29

Ever since I was a little girl, I've loved birthdays - especially my own. When I was in elementary school, I would get waffles for breakfast on the "reserved for special occasions" Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit plates. When I was in middle school, I would get a special lunch delivered to the office for me (my usual request? Burger King!). With high school and college came more adult celebrations and bigger milestones - my license, voting, legal drinking - and celebrations to remember. My mid-twenties brought Josh into my life and some truly incredible birthdays - including Vegas and celebrations with old and new friends. Every year brought something new and fun, and I have loved every moment of every birthday.
This year feels different though. I am still just as excited to celebrate and I still love birthdays just as much, but this year it feels like it is less of a big deal. So much of this past year led up to our wedding and the incredible celebration that followed, and it seems as though this birthday is sort of hiding in the shadow of this year's bigger life moments. And I'm 100% okay with that. The last 28 years have taught me that life changes and moves and evolves and that if we do anything, we need to change and move and evolve right along with it. So, this year, I'm taking my adult birthday and enjoying every moment of it - even if I didn't start counting the days down until today weeks ago.
I am looking forward to an awesome weekend of celebration - beginning with my students in school today (they are so adorably excited for it to be my birthday) and then enjoying a romantic dinner tonight with Josh. Tomorrow, we're going to go to dinner with Josh's parents and his sister and her boyfriend to celebrate the birthday trifecta - myself, Josh's dad and Josh's mom all have birthdays within 6 days of each other. Then, we're going to enjoy the long weekend and time with the pup and watching lots of football and spending so much time relaxing. And I can't wait.
In the past, I've made birthday goal lists and general life lists and mentioned big dreams and big plans. This year, I'm not going to share lists and plans, but instead, I'm going to share a few of my hopes and wishes for the upcoming year. 
This year, I hope to continue to live the best life that I can live - to be more loving and more giving and to be less judgmental and less critical. I wish that this year will be my best year yet, and I will keep smiling because I know that this wish will come true. This year, my last year of my twenties, will be a year of wonder and of joy, of dreams and of hopes, and of finding the best moments that life has to offer.
Here's to you, 29 - let's live life to the fullest.