A Very Merry Birthday

I truly cannot believe how gracious my friends and family were this year in celebrating my 25th. All the phone calls and well wishes flooded my inbox and I even got to speak with every single member of my far-and-wide family! I just felt so loved and very ready to take on another year of life. The best part was that it felt like the celebration has gone on for days! After Christmas, my family sent me back to Seattle laden with gifts and, standard me, I opened them little by little over the following 9 days. Some of the goodies I'm most looking forward to using and playing with are...


The Wii! I'm a diehard Super Mario Bros. fan and, once upon a time, almost beat the entire game. Now I'm ready to take back my title. Y'all are welcome to come play with me but be warned, my already foul mouth gets far blacker when I play the Wii. Poor Davy Crockett has heard some unforgivable things in her short year of life because of that thing...

These boots are definitely made for walking. I was in dire need and my parents answered my plea for shoes that will get me from work to my bus stop in style without rain soaking through. Voila! The most comfy boots I've ever had and in a unique color I love. Thanks Nordy's!

The way to my heart: food and books. For my 25th I requested these two and can't WAIT to dig into them and chip away at my Winter reading list. Real Marriage is written by my Pastor and his wife and has been touted as an extremely candid view into their marriage and how to make it work well. Diane Keaton can do no wrong in my book and has gotten rave reviews this touching memoir on her mother. 

Though I love my birthday month, I'm already counting down the days until February and March when I get to see some of my most favorite country crooners. One of my most favorite memories of living in Texas was seeing Brad Paisley & Dierks Bentley in the pouring rain in Dallas/Fort Worth with my nearest and dearest. Can't wait to relive that night minus the soggy boots and ponchos. Brad's performing with The Band Perry who I have two minor issues with. One, Kimberly has the arms of an MMA fighter and scares me with the sheer diameter of her mouth. Two, the hair. Kimberly's is barely passable but the boys need someone who loves them to slap them sharply across the face and then promptly scissor that shit into something a little less Jefferson Airplane. And helllooooooo, Lady Antebellum?! I die. I absolutely die for them. I made my first and last attempt as a wedding singer at my brother's wedding with a Lady A song and can't wait to see them in person with Hootie (aka Darius Rucker). I literally nearly cried when I received tickets to these two concerts and you'll definitely be getting a blogger's earful when I go. 

The oddest gifts even touched my heart like this little guy from my older brother. It takes me back to Texas where I saw and caught my first fireflies out on the reservation. One of the coolest things I've ever done and now I can relive it every day with my Firefly in a Jar! This guys attached to a teeny tiny wire in a mason jar and, when tapped, will light up and flit about providing hours of entertainment for me and the pup.. 

My perfect roomie elicited a gasp when I opened her gift of a Madewell acorn locket. Acorns are my favorite for too many reasons to count but mainly they remind me of my mother and my favorite fairy tale (Peter Pan). So much so that I have one tattooed on my wrist. The cap pops off the acorn and I can stash my most treasured items in there like a love note or a Davy tooth (Gross or cute? You decide)