24

My weekend was filled with:

a bunch of fun 7th grade girls

praising Jesus

praying over students for emotional, physical, and spiritual healing

awesome messages from an even awesomer boss

fun at the beach

a lot of exhaustion

and birthday cake oreos to celebrate turning 24 on Saturday

This past weekend, the youth ministry that I work for at our church took 265 students and leaders to the beach for our annual back-to-school retreat.  To be honest, spending my birthday amidst the business of a jam-packed weekend, surrounded by middle and high-school students, and feeling tired and drained wasn't exactly how I'd love to do it, but God always surprises me.  The small group of girls that I get the privilege of leading on a weekly basis is just awesome and I loved getting to spend the entire weekend giggling and praying and talking with them.  Plus, I got to end my birthday by anointing those girls and worshipping alongside them.  How cool, right?

So, this is me at 24:  a little bit lost in this big world we live in; a whole lot grateful for my family, friends, and church; excited to pursue some passions in my life; in love with a wonderful guy; and so ready for God to use me for whatever He chooses.  My best friend and I just talked today about how different we imagined our lives to look right now (like our moms, married with kids by their mid-twenties), but I have a feeling that we're both right where we're supposed to be.  And I'm so excited to see what 24 holds!  First up:  a trip to visit AJ in Boston this week!

birthday surprises

firstly...is it weird that i just typed the word "surprise" and then thought "is that first 'r' supposed to be there?"  boo brain fart.  

anyway...friday was my birthday!  hello, 23.  and this year, it just happened to fall on the first day of our back-to-school retreat, which meant working from 7:30am on friday til 7pm on sunday and taking 174 students and 46 staff to the beach for the weekend.  awesome weekend, not an ideal birthday celebration.

aj's birthday happens to be today (happy birthday babe!) so last night we spent the evening having dinner with our families and exchanging gifts. 

being the best boyfriend ever, he got me the best gift ever.

a beautiful record player.  and a few vinyls to go along with it (namely, fleet foxes & gotye).  his mom added bon iver, she & him, and mumford & sons to my rapidly-growing collection.  and i added a bunch more to my amazon wish list.  

things just sound better on vinyl.  it's a fact.

among other things, i got just dance 3 (the only video game i've ever wanted...working out by dancing?! hello...no brainer), a bunch of fun gift cards, some mulah, and a beautiful refurbished trunk.  

my family & friends are just too good to me.  i'm beyond blessed.

Surprise, Surprise!

I threw my bro a surprise birthday party on Saturday!  

His reaction? "I was looking forward to a quiet evening at home with tacos...."

Oh, that child.  But after the shock of having 15-20 friends there, the extrovert in him came out and he thoroughly enjoyed himself, I think!  After all, he did ask me about 4 times to throw a surprise party for him.  And he practically even handed me the guest list.  So the kid got what he wanted!

   

Happy Birthday to my little bro!

This is my brother, Mark.

And today, he's 19!  

I can't believe it.  One more year and he'll be 20....how did that happen so fast?

This week is a rather celebratory one in our family!

sooooo......

Happy Birthday punky!

You're the best brother a girl could ask for!

Have an awesome day!

fail.

I failed again this year.  

For the second year in a row, I forgot my blog's birthday.  I knew it was coming, I even thought about it the week leading up to it.  But then, I got on a plane and went to Arizona and I forgot and I failed. 

I've been blogging for two years.  There's this rather ironic twist here too, because my first post ever was about discipleship and being invested in ministry, and how I was struggling with just starting to get involved with the youth ministry at my church but I was also preparing to leave for college again.  Now, two years later, I'm working for that same youth ministry.  

Anyway, all of this is to say:

Hey!  Happy 2-year birthday blog! Maybe in year 3 you'll double (or triple, or quadruple, or square yourself) in followers.  

Or at least dream about it.

And maybe, next year, I'll actually celebrate your birthday in a timely fashion.

birthday haiku

feeling loved today

wearing a pretty skirt

twenty-one

(is that a haiku?  i don't know.  i was never good with poetry.)

and now....a birthday song that I'm currently addicted to.  

(ok, its not really related to birthday stuff, but I love it, so I'm sharing it.)

And this is why I love my friends.

This morning, I was woken up by 5 girls who were hitting me with birthday balloons and singing "Happy Birthday" to me.  Now, I'm not turning the big 2-1 until tomorrow, but since we had no classes today, my wonderful roommate, Emily, took it upon herself to plan a very special day of fun to celebrate my birthday!  We started off at Sugar Mags in Gloucester, then headed over to friends on the Anisquam River to go kayaking and canoeing, and then finally ended up back at Gordon for some strawberry shortcake!  It was a truly wonderful day!  Here are some pictures:

I'm 20!

So this post is going to be a little selfish, but I think thats allowed. After all, it is my blog. And I'm pretty much the only person who reads it, which in itself sounds pathetic. But anyway, yesterday I left the quiet and familiar confines of being a teenager and ventured into the realm of my 20s! You know how people always ask you if you feel different on your birthday? Well, I actually said yes. There's really nothing different about me, but I just feel a little bit older and a little bit more mature, or maybe that I can claim the maturity that I've reached, if that even makes any sense, whatsoever. My friend Danielle listed a few things about her or that she had done in her 2 decades on her 20th birthday, and I think I'll steal the idea, so here goes!

1. Enjoyed countless moments that warmed my heart and left me feeling that if the world stopped right then, I'd be ok
2. Completed 2 years of college
3. Developed a weakness for stationary. And pens and pencils. And good handwriting.
4. Built amazing relationships with family and friends that sustain me
5. Spent a month immersed in Germany, with a very limited knowledge of the language
6. Been parasailing
7. Gone to prom in a 5,000 lb military vehicle that was used in Normandy in WWII.
8. Flown in a B-17 bomber that was used in WWII.
9. Tried and failed, time and again, to do a cartwheel, curl my tongue, and whistle
10. Developed a love of tea thanks to my grandmother and aunt
11. Decided that my favorite classes in high school were computer science and math, then declared myself a certified nerd
12. Played a nun, a bird, a tree, an Adelaide, and countless other things in many, many musicals
13. Helped a doctor put stitches in someone. Helped a doctor take stitches out of someone
14. Witnessed 3 babies come into this world. Promptly decided that adoption is a great option.
15. Collected quite an assortment of books (text and otherwise) because I can't bear to sell them
16. Decided that I love taking pictures and documenting moments
17. Been a part of an awesome community with people who push me to be a better person
18. Become an avid fan of entirely too many tv series
19. Created plans and watched God take them and replace them with His infinitely perfect will
20. Looked forward to many, many more years to come

So there it is, 20 highlights of my life wrapped up in a nutshell. Its been good, and I can't wait to see what God's got in store.