Highlights: Birthday Week

Hello Readers,

As you may know, last week was my birthday. Last Wednesday to be exact. Since my birthday was in the middle of the week, the celebration seemed to last a few days longer than usual. Here are a few of the highlights:

Wednesday: Oh Brother, It's my Birthday
:Morning:
My actual birthday started with a bit of a bump in the road. My mom made, for me (the birthday girl) birthday pancakes. Isn't that sweet? Well, one of my brothers came across the pancakes and ate them before I woke up, thinking that they were free for the taking. When I discovered the aftermath of this deed- I blew up. Like "it's my party and I'll cry if I want to" blowing up.
I was going to wear corduroys and a cardigan... but after blowing my fuse I decided that a more feminine outfit was needed to turn the day around.

Recognize this dress? Spinning Lace is correct! And yes, I wore it to the DMV.

:Afternoon:
My mom and I went to the DMV in Peoria to get a new license for me. Thankfully, it was not busy, and thankfully the picture they took of me turned out well! I had to take a written test, which I didn't expect, but still passed with flying colors. We made a quick stop at Kroger and then my mom treated me to lunch at Great Harvest Bread Co. followed by an-almost-forgotten stop at LeBakery in the Metro Centre for my birthday cake! Then, I took a nap.

Yum! LeBakery makes the best cakes in Peoria! (well, besides my aunt!)

:Evening:
After a wonderful nap, my dad and I went on a point-and-shoot camera excursion and then went to Basta O'Neal's for dinner. After great conversation and a very delicious dinner we headed back to the homestead for cake and singing. What a day!

What a sunset!

Garnet Red!

Thursday: Lunch and Laughter
The highlight of this day was meeting with my friend Nikki for lunch at Panera to catch up on life and to celebrate our birthdays, which are only 5 days apart! The Panera we went to was super busy, as always, but we were able to find an almost quiet table where we swapped stories, laughed, and ate very tasty food.

Friday: Birthday Sleepover!
I spent most of the day cleaning my room and the basement. Yes. Why? To prepare for the arrival of two of my friends from Greenville- Lorna and Amanda! They drove all the way from Greenville to Peoria to celebrate my birthday! We went Krogering for Turkey Hill icecream and returned home for a few rounds of Mad Libs, walking around the house in our PJs and Snuggies, multiple servings of laughter, and a few helpings of somewhat deep conversation (well, pretty deep for after 2AM!)

Before my friends arrived, Sophie tried on my cardigan

As you can tell, she really liked wearing the cardigan!

Saturday: Coffee and Conversation
This day began with a warm and delicious breakfast prepared by my mom, followed by the Turkey Hill icecream purchased the night before during the late-night Kroger run. After playing with Sophie (my parent's dog) we went to ThirtyThirty Coffee (an excellent coffee shop in downtown Peoria) where the three of us hung out for a few hours before my friends headed back to Greenville.
Later that evening, my dad and I saw Stephen Spielberg's War Horse which was quite good but also quite lengthy!

Lorna stealing coffee from the Jumer's bear at thirtythirty

Amanda almost being eaten by the bear!

Sunday:
Sunday began with church at Imago Dei and ended with a birthday party in my honor! Another party? Yes! This celebration took place at my Grandparents' house and included family, a butterfly birthday cake, perfect brownies, group singing on key (this is difficult when you have a large group of people singing at the same time!), and stories from my Grandpa.

Here are a few highlights of the night:

The cake

Lights, Camera, Action!

Listening to the sweet melody of the birthday song

Blowing out the candles!

Cousins!

Monday:
Nothing too birthday-ish happened on Monday, but I redeemed a birthday present at the Riverplex: a one-month membership! I swam for nearly an hour for the first time in maybe a month. It was wonderful.

Tuesday:

A box of delicious joy

Just when I thought that my birthday celebration was over... a package addressed to me arrived on my doorstop! My dear friend Kellie sent me a box of chocolates from the UK and Ireland. I love Cadbury and Maltesers are probably my favorite chocolate in the world. Happy extended birthday to me!

It's My Least Favorite Time of The Year...

Hello Readers,

Yes, it's that time of the year again. My least favorite time of the year... When people I love sing to me. When I get presents, greetings, and compliments just because of this day. When I get to eat cake.

Sounds great, right? Well, not entirely. All of these things are wonderful, but this time of the year also brings about insecurities like: shouldn't I have my life figured out by now? Shouldn't I be this or that by now- and why aren't I?

I tend to wallow in my uncertainties around my birthday. Maybe it's because my birthday is so close to New Years Eve/Day? Yes, let's go with that.

This year, instead of wallowing again, I'm going to reconsider uncertainty as possibility. Instead of focusing on the bad birthdays (the birthday I was snowed in, the birthday I had strep, the birthday when I thought everyone forgot my birthday...) I am going to remember the good ones and celebrate the friends, lessons, and memories I've collected along the way.

Speaking of memories... here's one I wish I could remember:

Why am I sitting in this box? And what am I thinking about? Birthdays?

A Fresh Start

Hello Readers!

2011 is here! I don't know about the rest of you- but I am happy to leave 2010 behind. Yes, many good things happened in 2010 (teaching Public Speaking), but it was also possibly the most intense year of my life as a student and perhaps the most overall stressful year. So. . . with a renewed sense of optimism and focus, I welcome this New Year with open arms!

Yesterday, as many of you will know (you probably even wrote on my facebook wall or sent me a message), was my birthday. The BIG 2-5. I don't think that I've ever really been a fan of milestone birthdays- my 10th birthday, my 16th birthday (when I convinced myself that my parents were going to surprise me with a car, and there was no car), my 21st birthday (I went to Greenville, so I couldn't drink alcohol), and now my 25th birthday.

This birthday was by no means a let down, but it was much more quiet than birthdays of years past. Maybe it was because I'm getting older (25 IS a quarter of a century, after all), but I am going to claim wisdom teeth extraction recovery as the reason, and a mid-week observance of my birthday. . . yes- those are the reasons.

My birthday began with a trip to The Fresh Market with my mom to pick out a cake (we chose a Coconut Cream Layer Cake). Usually, I get a cake from Trefzger's Bakery, but last year we changed things up a bit with a cake from Hansen's Le Bakery, and this year I decided to try something new again. I'm not sure how many of you have ever visited The Fresh Market before, but it is like the Anthropologie of grocery stores. It's a place of tranquility, well-organized shelves, and a calming interior.

After The Fresh Market, we ate lunch at Panera. This is another place I love, and I was glad to include their tuna salad sandwich to my mild-mannered birthday celebration. Thank you mom for the delicious lunch!

For dinner, my dad took me to Basta O'Neill's where he had Pasta Carbonara (one of his favorite dishes) and I had the lacquered Atlantic salmon over whole wheat pasta and green beans- delicious! Sometimes salmon can be a bit of a risk in the Midwest (especially from an ocean)- but this was as delicious as the salmon I remember from my days in the Pacific Northwest. My compliments to the chef!

After dinner, my dad and I went home and then almost everyone in my family (minus Grant) gathered around my lovely coconut cake and sang happy birthday. Thanks guys! After I blew out the candles, my mom presented me with an unexpected gift from Grant! At the ages that my brothers are, it is quite uncommon for them to buy birthday presents- but he did!

Sometime during Christmas break, I mentioned a book that I wanted to read- and Grant remembered and even ordered it from Barnes and Noble! (Inside a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Alexandra Horowitz). Good job Grant! I look forward to reading this!

Hopefully this book will help me understand my dog, Meeka (pictured below)