21 Things

Wednesday was my birthday. It had a few rough patches (3 hour lecture anyone?) and some awesome times (3 pastries and a banana split). But now I am 21! And I wanted to share 21 things that I am grateful for and love:
1. I'm grateful for my Family - my mom gave me the funniest birthday present. I was literally laughing out loud.
2. My Friends - I got a surprise gift of Peggle!!
3. The Church - I would be so lost and lonely here without it.
4. Pastries - Especially Mille Feuille Fraisiers, absolutely delicious
5. Traveling! - I love that I get to travel around! It's so much fun.
6. Books - I typically prefer a good book over social events. I've never pulled an all-nighter doing homework, I have been staying up all night frequently since I was about 8 to read books.
7. Skype and e-mail - I'm glad I get to stay in touch with all my friends and family! I love the random e-mails I get from my mom.
8. My dad's really lame jokes!
9. Tyler, he was a big part of my life, and really helped me experience and understand things differently.
10. iPods - long trips without them are tough, and I feel that life deserves an excellent soundtrack.
11. The ability to walk: This sounds silly, but wow! What a blessing! I love going for walks, and seeing things, and climbing stairs, and being so independent.
12. Humor - Another weird one, but as Elizabeth Bennett puts it, "I dearly love to laugh" (that's in the movie, probably not the book). I love everyone who can make me laugh, and I enjoy smiling to myself when I remember something funny or see something amusing.
13. Dinner Parties - or just going out to dinner. I like to eat and socialize, especially at the same time.
14. Movies - Few things in life can't be solved by praying, watching a movie or reading a book. Watching a movie is typically the easiest, plus then you can get lots of fun quotes.
15. Hot showers - I have had a blessed, blessed life full of hot showers and long soaks in the tub. Each time this is disrupted, it has been cause for an emotional breakdown on my part. I simply cannot cope or function without them.
16. Picnics! - I love to have picnics! They are the most fun ever!
17. Flowers - I wrote a small paragraph in French once about how flowers are so nice because even if you are deaf you can still see them. They are so cheerful. Now that flowers are popping up all over the place, my life is transformed.
18. Cameras - I got a digital camera for my graduation from my dearest aunt. Yesterday I discovered it has a 'self-portrait' setting, chanegd my life. But seriously, I love taking pictures of all the places I go! I'm always afraid I won't remember everything, and I worry that one day I'll wake up and think I never did anything. But at least I'll always have pictures, and if I forget, I can fill in the blanks with my imagination.
19. Sushine - It's hard for me to live very long without sunshine. When it is glumy (surprisingly often in Paris) I can get sad. I can't describe how amazing sunshine feels on my skin. The way it just warms me up inside and out. A favorite past time of mine is just laying in the sun.
20. Wavy hair - I do NOT have wavy hair. I have straight hair. If I curl it, it will stay for about 12 minutes. I have OFTEN tried to get wavilicious hair. I see things in magazines and online and I try every single one of them. Recently I tried the one for theLacoste runway models. I messed it up. The result was a fro. Luckily I love those too!
21. I can go to VEGAS now!!
I still can't believe I'm 21. I still think 21 is soo old. And yet here I am. 21. Twenty one. Vingt et un. In Paris. It's a tradition in my family to turn 21 abroad, so naturally I picked Paris. :)
These are random birthday pictures btw.