Ok so my starter pet is lvl 23 but I am lvl 33 and so are my party pets but I got them at lvl 30. So how did this happen?

If I remember correctly, your user level is the highest level of pet that you have leveled up.

So most likely, you got your level 30 pets, and you leveled them up through missions (cause you shouldn't be able to put them in your party if you are at a lower level then them). So once they gain enough experience to be leveled up, and you do so, your user level will become the same level as that level 30ish pet that you have just leveled up.

Hope this help? =P