Sigh. . .another birthday.

Yes, I turned 24 yesterday. Weird, huh? I'm in my mid-20s. I think people will stop acting so shocked when they find out I'm married, or when they here my age at all. Ever since I moved here, when I said my age it was so fascinating for some reason. Especially when I got married. People just couldn't believe I was so young and at that point in my life. My friends still think it's funny that I'm a few years (or more) younger than them, but they'll get over it soon enough now that I've joined the mid-20 group.

So, I had a great weekend. It was nothing like the past two birthdays when I got to have my twinny with me, but my friends and family made it fun all the same. It started on Friday when a few of my girlfriends and I treated ourselves to a much-needed pedicure. We were seriously giddy. And what made it even better was sharing nachos grande at Chevys afterward. They sang to me, and we shared the delicious complementary birthday ice cream. I was so happy to be with my girls. Sometimes, it's just essential that you get together and laugh, even if what you are laughing at isn't really that funny. I appreciate them taking time from their families so we could hang together. A great start to my birthday weekend.

On Saturday I was helping Jan and the kids at a wedding they were participating in. Jan was a bride's maid (matron I suppose), so she wanted me to sit with the kids during the ceremony. This wedding is a story in an of itself, so I won't go into it too much (a little 2 year old ring bearer falls while rehearsing and having to be rushed to the hospital for stitches on his head, arriving minutes before the ceremony, Iris, the flower girls, screams down the aisle because she didn't want wade to throw her flowers on the ground, the maid of honor faints during the ceremony). Let's just say it was unforgettable. Anyway, after I was relieved of my babysitting duties, KC and I barely made it to our stake temple session. I nice break from my hectic day. There was a sweet elderly lady in the session. In the dressing room I overheard her daughter-in-law introducing her to someone and saying she would be 82 tomorrow. I went and told her that it was my, and my sisters birthday tomorrow too and wished her a happy one. She was delighted and said there's no better present than coming to the temple. What a sweet thought. We saw some friends, from our ward and the singles ward, and went to get a late night milk shake and onion rings. It was a great time catching up, but I should learn that even though the onion rings look so good in the menu, and even better in the person, it's not great to eat a bunch of them at 10 pm. Especially when you had nachos the night before. I know better now. But still, a good time.

The next morning, that actual day, KC got up extra early to make me one of my favorite breakfasts, a delicious breakfast sandwich. While he was cooking and filling the house with delicious smells, I let myself relax and enjoy the morning, until we went to church. We came home and I got to open my birthday presents and packages. It was so fun to get cards, gifts emails, and even notes of my facebook wall from friends and family that are far away. I was almost in tears reading the darling cards from my nieces. I told KC that I really wanted a web cam, and guess what, he followed through. I was so great talking to my whole family, seriously all of them, via web cam. It was almost like we were all actually together. First we talked with the Turpins. Jefferson is hilarious. He always likes to send the winks and thinks they are hilarious. Earlier in the week Molly asked me what I was doing on my birthday. With the girl's night, and KC and I planning to go to dinner on Tonight, I thought we had it covered and didn't need a big thing on Sunday. She wouldn't hear of it. She was so sweet and said she'd arrange to have our friends come over and we could have a nacho bar (my friends really know what I like). I insisted that we didn't make it a birthday party and just make it a pot-luck game night like we usually do. So we did, and it was so fun. Molly made a completely delicious pumpkin bread pudding for my birthday cake. Totally my style. We got some Wakee six time in, and had a fun time laughing at the little one year old boys. I appreciate them making my birthday a little festive, even though I asked them not to. I then got on the web cam with the rest of the fam at my mom's house. It's so fun I can actually watch the the little kids grow up now. Julia is getting so big. I instructed Melody to get a web cam asap so we can chat on it occasionally instead of the phone all the time. It's just amazing to be able to see them, though it makes me miss everyone even more. Melody and I have only missed a few birthdays together in our whole life, so this took the sting off a bit, but still it's lame. We are going to have more big parties when they get here in a few weeks.

And it's not over yet (as if that wasn't enough). As I mentioned before, KC and I have dinner plans tonight to celebrate together. I'm really not that high maintenance that I need my birthday to last 4 days, we just have a gift certificate for a nice French restaurant in DC that expires soon. We thought this was a good time to use it. So the fun continues.

Birthdays are always a little weird to me. Especially the last few. This is the reason for my sigh in the title. I always just wanted to turn 21 and stay there forever, but the years continue to come. This hasn't been the easiest of years, to put it delicately, so that another year has already past makes me feel kind of unfulfilled. I just feel a little stuck. I don't want to get older, but I want things in my life to get moving along. You can't have one without the other, and I don't really have a choice anyway. Things are just a little different than I thought they would be. But this past year has also been filled with so many great times that I must remember. I was thinking while I was in the temple that I can't keep waiting for the finish line in everything I do. I need to enjoy what's happening right now. It's a bad habit of mine to always want to get to where I'm going without enjoying the ride. The years just really slip through my fingers so quickly. So since I can't help but get older, I'll try to enjoy this year even more. Thanks again to everyone who helped make it a great and carefree birthday.