The wheels are turning...: One year older and wiser (?), too...

How do birthdays start rolling around so quickly? Didn't I just have one a few months ago? I know I sound like someone who's starting to get old and doesn't like it, but I actually find it kind of fun to celebrate another year of living.

I am officially 26 years old. It's kind of funny, because life isn't at all like I would have expected at this point. It's better! I don't know what I expected out of my mid-twenties, but I'm enjoying myself quite nicely.

Things I've learned (or re-learned) in the past year of living:
- Patience is a virtue I'll never have enough of.
- It doesn't help things to worry about them incessantly.
- Finally being able to rent a car (at age 25) isn't all it's cracked up to be.
- Letting people walk all over you is no way to get things accomplished.
- Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same (I stole that one from a song...but a good lesson, nonetheless!)

To celebrate my birthday, all of my friends were fabulous. I probably had five birthday dinners, a few parties, everyone made me treats (even people who barely know me at my new job!) and wrote on my Facebook wall. It was so great to feel loved by everyone, just because it was April 8. On my actual birthday, we went to The Melting Pot. That was a fun experience, especially since I'd never been before. SO much food!

One of the things that's interesting about my birthday is that it's the same day as my mom's. She always said I was her favorite birthday present (except for a few years while I was a teenager...ha!). I used to hate that I had to share my special day, but now it's kind of cool for everyone to remember that it's my birthday, too (because who forgets their own mother's birthday?).

This year came with a big surprise: a new GPS from my family! I was feeling so lost (literally!) without it, but now I have that little contraption back, it makes me happy. :) My dad was so hilarious about it. He kept taunting me that my gift was coming in the mail, and then when I finally opened it, I was ecstatic! Back when my Christmas GPS was stolen, I was so upset that I'd lost my gift, and I think my dad understood that. Now I'm especially careful about keeping my car locked so history doesn't repeat itself.

I had some of my friends come over last Friday for a birthday party. It was going to be up the canyon, complete with campfire and dutch oven cobbler, but Mother Nature didn't think that was a good idea. A whole bunch of snow fell, so we had to relocate. But we still had a lot of fun playing Rock Band and watching random YouTube videos, not to mention singing Under the Sea, blues-style (thanks, James). Rachel even made a cake...see it for yourself!