Celebrating Another Year

If you read yesterday's post or if you are my mother, then you already know that today was my 25th birthday. I'm no expert on 25th birthdays, but I would say that I had a pretty good one. I slept in until 8:30 (you know you're getting older when...) and didn't actually make it out of bed until 11:00. After finally getting up, discovering that a mosquito bit me on the side of the face last night, and getting ready, I went to the student center to eat lunch and study for my summer classes. Luckily, a few of my friends were at the student center so we got to eat lunch together. I finished lunch, made plans for this evening, and read more history than even I can stand before heading back to my room to watch some mindless TV.

Around 7, I went to the first summer community group meeting for my church. We talked about Paul's take on slavery and the current social injustices of today's culture. There was a new girl in my group whose job is to help people tell their stories. I'm sure I'll talk more about it in a future post because I think what she is going is really cool. Anyway, after community group, my friends picked me up and we went to Juan's Fly Burrito for supper (a.k.a. dinner, for all my northern friends). I have a semi-secret love affair with THE flying burrito which has beef, chicken, and shrimp mixed with utter goodness. On our way out the door, a couple of my friends saw Blake Lively at one of the tables. After much debate and advice, a couple of my friends went back and got a picture with her. She was totally cool with it and that makes her go up in my book a little bit.

After Juan's, we went to Cafe du Monde in the French Quarter. I parked really far away because I hate trying to avoid drunk people late at night, so we had to walk quite a distance to get beignets. It was totally hot and muggy outside, but it was totally worth it in the end.

To finish the night, my friends dropped me off at my car which broken down at work last night. One of my amazing friends had left work early and fixed it for me this afternoon. Stella is once again a working machine. Maybe not for too much longer, but at least for now.

So, that was my birthday. My phone has been beeping and dinging off the hook all day because of all the emails and texts that I got. Rather than being annoying, it just reminds me that I'm loved and that I'm not all alone in this world.

24

Most likely, the majority of people will find this blog while searching for information about the last season of '24'. Sorry, you can navigate away now and save yourself some time. This post is about my 24th year of life, which will become my 25th year in just a few hours. I've reached the quarter-century mark. That's amazing to me since I still feel like a teenager most of the time.

I took some time to remember my 24th year today. Here's the highlights reel:

1. I finished my first real adult job as a campus minister at the University of Washington.

2. I moved across the country...again. This time I took a different route (I-90) and saw some interesting sights such as the spot of Custer's last stand, hundreds of motorcycle enthusiasts heading to Sturgis, SD for the annual motorcycle rally, Wall Drug Store, and the exit for Mount Rushmore.

3. I moved to New Orleans.

4. I started my first year of grad school at a school I never thought I would actually go to.

5. I met new friends who will continue to be an important part of my life for years to come.

6. I learned to make a latte (and many other drinks) when I got a job as a barista.

7. I experienced my first transmission failure while visiting Knoxville for Fall Break.

8. I got my first B in my higher education career. It was in Hermeneutics. I joke that I can be trusted to interpret the Bible correctly only up to 90% of the time.

9. I got my first real sense of 'life goes on without me' when I visited my former ministry in Seattle during Christmas Break.

10. I found a church, which I will become a member of in the next few months.

11. I got to show off my new city to my family.

12. I saw 'Wicked' when it came through New Orleans. I hate musicals. I absolutely loved this one.

13. I wrote my first philosophy of ministry, full confession of faith, and many other firsts in the world of paper writing.

14. I ran/walked my first 5k, a goal I've had since college.

15. I became friends with a tarot card reader, helped bail a voodoo priest out of jail, visited an establishment on Bourbon Street, and got class credit for all of it :)

16. I finished my first year of grad school.

Many other things happened during my 24th year of life, but those are the non-boring bits that I could remember off the top of my head. Thanks to all those who made 24, even the very routine parts, both possible and meaningful.