double golden

today is the day i turn 26. i'm not sure that this birthday is any different from any other. but here i am, at 6:30 in the morning, looking through old pictures and feeling thankful for all the love and laughter i've had to celebrate over the course of my 26 years.

for the past few years i've always told people not to make a big deal about my birthday. they've always been pretty disappointing, i said. but as i've thought through some of my past birthdays, i'm wondering why i used to have such low expectations for august 13? in actuality, i've had some pretty good ones.

like the summer i turned 16, when i was on my first ever radical road trip with my 2 best friends. the most radical part was that it was to austin, minnesota, and we were following my parents every mile of the way. but that was the only way brenna's mom would let us take brenna's beat up nissan stanza. and at least this way we got to listen to whatever music we wanted, and feel some of the sort of freedom that 16 year olds dream about. we were following my brother's college summer league baseball team (including my huge summer crush - the catcher) around the midwest. late night drives through iowa corn fields, listening to all the right music. not so bad.

or the summers while i was in college. each year, all of my siblings would make it back to woodstock so that we could go to a cub's game together, and play bags in the back yard while my dad grilled meat. then my closest friends from college and high school (and sometimes some of my siblings' friends) would make it to our house just in time to be included in all our strange rockers' birthday traditions that include singing and clapping and praising God for family while drinking out of a cup of blessing. literally.

my birthdays growing up. all 8 of us (and aunt barb) in our little house, squeezed around a tiny table in a tiny kitchen. i always got to choose whatever i wanted for dinner, and there was always plenty of cake and ice cream to make any child happy. or sometimes we would be in austin, mn, for the fair - the one with the double ferris wheel.

my birthdays in san francisco were pretty good as well. waking up to flowers outside my door and breakfast with my roommates and best friends. lunch with my favorite coworkers. and something special to end the night - whether it's gluten free cupcakes that my roommates slaved over, or surprise drinks at the cliff house followed by a picnic at the beach (in the back of a van, unfortunately, since san francisco tends to be cold and foggy in august). i've even had dessert at the half moon bay ritz carlton.

last night i sat for a few hours with my brother at my new favorite location to sit and drink beer and eat good food in boston. we had good conversation, and saw ben affleck before the night was over. okay, not really that last part. but it was good. and i came home to surprise cake with my new roommates - before my actual birthday even started, just so that i could feel loved from the beginning of the day. and tonight there is more celebration to come - with new friends who will probably soon be good friends.

i'm excited about 26. i'm not sure why, but i have a feeling it is going to be a pretty good year.

except for the fact that in taking the time to write this, i'm now going to be late (again) for my health assessment lab. but it's my birthday. oops. oh well.