On the Eve of my Birth--Part Deux

I thought it'd be interesting to re-vamp a post I did last year at this exact time. It proved to be an interesting post for me, and a great way for me to look back on all that has happened in the last year. So here I go again!

2 days--48 hours, 2880 minutes, a helluvalot of seconds (my head actually started to hurt as I sat here and tried to calculate the seconds, so cut me a break! Wasn't a math major)--until my birthday. The faithful day I exited my mother's womb. The day my eyes fluttered open. The day my sister Megan became a big sister. Basically a day of infamy and a world celebration. Really one of the best days of the year. As of May 2nd, I will officially be 27 years old. 3 years away from being 30, entering the twilight of my life, and old lady status

And this year I am actually looking forward to it.

Which is a stark contrast to the last few years where I didn't want my friends to mention my age and I insisted I was turning 25 for the second time, or 21 for the fourth time. Literally, my friends weren't allowed to mention the number 26 last year. It made me feel queezy and incredibly sick to my stomach.

But this year is a bit different. I'm actually looking forward to turning the page on 26. And embracing 27 as my own for the next 365 days. And I'm not too sure why, to be honest. No one really likes turning a year older and seeing their lives slip away. Or realize that the last year has been a complete an utter waste and you are exactly where you were a year ago, just older and more pissed about it.

Which is usually how I look at it. And it should be how I look at the last year in reality.

This past year was a sour-assed, PMS-ing bitch in more ways than one. Right from the offshoot of my birthday I had problems:

The Dumps

1. I got dumped literally 2 days before my birthday
2. I got fired right after Memorial Day
3. I was unemployed for 3 months
4. I had no health insurance for that entire duration
5. My Aunt's (who has had cancer 3 times) cancer came back right as the summer ended
6. Took an awful and demeaning filing job and was basically harassed by a male employee who really REALLY wanted to take me on a date.
7. Some pretty shitty situations with friends where a lot has been tested
8. Dating sucks

But there was also quite a few great things that happened:

The Highs

1. I had off for the entire summer and got to go on a lot of adventures (i.e. visit my Uncle Joe in Virginia Beach) and basically got to recoop and revaluate
2. Decided on and moved forward with a book deal and distributor
3. Saw my book go to print and handed my Pop the first copy
4. Took a job with a engineering firm that isn't my dream job but I love all the same
5. My grandparents finally moved in
6. I'm going to be an aunt--My older sister is pregnant with her first child
7. My true and best friends have proven themselves to me
8. Falling pretty hard for a guy I just started dating

It's weird for me to think about this past year and see how up and down it was. Almost every shitty thing that happened to me had an upside that eventually surfaced. Like getting fired--I was MISERABLE there and treated awful. Yes, it was a shock and I was a wreck and embarassed for weeks but it gave me the time and energy to refocus on what I loved. If that hadn't happened, I wouldn't have made the decision to move forward with my book. I wouldn't have had the time to really sit down and decide on it.

The past year has really tested me in every way possible and has made me see that I can get through almost anything. That I have a solid support system who love me and care about me, and aren't ashamed to call me their daughter/sister/friend etc. The shit I've gone through, especially in the last year, has made me a better person in every way possible.

And really, I can only see things going up.

So keeping with tradition, my birthday resolution:

To keep being happy and doing what I love. To not worry as much about what others think, and do what I think is best. To live for me and for the now.

27....here's lookin' at you kid!

Birthday drink at El Vez this past weekend. Yummy and pink!

xoxo