birthday wishes and traditions

i turned 24 the other day. it was nice, nothing too momentous. but it's weird to say that i'm 24.

at midnight on sunday night, meredith played this gem for me, which has become something of a tradition since meredith's birthday:

then i celebrated the day with lunch at p.f. changs and a couple rounds of mini golf (have i talked about mini golf yet? well, don't you worry, i am going to be a pro mini golfer by the end of this year, what with the amazingness of the pass of all passes and all.). i even had three holes-in-one (hole-in-ones? not sure how it works with this one...), and there was possibly some excessive celebration on the course.

but the best part of my birthday celebration, which extended over a few days, actually, was hearing all of the nice things my friends and family had to say about me. we've always done this in our family, and my friends have a tradition where everyone in the circle says either their first or favorite memory or an admirable quality of the birthday honoree. i'm not really trying to toot my own horn or anything, since my birthday, legitimate toot-your-own-horn day, is over, but it is nice to be recognized and appreciated. i realized/remembered what amazing people i have in my life and how grateful i am for them.

so, one of my birthday wishes is to make other people feel that same way. i know how good it feels to be appreciated, and i don't do that enough for the people i love. i want to tell them more often how great i think they are and how much i love being around them.

that should make the year between now and my next birthday move a little faster, right?