Happy my birthday! (And other recent events.)

My 21st birthday was celebrated on the Saturday preceding in a grand and childish fashion, with the shenanigans including several hours spent at a local playground swinging, sliding, and fleeing lava monsters. Back at the house, we were surprised by Disney Princess decorations, Silly Bandz, and card games. Playing that memory game with a deck wherein each princess is featured four times in slightly different poses does something to your brain. The rest of the party consisted of food, s'mores, every line dance known to man (or pretty close), and The Philadelphia Story (complete with massage train). Golly, but I love that movie!

For the actual day of my birthday, I spiffed myself up a very little and went out for barbecue at Lucille's con mi familia. And then we found a candy store that specializes in giant candy. If you ever find yourself in need of 7 lbs. of Hershey's syrup in one convenient container, I know where you need to go.

Valentine's Day is a birthday in my family, so we went to Rustler's Rooste as per the birthday boy's request. I'd never been there before, but I'd definitely love to go back on a not holiday. Its many charms include a scenic view, a live bull, country dancing, and a slide. What's not to love?

Yesterday, my dad and I went to IKEA to pick out my birthday present: bookshelves. When it comes to bookshelves, IKEA's strategy seems to be to hide their lack of variety by having the same two styles pop up in different colors in every section of the showroom.

The shelves are desperately needed. Books have taken over my room, which until the weekend of my birthday, I hadn't cleaned since at least October. I didn't realize how much of the outward-creeping debris was books until I moved them all to my bed and saw that the rest was just a top layer of clothes and empty shopping bags. I haven't slept in my bed for the past week and a half because my shelves are full to bursting, and I don't have the heart to put all of those books back on the floor. I'm such a softie.

Sorry for the radio silence. I think what I need to break through my writer's block is to just sit down and plough through one solid, full-length post, but I never feel like I have the time. Of course, I don't have the time to be watching back-to-back episodes of Gossip Girl, either, but that hasn't stopped me.

You know you love me.

xoxo

Listening to: Gossip Girl
Reading: The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman