goodbye, twenty three.

Tomorrow is my twenty fourth birthday, and though I can't quite believe it, I welcome it. This past year has been the best year I've had out of college so far, and even though I've only been out for a little less than two years, this year has been light in the dark place that I was in straight after school ended. I am so blessed and so grateful for everything I have and everything I've been given, but here are twenty four things I am especially grateful for from my twenty fourth year:

1// spending my twenty third with three of my best college friends, at college, at an alumni event. it was perfect.
2// spending most of my days with max, who fills them all with laughter and heart bursting love.
3// finally becoming ready to physically change with a great mental attitude, and seeing results.
4// becoming very serious with this blog, which fuels my passions and provides me with a space to execute my creativity how I see fit.
5// going to AC for the first time with some of my besties in June.
6// creating a summer bucket list that inspired me to spend my days doing a bunch of fun things that I may not have normally done.
7// getting back into running and finding peace and clarity while doing so.
8// reading the night circus - it really made me believe in the magic of life and love even more.
9// celebrating five years with the love of my life.
10// going to California for the first time with my amazing employers and max.
11// getting a tattoo for my grandfather who passed ten years ago. I think of him every day and seeing this tattoo on my wrist makes me feel his presence even more.
12// finally having all four of my housemates and myself in the same room since graduation in atlantic city in October.
13// seeing R with max and really getting excited about our future family.
14// becoming a blogger for my cousin's business, Chelsea Dogs.
15// dressing up as characters from lisa frank for Halloween with my best friends from elementary school.
16// booking an amazing trip to Europe for this coming summer with my friend Jenna.
17// seeing one direction, the loves of my life in concert (and seeing taylor swift & ed sheeran, ed sheeran again, + ben howard. great concert year)
18// becoming a penpal with one of the sweetest girls I've never met.
19// engaging in a real life twitter conversation with Danny from the script (and being followed by both James Wolpert and Alex & Sierra, and being favorited by Mindy Kaling. LOVE her).
20// a brewery tour with R, which was one of the most fun days we've had alone together.
21// becoming even better best friends with some of my favorite girls #crewlove.
22// getting back into scrapbooking with a summer book, and continuing to find that love of creating with paper by starting project life.
23// made my first actual purchase to put away for my future home (not something I bought and used while simultaneously thinking, "this will be good in the future too").
24// having some real life conversations with R about the big things to come in the future. Big deal stuff, but very important and makes me feel so much closer to him.

I am welcoming twenty four with open arms + hope the magic of the everyday continues.