Paartay!

Give me a party hat and a balloon and I turn into a little kid. I start to giggle, I smile uncontrollably, and my eyes sparkle. I might even skip around like a six-year-old on a sugar high. That was me at my birthday party last night (minus the skipping). Two of my dearest friends took me to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate my 29th birthday. You would think that at 29 I should have an adult party, but this was just so much more fun! I got to play games, eat pizza, and terrorize small children (oh wait, I wasn't supposed to say that). I discovered that I'm not nearly as good at Skee-Ball as I used to be and proved once again why basketball was never my sport. There was no Whack-A-Mole game (one of my favorites), but I got to whack sharks instead. That's almost as good :-) And I got to catch a gazelle, an ostrich, and a zebra. Didn't think you could do that at Chuck E. Cheese, did ya? Well, you can, or you can try at least :-) Oh, and I got to drive 200 mph through downtown and on the Skyway...funny, there was construction on the raceway just like in real life. Too bad I can't go 200 mph.

The best part though was watching my two friends amass large amounts of Chuck E. Cheese tickets. I was completely blown away when they handed me their combined 1300 tickets. I wasn't expecting that, but it was incredibly sweet, and now I have a very nifty purple glitter lamp and a removable tatoo! The perfect cap off to the evening was the trip to Margie's Candies for ice cream. I couldn't have asked for a better party or for better company. Thanks guys!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday! I am officially 29 years old. I thought I would feel old today...I don't. Last week I was dreading my birthday. I kept thinking of all the opportunities I didn't take, all the things I hadn't done, all the things I failed at doing, and all the people who are no longer a part of my life for one reason or another. But something has changed. I can't tell you what, because I'm not sure that it's something tangible or explainable. The world feels different today...happier, relaxed, livable. Even though I discovered this morning that I overdrew my checking account (apparently, I need to go back to elementary school math and hone up my skills), I still don't feel that sense of dread and self-deprecation that usually comes along with discovering such an error. I made a mistake (or several as the case may be)...oops. In the grand scheme of life, this one mistake doesn't mean a damn thing and I can't fix it until payday anyway, so no biggie. It is what it is. And you know, things are a heck of a lot easier to manage when you deal with what they actually are and not what they might "mean." I've spent way too much time assessing meaning to meaningless things, I think.

In any case, despite my bruised chin and thumb (I'll remember to use my mitt instead of my face to stop the ball next time I play softball) and my bruised finances, I am content with myself and who I am, or I should say, who I am becoming. What better birthday present than that? Well...cake would be good too, I suppose :-)