Birthdays Past

I have been completely spoiled the last four years where birthdays are concerned.  And since my standard is high, this year's 23rd birthday...sucked.  My awesome mom tried really hard to make it fun, but it just didn't feel like a birthday.  I told Roy this felt like the first step towards being a grownup, and he assured me you can still have fabulous birthday parties even when you're old.  So...apparently I just need to move to a place where I have friends.

Moving right along to the birthdays that spoiled me:

19th:  Freshman year

My roommates decorated the living room while I was asleep.  Whitney wore my favorite color so my eyeballs would be aesthetically pleased.  I was driven to my classes.  When I came back to my room in the middle of the day, my floor was covered in balloons that had things written on them like "I love your Yankee/Southern accent."  And, oh yeah, there was a life-size cardboard cutout of Spike just inside my doorway, which momentarily terrified me.

Shari and Nellene came over to take pictures with Spike.  We ate a homemade meal and a cookie cake because they knew that was my favorite.  We watched the Buffy musical.  We watched Casino Royale, because I'd been bugging them all week to watch it with me, but they refused.  It was really bothering me, but they were trying to save it for my special day.

 I can't find the pictures from my birthday DAY, but this is Spike.  

Oh, the embarrassing fun we had with him.

20th:  Sophomore Year

This was only a month after the tornado, so my roommates and I were now in the Walker apartment.  It was raining, and I was still in a post-tornado funk.  But when I got to our front door, there was a picture of James McAvoy greeting me with happy birthday wishes.  Several of my friends came over, and we had a feast.  We ended the night taking pictures and playing the Stupid Ninja Game.

21st: Junior Year

I turned 21 just a couple months after going to Turkey.  It was momentous because ALL my favorite people went to Chick-fil-a for my birthday dinner.  My Craig 3 Sisters, the Hughes family, and my Turkey team were all there.  It was wonderful.

Then my roommates took me to the nearest ice skating rink, since that is my childhood birthday party place, two hours away in Franklin, TN.  We skated and ate Panera (which wasn't in Jackson then).

22nd: Senegal

Liz shared my birthday=you are the only person who matters that day mentality, so I was treated to favorite TV shows (she even watched an episode of Fruits Basket with me, despite her complete uninterest), favorite foods, and free Vimtos.  We rode her moto for miles out into the African wilderness because I love riding motos and I wanted a picnic.  I forgot that the African wilderness is not very picnic-friendly, what with the sand and prickly ground.  But we ate and read and tried to avoid thorns as best we could.  Then a herd of big-horned cows came to our tree, and we were scared, so we left.  Later that night we had dinner with Yayoi and Laina, and the power went off, but we had candles!  After they left, Liz and I watched Buffy, and then we filmed some of our dance video.  Perfect day.