A Wish Granted:

Remember this birthday request of mine from the summertime? (Of course not, which is why I provided the link in order to refresh your memory...)

Well the daddy to my wonderful pup, Lily, got me precisely that for Christmas! I literally squealed with joy, jumped up and down, and gave him a big hug I was so surprised!



Doesn't it look so pretty against my pale pink walls?! I love love love it. Truly.

A Little Late:

I completely forgot to mention that my best friend got me this beautiful Anthropologie necklace for my birthday!


I absolutely love it!

I also love the new Anthro website design. Have you seen it? How is it that everything they touch turns to gold!?

My New Baby:

Do you recall that package I spoke of earlier today? Well look what showed up during my lunch break in my mail box...


A package! For me!


Wait, what is that peaking through there?


It's a Diana Dreamer! They are backordered online, they are sold out at almost every store in the nation, yet my wonderful sister was able to pick one up for me at the Mall of America since she lives a mere 15 minutes away!

The extra bonus? In that there card was no only a picture of my absolutely darling nephew, but also a note saying that this is my birthday present from my sister and her cute little family! I was already so incredibly thrilled to get this beauty, so this was such a wonderful surprise to enhance my excitement!

I cannot wait to learn all of its tricks and take some wonderful pictures down in the islands! I couldn't be more excited!

Nobody Likes You When You're 23, Episode Five:

I know these birthday recaps are just taking forever, but that's what happens when you celebrate your birthday for four straight days, which tends to occur when a) you birthday falls on a weekend and b) you're just a bit spoiled.

So like I said, my lover and I went away for Saturday and Sunday. Where did we go? Chattanooga, Tennessee. We had lots of fun walking around downtown holding hands and talking about how much fun it would be to get a cool loft and move there. Thanks to the UrbanSpoon app on my iPhone, we found a great hippie-esque pizza place for dinner that was super yummy!

The next morning we checked out of our cool historic hotel and drove up to Etowah, Tennessee to go on a train ride!



Overall it was an absolutely wonderful (albeit exhausting) birthday. I have a distinct feeling that 23 is going to be one of the best years of my life, if not the best... I can't wait to see what it has in store for me!

Thanks so much to all my blogging friends for the birthday wishes that I received! You are all so very kind, and they really helped to make me feel extra loved!

Nobody Likes You When You're 23, Episode Four:

Did I mention that my amazing roommate surprised me with this adorable cake, complete with cupcake boobies? Cause she totally did...


It was even funfetti! My fav! I ate it with my hands the next morning because forks are for non-birthday people, let's just be honest. Half of it is still sitting in my refrigerator since the thing is huge, but maybe I'll break off a big piece when I go home tonight...

Nobody Likes You When You're 23, Episode Three:

I was quite skeptical that Friday night (the night of my actual birthday) would be able to trump the chaos and fun of the previous night, especially after a bad dinner experience that started the night off terribly. Luckily my friends don't understand the concept of "moderation", and thus there was much laughter to be had.

To paint you an accurate picture, you should know that the evening's debauchery began with a celebratory lap dance for the birthday girl, me, in the middle of the bar by my good friends Adam and Walker...


And yes, that would be my boyfriend in the background laughing hysterically at the events taking place. He understood that it was all in good fun, which is yet another reason why I love him so.

Again, my best friend, Kayla, and I...


You can kind of tell that we are giggling at my friend's inability to properly use a camera at that point in the night, but it is kinda cute nonetheless...


There are many, many more photos from both the lap dance and subsequent dance battles involving props from around the bar, but for the sake of my friend's dignities, I will leave those for the perfect opportunity with which to blackmail them with.

Nobody Likes You When You're 23, Episode Two:

After a kidnapping of Kayla from our office and subsequent food run, Friday afternoon was spent at the pool. Unfortunately the Georgia heat made it nearly impossible to lay out for any extended amount of time and thus, we spent the majority of it playing around in the water instead.


It is okay though because we still managed to get some sun!

Nobody Likes You When You're 23, Episode One:

Wow. I really don't know where to start. Maybe it was because I had low expectations or maybe it is because I have the absolute best friends, family, and boyfriend that a girl could ever ask for, but either way I had a simply amazing (and super extended) birthday!

I kicked things off Thursday night with a trip downtown with great friends and one mission: Have an awesome time.

My bartender friends immediately bombarded me with some beverages upon my arrival at our standard hangout...


Okay, here is a prettier one of my beautiful best friend and I...


Of course I had to take a picture of what I refer to as "my sexy shoes". These things make me over six feet tall, but I love them so. (Also pictured: the rottweiler bite that I acquired last weekend on my shin that still hurts.)


Candid pictures are always the funniest, and I think that this one takes the cake...


By the end of the night I was very tired though, as shown here...


(Oh yeah, that is my completely awesome friend, Nick. And he just so happens to be single, ladies...)

Not pictured: A dance battle (or two) at Firehouse, copious amounts of Jager and vodka tonics, dancing on eachother, dancing on strangers (behind their backs of course), doing flips around a railing outside of Roadhouse,a hilarious ride home, and me laying on my bathroom floor drunkenly telling Jake over the phone about my night at approximately 3:30 am. (The vast majority of my entourage was also omitted since much of the photographic evidence of the night might be considered to be incriminating due to the aforementioned activities.)

Ahem... Mission accomplished.

Birthday 23:

Today is my birthday. Yay!

Although I previously expressed my utter indifference towards this event, I have decided to take a new outlook on this whole birthday thing. Instead of dwelling on another year past, I am going to look at this as another year conquered. Another year that I triumphed against this big, bad world, and the opportunity of a new year to bring myself closer to being the person that I want to be.

That being said, part of who I want to be is someone who revels in the present more than she constantly anticipates the future. Therefore, as my final birthday wish I want to ask for this:

-The day off work to relax at the pool.
-A night filled with friends, laughter, and booze.
-A morning spent lying in bed with my love.
-A beautiful afternoon in which to drive northward towards the mountains.
-Two days exploring a new city whilst holding hands and kissing frequently.
-A new dress to feel beautiful in.

These are all the things that I am actually getting for my birthday, and I couldn't be more pleased. This little list means so much more to me than the one that I have been compiling all month long because it is filled with some of the best things in life.

{Image credit.}
I feel like the luckiest girl in the entire world!

(In case you couldn't tell, my sweetie is taking me away for the weekend... I promise to return with details and accompanying pictures bright and early Monday morning! I hope that everyone has a simply lovely summertime weekend!)

Birthday 22:

Today is my last day of being 22! It has actually been surprisingly difficult to come up with this many things that I would want for my birthday, but it has also been fun.

My next wish would have to be this Anthropologie dress...


The back is absolutely beautiful, and it would be perfect for a summer tea party! Oh how I love dresses...

[See the entire list here.]

Birthday 21:

I wanted to choose a signature drink to enjoy during the bulk of my birthday celebrations that accurately depicts my solemn mood. I decided upon Vodka Tonics. For some reason, they seem fitting (as well as yummy!).

{Image credit.}

Given that this is my 21st birthday wish, I found it appropriate to choose something to fuel my alcoholism. (Kidding, everyone! I am not an alcoholic. But then again, maybe I just haven't reached the first step to recovery...)

[See the entire list here.]

Birthday 20:

I would totally cry if I received a Holga for my birthday. I am dying to get into photography and learn how to take amazing pictures such as this one...

{Image credit.}

As of right now, I have no camera to speak of aside from my iPhone and my Polaroid, which we all know has its days numbered. This makes me incredibly sad.

[See entire list here.]

Birthday 19:

The week commemorating my birth 23 years ago is upon us! To be completely honest, I am barely excited. I was totally the person that swore up and down to forever be ecstatic about my birthday. I have tended to celebrate all month long in the past simply because my excitement could not be contained by merely one single day, but this year it has finally hit me: There is nothing special about being the age that I am turning. Nada.

Don't get me wrong, I am happy with what I have planned for this special(?) day, but not necessarily about it being my birthday. Maybe my enthusiasm will pick up as the week progresses, but in the mean time I am going to continue to pretend like I am giddy with elation about the whole thing in an attempt to convince myself that I really am. (Note: This is precisely what I have to do when it comes to Christmas... But that's a story for another day.)

Anywho, since I just officially succeeded in bumming myself out, here is a shoot-for-the-moon gift wish...

{Image credit.}

It is no secret that I want a horse. Badly. So if someone would like to give me one for my birthday, I would definitely be okay with that. My only criteria would be that it has to be at least 16 hands since I am so tall... unless it is a Quarter Horse, which would allow for it to be slightly shorter because of its build.

Birthday 18:

Chelsea Handler's new book "My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands" seems like it would be a really fun read. Usually these types of books are not my cup of tea (I much prefer the likes of Bukowski), but I feel as if I could make an exception for this one.


Although, maybe I should finish the 6+ unread books that are currently collecting dust on my shelf as I finish up my last academic class before departing for the islands...

*UPDATE: My best blogging buddy, Jenni did something so incredibly sweet... She went ahead and fulfilled my wish for this particular book! It was such a thoughtful surprise and I am so very excited to read this on the beach! Thank you so much, Jenni! (Don't you just love this wonderful blogging community we have!? I sure do.)

[See the entire list here.]

Birthday 17:

This weekender from Anthropologie would be the perfect traveling companion for all of the island hopping that I intend to partake in during my time living in the Caribbean.Throw in the cute new bathing suits and beach cover-up that I just obtained, a few breezy dresses, my passport, and my toothbrush... I am ready to go!

[See the entire list here.]

Birthday 16:

This sheer floral robe would be so cute to throw on to have breakfast on the weekends, no?


Oh wait, I don't really eat breakfast... Okay, to drink my daily Cherry Coke Zero, watch a little television, and get ready in before starting my day. Yup, that's more like it.

[See the entire list here.]

Birthday 15:

This print from Urban Outfitters is not only cute... It is also super cheap! I have been slightly preoccupied by the color pink lately, and of course there is a little birdie to satisfy that obsession as well.


I like it. I want it.

[See the entire list here.]

Birthday 14:

My next birthday wish is a small one, but also a completely unobtainable one. I am dying for the Fun album to fill the void that The Format left in my heart the day that they broke up. I have great expectations for Nate Ruess' new band and will be more than thrilled if they are only a fraction of the caliber of his last project that I loved so much.


Unfortunately Aim & Ignite does not drop until August. So. Incredibly. Sad!

Regardless, I'll be counting down the days until I can listen to the entire album whilst sitting on the beach in St. Croix. It will be a great day, indeed.

[See entire list here.]

Birthday 13:

One thing that would serve to be quite useful down in the islands would be a simple hammock. The perfect spot for reading a book, naps out in the ocean breezes, it would be great. It'd have to be something colorful that collapses around the body like a cocoon though, because those types are best.


When I was younger I had a beach-themed bedroom and always wanted to hang a hammock in one of the corners. My parents never let me. I may or may not still resent them for this...

(Photo from here.)

[See entire list here.]

Birthday 12:

Oh my goodness... What I would give to have a spa day for my birthday! You have no idea...


Little known fact about me: I have scoliosis. Pretty badly, too. It wasn't detected until I was 17, so by then nothing could be done about it besides surgery, which is not something that I am interested in even looking into.

Regardless, I have to endure a good amount of back aching and discomfort some days, and a massages are so incredibly wonderful for easing that pain. Plus, every girl loves to be pampered every now and again, right?

(Photo from here.)

[See entire list here.]