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I should be on an episode of True Life: I take a million pictures and can’t decide which ones I like the best so I post them all.

I’m turning 30 this weekend, and you know what, I couldn’t possibly be more excited. Which, if you knew me when I was younger, you might be surprised. On my 15th birthday, I cried because I was halfway to 30. Cried y’all.

Hello drama queen. If I’m honest, that part of my personality has stayed around. It keeps things interesting, or so I tell myself. But, thankfully I have come around to turning the dreaded 3-0. I loved my 20’s. Absolutely loved every moment of self discovery and every night I drank a little too much. There was also a lot of growing pains to go along with that learning. And, a lot of heartbreak that lead me to a place of self love.

I’ve really found myself the past few years of my late 20’s and have ended up in a place that I am proud to be. I’ve worked hard to become the woman I am today and have a really wonderful life to show for it. I feel like I have set myself up with a solid foundation for my 30’s. I have a relationship that is everything I have ever dreamed of, a career that I find rewarding and allows me financial freedoms. I have an amazing, supportive, close knit family and friends. Basically, life is pretty dang good!

I’m soaking up the last few days of my 20’s like the last few rays of summer sun setting on a season with a good glass of rose, and cake. Specifically, this coconut pineapple pound cake.

While my mother, who is an amazing baker, is making me a birthday cake this coming weekend, I figured a girl needed a pre-birthday week birthday cake as well. YOLO! So, I made this tropical inspired coconut pineapple pound cake, inspired by my life in Hawaii, where I spent my mid-twenties after graduating college. I left my heart on that island, and not a day goes by that I don’t think about those beaches, sunsets, and all the pineapples a girl could consume.

This is not a light cake, it’s moist, dense, a little on the heavy side, and truly delicious. If you’re short on time and looking for a cheat, you could always go with a boxed cake mix, but you must must must not skim out and cheat your way through the filling and icing. They are so much better than store bought. This coconut pineapple pound cake is definitely one that will be making it into my annual rotations of desserts.

[tasty-recipe id=”9049″]