Birthday Recap!

Another birthday done and it was a good one! I loved reading all the facebook posts, blog comments, and emails I received all day! I had a huge smile on my face all day!

Saturday night I had a small party with some friends. It's a tradition of mine to make a pot of veggie chili for my party - since January is a chilly month (cute, right?).  I also made my mom's famous poppy-seed cake - it's birthday cake taken to a whole new level! We've been making it for years, now I just substitute the normal flour with the amazing Orgran flour - no one can tell the difference!

 I made all the fixings to go along with my rocking chili, my homemade guac, some fruit salad, cheese, chips and dip, and trail mix. And the best ingredient of all was my friends coming to celebrate with me!

 My friend Emily insisted on taking pictures of me - saying I am never in pictures (it's true). Of course, I get so nervous in front of the camera so she just took a few hundred and I pulled the best/least embarrassing ones!

 Then, Monday night. I took my last pictures as a 23 year old! I had my annual b-day photo shoot and had some fun showing 24!

 I woke up early to open my cards and gifts! My mom and Avi sent me such great cards and little gifts - I felt so loved and I smiled from ear to ear as I opened each one! I always love on my birthday at the gym when I get to punch in my new age! Taking pictures while moving quickly on the elliptical - not so easy!

Some highlights of the day? As I was catching up on twitter at the gym I tweeted Hoda Kotb mentioning it was my birthday and (!) she tweeted me a happy birthday greeting! Um, happy birthday to me! 

And it was so precious to have my class sing to me at snack time, they loved counting all the way to 24 and a few of them remarked "Geeze, Ms. Benjamin, you're old! -- ah to be 6!! I got hugs all day and some adorable b-day cards, just so sweet!

I also figured out that besides turning 24 on the 24th it was also the 88th day of school and I was born in 1988! Now it's got to be a great year, right?!

Then at the end of the day, after class, and a nice Indian dinner at the local curry house, I came home, made my birthday wish, and ate a cupcake, and vegged out. All in all a great birthday - here's to a great 24th year!