Birthday fun!

First of all, happy birthday to Lis Loves! She happens to be my blogger birthday twin.

Secondly, I have about a million things to be thankful for this 26th birthday of mine. I had a super fun weekend with many friends from all walks of life. The celebrating really started on Thursday for me when I got last minute tickets to Coldplay with a friend of mine. We were in the pit about 10 feet from the stage and had a RIDICULOUS time. That concert was right up there with Radiohead on my best concerts ever list. SO GOOD.

Friday I got to sleep in a little and meet my co-workers at the beach around noon for an outside planning session. We just enjoyed the sunshine for a bit before talking for a couple hours in the sun. Later that evening we went to a local bar to hear our friends Moxy Bullets play. I went to bed relatively early because Saturday I woke up at 5:45am!

Saturday consisted of a whole lot of sunshine and fun. A friend of mine invited me to join some folks on a boat around Mission Bay. We cruised, went wakeboarding, tubing, stopped on fiesta island and watched the Over the Line tournament, and just had a bunch of fun. That night my good friend Bryan and his girlfriend drove in from Arizona to enjoy birthday celebrations. We went downtown with my roommate and another friend and had a couple drinks and danced for a bit.

Sunday I had a pool party at a family friend's house (pictured above). This is my third birthday pool party and it's the best way to celebrate in my opinion! Just chilling in the sunshine hanging out with friends. The best part about the day was just having good friends hanging out with me and having my parents show up in the middle of the day! The reason this is exciting is because my mom finally moved out to San Diego so my parents are living 25 minutes from me now. And Maggie, our golden retriever, too! After the pool party we went to Balboa Park to see Moxy Bullets play (again) at the pride festival and then went out to eat dinner at Ortega's - YUMMY Mexican.

I had a wonderful weekend, but MAN am I exhausted! Thanks to all my friends (especially Teresa who helped out so much on Sunday) who helped me celebrate!!

Goodbye house! Goodbye Oxford!

This past weekend I flew back to Ohio to be together with my family in Oxford for one of the last times. I grew up in Oxford and spent my first 21 years there. My parents built our house on Deer Trail and we moved in when I was 6 years old. This weekend we stood inside the empty house as a family and reminisced. We measured our heights on the wall in the basement one more time, marking each height with a pen. We took photos, celebrated with dear friends, and shed tears (some of us, at least). Oxford will always be home.

Kirkmont is the place where I feel at home the most. I went to this camp from 3rd grade all the way through high school. It was the one thing throughout the year I told my parents I couldn't miss. The people there are always encouraging and it's one place in the world where we all feel we can be who we are without judgement. My faith grew exponentially through my experiences at Kirkmont and I love that place to the moon and back.

I hadn't been to Kirkmont since 2001. And then I got an email from a few people I used to camp with asking for counselors for this summer. I decided to take a week off of work (two weeks ago) and fly back to Ohio to be a counselor and it was the best decision I've made all year. My first trip back in 8 years was just as I remembered. The people are the same, the songs are the same, the traditions are still in place, and my heart was just as full when I left. I went through camp withdrawal the moment I got home (and I still miss it terribly!).

I couldn't possibly explain Kirkmont to where anyone else could understand unless they've been there. But it warms my heart every time I look back through photos from the week. I hope I can continue to go back for a week each year!

What is wrong with people??

I was just driving home from the grocery store and was in the left turn lane at a red light. There was a man in front of me talking on his cell phone while he drove...illegally (for you non-Californians). When the left turn arrow turned green, the man was still on his cell phone looking down. I waited a few seconds and then gave my horn a light tap and when he looked up, gave a nice little wave - in my mind, letting him know I was just being polite to let him know the light hand changed. He, however, did not find it so helpful. He chose to drive into the middle of the intersection to turn, slow down until the light turned yellow, and then stuck his arm out of the window, fully extended, to make sure I saw then prompt middle finger he was throwing in my direction (still on the cell phone with the other hand). Then, he continued through the intersection, leaving me in front of the next red left turn signal to wait through another round of traffic.

Thanks jerk.

And so I ask....WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE???

Does anyone else out there use Google Reader? I've been using it for quite sometime and can't get over how amazing it is. Imagine having to go through each website on your own each day...to check and see if they've updated. I follow around 30 blogs so this would be an incredible time waster if it wasn't for Google Reader!

Anyway, I've been following Newlyweds Next Door for a while (she's a childhood friend) and she recently referred me to Lis Loves who I now follow on Google Reader, as well. She is even my birthday twin! She's giving away gifts during her birthday month...you should check it out here!