Last year I celebrated 29 with an ice cream cake, and I planned to do the same this year, but three different grocery stores were out of the ice cream I wanted. I was enraged that the universe would deny me the birthday cake I desired, but then I thought maybe it's a lesson. Maybe it's my fault for wanting to use another ice cream flavor in my cake, when I claimed last year that only one particular flavor would do.  Or more realistically, maybe it's just that 30 should be less about hating what I don't have yet and feeling grateful for what I do have. Because really, gummy bears and a dry rose are all I need.

So in that vein, other things I'm grateful for this week:

1. A new job where I have to use my brain everyday, for what feels like the first time in years. It feels kind of like the first mile after months of couch potato status, where you feel like you are dying and out of breath but also like, hey, I'm doing something good for myself!
2. And on that note, permission from my podiatrist to start running again! One mile, 2x per week, let's do this!
3. Those gummy bears above. I was so excited to get them from my friend Susan, but also secretly rudely thinking, "oh, but they aren't Haribo." Maybe not, but they are actually crazy good. Candy snobbery is wrong.
4. My sister, who will Skype with me at 10pm to brainstorm "looks" and then send me a shopping list for Sephora when I remember 3 days beforehand that I'm supposed to do my own makeup for a wedding.
5. Voting for the first female presidential nominee from a major party!! Yeah, I cried a little in that ballot box.
6. Speaking of crying, my mom sent me a congratulations card for my new job and I bawled. I forgot to say thank you.
7. And my dad, who sent his grown up daughters to Hogwarts for their birthday, and made two 3x10-year-olds very happy, and now I get to hold my very own wand and pretend it wasn't a huge waste of money. 
8. The Gilmore Guys, for making a long walk to work entertaining even if they are discussing season 7 and even when this morning I walked by what I'm fairly certain was a bucket of human poop.
9. Alex, my roommate, who had someone come clean our apartment while I was on vacation and on Monday I noticed my reflection in our stove for the first time ever. I'm not proud of that fact but at least now I know I'm truly terrible/lazy at cleaning. 
10. San Francisco "summer". Seriously, Orlando and Syracuse were HOT. I've needed a jacket all week and I love it.

Obviously I could go on, but 10 seems like a good round number and so I'm playing myself off.  That's it with the life lessons and sappy emotions until my next birthday and/or blogiversary!