twenty two

[This is a little delayed. I apologize. I feel like my whole life has been a little delayed as of late. Like when I slept for 12 hours, until 11:15 on Wednesday. Working on taking care of me, my body again. Hopefully I'll be back regularly soon.]

Last year on my birthday I wrote:

"I love new beginnings and a birthday is a perfect time to refocus and readjust. I'm setting goals for this year and making plans. I'm literally heading off into a great, new adventure this year. I have NO idea where I will be next year for my birthday."

Well... Now we know! I'm here in Las Vegas. Probably the last place I would've ever guessed to be. And it has been a great, new adventure. But I am very happy and glad to be here for right now.

But before I tell you about my birthday... twenty one things of note from while I was twenty one.

completing the recapturing beauty challenge
traveling to NYC & Princeton
harry potter #7 parts 1 & 2
being on the history channel
interviewing for grad school in Rochester, Nebraska and Las Vegas
going to byu basketball games during the time of jimmer
bobsledding
accepting an offer to attend grad school at UNLV
surviving senioritis
graduating from Brigham Young University
going to Arches with my friends
sending two of my best friends off on missions and majorly missing other ones
spending my [probably last] summer at home
paying off my car
getting a brother-in-law
purchasing a condo [aka getting a mortgage]
moving to Las Vegas
starting grad school
family vacation to lake powell
meeting a boy
he is we, andy grammar, maroon 5, blink 182 concerts

That really ended up being a lot. I'm actually kinda amazed by how full this year was! I felt like this was a really hard year for me in a lot of ways but I think because of that it was really rewarding too. I suppose you can't have the good without the bad, and things don't come without work. I was looking back at my goals from last year on my birthday and I really did pretty well. I achieved a lot of them and I made progress toward the ones I didn't reach. I am really pleased with last year and I hope this coming year can be even better!

So on Sunday I turned twenty two. As usual, my feelings were pretty ambivalent. In some ways, I feel old.  I'm a grad student. That sounds like I'm a grown up and know what is going on in my life and stuff. But let's be honest. I totally don't. I expected to be married or on a mission right now. Las Vegas is probably the last place I would've guessed I would be.  But I also feel really young. Around here, twenty two is still pretty little. All day people asked how old and their response to my answer was always oh you're so young! enjoy it!

My birthday itself was so fun. We went out on Saturday night to Famous Dave's [BBQ] and to Revolver in the Santa Fe for country dancing. I had so much fun dancing. Country music is my happy place. Sunday was pretty chill. But I had a lovely dinner with S and his family & we went on a drive later. It was a happy birthday for sure.

It's been especially fun because I've been getting mail for my birthday for like a week. I got a card from my grandpa last week and today I got something from Eva [who is in Korea]. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE snail mail so it's been fun to have so many surprises in my mailbox. :]

Anyways, I've made new goals, new plans. Hopefully twenty two will be as good as twenty one, because it's been an amazing year!