It is a Sunday night, as I write this, and I have been wondering all day long what kind of post I should publish next. I love making my blog diverse so my posts never seem too monotonous.

The past few weeks have been the epitome of the word “busy.” Today I wanted to take some time to slow down and reflect on what’s been going on lately with me and my life.

 

18th Birthday – I’ve gone back and forth on whether or not I’m going to do a “reflecting back/18 years of life” and the jury is still out. But, as for right now, I’m going to give a more surface level synopsis.

My actual birthday is on April 26th, which fell on a weekday this year; so we celebrated a little early on the 23rd by going out to Olive Garden (a.k.a my FAVORITE restaurant!) This has been a tradition for the past 3-4 years and I don’t see it ending any time soon.

 

 

The waiters were so sweet and sang “Happy Birthday” to me and gave me a piece of cheesecake. Which was probably the best slice I’ve ever had –  if I do say so myself… 😉

 

Manicures with momma bear – Another birthday tradition for me is to get my nails and toes done just in time for my birthday. This year was extra special because my mom got her nails’ done, too! Of course, we first had to stop at Dunkin’ Donuts for lunch before heading to the nail salon….

 

 

Birthday-day – My actual birthday day was beautiful. It was sunny and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. My mom, grandma, and I decided to go to our local shopping mall which also has a carousel. Guys, I don’t care if I’m 18 or 81, when the opportunity to ride a carousel presents itself, you don’t turn it down.

I also got my makeup done at the MAC counter and fell in love with this look. I normally don’t wear this much makeup, but I love how she made it look like not too much.

 

 

 

After hours of walking and shopping we were super hungry. After being stuck in rush hour traffic for quite a while, we finally made it to Panera. I didn’t take a picture of my food, #bloggerprobs.

I got the Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich and the Vegetarian Garden Soup w/ Pesto. They were both AH-mazing! It was the perfect end to a sweet eighteen.

 

Graduation + Birthday Party – This party has been in the works for months and I cannot say thank you enough for not only the party, but for the memories, gifts, people I’m blessed to know, and memories I’m lucky to have made.

On the day of the party it was pouring down rain and it did NOT let up all day long. The parking lot of the venue that was rented for the party was flooded and the rain was leaking in the front door of the party room. I was super scared that no one would show up due to the horrid weather. It was honestly like something out of a movie, you know the part where you doubt if everything will turn out like you want it to?

Well, this movie has a happy ending. The party started at 6 p.m. and people started showing up at 6:15. I was so happy!

I was hugging people (who were soaking wet) before they could even take off their rain coats; I didn’t even care, haha.

 

 

 

 

My cake table | My Uncle Bud and I dancing ❤

 

 

Speaking of cutlery, my cake was one of my favorite aspects of the night. My family and I had been searching Pinterest for weeks trying to find inspiration and we found a ton. We eventually got our “vision” and went to our local bakery to make it come to life.

I’m a red velvet fanatic and my grandma made sure that the top layer of the cake was 100% red velvet with creamy cream cheese frosting. My taste buds were in heaven and they still haven’t come back.

Dear Lord, thank you for the great blessing that is red velvet cake!

 

That is all for this “Life Lately.” These past few weeks have been filled with running errands, late nights, and quite a few stressful moments, but all in all, it was wonderful. These are memories made and while this post is kind of lengthy and scattered, I thought you guys might enjoy to see a peek into my more personal life.

18 years have passed since I was born. For a long time I felt sad, like a part of me was going away, but that isn’t true. I’m still me, my age is all that’s changed. Yes, a chapter has ended, but a new one is just beginning and I’m so excited.

God and God alone is the keeper of my future; I will not fear any evil ❤

 

Question time:

What’s your thoughts on red velvet? Yay or nay?

Did you have a graduation party? Tell me about it!