this past wednesday, february 22nd, i turned 22.
when i was a little girl, my grandmother told me about my golden birthday, my 22nd year. it seemed so far away at the time, and i felt such a thrill of excitement and wonder when i tried to picture where i would be and what i would be doing at that point in my life. i didn’t really understand what “golden” meant in that sense, but it sounded lovely, and it made me think of the eighth book of the Little House series, These Happy Golden Years, when Laura is courting Almanzo and gets married. i was convinced that all my dreams would come true, that it would be my happiest year of my life.
as i got older, the glamour of my golden birthday faded a little, but a small part of me still held on to the magic of it, optimistic that it would be a year of opportunities. it would be the year that i would graduate college, the year that i would [hopefully] find a job and move to a new city. it was bound to be memorable.
and so here i am! my birthday was probably one of my best ones yet. i actually got in a car accident on the way to the rec the night before my birthday, but luckily everyone was okay. i was worried that that would put a damper on my day, but it really put things in perspective for me – how many times had God saved me from harm in my lifetime? i’m lucky to have lived a happy 22 years.
and my friends and family made my birthday special as they always do.
on the sunday before my birthday, i went to waco to meet my parents and grandparents halfway. we had a fabulous lunch at a little restaurant called 1424. my family has always made birthdays a big deal, and of course they spoiled me rotten and showered me with the most thoughtful gifts. i got so many beautiful things for my apartment, some books which i can’t wait to read, a scarf, and lots of other little goodies that they knew i would love – magazines, strawberries, homemade mint brownies, flowers, kolaches from west, homemade carrot cake. my grandmother also gave me a special “golden birthday present” – a pinkie ring that was her mother’s. It’s has a flower with an amethyst, my birthstone, in the center. after lunch, we walked around by the brazos river, enjoying the beautiful weather and working off some of our big lunch. i took some photos for my photography project – it was fun to shoot somewhere different than the usual bryan-college station scene. i hadn’t seen my family since the christmas break, and we had a grand time catching up.
{my “golden birthday ring” – an amethyst ring of my great-grandma’s}
{house salad with raspberry vinaigrette}
{pretty little magazine holder from my parents filled with goodies}
{the best meal ever…fresh mussels, clams, scallops, and shrimp in yummy tomato sauce served over a bed of angel hair}
{a big “j” from Mimi}
{chocolate mousse cake…marbled sponge cake layered with chocolate mousse and white chocolate mousse and topped with chocolate ganache, whipped cream, and strawberries}
{love these people! too bad my brother couldn’t join us}
because this post is so long and because i have to get ready to go to a lab, more on my actual birthday and this weekend later!