Yeah, I know I’m a little slow on this since my birthday was two weeks ago. I have plenty of photos from that day so I figured I should share. To be perfectly honest, I’ve never really been a fan of my birthday – it’s actually probably one of my least favorite days of the year. Mostly because I always build up unrealistic expectations in my head that can never be met. I tried to draw a screeching halt to that a few years ago, but it’s a lot of years of thinking one way to undo. Though I find if I just kind of try and pretend I don’t really care that helps. The expectations don’t have anything to do with gifts, mostly just that I’ve always wanted to spend the day with friends or to feel like I do during say…an Orlando weekend, or like that time we had a big girl time reunion at Eryn’s deb ball, or like the magic that always seems to surround wedding receptions when close friends are having a good time. (The last time I had a birthday party was when I turned 13, which was one of the most fun ever because we all got a long, no hurt feelings,a giant girl party riding in a limo to Ocala, dinner at Chilli’s and a sleepover at my house where we stayed up late, and did cheer leading stunts in the front yard and human pyramids in my room. Not lying I’d take an evening like that now, too. Sleepovers are my favorite. Nothing like waking up surrounded by your favorite people! (Unfortunately since it’s always in that little span of “holiday time” around Thanksgiving that never happens. Though I’ve found being away from family and friends on my birthday is an awful combination, so I’ll take what I can get. This year my birthday fell on Black Friday, so we were still in Mexico Beach at my grandma’s house. It was nice to spend the day with my parents, and my brother before he went back to Tallahassee to meet up with friends that were coming to stay with him for the weekend. I started the day off with a run, and I thought to myself that I hope I go for a run on every birthday for the rest of my life…My parents always try really hard on my birthday, (which I’m aware of) knowing my distaste for it and I’m thankful for that since I know it’s kind of an impossible task. I always feel like I’m holding my breath until the day is over. We went and wandered around Apalachicola, (you should check it out, it really is a charming spot with plenty to be entertained by…) thinking it’d be a quiet day since it was black Friday and all. Oh, we thought wrong. There were like a katrillion people there! There was a big turn out to see Santa ride in on a shrimp boat, and there was some kind of lighting of the festive lights going on. So unusual, seriously! But it was a gorgeous day to be walking around. We ate some good seafood (conch cakes, oysters, fried gator, and really awesome homemade potato chips) on the back deck over looking the water at Up The Creek Raw Bar. We walked around downtown looking at funky items, and old Southern books (this lady had a first edition of The Great Tide !) and wrapped up the day with a drink (a vanilla beer that was tall and dark!) and some delicious desserts (extremely unique icecream – Tupelo Honey and Lavender with baklava! And salted carmel with a chocolate mocha rum fudge cake!) from the Tap Room at The Owl. My mom made a delicious coconut cake and I blew out the candles, even though I was determined not to make a wish this time. I really love that blur of light in lit candles, so I guess that’s one cool part of the years adding up – more light! We had leftover Thanksgiving ham sandwiches for dinner (which is my favorite part of traditional holiday meals anyway – the sandwiches from leftovers 😉 )
Yoga on a houseboat!
So, that’s the story of how a day I wasn’t very much looking forward to turned out pretty awesome. (And to top it off when I got back I had some very sweet mail from some very sweet friends that literally had me tearing up as I read it at the kitchen table.)
Mugs Life 