Another One for the Books

Another birthday has come and gone. I am now officially 25 and I feel great. As always, I was treated like royalty by my husband and family and I’m extremely grateful for the time that we spent together as a family on my big day. Truthfully, there is nothing I would rather do than get away and enjoy the beautiful outdoors as a family so all in all it was a perfect day from start to end.

I awoke on my birthday to a big hug and kiss from my daughter accompanied by a joyful, “Happy Birthday, Mommy!” My husband was anxious for me to unwrap my gift so I was quickly handed a gift bag with a mysterious box within. I was overcome with elation when I opened the cardboard box and realized that my husband had purchased me my own HP Chromebook.

 

Since beginning this blog back in February I have done all of my writing on a school-owned computer. I’ve never complained about it, but I’ve been envious of other bloggers who have all the bells and whistles to work with and so my husband could not have picked a better gift for me. My new laptop came with a message on my Google Drive from my husband and daughter which explained how inspirational my motivation for my blog and writing has been and how I deserved my very own machine with which to continue my pursuit of writing.

I don’t know if people understand how much my blog has helped me. It may seem like a pointless hobby to some, but since I began my blog I have worked and fought for a little bit of “me” time everyday. As a young mother I had begun to let my busy, demanding life take over every part of me. I had allowed myself to drop all of my goals and dreams and I really struggled with some emotional stress as a result. When I set out to begin blogging I began to repossess some of those goals I set for myself years ago. I now make it a point to spend time reading and writing everyday.

Each day brings me a step closer to my goals of ultimately becoming a published writer. I’m still waiting for the perfect article or story, but with practice everyday I am making progress toward that and any progress is better than how I was living. Blogging has become therapeutic and I am so lucky to have the support from my husband and friends to take that time for myself to pursue my goals. My husband has read all of my posts and manuscripts and he continues to have faith in me. His confidence gives me the strength to keep on believing in myself as well.

Aside from receiving a pretty amazing gift I spent the day at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium with my husband and daughter. As previously stated in earlier posts the Columbus Zoo is the #1 zoo in the country and it is located about forty-five minutes from my house. A day spent at the zoo is always one well spent. There are constantly new attractions added and the exhibits are top notch. This year they opened a new exhibit called Pirate Island. It’s essentially a boat ride with life-like robotic pirates and sea creatures that squirt water. To be honest, I wondered if my daughter would find the ride terrifying, but she handled it well and enjoyed her first ever boat ride.

 

Here are some more shots from our day at the zoo:

For dinner we ate some lovely, and relatively healthy BD’s Mongolian BBQ. I’m on a pretty restricted diet due to some recent health problems, but really all that means is that I’m being forced by my body to eat a little better. I can’t really argue that I need more vegetables so Mongolian BBQ was a good option because I was able to create a vegetable stir-fry. It was delicious, as always.

Finally, we topped off the night redeeming some Graeter’s Ice Cream gift cards. We found a large Graeter’s near the zoo and ordered some delectable flavors. The ice cream was particularly spectacular after an 85 degree day in the sun. I ordered a double scoop: one scoop mint chocolate chip and mocha chip. (The mocha chip tasted just like the Starbucks Mocha Frappucinos that my great-grandma buys at Kroger and sticks in the freezer…PERFECTION!)

 

The Graeter’s we visited also happened to be the historic shop where they give tours and it has an indoor playground of which we took advantage.

 

I have a lot of people to thank for this awesome birthday experience. First, my husband for planning for a flawless day and making me feel so special every day of the year, but especially on my birthday. Second, my daughter who was on her very best behavior all day making it a fun, stress-free birthday. Third, all of my friends and family who continue to support me with their kind words and encouragement. Thank you to each and every person who has made the past year what it has been. I’m looking forward to 25!