{27}

whoa...27 feels pretty significant. since when did i leap over the rainbow bridge from my "early to mid-twenties" only to land a whole heck-of-a-lot closer to my thirties?

a big, fat thank you goes to...

• all my family and friends, for the sweet messages, cards, phone calls, and facebook posts {including some awesome photos and videos! woo!}. you sure know how to make a girl feel special. 

"happy birthday" in advance to those i may miss on facebook this year... 
i am a putz when it comes to remembering to reciprocate love 
in the form of facebook wall posts!

• the girl scouts of america, who magically know to synchronize their cookie delivery schedule with my birthday every year. {true or false?...we should start paying our bills in tagalongs and samoas.}

• m & d, for providing my eternal favorite once again...the dairy queen ice cream cake.

• my husband, who understands my theory that "the more you age, the more cake you deserve." he stayed up until 1:00am while we baked and frosted a six-layer rainbow cake together. eat your heart out martha stewart!

• my uncle, who never fails to out-do his own birthday voice mails every year...this year he SANG!

• and even my dentist. yes...even my dentist's office remembered to email and text me a happy birthday message. now that's customer service!

as the birthday glitter slowly wears off, i must admit the past year was certainly not what i expected. it's been 12 months overflowing with beautiful weddings, celebrating the lives of those we weren't ready to lose, family gatherings, big adventures, choosing to walk away from jobs that didn't feel quite right anymore, brushing the dust off, and carving a new path.

so here's to 27. my determination to make this year bigger and better than any before it cannot be stopped...even if it means embracing a few more wrinkles.

 more laughter. more exploration. more photos. more cake.

xo