I turned 27 yesterday, and it was low-key, fun, and I honestly think it was one of my best birthdays ever. I thought it’d be fun to kind of blend my usual weekly snapshot format in with a little birthday recap, so here goes!

5 things I learned while 26:
1. Unexpectedly losing my job was simultaneously terrifying and thrilling. Sometimes a shock like that can turn out to be incredible.
2. Having someone by your side when life throws you unexpected curve balls is one of the best feelings ever. When things get hard, marriage can be even more beautiful than it is when things are easy.
3. If you’re able to laugh about something every day, you’re doing something right.
4. Netflix is seriously the best invention of all time.
5. Singing along to the radio in the car is one of life’s simplest pleasures.

4 trips we took when I was 26:
1. Local RV trip in March as a weekend getaway
2. Chicago, IL in April to celebrate our 2nd anniversary
3. Rochester, NY in May to visit TJ’s family and friends
4. Charlotte, NC in September to go to the Steelers/Panthers game

3 things I ate on my 27th birthday:

1. A top notch vanilla cake with vanilla bean frosting that my mom made from scratch (SO GOOD!)
2. My first ever frozen hot chocolate
3. A strawberry crepe for breakfast

2 things I really wanted for my birthday:

1. To spend time with the people that mean the most to me.
2. To watch the Steelers beat the Texans.
(Check and check!)

1 thing I want to remember about being 26:
I worried a lot about death and losing those close to me this past year, which is morbid and honestly draining. While 27, I’m going to try to focus more on enjoying all the time that I get with my friends and family and try to dwell less on the fact that life isn’t permanent.

Here’s to 27!