27 years old. wow. I never thought that I would be this old. I'm in the "late twenties" zone now. Read below about my year and celebration! If you know me, I love CELEBRATION. Life is a gift and every milestone has to be celebrated!
On the day of my birthday, a few friends and I went to Murphy's for lunch. While we waited for the rest of us to come, the waitress asked me how old am I. I told her i just turned 27. And she said that 27 was the best year of her life. I already love Murphy's in the first place, but this waitress makes me love Murphy's even more!
photo credit: Kelsey B
She said that 27 was the best because it is exciting. You haven't figured out everything in life, but you also don't care about what people think about you and and what you do in life. I think that statement blew my mind. Can you imagine if I have everything already figured out in my life? How lame my life would be? There would be no excitement.
Funny thing, I was feeling a little discouraged about my life a few days before my birthday. I felt like I'm 27 and I'm supposed to be a world changer already, being a millionaire, and living the dream. Silly me, right? Who feels like that?
Long story short, I had a conversation with Justin that night and I told him what I was feeling. He prayed so that I will not believe what the enemy has to say about me, because I am who God says I am. Then, Justin encouraged me with Michael Phelp and Chad le Clos' story. Remember when Michael Phelp won the race because he worried about his own lane and couldn't care less about the other lane? Read the full story here if you haven't heard the story.
That night, we prayed for peace and wisdom. And I feel better about myself the next morning. I reflected on God's goodness in my life in past few years. Here's the highlight of my 26:
He gave Justin a new and better job.
He connected me with awesome wedding professionals that lead to a few AWESOME shoots + valuable relationships.
He was so graceful that I decided to re-commit myself to the Lord, and I got baptized.
He granted me a permanent resident in The States (so now, I'm stuck with Justin here :P)
He brought my family over to Atlanta safe and sound and we were able to enjoy a nice vacation in Hawaii.
He took us to Hawaii and saved Justin from further complications after his fall.
He was so kind that he took me out of the pit and give me the ability and the resources to be a business owner! Yep, I was able to quit my job and do photography full-time!
WOW.
Tha'ts pretty impressive, right?
And here's the highlight of my birthday week (if you don't follow my Instagram story), maybe you can use this itinerary to plan your birthday week :)
Monday: Justin took me to Argosy for a $10 Burger + Beer special :) SO SO GOOD and affordable!
Tuesday: Monique, Renny, and I went to Pijiu Belly. Man, as an Asian, I just want to say that I have Pijiu Belly near my house. Great Asian Food (maybe Americanized, but it was so good!) in West Midtown.
Wednesday: 1) Justin surprised me with a few gifts in the morning!! 2) My US Conference ladies (this is a cool story, too! message me if you want to know more!) and I went to Murphy's for brunch. It was so delicious! Server was super on point. 3) Then, Sylvia and I went to Ponce City Market. We stopped by Madewell and J. Crew and I got to use $25 gift card to get a new pants! YAY me! We also stopped by Sephora and got a free birthday gift. (You should def sign up for their VIB so you can get a free gift on your birthday, too!) I picked the lipstick from bite. LOVE IT. Somehow the color matches perfectly with my skin! 4) Justin took me to A Mano. It was an Italian restaurant near Grant Park. I wouldn't say it's the greatest food... Justin would agree with me! 5) We went to Jeni's Ice Cream and I got a free ice cream!! (This is the other reason why I love birthdays so much!!) 6) We announced the winners for Glorious Birthday Giveaway in the car because 7) We went to Pinewood and met with Monique + Renny for their Whiskey Wednesday!! (Y'all, we need to go there together ASAP.)
Thursday: my trifold babes (Kelsey + Emily) took me out to BoccaLupo. Yes, I chose this restaurant, too! My fave is their Black Spaghetti + Octopus!
Friday: I didn't plan anything for Friday. I thought I would be resting at home the whole day because I have a wedding the next day. I guess I was wrong. Justin got home and told me that we should eat Korean BBQ. I said no because it's been an expensive week! But, he made a good point: we need grocery (we usually go to Asian grocery store). Finally I said yes... And little did I know... He planned for the whole gang to be there! SURPRISE. It was so good. I felt so loved. I really am so grateful for all the people that God has put in my life :)
Saturday: Shooting the wedding that I've been waiting for since last year.... A small, intimate wedding at an AirBnB that has Alpacas in it! What??
Sunday: Another wedding at Glendalough Manor! This time, I was helping Katie Snyder Photography. And.. Justin cooked me dinner!! Yummy!
What was I thinking? How come I believed in what the enemy has to say about me, my life? The enemy has no business in defining my life. And it's true, our biggest enemy is ourselves. But not only that, we think like that because of the enemy. The enemy does not want us to have great thoughts about our lives. That's why we have to be ready to fight it when thoughts like that come to our minds.
So, moral of the story... Worry about your own lane! ( I mean, don't even worry because God got you!) Stop comparing yourself to other people. Think about what God has done in your life and start counting your blessing. Start and end your day with being grateful. I'm not saying that it will be easy. There will be hard times and it will be hard to see what's there to be grateful for, but look at the bride side because THE BEST IS YET TO COME. My future and your future are better.
To all my family, friends that are like family, clients, and other vendors: THANK YOU. Thank you for letting me be a part of your story. Thank you for your support. I wouldn't be here without you. You are truly a blessing in my life.
Sincerely,
Glorianna Chan
Are you struggling with the same issues? Email me at info.gloriousmoments@gmail.com :) I would love to chat with you and possibly encourage you!! Let's connect!
p.s. all photos are not taken professionally :)
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