Happy 100! And also 23!

My blog is 100 posts old today! And I am 23! (Years, not posts). Both of these things are very exciting. And I didn't plan it this way. I actually tried to blog several times this week but had intense writer's block (see yesterday's post).

Anyway, twenty-three is one of my lucky numbers, so I feel like this upcoming year is going to be awesome. In honor of these momentous occasions, I present: A Very Special (and Awkward) Birthday Retrospective.

1st birthday: The year I didn't understand how cupcakes worked and I tried to eat the paper lining. 

3rd birthday: I'm pretty sure this is where I peaked in cuteness. It was all downhill after this. Also, that is one sweet windsuit. 

4th birthday: The beginning of a life of not knowing what to do with my hands.

5th birthday: Blowing candles is intense work, y'all. (Please keep the jokes I know are forming to yourself and remember this is a five year old here!)

6th birthday: The good thing about this picture is, had I been arrested at age 6, I would have already had a mug shot ready to go. 

11th birthday: Cat cake. Princess Leia hair.

12th birthday: This is the one picture I seriously debated putting up. Twelve was clearly the fugliest year of my existence. Y'all please hurry on to the next one. 

16th birthday: This is my "Okay, I'm posing with my cupcake. Happy now, Mom?" face 

18th birthday: My "surprise" (the girl in charge of keeping me busy and getting me there was really bad at hiding the secret) party in a randomly empty house. Ahh high school.

19th birthday: Kyle (wearing the sailor hat) handed me that wet floor sign and told me it was my birthday present. The other picture is just for Walt's singing face. 

21st birthday: "I'm 21 now so I'm going to take a picture with all this alcohol paraphernalia!!" (Don't worry, those cups are courtesy of the whole table, not just me. I didn't die that night.)

22nd birthday: My birthday fell during the post-comprehensive exams, pre-graduation period of senior year, which was one of the best times of college. Hence the good hair day. 

EDIT: 

I wish I had videoed Brian reading this so I could share his reaction. Basically he just laughed harder and harder with each one until the 12 year old picture, where he died laughing and took the time to point out each terrible part, particularly "What is that hair?!!?" 

He also wanted me to add this:

And he inquired why my mother chose to "take one of those things [doilies] that people put on side tables under lamps and cut a hole in in and put it over your head." A question, indeed. 

Erin Go Braugh!

That's "Ireland forever!" in a very (very) Anglicized Irish. Happy St. Patrick's Day, y'all. I miss Ireland (where I studied for a semester of my undergrad) more than ever today. At least I'm in Boston rather than Mississippi this year, where I can celebrate with beef and Guinness stew and green beer!

In the meantime, here are some of my favorite images (just a handful of the hundreds I took) from my time on the Emerald Isle:


If I get really proactive I'll go back and caption them so you know what you are looking at, but for now just look at the pretty!

auld lang syne*

Well here we are, another year gone by. 2010 was a great year - hard, but great - and 2011 is looking to be even BETTER. And even though I always make resolutions but hardly ever keep them, I still love the idea of starting a new year with plans to make yourself and your world better. Granted, most of these are about fitness, but hey, I need to be a hot bride in 2012!

So without further ado, in 2011, I resolve to....
Adopt a healthier lifestyle. This includes working out more, eating out less and cooking more/healthier foodz in the house (also part of our "be more budget-concious" initiative for the year).

On that note, maintain a better budget than last semester. We need to save some moneys for a sweet honeymoon!

Get better posture. I'm sick of looking like a deformed hunchback.

Keep up with world and local events, work harder on homework and improve writing.

Read 52 books this year, one book for every week (although I'm sure some weeks I'll read less and some more). It's time to cut back on the mindless internet surfing and marathons of CSI on TV and crack open some of the big beautiful works of literature I'm missing out on.

Find a place to volunteer in Boston. Preferably Habitat for Humanity. What can I say, I'm a beast with a nail gun.

No fast food. This is going to be the big experiment of the year. Despite knowing that it is disgustingly unhealthy and run by greedy corporations that use terrible, unsafe slaughterhouses and other bad ingredients, I STILL EAT IT. Why? Because it's cheap, fast and tastes good. But no more! Or hopefully no more. Brian and I are both resolving not to eat any fast food (not including Subway - I don't think I could resist the one next to the Communication building for a whole year) until 2012. And hopefully if we make it, we won't want it anymore anyway.

So check me out in 2012!
If you don't recognize me, I will be the one that looks like a Victoria's Secret model...

coincidentally, I also plan to start wearing wings and jeweled panties everywhere

the one that is as healthy as a mountain climber....

 the one that's as wealthy as this kid....

the one that has built hundreds of these....

 and the one that's working her way up the ranks here!

* Does anybody really know what "auld lang syne" is about? Or all the lyrics? I'm pretty sure 98% of people just drunkenly yell "Should auld acquaintance be forgot, dum da dum da dum blah blahhh!!!!" and then just mumble the rest. No one knows it. 

family food fun!!

Oh my god you guys. I am SO full. I think I'm leaving Thanksgiving week behind me approximately 63 pounds heavier. Instead of going home (other home at least), this year my parents came to our new home in Boston and we literally just ate, drank and played with Penny for four days straight. It was glorious.

And although it was weird not to put up our usual Christmas tree while listening to carols (that is, if you call Celine Dion Christmas, "carols"), it was still a fully holiday-y holiday.

[Sidenote, here is an actual conversation that occurred on Thanksgiving morning as we waited for Nancypants and Russbuckets to arrive and begin the festivities
Me, excited: Babe! Starting at 5:00 today we can start listening to Christmas songs!!
Brian, not as much: No we can't. I'm not listening to Christmas songs until Thanksgiving is officially over.
Me: Babe! Starting at 5 a.m. tomorrow we can start listening to Christmas songs!!!!!
Brian: I hate you.*
*He didn't say this, it just sounds more dramatic. He actually said some nonsense about you can't listen to Christmas tunez until December or some such thing. I called foul and immediately began downloading the Glee Christmas album.
Sidenote over.]

But I have a lot to be thankful for.

I live in an awesome, bustling, cool city with my best friend, who has been known to bring me not only an open beer but also a purring kitten (I know!) while I watch tv on my computer in my pajamas.

I have parents who stock up my cabinet with wine - much more than enough for just Thanksgiving weekend so I can have some after they leave (you guys are the best, Momsy and Popsicle).

I have friendys all over the U.S. who I am lucky to miss so much.

I have some amazing, beautiful sistahs (Bonnie, Anne, Allie and the newbies) who are going to bring me some incredible souvenirs from India (right? RIGHT?!?!?!?!).

I have a tiny tiny kitty who is sleepy and sweet and adorable and playful.

And much more, yadda yadda I am thankful blah blah blah. Let not get too mushy here.

But really. I am.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

This, my friends, is quite possibly the most ridiculous recipe I've ever seen. If you can't tell, that is two layers of turkey with a layer of stuffing in between, mashed potato "icing" and candied yams on top. Yes, it is a Thanksgiving CAKE. So if you're looking for a way to spice up your leftovers, the recipe can be found at here!

And now, if you'll excuse me, I must go fall into a tryptophan coma. Cheers!

Happy Halloween!

 

from Joan Holloway, Roger Sterling, Don Draper and Penny (of course).