27

I turned 27 yesterday, and I had a very good birthday. My parents came into town, Mom made a birthday cake, and we all celebrated with presents and football.

Is it weird that I still take a step back to look at my life and wind up amazed at how wonderful everything is now?

It occurs to me on occasion that when my family gets together, we're a party of six instead of four or five...we're all happily coupled up, and sometimes I sit back and wonder how I got to be so fortunate to meet Robert.

This is a strange time in my life--I'm 27 years old. Sometimes the number seems so young, and other times so much older. I'll be 30 before I know it, but my life will be remarkable by then. By the time my mom turned 27, she was almost a full month pregnant with me and had been married for five years. Granted, she and Dad got married when they were 22 and had been trying for five years to get pregnant (I'm the oldest of two kids). Robert and I decided to go on to graduate school when we were 22 (well, I think he was 23), which puts us on a different life path entirely from either of our parents. I'm grateful for graduate school for many reasons, the best of which is having been given the opportunity to meet Robert and fall in love with him. There are times I catch myself complaining about going on to graduate work, wondering aloud why I couldn't have just been satisfied with some 9-5, working for an editor or publisher or something. Robert then reminds me two things: 1. I'm a highly ambitious woman, which is one of the qualities he loves most about me, and 2. had I not gone into graduate school, we would have never met. I'm learning to be grateful for the difficulty of graduate school because I have benefited so much despite those challenges.

I drifted off topic...but that's okay.

There are many things I've learned in these 27 years, and I wanted to somehow chronicle them all. I'll figure out a way, and then I'll make time to share it with all of you.

Aside from the lessons and very thoughtful nature of my 27th birthday, I suppose I could share some of the more fun parts of yesterday. Yes, I'm sure we all know the outcome of yesterday's Auburn-LSU game...we were disappointed to lose (particularly on my birthday), but I'm not such a nut that I would let a football game ruin an otherwise wonderful day. As I said, my family got together to celebrate--all six of us together in my sister's apartment, opening presents and eating way too much food (before heading to Robert's family's tailgate...for more food, lol). The loot list is:

--a Department 56 Globe Theatre model from my sister. This is particularly special because this model has been retired since...I think the '90s or so. Of course, I didn't start my Department 56 (London) collection until a couple of years ago, and I've always been sad that the Globe Theatre is gone. My sister found it on a complete lark for much cheaper than on eBay at a thrift store this summer. She was so excited to give it to me, and had originally planned to give it to me for Christmas. I'm so glad she gave it to me for my birthday--now I can use it to decorate my apartment this Christmas! :)

--pieces for my Willow Tree nativity set from my parents: a crèche, an ox and a goat, and a metal star background. My parents had already gotten me the main pieces for the Willow Tree nativity set last Christmas, which came with the Holy Family and the Three Wisemen (plus their camel). Because I got it for Christmas last year, I haven't used my new nativity set yet. This Christmas will be the first time, and now I have a complete set! I'm so excited!! I turned to Robert after I unwrapped all this and said, "Honey, we're going to have the most darling house at Christmastime!" Lol...he rolled his eyes, but I know he'll love it. I picked up on the Christmas decorating bug that my mom has--I love love love decorating for Christmas and can't wait to put my apartment in order this year.

--a Sony Cybershot camera from my parents!! So so so so so excited about my new camera!! I've been wanting a replacement for my 2000 Olympus digital camera for most of this year, especially since I discovered that they no longer make the memory card that fits my camera. My old camera is a brick. My new camera is slim and sexy and will fit very easily in my purse! I'm so excited to get to use it--I had to charge it during the game, so it wasn't broken in then, but I'll start taking pictures of the cats and of Milton pretty soon. Eventually, Robert and I will get a professional-level camera, but this purchase will come after we're married and both have jobs. (Hehehe, so funny. I mentioned this to Robert this morning, and he froze. He said, "Wait a minute..." I laughed and said, "No! I mean after we both have jobs and real 'big' paychecks!" He sighed and responded, "Okay, good. Because I was a little worried that you were already starting to spend the money from the job I don't have yet." Lol...no, honey, not yet. ;))

So, yesterday was a very good birthday. I'm excited for Christmas and decorating! I'm a little sad, but also extremely excited, that this will be my last Christmas in this apartment. This will be Christmas number five, and I've decorated and celebrated every single year since I moved in. Every year, my decorations became less and less Wal-Mart style and increasingly grown-up style. I'm a little sad to know that I'll be leaving this place...but unbelievably excited about where I'll be next year!! Next Christmas!! Oh my word...next Christmas I'll be married to Robert! And we'll be decorating our little home together...*happy sigh* Yes, I'm "sad" that this is the end of a chapter. But I am so thrilled that the chapter I'll be starting is the one with Robert as my husband.

I am now the age I will be when I get married. I'll be married by my next birthday. Robert will be married by his next birthday. This is a beautiful place to be in. :)