Happy Birthday to Me! And 18 Things I'm Thankful For

I'm 18 today. What a serious number-I can almost feel the cynicism and wrinkles creeping in. But before I get too old, I'd like to recognize 18 things for which I am thankful in this part of my life.

1. A supportive family-though they drive me crazy, I would not be the person I am today without them.
2. Wonderful friends-they fill my life with energy and laughter and I could not wish for anything better.
3. Musical abilities-playing clarinet had done so many great things for me and I hope I never give it up.
4. My perseverance throughout my weight struggles. At my heaviest, I weighed 150lbs at a height of a mere 5'2". The summer before my freshman year in high school I started running, and the pounds came off and have stayed off (aside from the occasional PMS bloat and emotional ice cream consumption).  Now I'm content at a weight of 125lbs and still work everyday on my fitness and well-being.
5. All the teachers who supported me throughout school and who inspired me to achieve my best.
6. Crest Whitestrips and braces. A little smile goes a long way! But of course, more is more.
7. The ability to tell myself "Rachel, don't be a weenie" (doesn't work if others say it lol) and then somehow magically it gets me to try amazing new things!
8. Books.
9. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ryan Gosling, Charlie McDonnell, the unusually large percentage of good-looking young men in Washington DC, Adam Levine, etc
10. Bride Day on TLC.
11. The opportunity to receive my undergraduate education through Cal Poly.
12. People who make a point to include others and make them feel welcome/accepted.
13. Table manners.
14. Maternal instincts and the ability to really listen to people so that they feel valued.
15. Chocolate.
16. Wisdom gathered from random places.
17. DOGS DOGS DOGS-their fuzzy butts, soft ears, soulful eyes-everything about them.
18. Lastly, I'm thankful to have this blog so that I can capture the positive moments of my life to look back upon in a few years (or when I need some cheering up). As Gretchen Rubin says, the days are long but the years are long.

Weekend Updates

Well hi there!

My week calmed down after the little Sephora adventure, thank goodness. My electric kettle, popcorn maker and personal blender came in the mail! That was exciting. I'm gonna wear the heck out of the blender-I love it already. My first smoothie in it was fantastic: I threw some silken tofu, soy milk, frozen berries, banana and ice in aaand it make the perfect afternoon snack!

It was a good lookin' smoothie too :)

I also finalized my class schedule-had to add a class and drop another one, but I'm still happy with it. No friday classes, and plenty of time in the morning to train for my first half marathon!

Yesterday was amazing. My family and I went to the Academy of Sciences in SF-definitely my dream job to work there. They were featuring an earthquake exhibit but the animals were my favorite part :)

Baby ostrich! :D

Isn't it adorable how they make themselves into suction cups?

I AM A BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLY LOOK AT MY WINGS

Eel with *electric* colors!

And last night I had some friends over for what was SUPPOSED to be a Joseph Gordon Levitt movie marathon but we watched maybe 20 minutes of 50/50 and then turned it off and played Apples to Apples. It was so fun-all these girls are like sisters to me and I won't get to see them for a solid couple of months after I leave. Plus I got to make apple nachos for the first time! You take 3-4 large Granny Smith apples, slice em and lay em out all pretty and cover them with marshmallow sauce (made by melting a bag of large marshmallows + 1/4 cup butter in a pan), chocolate syrup, caramel sauce, mini chocolate chips, and sliced almonds. 

It was a hit! I think I'll use a sweeter apple next time though. It was super easy to make-perfect dessert/snack.

This morning was the best-I got up and made pancakes for everyone! I used the Krusteaz plain buttermilk mix and made three variations of it: pumpkin, peanut butter chocolate chip, and lemon blueberry (naturally I had one of each). All three were absolutely delicious and sooo fluffy! And we had bacon. Can't forget the bacon.

So today I have a shift at the library bookstore but after that I'm just chilling because I definitely did not sleep much last night.

All in all, the last 24 hours were one big party and now I'm happy but incredibly tired. Adios!

Favorite party snacks?