Birthdays in the real world

So, yesterday was my twenty-third birthday. Although I had a wonderful day, I realized that, unfortunately, birthdays are forced to lose their luster once you enter into the real world. I am the first to admit that I am an eternal toddler when it comes to my birthday. I start a countdown months in advance, I give verbal reminders any chance I have, and I start checking the mail for Hallmark stickers come April 1st. I want presents and parties and an ice-cream cake with my name on it. I want balloons and greasy pizza and bowls of unnecessary snack food. I will always want people to approach my birthday with the same attitude as a father planning a pony princess party for his five year old daughter. Birthdays are a big deal; a definite cause for celebration and a wonderful excuse to have a great time regardless of one's age. I realized yesterday that not everyone shares my excitement for birthdays. I realized yesterday that the "real world" doesn't include bowls of unnecessary snack food for pony princess parties. It does include, however, a package from your parents and an 89 cent birthday card from Wal-Mart signed by your co-workers.

It's hard to believe I am already twenty-three. I can remember when I was a kid and my babysitter was sixteen. She would do gymnastics back and forth across our living room floor and talk to her boyfriend on the phone when I was (supposed to be) sleeping. I always thought she was so mature, so grown-up. I thought that high school was the be-all-end-all of young adult existence. In my six year old mind, anything after high school was 'Mom'. I remember watching 90210 or Saved by the Bell: The College Years and thinking the characters were so adult. It's hard to believe I am now older than Steve when he worked at the Peach Pit or Zack and Kelly when they got married in Las Vegas. It's fun and exciting, but hard to believe.

Now, I know some people who would get kinda freaked out about turning twenty-three, but in my opinion... I am pretty darn stoked to see what this new year of my life will bring. Who knows where I will be as I turn twenty-four? Who knows how I will get there and who knows who I will get there with? Those are all questions I am excited to find the answers to. I have no idea where I will be next year on April 15th, but I do know that there will be parties and presents and an ice-cream cake with my name on it!

Happy Birthday to me,
Tempa

In the words of Jessica Simpson... "23 is almost 25, and 25 is almost half way to 30" :)