a wildflower in the land of smiles: "Nobody Likes You When You're 23"

Birthday package and my package pose

So yesterday was my birthday in Thailand.. I am officially twenty three. Nothing too exciting went on here other than I taught all day then Jess and I went to a tasty place for dinner. Its like a cook it yourself kind of place, so they bring you all the raw meat and vegetables and you cook it in the big pot on your table. Jess surprised me with a candle and chocolate chip pastry.. I'm so lucky she is here with me! And my mom sent me a birthday package. I love packages!

Instead of being bummed that I am officially out of college and beginning “real life” (which I don’t consider myself having started real life yet.. Thailand isn’t exactly real for me. Yeah I am REALLY living here and its more real here than say Disneyland, but I’m only here until October.. so to me, its not MY real life, if that makes any sense at all), I decided for this blog I wanted to list my highlights of my 22nd year. My birthday made me a little home sick for friends and banana cake (I got used to celebrating my birthday in IV for the past four years with all my friends as well as hundreds of strangers and having roommates, or mom, surprise me with tasty treats), so I’ll do real celebrating when I go down to the islands in a couple weekends.

Highlights of being 22!

Living Oceanside DP with six other girls! Amazingness and craziness, all wrapped into one house with the ocean as our backyard. Having my best friends as roommates and neighbors and being a 5 minute walk from everyone I know. I miss it!
Became an international traveler! (Mexico and Asia! Spring Break in Cabo opened my mind to traveling abroad. However, Spring Break in Mexico is VERY different than living in Thailand)
Vegas with Team Friendship! (In an RV! And 19 friends in three rooms at the Palazo!)
Vegas with the girls and saw someone famous (Paris Hilton and LMFAO)!
IA for a College course (WELLNESS!)
Graduated from college!! WAHOO! (Clearly, a big highlight).
Spent the summer in SB working three jobs (Well, twoish jobs. I love the Claytor family so much that its hard to call babysitting a job.. those kids are just so amazing and I can’t wait to see how much they’ve grown when I get back!)
Went to a few country music concerts and couple Charger games
Traveled up to Lake Shasta with Alicia then moved down to San Diego a few days later.. Traveled the entire state of California (Shasta to San Diego) in two days!
Totaled my first car (Although its not a good highlight and a pain that I crashed it seven days before I left for Thailand, it was a learning experience. I loved this car so much, partly because it was my first major purchase.. I picked it out, bought it, and had my name on the pink slip. I was so devastated when I totaled it, but I now realize its just a car. Plus now, I can get a better Mustang when I get back :) )
Moved to Thailand (Obviously a big one!)

Along with moving to Thailand…

Got my Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate (I can can other places when I'm done with Thailand!)
Became a teacher (I keep thinking back to my former elementary teachers.. I am one of them now, sort of!)
Traveling traveling and more traveling
...and I need to make an entirely different list when it comes to highlights in Thailand!

PHEW! Twenty-two was a huge year for me! I am a lot more excepting of the fact that I am twenty-three.. Twenty-two sure was amazing but I’m spending most of my twenty-three in Thailand, traveling Asia, and creating crazy highlights/life experiences for the next eight months.. I wouldn’t want to spend this upcoming year any other way! Plus, I know I have amazing friends and family that will always be there for me when I come home (and I can't wait for that either!!)! (Along with these being my highlights, this is basically everything I love and miss)

Love and miss you all! I love that my friends and family are keeping up with my blog and I'm excited to come home in 9(ish) months, in time for Thanksgiving! I'm almost a third of the way done!