Gorgeous sunset on the way home from work this past week
This past week was a bit of a tough one. Even though my tonsillitis is long gone, I still struggled a ton with neck pain, ear pressure, and headaches. I had to be on ibuprofen almost constantly for several days, so most of my week was spent trying to get through a lot of pain. Luckily, as I am writing this on Monday night, I have not had to take any ibuprofen today.
The end of the week was when things got better and more exciting. Friday was my 23rd birthday. I had been worried about this birthday for a while because 23 feels like a weird number for me. Certain numbers have always felt more comfortable for me than others, but eventually, I get used to all of them. For example, 17 is my favorite number, so I was very excited to turn 17, but when I turned 18, I was really nervous. It wasn't even about becoming a legal adult or anything; I just didn't get as good of a vibe from the number. I can't remember if I had issues with 19, but 20, 21, and 22 were all fine from what I can remember. But 23?? I was not excited to become this age. Now I've come to terms with it a lot more, but it still feels kind of weird. I recently spoke to my ex, A, and he mentioned he's 24, which I knew, but it's just so weird that he's a 24-year-old man now. It's just a little freaky to me, I don't know.
Speaking of A, when I talked to him, he told me some huge news he had gotten in the past couple of months, which was not a good update. I was honestly looking forward to the therapy appointment I had scheduled on my birthday more than my actual birthday. In fact, I was crying to my mom the night before my birthday, and I told her I wanted to reschedule my birthday because between the headaches, the anxiety I get leading up to my period (which started Sunday morning), and this scary health news from him, I just wasn't feeling up to it. After I cried a little bit, we looked through her collection of antique photos and media, which was a great bonding time for us. It made me feel a lot better, and talking to my therapist helped, too.
Anyway, for my birthday, the ladies at work set up a whole little party for me. They got me presents— a wax warmer, hair clips, a mug, and a Starbucks gift card. One coworker made me a cheesecake, another brought a tres leches cake, and another bought me tacos for lunch. We had a wonderful little taco party, and we all ate some of the tres leches cake, which was delicious. They made me feel very loved and celebrated; I'm very lucky to have these ladies in my life. At my other job, I was given a little self-care book, a box of cupcakes, and another Starbucks gift card. Even my old boss from one of my college jobs texted me to wish me a happy birthday, which was very sweet.
Here's me with my various cakes (not counting the cupcakes I also got)
For dinner, my family and I went to a new restaurant downtown that we hadn't been to. Actually, my mom had been there for lunch, but the rest of us hadn't been there, and we hadn't tried it for dinner. It's mostly a sandwich and salad restaurant, but the sandwiches were very good. I got a salmon sandwich, which I actually wouldn't order again because I didn't realize it had coleslaw on it, and I don't like coleslaw, but that's okay. My sister got a pesto chicken sandwich, and we each split ours with each other. Hers was spectacular, and I would definitely order it again. My mom got a tri-tip sandwich, and she said it was outstanding. My dad got a pulled pork sandwich, but he didn't love it because it came with coleslaw on it, too. He likes coleslaw, but apparently, it wasn't the right move. We were all very glad that we tried it, and then we went home for cake and presents. Earlier in the week, my parents got me a Costco membership, which was very exciting. I feel like such a big girl now lol. I even made a journal spread to celebrate my first solo Costco trip to get pesto for dinner. My parents also got me a really cute workout set in a gorgeous green color. I need to exchange the leggings for a different size, but I'm looking forward to wearing them. My sister got me some stickers and washi tape for my journal, which was very sweet and thoughtful of her. Also, tonight I got a delayed present from my godparents. I had asked for a molcajete and boy, did they deliver. This thing is ginormous and SO heavy. I'm a little overwhelmed by the sheer size of it, but I'm excited to season it so I can start using it.
Saturday morning, I went into town with my mom to get our flu shot and covid booster. My flu shot arm was fine, but my covid arm was extremely sore and had a bump on it for a couple of days. Saturday evening, I attended a baby shower, which I had never done before. It was for my coworker's son and his girlfriend. This will be my coworker's first grandchild, and I'm so excited for their family. This coworker is like a second mom to me, so I'm really glad I got to go help celebrate the anticipated arrival of this special baby boy.
Sunday morning, I took my sister to the store so she could stock up on some groceries for the week and get gifts for my mom's birthday, which is Tuesday. I was glad we got to have an outing together because our schedules don't align a lot of the time, so we don't get to spend very much time together. I had asked her Wednesday if she wanted to do something together over the weekend, but she wasn't in a place where she was able to give a firm answer, so I'm very glad that it ended up working out. I also had plans at 11:30 to get picked up by AP, get lunch, and get our ears pierced together. I asked AP if my sister could come with us, and she said yes, so my sister got to come to sushi lunch and the piercing shop. We also ended up running up to Fresno to walk around the mall and eat at BJs. AP and I had coupons for one free pizookie each, so my sister and I split one and AP got her own. Then we headed home, and it was a great conclusion to the weekend, at least for me. I think everyone else had fun, too. I really like my piercing, but right now, there's just a stud in it. The plan is to change it to a hoop in six months so I can have an orbital. I can't wait!
Here's my new piercing! It's my first cartilage piercing!
The weekend was much better than the rest of the week, but I'm just glad that there was an upside, and I started to feel better and enjoy my birthday. I'm looking forward to an even better week ahead. Until next Tuesday…
Love always <3
Nicole
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