THAT Number

So I have officially made it to that number. Girls, you know the one. The one that sticks in your head that you don't want to say out loud because you think it sounds awful and makes you sound so so old. "Hello, I'm Nikki Johnston and I'm thirty-_____." Oh, I almost told you!

I hate it. I hate that it really is THAT number. Mostly I hate it that it bothers me. However, I can't help but think about it. I even went as far as a couple of years ago changing my birthday, to "I LOVE NIKKI DAY!". Seriously, I did. It has caught on though. My parents will even say, "Happy I LOVE NIKKI DAY!" instead of the other. Presents are still welcomed, not required, but welcomed, they have to be because you love me, not because it's my birthday.

We have a small "grown-ups only" party, but instead of celebrating my birthday, we celebrate why we love me! During dinner we go around the table and everyone is required to say why they love me! No one is exempt. The reason you give has to be specific, for example, one of my favorites this year was "I love Nikki because she has no issue telling you the truth. Good or bad she tells you."

I know the whole idea sounds ridiculous, but some time ago I read an article titled How to Wear Many Different Hats and Still Have Great Hair. I think as women we sometimes get lost under our hats. We have a wife hat, a mom hat, a chauffeur's hat, a chef's hat, a maid hat, a fireman's hat, a teacher hat, and the list goes on. While we are trying to wear all these different hats, usually more than one hat at a time, our hair goes flat. So, my "I LOVE NIKKI DAY!" is the day that I get my roots boosted, so to speak. It may sound silly, but I personally think that every girl needs that one day a year where she is the center of attention and that is the day you get to wear your favorite hat...your crown.