27 for 27

I officially have one week left in my 27th year.

Sidenote: when did I become an adult? I mean, I am closer to 30 than 20.  We are on the brink of celebrating our 10 year high school reunion yet I feel like we were just walking across the field to accept our diplomas in those maroon robes.
 
If you know me at all, or have read this blog before, you know that I love me a birthday celebration.  In some ways, a birthday is a "New Year" celebration all for you... it is YOUR new year.  I love the idea of looking at a birthday as an opportunity for hope, change, growth, and new adventures - among many other things.  As I look forward to celebrating my new year in just days, I wanted to be sure to look back on 27 and reflect on all that 27 had to offer.

In no particular order... 27 memories/lessons/things that make me smile from my 27th year:

(If you make it to the end of this post, having read everything, I commend you... it is A LOT to read.)

• My Best Friend was down from Seattle so we celebrated with dinner at one of our favorite Point Loma spots a little early - I always love my time with the Harvey family.

• SPU brought us together but our friendship is what has kept us together... dinner at Miguel's was the perfect was to celebrate 27 with the SPU crew.

• When I arrived at work on my birthday, I was greeted with a feather boa and a tiara - I am not your typical "girly girl" but I appreciate a little princess treatment every now and again... especially on a birthday.

• Dinner on my birthday was perfect.  5 of my most favorite ladies and I ventured to Freighbor's house for dinner, sangria (Katelynn, can you please make that again?), and cake.  We laughed and just talked about life.  I am so thankful for each of those women, it was the perfect way to celebrate turning 27.

• Who doesn't love getting gifts?  I mean, I know I do.  Don't get me wrong, I also LOVE to give gifts.  My favorite kinds of gifts are ones that come full of thought and heart.  June knew that I had been wanting this Michael Kors watch for a LONG time, and even had some fake versions of it.  June gave me the real deal and I cried!  Seriously, I cried.  So much thought and love went into that.  To go along with that, Kathlene checked my wishlist on my blog and she and her mom took it upon themselves to get me the clothes that I wished for.  The gifts were amazing and so generous - but what made them so wonderful was the thought put behind them.

• My cousin has taken up baking and cake decorating and is ridiculously talented with it all - so she made me a beautiful cake for my karaoke celebration.

• I have been celebrating things at The Scoreboard for a LONG time - birthdays, graduations, going away parties... pretty much every celebration has taken place there.  There is no where that I would rather celebrate with my friends for my birthday.  Good food, cheap drinks, shuffleboard, and karaoke, perfection!

• 27 brought LOTS of fun and exciting times with my job at Live Nation, first up was my first Country Mega Ticket party in March for the Lady Antebellum concert. 

• Spring Break 2012 was one of my most favorite vacations ever.  It started in Seattle and ended in Denver.  Some of my nearest and dearest friends do not live in San Diego, so when I get the chance to go and see them, I don't hesitate.  Time with Megs, Ro, Mama Maxin, and Trav in Seattle is always good for the soul.  A stay at the Chateau in Boulder is one of the best things in the world - The Wainwrights know how to make someone feel at home, and Jax is one of my absolutely favorite dogs ever.  Spring Break was so good.

• For the past few years, I have been a big fan on 5K races.  They are just so easy and so fun.  There is always a race to be ran - so why not join in on the fun.  I ran a 5K in Seattle with Megan for Canlis and one in Denver with Chelsea for Easter.  The third and final 5K in April was THE COLOR RUN... SO. MUCH. FUN!  We made our way up to Irvine and couldn't want to get covered in color.  If you haven't done this race, I HIGHLY recommend signing up. (This is how I met my friend Jessica, whom so quickly became someone that I confide in and share life with.)

• I feel VERY fortunate to have two jobs that I love, ESPECIALLY the job with Live Nation.  Having wanted to work in the music industry since I was a little girl, I feel very blessed.  To go even further, to get to take on special projects that allow me to be creative is so dang good.  I have WONDERFUL coworkers (and their families too) that always help me to get set-up and even have generous and kind friends who are so willing to help me out.  Love it!

• I have talked about the Knudsen family on here before - they are so incredibly important to me.  They have provided me with a sense of "home" for about 9 years now... they are consistent and so loving and caring.  When Kelsey got engaged, I was beyond excited for her.  All of the showers and planning were a joy and the wedding was absolutely perfect.  DEFINITELY a highlight of the year.

• My birthday present from Kim and Dan was a trip to Anaheim to see Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney play at Angel's Stadium.  A good old fashioned BFF date to a country concert.  It was such a great gift in that we got to go and do something just the two of us and I got to ATTEND a concert, which is a special treat.  We made our way to the floor (where are seats were not located), got free beer, and danced and sang all night long.  So thankful for that day.

• I have done a pretty good job of saving ticket stubs/credentials/guest passes from concerts and events throughout the years.  I have done a better job recently but even with many missing, I had A LOT just sitting in a box.  After spending many hours on Pinterest over the summer months, I saw some great ideas for memory boxes and decided to take my ticket stubs/credentials/guest passes out of the dusty box and put them into a nice shadow box so I can see all that I have been blessed with experiencing.  I can look at each of these items and smile, remembering each event with a thankful heart.  Looking forward to adding many more from 28 and beyond.

• I am well aware that I am not 13, but I can't help my love for American Idol.  I love watching the sob stories during auditions.  I love seeing the terrible people get a healthy dose of reality.  I love watching the artists with potential grow and benefit from the help of the mentors.  I love it most when an artist I like wins... like this year.  My friend was kind enough to set me up with some tickets and passes to meet and greet for the tour's stop in San Diego.  Such a fun night with the BFF!

• Emily is one of those friends that you can ALWAYS count on.  She has a heart of gold, loves the Lord, is encouraging, and is always thinking of others.  I am inspired by her and am so thankful that we have not allowed distance to change our closeness.  Sonora isn't close, but we don't let that come between us.  In August, I finally got to meet her sweet little lady.  So thankful for this continued friendship.

• The fall brought more concerts and more time with friends and family at these concerts.  It was such a treat to get to spend time with the Bar/Toole's while in Irvine for the Country Megaticket... they are good people.  It was so special to have them at the show and at the party.  I always love my time with them and walk away feeling filled up and refreshed.

• The Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan concert was one of the most highly anticipated shows of the season.  It was a true sell-out and was an absolute blast.  There is something about having a FULL house that makes a concert that much more special.

• In October, I was blessed with the opportunity to move to job locations.  I loved my time at the Elementary School but was ready to move on, and the opportunity came up for me to move to my dream location.  I have been at the new school for 4 1/2 months and couldn't be happier.  Getting to work with High School students is a gift.  It is a tough job but I wouldn't trade it.

• Monday Night Football.  Enough Said.

• October also brought the last installment of the 2012 Country Megaticket.  I was sad for concert season to come to a close but I was also ready for a break.  I loved getting to know all of my peeps and was fortunate to even make some great friends through the journey.  Looking forward to doing it all again in this year!

• It has become a tradition that if Carrie Underwood comes through town on tour, I BUY (yes, BUY) tickets and take my sister as her Christmas present.  This year's concert was SO GOOD.  We had AMAZING seats, Hunter Hayes killed it and Carrie delivered as always.  Such a great night!

• Some of my favorite friends welcomed the most precious twins into the world, and I was blessed with the honor of being at the hospital as they made their way into the world.  I have been able to spend sleepless nights with these babies and their Mama.  I am so thankful to have been able to love on these babies and their family so much in the beginning.  I love being an auntie... even to my pseudo niece and nephew.

• The concert season was full of ups and downs for us, so we wanted to make sure that our staff felt especially loved, valued and appreciated.  Kristin, Rhonda, and I made it a point to make the party fun and full of laughter - which of course meant going to The Scoreboard for Karaoke. :)

• Aparently I can't get enough of Denver, because I went there twice in my 27th year.  A stay at the Chateau, Dinner at Cantina Laredo, a CU Football Game, a Chargers/Broncos Game, a trip to Breckenridge, time with CC Darling and lots of time with my dearest Chelsea.  It was a perfect way to spend the week leading up to Thanksgiving.

• Every year I try to think of a creative way to say MERRY CHRISTMAS to those that I love, near and far.  I have sent out Christmas cards for quite a few years now, each year thinking of a new way to spread Christmas cheer.  The past two years, Tracy has been kind enough to help me to brainstorm and has made me look real good in the images for the cards.  This year's shoot was so fun and my crazy ideas became a reality, thanks to Tracy.  Loved our night of baking, wine, and photography.

• And last, but CERTAINLY not least in this 27th year highlight reel... meeting Nate.  I was so skeptical when Eric made me sign up for OK Cupid and commit to staying active for three whole months.  Like I have said before, I had a chip on my shoulder that it wasn't for me and that I was looking for a diamond in the rough, especially online.  I was so wrong.  Nate and I went on our first date on January 8th and the past 2 months have added so much to my 27th year.  I am learning so much about myself.  Nate is a wonderful addition to my life, and I am so thankful to start 28 with such a great man by my side.

Cheers to 27 and all that 27 brought with it.  There were ups and downs but I am thankful for all of it.  Thank you to all of you that have loved me in 27.  Thank you to all of you who challenged me to be a better me in 27.  Thank you for making 27 so wonderful and for helping to make 28 so exciting.