..Birthdays

Warning: This one's kinda serious, peeps. And it's long which I know is a blogger no-no, but today is my birthday and I'm breaking the rules (I wont judge you if you skip right to the pictures).

Sometimes I look in the mirror and am surprised by who I see looking back at me.  I honestly feel the same as I did when I was 19, so when I see tired eyes, tiny lines that were not there before when I smile, and a few  grays sprouting up (Honestly, WTF?) I get startled.  I know it sounds crazy, but I just assumed I would stay young and beautiful forever...don't you guys?

Today is my 26th birthday, which even as I type this gives me a pang of "ummm...why did you just admit that on the internet..."  It's one that I have mixed emotions about for many reasons, which mainly consist of the following:

1. I totally feel like by 26 you're in your "upper twenties" and should have yo shiz together (and I don't as far as husbands, home-ownership, career choices, and babies go).

2. My body seems to be aging behind my back, which is totally uncool (basically I just don't want to get older in general, duh).

3. Sometimes I have meltdowns where I begin to reminisce about my glory days, convince myself that I've already "peaked," then cry as I slather 13 kinds of wrinkle cream all over my face. 

4. It's been really hard trying to figure out how to accept that it's all okay and life is still fabulous.  When I sit back and think about it, nothing is changing all that drastically, and I'm still me.

I'm still going to make silly nicknames for everyone and everything, talk in weird voices at my pets, try to prank Mike on a daily basis (he got me good twice this week but he WILL pay), jam out to Britney Spears while I'm getting ready for a night out, do tequila shots when I know I shouldn't, worry more about the outfits I have planned for a trip more than the actual trip, keep my hair long, spend way too much on shoes when I should probably put it into my 401k or some crap, dress up for Halloween, cry to my boyfriend when I get lost, have dance parties at every chance I get, and eat leftover cupcakes for breakfast sometimes.   That's just me, that won't change, and it's okay.

25 was a good year.  It was the year in which I started this blog.  I kicked it off right with good friends and Mexican food, and the rest of the time was filled with trips to the beach, bachelorette parites, sibling beer pong on the 4th of July, bridal showers, trips to NY, 25th anniversaries, animal costumes and animals in costumes,  visits from family, old friends moving close by, Vegas, a couple friends got hitched, and I met some great people though this here blog. Below are some of my favorite moments from 25. 26 has a hard act to follow, but I'm hopeful that it will come up with some fabulous surprises.