What's My Age Again?

I've hit the big 23!!  Ok, I know compared to some I'm not that old, but it's the oldest I've ever been!!  I'm very excited for what this year has in store for me because it's not just the beginning of a new year but it's the beginning of a new chapter.  Now that I've finished up college I'm entering a new part of my life, and I know that God can now open the doors in any direction; which is slightly exhilarating and slightly terrifying at the same time.   

I was talking with Aden the other day about his birthday and how excited he was to finally be 5; but sadly he told me he was a little scared because now that he's 5 he's closer to passing away (a little bit of a fixation of his since his great grandma passed away a few months ago.  He told me once when we were talking about birthdays that 23 was kind of old and I was going to pass away soon; much funnier then the present conversation).  It was really sad to me to think that at 5 he's worried about passing away; he also told me that every year someone gets another year older they get a little sad because they are closer to passing away.  I'd like to think that with every "year older" someone gets they have the opportunity to reflect on the past, but that they spend more time looking forward to the great things to come; the great things to be experienced and accomplished.  I know I'm excited for the things to come, and passing away isn't on me list of current thoughts!

So on to my actual birthday . . . 

My mom flew down for a few days to celebrate my birthday with me which was a super special treat!!  She flew in Monday afternoon and after we stopped at Jacks Urban Eats for some tasty salads we headed up to Ben and Katie's to hang out with Katie, Aden, and Lauren.  We spent the afternoon just coloring and playing games; sometimes the simple things can be so much more exciting then the hustle and bustle of getting ready and going out to do something "fun."  Later in the evening we met up with Ben at BJ's for dinner and a birthday pazookie (not really sure how to spell that).  It was a nice relaxing day (which proved to be the pace of the trip which is a nice change from what they usually are; always fun but always jam packed with action!).

Right, so now we're actually going to get to my birthday. . . 

Tuesday morning was nice and relaxing, we got to sleep in a bit which is always a treat!!  I headed out to Trader Joe's for a few essentials like eggs and cooking spray so my mom could make my "homemade" birthday cake!!  I grabbed some breakfast sandwiches at Starbucks and came back so we could enjoy a leisurely morning.  I opened my present which was a shirt from a local feed shop on "my mom's island" which had roosters on it to accompany the roosters in my hood!  I also got a super cute camera case for my new camera which I got for graduation!!  After mom made the cake we headed out for a girls day at the spa.  I was treated to a manicure, pedicure, and hot stone massage, my mom got the same treatments; after all she is the one who gave birth to me!!  It was such a fun experience and a very fancy place, the kind where you wear robes and slippers the whole time your lounging around, and there's fruit in your water; oh and don't forget the green tea chocolate in your locker!!!

After our relaxing morning at the spa we headed for salads at El Torito (ok it know it seems like were always eating, but I'm trying to catch every tasty detail!).  We came back to my apartment and because I've lived here for almost 2 years and have never once walked to town we decided that Tuesday was the day; despite the heat we headed to town and checked out some of the cute shops and some of the roosters!!  It was a fun little walk!!  We came back and still had time to squeeze in a few rounds of skip-bo before it was time to hit the showers and get ready for the drive-in!  

Fair Oaks is Known for it's wild roosters!

Baby chicken or baby rooster, we just don't know yet; either way super cute!

Some of the local studs strutting their stuff!

This was a full on rooster gang there were so many of them!

That's right, we met up with some friends of mine and headed to the drive-in.  We say Indiana Jones for the first movie and for the second one we saw Narnia.  I'm not a Indiana Jones fan; haven't actually seen any of the originals, so I wasn't super impressed but I really enjoyed Narnia.  Before we left for the movies I set my mom up with a bed in the back of my car; memory foam and all, which she used later on in the evening for a nap during the second movie (accompanied by some make shift napkin earplugs)!!  Before the first movie started (at about 9:20) there was singing and tasty "homemade" cake!  Just before the end of the first movie we saw an awesome meteor falling through the sky; it was like slow motion!!  Another friend of mine; Brandon met up with us before Narnia, which didn't end till after 2am!  It was a perfect night, I didn't even put a sweatshirt on until after the first movie; a nice warm drive-in evening!

Who knows what those boys were up to!

The "homemade" box cake that I love!

My Mom and I sitting on the "bed" in my car for the candle blowing out ceremony!

The drive-in group; Isaac, Canda, Dustin and I.  Mom's taking the picture and Brandon came later

Wednesday morning my mom and I had planned to go kayaking but by the time Wednesday morning actually rolled around I was way too worn out for a cold I have been fighting and way too tired from the late night, so we opted to sleep in and hang out.  We had salads at Red Robin for lunch and came back to play canasta and phase 10 with a side of cake before it was time to head to the airport.

Overall it was an awesome birthday, and I'm so blessed to have such loving family and friends who took time to make my birthday extra special!  Thanks everyone for the calls, cards, comments and company!

Oh, and how could I forget, I was saving my locals from this post to break in on my birthday and I wore two pair throughout the day; yeah!  23 is going to be a good year . . .