Hi lovelies!

Today I celebrated ME haha. It’s my 35th birthday today and I can honestly say I’m so happy with where I’m at in life and beyond proud of the woman I’ve become. I’ve always believed in manifesting the life you want and I’ve done exactly that. So I want to share something that I did in my 20s that is paying off in a major way in my 30s, and some fun facts about myself that you may or may not know!

A year ago, I could’ve never imagined that I’d be celebrating my next birthday back in DC. So much has changed for me in such a short time and I’m grateful to myself actually for having the courage and strength to make difficult decisions that I knew were the right ones.

So of course I celebrated BIG and unlike past years, I did an indoor photoshoot in my castle. Also unlike past years, I went with my natural curly hair style (that’s what you all voted for on IG stories). And I ordered a dozen of the BEST cupcakes ever – Georgetown Cupcakes!

This year’s color theme was rose gold and white, and the matching dress was this gorgeous puff sleeve floral number from Nasty Gal.

Here are some fun facts about me:

• Favorite food is breakfast (yes the whole category), sushi is a close second
• My name means Sunlight
• Have a medal in martial arts – Tang Soo Do 🥋
• Got a civil engineering degree from PSU
• My favorite season is Fall for the 3 Fs…Fashion week, Football, and Foliage
• Some favs shows are Whose Line, Fresh Prince, & I Love Lucy
• I love jazz clubs
• Before dinner, I like to stand at my kitchen island and snack on cheese and crackers while shaking it to dance music
• Love old Hollywood glamour & classic movies
• I’m a list person & currently at 218 on my phone
• Magic fascinates me
• And lastly, I’m a romantic at heart & just a Cinderella unwilling to settle till I meet the right prince charming who has my glass slipper

One of the best things I did for myself in my 20s that paid off in my 30s was to not set any expectations of where I should be at any age despite what society says or where others around me are at that point in life. And that has made my 30s incredibly enjoyable! Of course there’s been ups and downs but I never compare my life to anyone’s, or told myself I should have certain things by a certain age.

I think too often, us women in our 30s feel a lot of pressure from family, peers, friends, and society to reach certain milestones by a specific age, otherwise we’re not normal or there’s something wrong with us. Therefore, you wind up settling for anything just to say you have that something. I do think it’s important to set goals in life but do not ever let any pressure make you think you SHOULD be or have something or else “it’ll be too late”. That’s a lot of weight on your poor shoulders and the only weight should come from the crown you wear Queen!

So cheers to turning 35 (going on 22). I adore my life right now, feel so blessed, and am beyond grateful for it all.

XO, Zoha