On My 23rd Year

Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I'm a sucker for birthdays... mine, to be exact. Tomorrow, August 15, will mark my 23rd year in this world. As excited as I am for my birthday, 23 sounds incredibly old for me - I feel much younger than I really am and less accomplished and experienced than I feel like I should be. But I try not to dwell on those worries. Not on my birthday week, at least (I like prolonging the experience by celebrating a week earlier). Birthdays are, after all, a time to be thankful. And I am very thankful. I have been having such a magical few months, all thanks to the return of my semi-long distance boyfriend, Ryan. A year ago, God gave me the most beautifully apt birthday present (good for the next couple of years). After all, I don't think it was a coincidence that as Ryan was set to leave for Boston to study music, I was able to get a job at ISM. It's not a coincidence that Ryan's summer vacation is from May-August while mine is from June-July. It's also not a coincidence that Ryan's birthday (June1) and my birthday (August 15) fall within this time frame (though this one could actually be a coincidence... a very fortunate one!). It's amazing how everything just fell into place. And here we are, a year later, enjoying those wonderful "coincidences" or, as I prefer to call it, God's serendipitous presents to me. These past few months have been a wonderful prelude to my 23rd anniversary on this planet. And though celebrating my birthday means we are just 2 weeks away from being continents apart again, I am fiercely thankful for the time we've been given - the ones spent together and even the ones spent apart.

Of course, there are so many other things to be thankful for as well! Aside from a wonderful new bag purchased and received just hours ago (edited Sunday 11pm), there's the 20 new bundles of joy I get to undertake many new learning experiences with, getting the opportunity to be in a professional theater production with just the most amazing and talented people and even some of my closest friends, and learning from some of the most masterful Kindermusik educators in the world in the hopes of becoming one myself... that and countless others, of course! Like the gift of life, love, family, friendships...

On my 23rd year, I feel as blessed and thankful as ever!

Happy Birthday to me!

Love, Oli :)