22. Not that bad after all...

Thanks to my incredible family and friends, this birthday was a truly marvelous one. And I'm pretty much STILL celebrating 15 days later. I still think 22 is a scary age, an age where you have to be a "real person" so to speak, but it's not so bad when you're surrounded by the people you love most in life. And then those people make me feel truly loved, which makes a birthday so much more than could be expected. So much more.

1. Dinner with Rebecca, April 28
Rebecca gave me just the pep talk I needed to realize 22 is not the end of a life of fun. It's just an age and it just makes me a real person. And there are SO many wonderful memories and opportunities ahead.
 

2. Nerdy Journalism Movie Night, April 29
After a half-hour of sleep the night before, and a full day of FutureWeb conference, I was not feeling human. But it was Nerdy Journalism Movie Night, where a dozen of my favorite people in the universe gather at my apartment for a journalism movie. We're all just sitting around my living room waiting to start "State of Play" and all of a sudden, Rebecca emerges from the hallway with a cake all lit up in HAPPY BIRTHDAY candles. It was wondrous. And I had no idea what was coming...I even let her, Sunshine, Pam and Gabby in the door when they were carrying the cake!

3. Big surprise from Amalexa, awesome show, pre-birthday greatness, May 1 
The day before my birthday began with me getting blindfolded and carted off to a surprise destination with Amanda and Alexa. Let's just say that was a cultural experience. ;-) Then, we went to see "i.d.," a show written, directed and produced by our friend Christopher Staskel. It was part of his honors thesis and lumen prize and it was absolutely breath-taking. I had goosebumps the entire time not just because of how incredible the play was but because of the thought that one of our classmates envisioned and WROTE the show.


4. The Big Day, May 2
I began my day by doing two things I love - shooting video and helping a friend. I helped Justine shoot her music video for class and had so much fun. The lighting was perfect for her movie that morning and her video turned out GREAT!! She did such a good job on the lyrics and her vision for it!

My family came down and we got to walk around campus and bond all day long. We went to Iron Gate for a wine tasting - they just had to experience my favorite winery on the planet. We had a wonderful lunch at Mellow Mushroom and dinner at Red Bowl, two of favorite restaurants. 

At church, everyone sang Happy Birthday to me, something I was not expecting...and probably blushed.

That night, Justine came by and surprised me with the most delicious marble cake with chocolate icing. SO good. She is wonderful.

5. Surprise Dinner, May 7 
After going to Target and Barnes & Noble and the post office with Pam, I arrived back at my apartment to find my incredible friends and the table set for a surprise birthday dinner. And then I realize I was being distracted and stalled from returning to my apartment. I just couldn't believe my birthday could get more magical. Sunshine made reallllly yummy sour cream chicken enchiladas, and Jack, Rebecca, Pam, Laura and I had a wonderful dinner together. I LOVE my friends.


In conclusion
I have the most incredible family and friends ANYONE could ask for. So many blessings.