Turning 25 While Wearing Happy Shoes

Today I am 25 :-). (Thanks, mom, for having me!) The first day of my 25th year began quite nicely. I received SADDLE SHOES (which are extremely difficult to score) from my mom, so I got to wear happy shoes today! The last pair of shoes I really, really wanted, my mom also got me for my 23rd birthday (my red cowboy boots). I've been wanting saddle shoes for so very long (if for some reason you don't know what saddle shoes are, they're the black and white oxfordish shoes that girls rent for Halloween along with the poodle skirt). I love saddle shoes and have such fond memories of going back to school shoe shopping in elementary school. Each year was the same: I'd select a pair of saddle shoes. Finding a pair of saddle shoes in grown up sizes is next to impossible (however, they do have some shoes with the golf spikes). [Now, my happy shoe collection is nearly complete: red boots and saddle shoes are mine and the only other pair I've got my eye on are really bright and happy yellow high top converse which also have really bright and happy yellow soles AND laces...Kristin, yes, your green shoes inspired my desire for the yellow ones :-).]

So, I went through summer school and felt like I was keeping this happy, little secret...it was my 25th birthday. The older I get, the more I think it's fun to kind of keep it to myself, like it's my own special secret. Anyway, I was quite pleased though to go to the gym and get a big, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY," when the desk girl scanned my card. That was fun.

I had dinner with my mom and faux grandparents. My mom also gave me one phat pen. But, it's not just any old pen. It's a special, secret, spy ALIAS pen! I'm not kidding! This pen is wicked cool! It's a radio pen, with the ALIAS logo...and it's straight from the "Spy Store." Maybe I'll feel as cool as Sydney Bristow when I write something top secret in my TOP SECRET SPY ALIAS NOTEBOOK (which I also scored on the occasion of turning 25).

Something else that happened today that is worth mentioning is: I made up two really funny jokes! I would post them on my blog, but they're kind of top secret at the moment. You see (and some of you who I regularly talk with already know this), in a few weeks I will be a contestant in a Jokealympics Joke Contest. My challenger is Philip Tallon. I'm a little scared...but these two jokes are so funny, it's scary!

The birthday celebration will continue for the next couple of days, although I won't get too carried away :-)! Tomorrow I'm having lunch with my favorite 8 year old, Emily Sue. Then, my mom's birthday is Wednesday...so the celebrating will begin all over again!

Since I'm embarking upon a new year, here's a list [that I'm going to compile without much thought] of things that I want to do this year.

Things That I Want To Do While I Am 25 (in no particular order)

1. Read More (this includes the Bible, general fiction, classics, and things concerning theological matters)
2. Write a song (but not just any song: one that I wouldn't mind playing for someone...also, I'd like to just once write a song that is not in the key of E or capoed on the third fret in the key of G - I too easily fall into ruts)
3. Win the Jokealympics AND continue making up really funny jokes :-)
4. Win the affections of my mean, fat cat (a girl can dream, can't she?)
5. Stop procrastinating as much as I do (I can't say stop procrastinating completely because quite honestly, I recognize an impossible feat when I see one)
6. Memorize scripture (this is something that I haven't done since I made my first graders memorize a verse each week)
7. Go on an adventurous road trip to see/meet dear friends (which will hopefully happen at the end of July, but it won't be to the Grand Canyon...that'll come one day)
8. Try every single flavor smoothie at Melbourne's Tropical Smoothie (even though some will be un-tasty, at least I can say I've tried them all...like, I can boast that I tried all 36 flavors of Coca Cola products at the Coke Factory...I walked away with the stomach ache to prove it)
9. Teach someone something that s/he will remember, and appreciate, for the rest of his/her life.
10. Move away from Palm Bay (not that I don't enjoy living here at the moment, I'd like to see myself move on during the next year, however, since my birthday falls in the beginning of the summer, chances are I'll be 26 before I leave)
11. Get happy, yellow shoes
12. Go to some pretty awesome concerts (like Aaron Carter?...more like Bleeding Charity :-), Derek and Sandra, Bob, Dave Matthews Band, Switchfoot among others)