Thirty-Two

September 25, 2017

Fashion blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & Vera wears a white Tobi mini dress and Zara slingback holding silver mylar balloonsBirthday outfit details from fashion blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & Vera, including Zara bejewelled slingback and Guerlain intense liquid matte lipstickPortrait of Winnipeg fashion blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & Vera wearing a white Tobi peasant dress and Keltie Leanne Designs earringsOutfit details on fashion blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & Vera wearing Zara slingback pumps and a Tobi white dressFashion blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & Vera blows a kiss wearing a white Tobi peasant dress and Zara slingback pumpsBirthday party details from fashion blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & Vera, including L'Indomptable bandol rose wine, Zara slingbacks and Guerlain intense liquid matte lipstickFashion blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & Vera celebrates her 32nd birthday wearing a white Tobi dress and Zara slingback pumpsTobi dress (c/o)
Zara heels (similar)
Keltie Leanne Designs rings (c/o)
Madewell rings
Keltie Leanne Designs earrings (c/o)
Guerlain lipstick

For so long, I was a “twenty-something” blogger. A few of my social media profiles still probably say so, because I am admittedly lazy about updating them. But whether the internet is aware or not, I turned thirty-two yesterday. In general, I am not a great celebrater. I let holidays go by without putting up decorations, I never send seasonal cards and I can’t remember the last time I had a birthday cake. But this year was different, somehow.

When I turned thirty, I wrote a cheeky post about how much I had grown as a person in my twenties. The differences between twenty-year-old me and thirty-year-old me were striking and some of them were, admittedly, pretty funny. But I spent that decade figuring out a lot of very real things, too, like the fact that being nice and standing up for myself are not always compatible. (And that, quite frankly, I actually don’t care at all if anyone thinks I’m nice because niceness is synonymous with being un-challenging and I can’t imagine anything duller than that.) I feel better in my thirties than I did in my twenties. Stronger. More secure. And so much more likely to trust my own judgment.

It hasn’t all been a bed of roses, of course. In the past two years, I have felt more than once like everything was unraveling. The world has changed for the worse. I am still unbearably angry about this and haven’t come close to figuring out how to channel that rage into something productive. But I stayed up until 3:30 am on Sunday morning drinking wine and laughing until my cheeks hurt. My first thought when I woke up later that morning, officially thirty-two, was that I am old enough to know better than to stay up until 3:30 am but that I didn’t regret doing it one bit.

Every year is what we make it. And I feel like thirty-two is going to be a very good year. Maybe even the year I get truly comfortable in minidresses, like this one from Tobi – anything is possible.

8 comments so far.

8 responses to “Thirty-Two”

  1. Kate says:

    Happy Birthday! Wishing you a year of laughter, happiness and awesome adventures!

    Kate | http://www.petiteadventures.org/

  2. Lyddiegal says:

    Happy Birthday Cee! No opportunity to spend time with friends and loved ones while celebrating the wonderful person you are should ever be passed up, and while some mistakes we should learn from and not make again, staying up to late when you are having fun is probably not one of those. Hope you have a wonderful year!
    http://www.iamchiconthecheap.com/

  3. I’m 37 and I still stay up to 3:30 am occasionally if the opportunity for great conversation and a great cocktail present themselves – I really hope you had a wonderful birthday!

    Courtney ~ Sartorial Sidelines

  4. Lorena says:

    HB to yo Cee !
    What a great shoot, you’re looking spectacular.

  5. Cee, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOLL! You just get better each and every year! I LOVE this post! You look so beautiful and what great shots.
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

  6. Happy, happy birthday Cee! I have to say, you are infinitely wiser than I was at 32. I hope this is your best year yet! And as always, you look absolutely stunning in these photos.

  7. Thirty two was my absolute favourite and Happy Birthday darling!! Wish I could have been there to help you celebrate + drink all the champagne. And must say, LOVE this shoot! Looks like the condo will be perfect for those impending colder days! As for aging? We really do get stronger and more grounded in who we are… well except for those late nights… I still have the odd one or two! You’d think I would have learned by now. Haha! 😉

Cee Fardoe is a thirty-something Canadian blogger who splits her time between Winnipeg and Paris. She is a voracious reader, avid tea-drinker, insatiable wanderer and fashion lover who prefers to dress in black, white and gray.

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