Today is my birthday. Woot! I’m 36 and SO happy to be getting older. Beyond the fact that I’m so over 35 at this point, I’m just generally in love with aging.

So this week I did something I’ve never done before in the name of vanity. You see I don’t typically engage in a lot of activities that have me working real hard on my looks. I like to throw around facts like this:

• I’ve never dyed my hair.
• I’ve never permed my hair.
• I’ve never tanned at a tanning salon.
• I’ve never gotten my ears pierced.
• I’ve never had braces.
• I’ve never had glasses or contacts.
• I’ve never plucked my eyebrows.

Super boring, I realize. But this week was a big step for me because I had a modeling headshot coming up the day before my birthday and it was recommended to me that I try whitening my teeth.

Um, excuse me? My teeth are totally white? You think they need to be whiter?

We’re not talking white-strips-you-buy-at-Walgreens type whitening, we’re talking schedule-an-appointment-with-the-Dentist-and-sit-in-a-chair-for-two-hours type whitening. The amount of research I did on the Zoom Whitening product is truly ridiculous. I’m pretty sure I got carpal tunnel from holding my phone over my head while in bed at 1:00am scrolling through comments.

I’ve really got to stop reading comments and reviews and opinions and stupidity. Too often I look up from my phone and think, “I wish I had my two minutes back,” when I’ve read some long-winded Comment Troll’s pontification.

ANYway, I got Zoom, people. And really it was pretty anticlimactic. My teeth are a little whiter but truth-be-told, my chiclets were pretty white to begin with. I’ll probably never do it again and it will fade over time but my heart was pounding before they started in on the whole process. It doesn’t look like it below but I was nervy girl.

Here is my pre-whitening at home:

Sitting in the chair with my funky UV glasses on:

Getting UV light strobed onto my teeth. The ultimate selfie:

Immediately after getting all the gear off my face with a super sore jaw and crazy sensitive teeth:

Is it much different? Maybe, maybe not. Here is a picture of my pores teeth before and after:

Ew, gums. Look away.

Then I got my hair cut at my new favorite salon (thanks to my friend Skye, for recommending it). Rue 48 I heart you.

THEN as a build up to my birthday I got new headshots taken because I have a new modeling agent. Susan Wehmann of Wehmann Models & Talent is amazing and kind and knows this industry like no one I’ve ever met. When she met with me we covered my current headshot which I’ve used all over the interwebs and she gave some smart feedback like my beautiful hair cannot be the only thing I lead with…I need to highlight my other features.

I do kind of lead with my hair. What a funny way to think about it, but anyway. I got some new headshots so here’s a look at me with actual makeup on (which is totally not my thang). Hello eyebrows:

And I was very aware this was my last day of being 35 and I was loving it! Plus I loved that the photographer said, “We have to try and make you look older because if you’re turning 36 tomorrow and you look this great, we’ll have a hard time selling you.” Oh Erika Ludwig, you must say that to all the mid-30 models.

Does this look older? Maybe!

I share all of this for a couple of reasons:

1. I’m not perfect (yay!) pores, belly, vanity, I got this.

2. Each year I feel better and look better and feel better about how I look. I got a gray hair this year and I was so excited. This is real life…bring it, baby!

3. I’m an old soul. I feel closer to my true self each time I come back around the sun to celebrate another year gone by, another year beginning. I love the exhale of growing older and better and wiser and sexier.

4. Who wants to stay a certain age. 20? No way I was like studying for exams every night. 25? Puh-lease, I had a two-year-old and I could barely scrape together work. 27? C’mon I was running marathons like a mad hatter. I’m over it. 30? Gawd, not again, I kicked 30’s butt and I do not want to revisit it.

5. Getting older is THE BEST. More will be revealed. More to come. New ways of thinking, new people to meet, new opportunities. That newness isn’t in the past, it is in the future and waiting. We have to age to get there so let’s do this thing! Bring on the birthdays! (They’re coming anyway, so there’s that.)

ASK ME MY AGE anytime and you’ve made a friend for life. My friend, Tullah, stopped me on the steps of school this morning while she and her mom were dropping off her littler sister and said, “Happy birthday! How old are you?” And I was so honored she asked. I love that kind of boldness and wonder. Tullah was the first to hear me say, “I’m 36!” She responded with a huge smile and I couldn’t agree more with that emotion…how great to age and own your number. I hope she keeps asking the age of the people around her. I think it is important for girls and women to ignore those magazine covers at the checkout about how to try to be an age other than the one you rock.

What’s your age? Dare to share!