I wasn't really sure how I felt about turning 22... I mean, I had heard stories from friends that 22 was the best birthday they have had so far, but I have also heard that 22 is the worst birthday some of my friends have had.
I was pretty excited it was my Golden Birthday (22 on 22) because it will never happen again... but all the exciting birthdays are officially behind me. I mean, I have my license, I can buy tobacco (if I really wanted to), I can sign my own paperwork, and I can legally drink... I mean, what else is there to look forward to? Oh yeah, I can rent a car without additional charges when I am 25... nice.
I mean, in all honesty, my 22nd birthday should have been... well... ordinary. With a hint of depressing. But it was not. It was quite the opposite, actually.
It was low key and spent with my close friends, exactly how I wanted. We did go out the Saturday before. We had a little "Gold Party" at my apartment for a couple hours and then went out downtown. Pretty hilarious and random -- Just ask Laura Hund... can anyone say goldfish?
Monday started off as just an ordinary day. I woke up and got ready for school. I drove to Harrison, one of the elementary schools I teach at, and walked into the classroom. There on my desk was a cookie frosted with a big '22' on it, a cup of coffee, a card, and a present. I love my cooperating teacher. She is seriously the sweetest lady ever. Now, the first class of the day on Monday is a third grade class. These kids are NUTS. SO loud and awkward... love
'em, but I get super exhausted. Now I have a small idea of what my teachers probably had to deal with when I was in their class. Well, they normally come into the room super loud and running all over the place, but on this day, they walked in single file and quiet as can be. I knew something was up. This was NOT normal. Once they all got to their seats, they started singing "Happy Birthday". It was so cute! I seriously got so excited. They all made me cards too, which made my heart smile. The rest of the day, kids were bringing me little presents (like old pottery pieces they made in class) and homemade cards. It was adorable.
"Miss Cavender? How old are you?"
"22."
"Oh, I thought you were 16!"
After school, I went to dinner at Blue Sushi with a group of friends. I LOVEEEEEE sushi... so happy hour on my birthday? Nice. Extra good. Well, it was really refreshing to have people gathered together to just talk, eat, and just be with one another. After we ate dinner, Carolyn, being the best friend that she is, decided that she wanted everyone to go around the table and say why they love me or what they appreciate about me. Naturally, I felt awkward at this time and tried stopping this little event from occurring, but they insisted. I am so thankful to have people in my life who care for me and appreciate me for who I am. I am thankful that they would be willing to take time out of their day to celebrate my birthday with me. To those of you who helped make my special day... well, special, THANK YOU. LOVE YOU.
Later that night, I went to a speaker at Creighton -- Jaime Tworkowski, the founder of To Write Love On Her Arms. If you don't know what this organization is, I have a link to their page on the side of my blog. Please do me a favor and check it out. This was just a good reminder of the importance of community, compassion, and not being afraid to talk about even the most difficult things.
To most, yeah, my birthday might have seemed average... but I guess that I am just learning to appreciate the little things and the quieter moments more and more as I grow up. Dang, I'm 22.
Oh, except I lost my debit card. Dangggggggg. At least I still have 25 and renting cars in my future...
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