Birthday Wishes

It has been well over a month since my actual birthday and I have had the best intentions of posting about what an amazing time I had but I guess it has had to wait until now. the thing about my birthday is that I don't hate it but I also don't like planning it for myself, it has always just felt like something someone else should do for you. Don't ask me why I think that, I can't tell you where that line of thought comes from. So now that I am older I just kind of go with the flow when it comes to my birthday. I might plan small things but no big parties, at least not until I am turning 30... only a couple years away *sigh*

This year turned out to be the best, somethings just came together and somethings I planned but overall it turned out pretty great and in the end what more could I really ask for. It turned out to be a weekend event type thing without me even trying, I had to work late that Friday night but still wanted to go out after work even if just for a little while. On the way out of work I found a $5 bill just hanging out on the ground. I feel like that was a good sign of things to come. I spent a couple of hours after that with friends at a local bar, drinking some cherry coke and listening to awesome karaoke. But I couldn't stay too late because the next day I had to be up early.

That Saturday was the day before my birthday, this year it happen to coincide with the San Francisco Color Run, also known as the happiest 5K on the planet. My friend and I got up early, especially for a Saturday and drove to San Francisco where we really did have a great time run/walking our first 5K. After we were tired but she wanted to take me to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner, neither of us had ever been there but it was great. We were sunburnt and tired, the robotic snake was ridiculous, and we got stare after stare from people because we were a pink color, but let's face it I would of stared as well. It was great!

Finally on Sunday, the real day of my birth, I went to church and then hung out with family. Well sort of my adopted family, that is what we are calling it anyways. We had pot roast for dinner, watched a movie, opened some presents, had some cake, and played Skip-Bo. All in all it was really a great day, I even enjoyed that my Dad used his Facebook to wish my an additional happy birthday. He is learning the ways of technology, I am so proud!

How does it feel to be another year older? Sometimes I wonder what the heck I am doing with my life. How did I get here and where am I going? But then I realize how very blessed I am, I may not have everything in the world that I expected to have at this age when I was younger, but I have a lot of things that I never could of dreamed of having at this age when I was 20. My own apartment and my little Guido, great friends and family, two jobs and a church calling, my health and the ability to do activities that I enjoy. I may not have everything I expected to have at this age, but I have come to realize that there are so many things in this life that I will obtain, I would just be spoiled if I got it all at once, and I wouldn't appreciate the things I do have nearly as much.

Garden Update - Week 3

Things have gone a little unexpected in both directions this last week as far as my garden is concerned. I have been trying to go as slowly as my budget will allow in growing my little garden, however it is growing much to quickly for me. Lucky I had a small win fall this last weekend that is definitely going to help out a bit. And even my best plans had to be modified to suit the needs of my garden.

I was able to add some strawberry plants this week. I even took some time to set up the pallet that was going to be the  growing station for them. However my best intentions were not so great and the landscape fabric that I had attached to the pallet wouldn't hold the weight of the soil, nor did I have enough soil to fill the pallet the way I had envisioned. Luckily the hardware store is close and without too much effort I put some soil in a gutter, yes a gutter. I am not sure how it will work but I am excited to see what will happen. Also added a hummingbird feeder in hopes that they will come and help pollinate my plants. Between that and the flowers I am hoping this will work, I guess I could go old school geneticist and do it by hand but that is a whole different story. Now for the progress pictures...

Strawberries

Anaheim Peppers

Zucchini

Early Girls

Balancing Under Pressure

I have been told on many occasions and by multiple people that I bring balance to their lives. That when I walk in the room people tend to just calm down because they know that everything is going to be alright. And if it isn't enough that people flat out tell me this, I also have it on good authority in a blessing that the Lord thinks the exact same thing, not exactly in those words but pretty darn close.

I know this might sound like I am bragging or being arrogant, but the truth is having this ability to make others feel better sometimes leaves me feeling a little bit like I am under pressure. A pressure that is more like a weight on my chest than anything else. It often leaves me feeling the need to make sure everybody is okay and taking care of all the time.

I recognize that those are qualities of a mother, but the thing is I am not a mother. So why do I spend all my free time organizing parties so people have things to do on weekends? And arranging rides so everyone can get to activities? And most importantly why do I add this responsibility to myself when I have so many more responsibilities that I already have to take care of?

Because all the stress and responsibilities that I deal with mean that someone else is included and hopefully having a good time. Maybe I need to spend more time focusing on what this planning is doing for other people rather than how  I feel so overwhelmed. There are things that seem to make it worth the effort, like when I received a text message from a friend the other day simply stating that she was so happy that I had thought to invite her to dinner party I am planning for this weekend. 

I guess just like me, other people want to feel like someone is thinking of them and caring about their well being. And many times we forget that there is always someone with us doing just that.