saying good-bye to 25

There is always something special about birthdays.  When I was a kid I remember not getting a wink of sleep the night before, it was almost as good as Christmas.  Each year as I get older, that same special feeling slowly fades away.  I wake up ready for a normal day.  Then my mom will usually give me a ring, sing me happy birthday, and a light bulb will go on and I'll be reminded that it is my birthday.  

Tomorrow I turn 26, and it doesn't feel any different.  I'm actually just trying to get together what my kids are going to do, what I'll teach, what I'll pack for lunch...you know, the everyday to-do list.  And then tonight I got a sweet voicemail from a dear friend reminding me to cherish the last day of my youth.  Well, I think I still have a lot of youth left in me, but I did start thinking about this past year of my life.  Each year you add more wisdom, more life experiences, but I think this was the year of GRACE.  Learning to give myself grace has been a battle.  But it is given to us freely, we have to accept it, choose to grab onto it, embrace it, hug it, and tell yourself "you're not doing half bad".  

I wanted to share some snippets of my last few days of being 25 with you....

My beautiful coworkers treated me to happy hour Friday afternoon.  Three words for our location:  Drop. Dead. Gorgeous.  

We went to C Level down at Harbor Island, they have an outside patio area, and the view is just spectacular (if only my camera decided to focus, wa wa waaaa).  

Saturday mornings are dubbed "study mornings" where I continue to type away on my thesis, get lost in articles, forget where I am.  Wait, that has never happened to you?  Well let me just tell you that it makes you feel a bit awkward.  All of a sudden you look up from your bubble and realize that you are in fact at Panera Bread. 

I cannot wait till Thursday!  We are getting our very first CSA box.  Can't wait to share the amazing finds we get!  My fingers are crossed that we actually get produce I know how to cook .

If I were to enter a contest for cutest niece, I think I would win.  I mean, not to brag or anything, but does your niece bring you a Little Mermaid balloon to dinner wearing the biggest smile ever?  Didn't think so.  We had a little dinner with close friends Saturday night at is was perfect.  Nice and simple, just what I like.  

This morning we stayed in our jammies for an extra hour, sipped our coffee, and just rested.  I need rest and thankfully the time change helped me get that rest.  It is a beautiful thing when the Mr. and I can just rest together, not have to rush off to work or another commitment. 

26, I'm ready for you!