A is for...aging.

Well, as of yesterday I am officially 19! Crazy!! I'm getting so old!! Okay, to be honest, 19 feels an awful lot like 18....the only difference I have been able to determine thus far is that next year, instead of turning 19, I'll be turning 20!! Wow! That sounds so old! I will no longer be a teenager! What do I even do once I'm 20? I mean, I know how to be a teenager! I've had like six years of practice...I'm pretty much pro by now! All I have to do is go to school, make friends, have fun, live carefree, do stupid things, be myself, make jokes, pretend I know everything, have attitude, and eat a lot of junk food! But once I'm 20 I have to grow up and stuff. Like, live in the real world! Honestly, that thought terrifies me! But I guess there's no avoiding it. We all have to grow up eventually, and as much as I would like to be able to stop time and spend eternities living in the moments which I most enjoy, I simply can't. Life goes on. We grow up.

I suppose growing up is something we've been doing our whole lives, and not something that can be determined in a single moment. Growing up is also something that can't be done all at once. It has to be done in stages. We have to be able to experience freedom a little bit at a time and start to experiment with which choices are going to bring us the most happiness. We've all done stupid things a time or two....or three hundred....and each one of those bad decisions has helped shape us into the person we are. They have helped us to grow up. Life is about progressing. We keep moving forward, and with each new taste of freedom and responsibility, we take another step forward, whether it's down the path we want, well that's up to us.

At The Slab for pizza!!

Okay, enough deep, thoughtful stuff, it's time for a fun story from my birthday.So because my roommates are so incredibly awesome, they surprised me by taking me to a pizza place called The Slab for dinner. Working at The Slab was this kid wearing a beanie and for some reason, I was really infatuated with his beanie. It's not like I really loved the beanie itself....it was actually pretty plain and boring...but for some reason, I just really liked the way his beanie looked on his head! Well a normal person at this point would simply tell the employee "I like your beanie!" Unfortunately for me, I am not a normal person. So instead I pulled out a card that my best friend Kelsey and I made over the summer that says "Hello. I just wanted to inform you that I find you to be very attractive. Thank you and have a nice day. Please be environmentally responsible and reuse this card on the next attractive person you see" and then when the guy brought my roommate, Shalee, and I our pizza, I handed him the card. He silently took it and then returned to the kitchen. It only took a few seconds for all of the employees to be laughing and looking over at us. You know what, he may not have been the most drop dead gorgeous guy, but I'd like to think that I did him a service last night. I mean, nobody likes being stuck at work all night, doing the same thing again and again for hours on end. I just spiced up his night a little bit, gave him something to take home. So mister slab pizza guy, you are very welcome for making your night a little more interesting ;)

So, my roommates just thought this was the greatest thing ever, but I had just given beanie boy the last card I had on my person, so being the creative beings they are, my roommates grabbed some napkins and a sharpie and wrote "Hi, you're extremely attractive. Thank you for blessing the world with your face." And then they each wrote their respective numbers on their napkins, making a pact to give them away by the end of the night. After leaving dinner, we had to make a quick stop to get gas, and as luck would have it, the only other person at the gas station happened to be an incredibly attractive guy. So as Michaela is filling up her car with gas, Chandler opens her door to get a better look at this guy who couldn't be more than ten feet away from us. The four of us in the car are shamelessly staring at this guy and he keeps glancing over at us, obviously aware of our fascination with him. Meanwhile, in the car the conversation is going something like this: "He's attractive!" "Go give him your napkin!" "But it's too early! What if there's someone cuter later?!" "Just do it!" "Well, should I?" etc, etc. Keep in mind, the door is wide open and the guy is undoubtedly within hearing range. Before anyone could muster the courage to get out of the car and surrender their napkin to this guy, Michaela comes around the car, having finished filling up her car and asks why it is the door is open. To our chagrin, it's the cute guy at the next pump over who answers her question. "They were staring at me..." he asserts. This statement causes us all to erupt into a fit of embarrassed giggling within the car, which evidently fueled our drive. With a tremendous leap of courage, Tanisha brazenly hops out of shotgun and runs over to him, forcing her napkin into his hand, saying ever so suavely "TAKE THIS!" Then she runs back to the car and demands that Michaela step on the gas! As if we didn't impress this guy enough with our devilish charm and impeccable flirting, Michaela exits the gas station by driving off the curb! Cherry on top of the cake! Haha so that's basically how my birthday night went! And you know what, I wouldn't change it for anything! It was so much fun and I am so grateful for my incredible roommates! Love those girls with all my heart! And there's certainly never a dull moment when they're around!

Shalee, Michaela, Kelsi, Tanisha, ME, and Chandler after Catching Fire!