Goodbye 23!

Out on the town, the night I sprained my ankle last year!

Today is my last day as a 23 year old!
It has been one hell of a year.
Full of trials and joys...

Last year on my birthday I was unmarried, shaking my ass on top of a piano at the bar, with a group of girls that I haven't heard from since..hm...it has been about 10 months.“False friends are like our shadow, keeping close to us while we walk in the sunshine but leaving us when we cross into the shade.” And as the Greeks put it, an open and clear enemy is better than a false friend.
I've moved on from several friendships this past year, and boy does shedding the toxicity of them feel relieving.
But I made new friends,
and got even closer with my best friend, Miss Vicky. 
We talk every day. Literally. One way or another.
 4,500 miles and a 7 hour time difference?! Doesn't matter.
With true friends, nothing stands in your way.

Celebrating birthdays last year with the guys! And my sprained ankle..

The best birthday picture EVER.

Forgive me if these pictures are wonky...the computer seems to be having an issue with Blogger!


The two greatest things that happened to me as a 23 year old were getting married and when Vicky came to visit 2 months ago.

We lost a friend, through death, last summer as well, and still miss him.
I lost one of my greatest friends of all time, the dog I had for 10 years, Cindy Lou.

It was my first year out of college!
I drank my first 40, learned to shoot craps, painted some pieces I am incredibly proud of, taught myself to make jalapeno poppers and Thai chicken lettuce wraps, visited the Caribbean for the first time, and I tried escargot.  And I LIKED it.


It has been a turbulent year, health wise, and I am still struggling.
And praying that we will resolve all of my problems soon. I am hopeful and excited!


Last year around my birthday Eli and I were just moving in to our apartment.
It was empty and spacious, undecorated and not ours yet.

But now, it is home!
We are signing the lease to stay here another year. It is a quirky place, and definitely full of weirdos, but it is our own cozy little world here on the third floor, and we are still in love with our oversized patio, the nook we created in the living room, huge closets, our own bathrooms, and the swimming pool.

Last birthday I had just started out in a regulatory affairs position which also turned out to be...toxic.  This was the job where the boss hated me because I was blond and I ended up dying my hair back to brown...and there was a minor fiasco and it was all chopped off as well.
It was a fun change and definitely a switcheroo I needed, but I did miss the long blondness, and I am on my way back to it.


I also had a shit-ton of surgeries (yes, that is the technical term).
I literally had a surgery every couple of weeks from November 2011 until about a month ago.
Yuck.
It wasn't easy.
I also had an infection for about a year and a half, that I didn't know about (incompetent doctor).




Yes, I'll say it... I learned a lot, being 23.

That being said, I had a hell of a lot of fun!
And I can't wait to be 24, which has the possibility of being even better (though I don't plan on getting married again).

Unwrapping my gifts from Vicky last birthday with her!

Playing with settings on my new camera.

A few minutes ago I was macking on Eli and said "this is the last time you'll ever be kissing a 23 year old!"

and he said "we'll see about that!"

and I called him a bastard.

And then we had a tickle fight. Haha.

Bring on 24!