Today I turn 39. We’ll keep it simple, as always, just how I like it.
A supermarket chocolate mud cake (with our same well-loved happy birthday topper), a glass of bubbles, and a little surprise. This year, I’ve asked for a massage… my shoulders and neck have carried a lot of love lately, cradling my littlest one through these newborn days.
It’s my second birthday as a mum, and the first with both of my girls in my arms. That still feels surreal to say.
We waited 5+ years to fall pregnant the first time, and I remember wondering if I’d ever get to celebrate with a baby in the house. Now, to have two little souls here with us, it’s beyond what I ever imagined. There’s magic in these quiet milestones.
This birthday feels different. There’s a clarity in this season of life. A softening, and also a strengthening. I feel like I’ve been given permission (maybe by time, maybe by motherhood) to just… be myself. Fully. Unapologetically.
I’m feeling deeply grateful - for my girls, for my little family, for the season of life we are in.
And for you - my art collectors, my studio community, the people who show up with such warmth and support. You’ve made it possible for me to create a flexible, meaningful life through art and to do it in a way that works alongside my babies, rather than in spite of them.
As I head into this next year, I’m calling in more:
More time at the table with my family.
More painting in golden afternoon light.
More anchoring - to place, to purpose, to the kind of legacy I want to leave behind.
Thanks for being here, and for making space for the quieter stories, too. 💛
With love,
Terri