Happy 21st Birthday!

Yesterday was my 21st birthday. I spent the morning getting my hair done and getting a message and getting my back adjusted at a chiropractor. I was so relaxed all day. Then mike made me dinner and set the house up for my birthday party. It was a small party. I invited more people than could come (I love and hate that my birthday is memorial weekend) but I love the people who were able to come and we had a lot of fun.



This is the crowd that was there at the beginning. Our friends Skyler and Lisa came over to play with us and then our friend Jeff came too. It was a pretty fun group.


This is the real group shot :) Sara and Nick came a little late but we still had a lot of fun. I had everyone wear party hats and I wore a princess crown because Mike said I was the birthday princess. I had to stand out.


Now its time for cake!!!! Mike made me my favorite funfetti birthday cake! It was delicious :)


The girls :) (Lisa, Me, Sara)


We played Apple to Apples. I don't think I've laughed that much in a long time!




We then had balloon fights! Then we sang Disney songs and songs from wicked! I'll post videos later :)

I had so much fun at my party!!! I missed those who couldn't come but theirs always next year :) Thank you for coming everyone, it was great!

Mike got a me a keg for my 21st birthday :)

Moving!

This past weekend mike and I moved into our new apartment. We stayed in the same complex but we wanted something a little bigger. So we decided to go with a one bedroom with a den/guestroom. We didn't realize how much stuff we had til we moved. We got rid of a lot of stuff we didn't need and still had quite a bit.

These pictures will give you a good idea of how much we had to move, although its not quite everything. We had some wonderful friends come over to help us. Mike, Derek and Nick carried all of the heavy stuff over to our new place while the girls scrubbed the old apartment til it shined. Our friends Lisa and Skyler came over and helped us move too. With all the help we had, the move only took about an hour and the cleaning just a few more hours after that. Once we had moved, Lisa and Skyler helped us move in and unpack in our new place. Then to relax after a tiring day we went out for dinner with them and watched Sherlock Holmes in our new house. It was a fun day. I'm so grateful for such good friends who are so willing to help and do anything we asked. We totally owe them!





I'm going to post a few pics of our new apartment but I'll post better ones once we're completely unpacked and decorated.

This is our living room from the back door. I love the window in the kitchen so I can see into the living room.


This is our new kitchen! Twice the cabinet space as our last apartment!


This is the new den/guestroom/storage until we have guests ;)




Our bedroom! I love having two windows and my own closet!


Thank you Taylor, Derek, Sara, Nick, Lisa and Skyler for all of your help! We couldn't have done it without you!

I Can Hear You!!

As a part of my Special Education class, we are required to experience in a small way what people with disabilities experience everyday. One of those disabilities is to have visual impairment for 4 hours. This means wearing masks that limit sight and in one case, eliminate it all together. Their are 4 masks, one for each hour of the simulation. I can't even imagine what it must be like for those who are blind, to be that way all the time. I'm so grateful for the blessing of good sight.
The first feeling I felt was self-consciousness. Everyone is staring at you and whispering. Although I was wearing a mask which must look kind of silly, I could hear people asking their friends, "whats wrong with her?" or "is she crazy?". People saying things like, just stay away from her. I wanted to tell them that I was just a normal person and nothing was wrong with me but I couldn't explain the simulation.
It was amazing how much my other senses were strengthened and heightened when I couldn't see. I could hear what was going on around me so well. This allowed me to hear the whispers of , she's a moron, or I wonder whats wrong with her...or it must suck to be her...she must want to die. I wanted to tell them that while I couldn't see them, I could hear every word perfectly. It made me wonder how those with real sight disabilities feel. Do they have to listen to the whispers too? This caused me to feel incredible frustration at those around me. Why do they whisper and point and laugh? Do they think the person who can't see doesn't know. I promise...they know.
I was surprised at how few people offered to help me walk around or help me if I looked like I was struggling. Most people walked quickly by or walked as far away as possible from me.
The most powerful emotions I felt were humility, empathy, and some sympathy. I never thought about how hard it would be to lose your sight and I never paid attention to the actions of others around these people. I don't know if people just don't know what to do around someone who can't see so they just don't do anything...that's better than the alternative at least. If nothing else, I am more grateful than ever for the blessing of sight. I will never take that blessing for granted again. Nor will I pass by the opportunity to help someone in need.