'Happy birthday, Amanda!' said by very few on her big day...

December 21, 2015

  It's almost the New Year.. wow. Where did this past month go?! I'm starting to finally get back on the right track to being the best me, in some area at least. I've been trying to give back this time of year by donating. For Giving Tuesday this year, I donated to my college and high school for the first time as an alumna. I work at my Alma mater (if ya didn't know!), so I didn't give enough to brag about it, haha. It felt good that I was able to make a decent contribution to District 214, though!

My first night out doing young-adult
things in a long time. Yay, me!

  2016 is the year I turned a quarter of a century old, 25! Since this is a big deal, I guess, I actually celebrated! Years ago, I didn't think I'd be where I am at 25; I'm much more put together with a stable job and a higher maturity level. When talking to my 10+ year-older co-workers, I'm often told I seem to be wise and making very smart decisions for one my age. I try to take those compliments with a grain of salt, but I can't help but feel independent and in an above average situation for my age. That's a good enough reason to celebrate turning 25, right?

  I made my birth date hidden on my Facebook and Twitter accounts. Why wouldn't I want to be flooded with birthday greetings from people I rarely speak to? Why would I want to be flooded with birthday greetings from people I rarely speak to? I've become such an introvert and have the need to be hidden from these large displays when even the constant attention on Facebook feels like too much. Besides that, I was curious to see if there was anyone out there that didn't need a reminder of this wonderful day of the year, haha.

  In all seriousness, no, this was not a test to see who my "real friends" are; it was to avoid the unnecessary notifications and to celebrate this important day in my life with people who wanted to be a part of it. That isn't to say I'm a really good friend who remembers everyone's birthday and gets a card and all of that; I'm terrible at it. So, this is a huge indicator that I have some personal goals I need to set and some reflecting to do regarding what kind of friend I want to be for others.

The girls and I at the OU hockey game. The team won!

  To celebrate, the newest edition to our department and now-friend and I paid a visit to a Muskie friend at Ohio University. We ate some local food and had a drink (yes, I actually did have a drink!), attended a hockey game and listened to live music at another local restaurant/bar with another drink (yes, two drinks in one night. What happened to Amanda?!). It was low-key compared to an average night out for 20-year-olds, but for me, it was plenty event-filled and entertaining.

  From the many happy birthdays and gifts I did receive, it was more than enough to make me feel special. Heck, wouldn't you feel special if someone decorated your office with signs, balloons and a banner?! Seeing that at 8 in the morning was just an awesome way to start the weekend. Why do I need an influx of online greetings when the people in my life already do more than enough to make to feel blessed and excited for being another year older?

  The takeaway for others, I guess, is that it's more important to surround yourself with people who make you feel good about yourself, will pick you up when you're down and will celebrate you and your accomplishments when you're up.