Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday to.....me! Haha, well today I am officially 25. I can't believe time has gone by this fast. Sometimes I still feel like that giggly middle schooler getting in trouble for talking too much in band (love you Trina Martinez, happy birthday sister!). But the years fly by and I have done many of the things I have always wanted to do by this age, though many more are to come.

In high school a palm reader (disclaimer here, I did NOT want my palm to be read!) told me among other things that I would want to go to college, but I wouldn't be able to. I now have a bachelor's degree and I *hope* to be done with my master's degree this coming May. I've gotten to travel the world, a bit, and plan to travel much much more. I've tried things that I wanted to do but wasn't sure if I would be able to do it....and surprised myself. The same message that I've learned is one I want to reiterate again and again to the children and teenagers I work with. That, often times well meaning and well-intentioned voices will tell you things like "can't", "won't", "not able to", or warn you that its difficult or too hard, but so what? If you want it, go after it and enjoy accomplishing something worthwhile.

This kind of sets the pace for the next 25 years. This morning I thanked God for these 25 years of my life so far, how wonderful they have been, and I prayed that God would use the next 25 years, and the 25 years after that, as a gift for others. I wish I had a cool scripture in mind to insert here but ohhh well....

Anywho, to business. Well, I finally did get that one weight watchers book, and Mrs.-I-am-getting-my-masters should have really taken a closer look because its not really about the point system at all. Whoops. At least it was only 30 cents, so not much regret there. Actually, I'm kinda OK with it. Since I've been thinking about losing weight and being healthier, I've been making more of an effort to add in fruits and veggies and really think about getting dessert or whatever. Do I really want it, or is it just out of habit? I have also joined a new fitness craze and I LOVE IT! Have you tried ZUMBA? I look forward to it all week, its the best workout for me. It combines all sorts of dance and some kickboxing....mostly its just really fun b/c you get to shake your hips and its a workout (ACU people, don't freak out....j/k) Most of the moves are pretty simple and are things I learned in colorguard and baton (a million years ago, but your body still remembers some stuff). Greg and I have also been riding our bikes every chance we get when Texas gives us a weird warm day and I love it!

I am anxious to get my garden started, but I must wait until the frost ends. I plan to start in April, and Greg is going to get me some railroad ties to section off my garden. Last year (see picture up top) I planted quite a bit in quite a small box. I tried corn, pumpkins, watermelon, cucumbers, tomatoes, and some herbs. Things got nice and green at first then everything just got wayy too crowded and the pumkpins took over. So, this year, we are utilizing the vast empty space of our backyard (minus the willowtree we planted, which we are not sure if its survived yet) and trying again!! I am so excited, I am not sure what I want to plant yet, but I know that pumpkins, cucumbers, tomatoes, okra, and watermelon are all one the list. I'm going to use the box the Greg built for me last year for wildflowers, lavender, and herbs. I also want to plant a peach tree and a grapefruit tree someday, but as I've learned, trees can get a little pricey. Still excited though, any gardening tips for a novice? Advice welcome!