My Year

Next Sunday, the 19th of September, will mark my 24th birthday. I love birthdays, I always have. I guess it's because it brings about two things I always enjoy; good food and loads of attention, (I can't help it, I love attention).

I've spent most of this evening trying to plan my birthday weekend. As far as I'm concerned, the 4-5 days, up to a week, surrounding the actual day of your birthday is a time to be completely selfish and demand things you usually wouldn't get. For me, this involves making my entire family sit down to a vegetarian meal, (veggie burgers or sheppard's pie made of lentils at this stage), having M cater to whatever I want to do and dressing up a little too much for not a whole lot. I also try to have all my friends, who have nothing to do with each other except at my birthday and sometimes Christmas, come together for dinner. Unfortunately, I can't get them all in the same place at the same time this year, (this makes me sad).

Every year as I plan, I also reflect back on the year just had.

What a year this one has been.

My 23rd birthday saw me have dinner outside at a restaurant with my friends for the first time since my 20th. I had serious dreams of spending Summer at the beach house, (and did), and was contemplating going back to part time correspondence study.

My 4 closest girlfriends at my 23rd dinner.

My 24th birthday sees me fitting in my birthday selfish-self between full time work weeks. I exercise regularly, photograph everything (because life is amazing), and have plans to return to University. M & I shoot down to the beach house every sunny weekend we get, and we're seriously looking at buying a house together. I own pots, pans, knives, and everything else you'd ever need in your kitchen cupboards. I seriously value my 1000 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets and I go to Coles on Thursdays to check out what's on special for the week.

Boy life has changed. I love it!

With that, I am inspired. 23 was the age I wanted to start work. My whole aim was to get a job, even if it was part time, even if it was part time and online, I wanted to make my own money. I wanted that 'normality'. I got it!

So what do I want for 24? I've always set the bar high, and I seem to keep reaching it, so here goes nothing;

-More than anything, I want to buy a house with M and make a home together.

-I want to return to study. I believe I've found my passion, and that is nutrition.

-I want to progress in my current job, whatever form that takes.

-I plan to become the fittest I have ever been.
-This needs to combine with the best lifestyle through food I can muster, (I would say diet, but I hate the word), to become the healthiest I have ever been.
-I want to stop taking all the medication I still take.

There it is, what I want to do over the next year.

And I will do it.

I love birthdays so much.
When is yours?
Do you believe in star signs?
Me? No. I am so the opposite of every Virgo trait I have ever been told about.

I am so happy at the moment. I hope that comes through in my posts, even a little. Life is so fantastic! I find myself springing into work on Monday. I must be so incredibly annoying.

Smiling in the heat last Summer. So happy just to be.
(and so excited 'just to be' in warm weather again!)

Nat x