The BIG 21

I'm all for low-key birthdays, so the title of this blog has nothing to do with a wild raving 21st with 21 shots, or something crazy like that. I just think in general turning 21 is a big one. It solidifies your adulthood, your responsibility in this society, and the things you are now held accountable to. You're still in your cutesy 20's, but the realities of life become more apparent. I spent my day reflecting a lot on my childhood, asking my family members to think back on what I was like as a toddler and the stages of life I have experienced since then. My day was spent in good conversation on this topic with the people I love, near and far (virtually). So, though my 21st wasn't anything outrageous, I decided yesterday morning when I woke up to photo document my very laid back day. After all, you only turn the BIG 21 once, and it was the day I decided that life does actually go by fast and it's certainly not just another saying. So live it wisely. Enjoy the day's events below...

6:45 AM- wake up call

7:00 AM- morning 2.5 mile power walk with Aunt Rose

10:30 AM- flower delivery from the boy

12:30 PM- patty melt for lunch at Harriet's Kitchen with family

3:30 PM- Awful Awful shake at Newport Creamery

6:00 PM- Surprise skype call from home, a fruit pie to all share around the table

7:00 PM- complimentary first cocktail and chicken wing at Providence Coal Fired Pizza

7:30 PM- Biana pizza and some Narraganset lager with my cousin and the boy

8:00 PM- A walk around Providence only to stumble upon a free concert

Birthday Surprises

A weekend at the Copan household in West Palm Beach, FL was a great mini break from my summer internship here in New England. Though the rain followed us all along our travels down the east coast, I couldn't have imagined a better rainy weekend in a household full of eleven people with big hearts and an even bigger sense of humor. Being with the Copans is always a delight, and there is never a dull moment in between the story telling and their Friday night acoustic jam sessions. I consider myself so blessed to be someone so dearly loved by a family that radiates the love of Christ. Just when I thought the weekend couldn't get any better with the love I felt from them, I walked into the kitchen Saturday afternoon after a wedding rehearsal to a big birthday surprise with presents and hug attacks. Completely shocked and a bit shy at first, I buried my head into my hands and thought to myself, "sometimes you just need to let people love the crap out of you and show you how special you are." So I did just that. I put on the birthday girl tiara, I sat in the special seat at the dining room table, and I opened gift after gift with the Copan clan all around me. I laughed and felt so grateful for their kind gesture, and as we started to unwind, Poppa Copan spoke some words of scripture over me as an acknowledgement of what a blessing it is to have yet another year in life. What a packed weekend. One filled with overwhelming love from a family, a newlywed couple, and the people that extended a warm welcome during my stay.

someone needed to be reminded how to tie a tie before the wedding...