Two Birthdays, One Weekend

Hello, dear readers! I have had one of the best weekends I've had in a while, probably at least since Roomie moved away. It was also the first time going out both a Friday and a Saturday in a very long time. I had a blast at two separate birthday parties, and it came at perfect timing. Next weekend, Man Friend and I are moving into our apartment. In case that won't be busy and crazy enough, we have to make sure to have mostly everything moved by Saturday because Sunday we'll be spending the afternoon with family for Easter. After we finally have our own place, we won't be going out too much. We will definitely be staying in quite a bit more to save money, so IRL friends, feel free to come and drink with us at home.

Friday one of Man Friend's close friends turned 22. We started the evening off in the hotel room he rented, and worked our way to some of the Stadium bars for him to drink for free. We ran into some other friends with whom we were able to chat a little. I got to meet some of Friends' friends from work and college and we overall had a pretty good time.

Saturday, Man Friend, the birthday boy and two of their other friends went up north to finish the birthday celebration with a guys' night. Although I really wish Man Friend could have joined me for the second birthday party, I'm glad he got to spend time with his friends. They were excited to drink and hang out without interruptions and have an all-you-can-eat prime rib at one of the area restaurants. It sounds like they all enjoyed themselves, so even though I missed having my guy out with me, it was really good that he joined his friends for guy night.

Snapping a pic while we not-so-patiently waited for dinner

My coworker turned 30 last night and had a huge celebration with dinner and drinks planned. I didn't think I would be able to afford both, so I had only planned on meeting everyone out for drinks later in the evening. Much to my surprise, one of my coworkers asked me to come with her to dinner a few hours beforehand and offered to pay for me so I didn't have to miss out. I couldn't believe the offer, especially because the restaurant is decently pricey. But I really appreciated the offer and was excited to join so I accepted. I don't remember the name of the restaurant, but it was a sushi/hibachi bar. The service was less than phenomenal and there was a minor disaster with the bills at the end of the evening, but the food was absolutely amazing. I had sushi for only the second time and am still surprised at how much I enjoy it. Not because of the raw fish or seaweed thing. I just don't like rice. I also enjoyed more than plenty of hibachi veggies, chicken and shrimp and was pleasantly surprised to find I enjoyed the green tea ice cream.

After dinner, we headed to one of Birthday Girl's favorite bars to finish off the rest of the night. Not only did she handle 30 very well, she was actually incredibly excited to say goodbye to her 20s and turn 30. I've been dreading turning 25 for a solid seven months already, and here she was throwing a huge bash for 30. Um, what? She had a gorgeous new outfit, got all kinds of "30" accessories and photo props for picture-taking-wonderfullness. The best part of her ensemble was her brand new diamond...her boyfriend proposed right before dinner! There was no questioning how happy she was and just glowed all night. She also got a keg so we drank for free for the rest of the night, brought in cupcakes to satisfy our sweet cravings and we danced all night to N SYNC goodness.

I always enjoy having nights out with my coworkers, particularly because it doesn't happen very often. Most of them live in the Fox Valley, and with me in Green Bay, we don't get too many opportunities to hang out after work. We've had a few happy hours after work, but this was the first time I was able to participate in a Saturday outing. My coworkers and I get along so well and are some of the greatest coworkers I've ever had. If I ever get a permanent job, not seeing them every day will be the hardest part about leaving the job I'm in now.

With some of my coworkers

The Birthday Girl and me

Happy birthday once again to both friends. I hope you enjoyed your days!

My Before 30 Bucket List

Lately, I've been struggling a lot with the idea of what it means to be successful. Mainly because I don't feel remotely successful at all. I always thought that after graduation, two years to be exact, I'd be so much farther along in life than I am. Still being in a dead-end temp job with no leads in the job search, I feel like I have so much catching up to do, even though I'm not quite 24.

My roommate and I have this discussion a lot, mostly because we're both in the same boat. Neither one of us are where we want to be/where we thought we'd be at this point in our lives. These pity parties for two then develop into the "I'm scared to turn 25 and/or 30" conversation. I've come to the conclusion that the people who have the issue with hitting those dreaded numbers are always the people like us, worried about where their life is headed and why it's not headed there fast enough.

So I've come up with a Bucket List for myself of things I want to accomplish by the time I'm 30. Something to hold myself accountable for not falling into any more of a slump. In no particular order:

• Have at least 1, preferably 2, fiction pieces published
• Work for a non-profit
• Visit my mom in TN as much as possible
• Take at least one big vacation
• Visit at least 6 restaurants in my Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives book (one a year)
• Visit my family out on the East Coast
• Have at least 1,000 views on each blog, or whatever blog I'm working on
• Get married
• Put a significant dent in my student loans