#40. Customize a Bikini

Let me begin by answering a few questions…

Yes, I am still alive.

No, your e-mail is not broken.

No, I have not abandoned the bucket list nor blogging.

I am truly apologetic for the delay between posts, but alas, life has managed to throw some obstacles my way. Nevertheless, have no fear! I’m going to be crossing off some really great list items here in the next couple of days, so stay tuned!

As you may have seen on Twitter (it saddens me that I’m citing social media named after an annoying onomatopoeia as a legitimate means of communication), yesterday was my day of birth. This was no ordinary birthday either. On July 17th I turned 17, rendering it my golden birthday. I was hoping that something spectacular was going to happen in light of the special occasion, but as they say… all that glitters is not gold. My morning was spent in summer class, my afternoon was spent at Walmart, and my evening was spent studying for my Precalc/Trig final. By the time my head hit the pillow last night, I was in a major funk due to the lack of excitement of the day’s events. I reasoned, after all, you only get one golden birthday; it should be something extraordinary, right? After some moping, it dawned on me: You only get one of every birthday, no matter how old you’re turning… and that’s something to be thankful for.

In effect, I began mentally reviewing the past year, and it shook me to my core to realize how much my life has changed in just 365 days. I moved to a new state and started a new school… and not just any school. I got three semesters of college credits as a dual-enrolled student. I got nearly 100 hours of volunteer work, and I even co-led a service project of my own. I got my license, a feat that seemed for distant for so long. I got the shoe-bug, collecting over 10 pairs of heels which I proudly strut all over campus (and it all started with my very first pair that I received as a birthday gift last year). I (recently) got a job. I got to live out my childhood fantasy of going to prom. I even got my first kiss. Most of all, if I haven’t said it enough already, I’ve got the best friends I could ever imagine. As you can see, I’ve gained so much (and this is only scratching the surface), and as a result, I have grown as a person. This past year has been more incredible than I could have ever imagined, a trend that I hope continues into the next year.

In order to start off the year right (even if it was a late start), I decided to break out the glue gun to accessorize my very own bikini… with gold. Hmm… where would I wear a gilded-trim bikini? How about my golden birthday party on Friday night? You’re all invited! Of course, if you can’t make it for any of the infinite reasons possible, you can definitely expect to see a big fat post all about it on Saturday… more details to come!

Love & Summer,

Sarah