24 – I’m so excited for you. You somehow feel so much more legit than 23. You feel more comfortable than 23. I can tell you have big things in store for me and I’m really looking forward to finding out what those are. I was worried, since you were gonna be the first year since The Office ending – the first year without new Jim pranks, Dwight one-liners and weird Creed moments. I was also worried because 24 is such a young mom age and I don’t plan on giving up microwave popcorn for dinner and sleeping until noon on Saturday. I was furthermore worried because I have no idea how I’ll deal with my inevitable quarter-life crisis in the near future – I hate motorcycles and fancy cars, I can’t get a tattoo or have an affair, I will never need fake boobs, and I’m already getting a graduate degree. How will I shake things up and make myself feel important when I start to lose my mind?! I guess 24 is the year to figure it out.

What an amazing birthday! You guys are the greatest. Seriously my favorite part of my birthday is all the nice things people post, comment and text me. I guess that makes me a bit of an attention whore. Whatever, I don’t care. It fills my love tank and makes me want to be the good person you guys seem to think I am. Joke’s on you, I’m awful. But I want to be better for y’all. 🙂

The Beard, my MIL Kitty, and two of my Holdaway sisters Abby & Haley showed up in my classroom with balloons, Kitty’s famous smore’s cupcakes (my favorite of all time) AND candy for my kids. How sweet is that? Obvs my kids were psyched.

After school I headed downtown to go birthday shopping – all I ever want to do. I walked all over the Gateway and lucked out. A Star Wars graphic hoodie with LEATHER SLEEVES, a gorgeous ruby red tweed pencil skirt that The Beard called “burlap,” and about 20 other beautiful, unnecessary things! This is the life. Walking around a mall, by myself, buying whatever I feel like. I can’t wait to be a real life trophy wife.

Then The Beard took me to dinner and a movie, which is my favorite way to spend an evening. BTW Gravity is a 2 hour anxiety attack, if you’re into that kind of sciency thing.

Saturday we took Holdaway Family pictures. Haley and I are usually assumed to be biological sisters when we’re out in public. People think The Beard is the in-law and I’m one of the blonde Holdaway sisters. I’ll take it!

Yeah, we brought Glen Coco. He’s our baby and who knows when we’ll have an actual tiny human as part of our family. Our family can just deal with it for now.

ZOMBIE WAR ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! Saturday night my friends Nicole, Callie and Emilee joined me and my Holdaway ladies to kill some zombies. You ride around in a truck with paintball guns mounted to the railing and shoot like crazy. It was so fun! Give it a try, especially if you’re as into Walking Dead as we are!

Thank you all so much for being so awesome. I love you guys and I’m so grateful for birthdays!!! 🙂 Alright 24, let’s do this.