestones and lots of fun memories...

I graduated with my BFA in Interior Design last December. My mom and I posed for a pic before the ceremony.

I spent a memorable Christmas in OKC with my family, and got to see my baby niece grow up a bit!

My niece really is the cutest baby on the planet.

My good friend Katy moved in with me at the beginning of 2015. We shared a lot of home cooked dinners- cooked solely by Katy of course.  I still can't cook!  Katy was such an integral part of the last year of my life- some of the best times I've ever had I experienced with her by my side.

I met Usher while in Atlanta for a design install in Buck Head.  I'm still waiting for him to call me- where you at, Usher?

In July I made the big decision to relocate to NYC to work as an interior designer with Amanda Nisbet.  My rents came along for the NY apartment hunt, which was truly terrifying. 

Squad!

In August, I went to Tulum, Mexico with a few of my best high school girlfriends.

And Lindsay came along, too!  We had the best time.

One of my best friends, Grace, came and visited me in NYC in early October.  We were attached at the hip in Houston and I'm still going through withdrawals- thank God for FaceTime.

Then, my whole family came and visited at the end of October.  We took Baby Lily to Coney Island and by the time this picture was taken she was over posing for the camera.

So what was being 27 like?  Lots of adjusting and confusion and growing up.  Lots of seeking and striving and developing a stronger sense of self.  For the first time in a long time, I had to stop and really look at myself and where I was headed, and recalibrate my priorities.  I experienced some of the highest highs and the lowest lows last year.

I think when you're in your early 20s and still new in your career you can be pretty impressionable.  When I started over in design after working for a few years post college, I was excited but also a bit insecure.  In some ways, I let the opinions of others cloud my judgement and to a certain degree my design sensibilities, too.   When you are new to something, it's easy to just follow suit with what everyone else around you is doing.  I think a lot of us are guilty of doing that in other areas of life, too.  But it seems like my whole 27th year was the process of rediscovering what I truly wanted out of life.  

With all that being said, the coolest thing happened a few days ago.  I was lying in bed reflecting on this past year's ups and downs,  and for the first time in a long time I realized I was 100% content with where I'm at in life. Even more than that- I felt pretty damn proud of the progress I've made.  I think that has a lot to do with relocating to New York.  I loved Texas but at this point in my life, New York just fits me so perfectly.  There's a rawness and an energy to it that excites me every day.

28.... I'm ready for you.  Let's do this.

XOXO,

Sam