Whoa, I'm 22!! Yea, I never expected my 22nd birthday to be very exciting. Fact: it was on a Monday this year. Fact: most of my friends are working young adults or still in college. Fact: my parents bought a box cake which I was to prepare for my own birthday celebration. Fact: I always feel awkward on my birthday…
I find it awkward and a bit narcissistic (although it really isn't) when I have to gather my friends together to do what I want to do, when I want to do it, for the celebration of me and my birth. I love celebrating others' birthdays… just not always my own. The best birthday I've had was junior year when my bestie, Nikki J, planned everything out as a surprise for me. I didn't have to think about anything; I just got in the car, applied the blindfold, and enjoyed each little planned segment of my birthday. I didn't have to make plans to have my friends focus on me HAHA. I'm pretty extroverted, but I've neverd like being the center of attention, and on one's birthday, isn't that the point?!? So yea, birthdays are weird. And besides, my other birthdays in the past were never a big deal. It's around that time of year when everything seems to happen. Usually my birthday is too close to Thanksgiving to celebrate with friends and my mother's birthday is three days before mine, dad's birthday is nine days after mine, my sister Robin's birthday is five days after that, and then it's Christmas!!! There's just too much going on, holiday celebrations, and too many cakes to worry about. I remember one birthday when the 3/4ths of leftover pound cake from Thanksgiving became my birthday cake. We stuck candles into a partially devoured cake. Even on my 21st birthday, it was that Sunday of Thanksgiving break. My parents had to get me back to Waco pretty quickly because they had to be back in Dallas for church. They barely got the chance to say "Happy Birthday" (they may have forgotten), and before leaving me in Waco they bought me lunch from Wendy's… to go. Most of my friends weren't back yet or busy getting ready for Monday classes and couldn't celebrate with me at Crickets but I was blessed enough to a few GREAT friends join me. I really do enjoy small groups of people, and it was probably for the best that I didn't have one of those wild and crazy 21st birthdays. So typically, birthdays = no big deal.
This year's birthday was unexpectedly fun. I hadn't even thought about my birthday until Claire asked me few days before what I was planning to do. I thought, "Oh gosh, what do I want to?" I really came up with some nerdy, ridiculous ideas like laser tag or a board game night, but I finally decided upon ice skating. I've been ice skating once when I was ten or eleven. I didn't remember it being terribly fun but actually terrifying. But then I thought… "I'm 22! Why not?! I can try to ice skate."
My birthday kicked off with the traditional call and/or visit at midnight from Richard! He did both this year… so fun!! During the day, we had sushi for lunch at Chaucer's, coffee at Starbucks, visited Justen, and saw the movie Precious. OMG, I need to write another blog devoted to Precious. I think I will. It's so freakin' good. I cried throughout and after. It's a beautiful, heart-retching and tragic story. Once we left the theater, Richard and I met up with Claire, Dana, and Julia for dinner and ice skating at the Galleria Mall. Richard, Claire, and I were the only three able to ice skate, but the three of us had such a great time. None of us ever fell, although we all had our ungraceful and spastic moments on the ice. I think we looked graceful for about 1.5 seconds at a time before one of us would stumble (usually me!). Richard and I finished off my birthday night with a drink from Idle Rich… delicious. We didn't stay too long because I knew that I needed to get back home to bake my birthday cake… but my parents graciously baked my box cake for me and we sang before going to bed. It was a marvelous birthday J !!
Dear God,
When my parents sang the Happy Birthday song, finishing it off with "and many more," it made me realize that "many more" aren't always promised. I truly hope for "many more." There is so much this life has given me, and I hope I can still give back. Happiness may be for today, but my deepest joys are steadfast in Your LOVE and abundant GRACE that is consistently and constantly reflected by the friends, family, and people I have around me. The "many more" is indeed in Your hands, but I honestly want "many more" because I LOVE waking to Your many more blessings.
Love,
Elizabeth
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