Life by Lady B: Farwell, Twenties (brace yourself, it's a long one...)

21st birthday with Nina

I can't believe we have to break up. It's been a decade, Twenties. But it's time to say good-bye. We've have a good time, though. Right, Twenties? Remember...?

Remember when you first appeared at Sicily's Italian Kitchen surrounded by family and the boy from my Teens? The boy whisked us away to Santa Barbara for the weekend and made us feel like a grown-up, not like the confused college student we really were , and we thought Twenties would surely be spent with him. We even talked about it everyday with our best friend Nikki over CPK hot-fudge sundaes and shopping sprees.

Fam Bam

But Twenty you surprised me, and handed me my first real heartbreak. It was a rough start to my new adult life and I didn't handle it with the most grace. Ah well, ya win some ya lose some. Without that first heartbreak, we would never have moved into our first apartment with our first roommate. We spent our first few months of parent-free living laughing our asses off, searching for the best lo-cal crackers, throwing epic shindigs, and gossiping over Fritos and chocolate pudding. Soon after came our third accidental "roommate", who would lead us down a dark hole we'd eventually, thankfully, claw our way out of.

Besties

Twenty-one left us battered, bruised, and shaken after a particular weekend in Las Vegas that gave us a hangover that took almost two years to get over. My year with Twenty-one was scary and eye-opening. We spent almost each day just trying to survive but it gave us street smarts we would have never gained otherwise. But in the process we broke our own share of hearts when we ran away from the mess we'd made. We soon came running back though, once Mesa, AZ proved to be filled with nothing but WalMarts, Nascar, and Christian fanatics.

23rd, back with my tribe

Twenty-two had a nasty, and lonely, start so I tend to block out much of our time together. But it was necessary. And through friends and family of all kinds, we spent the year slowing growing wings that would eventually carry us to a new life, far far away from our so-called home at the Star Lite Inn Motel in Canoga Park.

Our Tryst in the desert

Twenty-three was filled with SO. MUCH. PROMISE. We were given a fresh start, a chance to try again and we were was starving to make the most of it. Still a bit fragile after the past couple years though, Twenty-three and I settled into an easy, low-impact relationship with a boy that gave us the time we needed to lick our wounds while we partied with our co-workers at the bike shop and settled into the apartment across from the fire station.

Twenty-three gave me one of the best gifts of all when my lifelong "sister" and BFF Amy convinced to me road-trip to visit her with her other BFF, Yvette. Ten minutes into our journey, Yvette and I had fallen hopelessly and madly in love. Another BFF was born.

Painting the Kester Kastle

Filled with excitement and giddy anticipation, Twenty-four whisked me away from the bike shop and moved me into a completely unknown career: PR. Twenty-four and I spent our time in stilettos at press junkets, exposing ourselves to the not-so-glamorous world of celebrity. We traveled with Yvette to see Amy as ofter an possible and on one memorable trip, the boy proposed on a gondola. The engagement didn't last but our friendship with the two women that helped plan the whole production was forever solidified. Which would REALLY come into play in December of that year, when we would need the two of them to get us through the hardest decision we'd made so far.

The night we met our beloved Emily

Twenty-four also gave me a HOME. An amazing, heart-warming, love-filled home in the shape of an adorable townhouse in Sherman Oaks I have my mother to thank for. It was PERFECT and saw me through a good chunk of the remainder of my twenties. Including the amazing gift Twenty-five was about to hand me.

But not before Twenty-four and I spent an awe-inspiring "renaissance" weekend with Yvette when our dear friends Cody and Chrissy got married. While the kitchenware we got them was great, it was no where as awesome as the gift they gave us with that weekend. We spent the rest of that year, and much of the next, dancing and laughing till sunrise.

Wooed at the Hotel Cafe prom

Twenty-five. Oh how I loved Twenty-five. I brought her in with good friends on a hunt for salsa dancing that went hilariously awry. Twenty-five and I sunk our teeth into living and continued to wreak havoc on our fair city with Yvette. We still marvel at how little sleep our mid-twenties required. We lived on diets of Goldfish crackers, coffee, Red Bull, and Mel's Diner breakfasts while hustling in our Hollywood jobs. And we looked damn good doing it. Then twenty-five rocked my world.

Beauchamp family vacation

Twenty-five brought me Todd. One fateful night, after Yvette had convinced us that we owed it to Twenties to date a musician at least once, Twenty-five and I met my future husband on the corner of Las Palmas and Franklin Place. The rest of the year was spent falling madly, unabashedly, hopelessly, forever in love along the streets of Hollywood. He even took us to prom.

Yup.

The summer was bittersweet as Twenty-five helped me say goodbye to beloved grandmother Joy Infausto Nicastro Depuy. I'm sure she left confident that the rest of Twenties would take good care of me. Todd moved into our darling townnhouse and we built our first home together, making friends with some of the most phenomenal people all the while. The Baking Beauties were gaining momentum and forming the tight-knit group of girls we are now. My Beauties have carried me, sometimes dragged me kicking and screaming, through my twenties and we'll love each other through our thirties, fourties, fifties, and beyond.

26th with my darling Leland

And there was more PR.

Twenty-six and I risked it all. With Todd's encouragement, we took a blind leap and left the PR gig with no prospects in sight and in the beginning of a "financial downturn." We spent our three months off traveling, painting, nesting, and ... naturally ... freaking out. A handful of non-PR-related interviews later, we stumbled upon what seemed to be the ultimate dream job for us. Literary Publicist. A week later, the gig was ours and we rewarded ourselves with some new stilettos. The new high-powered PR job rewarded us with a heap of stress and emergency gall bladder removal. (I'm sure it had nothing to do with that Red Bull diet, right?)

Toby!

Twenty-six also gave Todd and I a trip to Paris for New Year's where we learned how to deal with emergencies as a couple when we were robbed. Passport-less in a foreign country over the holidays, the adventure just cemented our love even more. I started doubting Twenty-six when she said I didn't want to get married. To welcome us home, Todd took us to the animal shelter, where an adorable feline picked us. Welcome the third in our family: Toby! And of course, there was more PR.

Shiver MY timbers!

I met Twenty-seven at a Pirate's Dinner Adventure and we thought for sure the year would be about some serious "booty." Instead, we learned about the economy. The hard way. While Todd and I tried to overcome our financial hurdles, Twenty-seven and I climbed our way up the media ladder with a client roster that was so diverse and nonsensical that you'd think I'd made it up. The year also featured a legendary melt-down at the Ojai Pirate Faire when we admitted to Todd just how bad we wanted to marry him. (Hey, Twenty-seven, what's with you and pirates?)

Much of my tribe

Twenty-seven and I also celebrated our first art show. That was AWESOME.

Koda art reception

And the biggest lesson Twenty-seven taught me? Living with a music producer has challenges. Todd's recording studio was taking off big-time and our charming little home was starting to bust at the seams. So was my tolerance for the world of PR. And Todd's for the world of freelance DVD production.

Our Califa cottage

Twenty-seven and I left the Blackberry and publicist stilettos behind, got an iPhone, and started a brand-spanking new career with Mad Science, a company that let us do GOOD for the world for a change. In flip-flops. Ever since, I've been making sure thousands of kids a day get excited about science. Which means lots of slime, rocket launches, and hiring the silliest people I can find. Todd landed a kick-ass gig with Bravo, getting millions of viewers stoked for the next Real Housewives episode. Including yours truly, who isn't afraid to admit that I totally want to be Bethany Frankel or Lisa Vanderpump when I grow up. We bid our first home adieu and moved on to the greener pastures, and privacy, our first house had to offer.

Bachelorette Beauties

Twenty-eight was SPECTACULAR. While we nested in our new home and built up Vienna Circle Studios in our new detached recording studio, we planned our WEDDING! During the trying and amazing process we really learned the importance of the engagement period. Before we could say "We do," we were handed our first real couple challenge when a life-long family question of mine was answered. And Yvette threw us the most glamorous, indulgent, girly, debaucherous Bachelorette weekend. OF. ALL TIME.

We do.

On September 5, 2009, Twenty-eight gave me the best present of all. My husband. And a new last name that still gives me butterflies when I sign it. Thank you, Twenty-eight.

Twenty-eight also gave us the best vacation of all time. A vacay so great that I could write a book on how fan-freaking-tastic an adventure it was. And you know what? I just might. Our trip to Thailand was sensational and life-changing. I can't wait to get back to Land of Smiles and sorely miss it every single day.

I welcomed Twenty-nine with a giggle-filled Easter egg hunt birthday party that left our guests drunk on Jack Daniels and the microwave covered in exploded Peeps. And another tattoo.

Halloween with our insanely talented friends

Twenty-nine brought more change when we once again outgrew our home. With the help of our rock star real estate agent, we moved to our current Barbie Dream Home, where we've lived and loved for the better part of the year. Twenty-nine has been all about building a marriage with The Hubs, pool parties, paintin', music makin', families quakin', and hard work. And blogging (which I promise to do more regularly!). And it's brought me safely to...