The times, they continue to change.

I have a list as long as my arm – leg – okay, maybe body – about topics that I have wanted to blog about but hadn’t. the couple of posts a month is probably a really clear indication of how crazy life off of the computer has been. I have really needed to focus on joy right now and unplugging a bit. But as I have said before, a source of joy is this blog, which is causing me to set the goal of blogging 5 times this week. More times than I’ve blogged in the last month! But I am ready to get back on the wagon.

I’ll start with my birthday. I turned 26 (gulp!) last Saturday. I was approaching this particular birthday half with anxiety, half with ambivalence. 25 was exciting, plus I’d just moved to SF and started a new life so there were a lot of milestones going on. 26, however – different story. On the one hand, I’m all for celebrating every birthday. It’s a time to celebrate yourself, do what you want, reflect on your life. Why should anyone wish a birthday not to come? It’s so much better than the alternative! But of course, that self reflecting piece has gotten the best of me these days. Lots of time spend wondering where I am in life, how I got here, where I wish I was, and how to get there. So the birthday came with some baggage, but the good sort – the kind you use for positive growth.

I definitely was not going to let a birthday pass uncelebrated so I planned a three-part celebration to make sure everyone could take part that may want to. The morning sent me on a quest for bocce ball and picnic food, and then my sister officially began the party when she showed up fresh-faced from Berkeley. We set up shop at the lawn at the Conservatory of Flowers for a picnic.

We were blessed with amazing weather! It’s rare that I feel comfortable in gauchos and a t-shirt in SF – correction, that never actually happens. But it was a perfect day. Lots of friends, friends of friends, cheap wine, kettle salt and fresh ground pepper chips, birthday cake oreos, and general fun times.

I felt very blessed to get to spend my special day with so many awesome people.

The evening activities commenced with a trip to Top of the Mark – blogger fail, no amazing pictures of the skyline! (Oh wait let’s remember – the last three months of my life have been a blogger fail.) Top of the Mark is at the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel at Mason and California (1 Nob Hill). You pay $15 for an unremarkable martini, BUT the 360-degree views of the city can’t be beat! It’s definitely a special, once-in-a-while spot, so I was excited to get there again along with a bunch of friends who had never been before.

The party continued across the street at the Tonga Room – no pictures here either, too busy drinking the lava bowls full of sugary rum punch and dancing away on the dance floor.(For anyone who has not been to the Tonga Room, it’s a historic “tiki bar” on the bottom floor of the Fairmont Hotel in Nob Hill – literally across the street from Top of the Mark. It rains inside and generally has a very cheesy but fun ambiance with drinks served in punch bowls and a live band that plays on a “boat” in the middle of the “lagoon” inside the restaurant. If you like tiki and love cheesy, you must come here.) The next day’s continued celebration brought pancakes and a stroll across the Golden Gate.

I had a great birthday day, but also have enjoyed ruminating on my goals and dreams for the next year of my life. 25 was not a great year – it was an important year, a transition year, but not a “wonderful” year. I believe I started many processes of personal growth and development that will ultimately make me the person I am going to be, but I haven’t gotten there – yet. however, I am looking forward to 26 and figuring out more about who I am and who I want to be. And I’m really grateful to have true friends to share it with.

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