the big 21

so i turn 21. a HUGE deal for most people, not so much for me. i don't drink so your typical "get wasted [legally]" party is definitely not what i wanted. i was originally going to have a very cute black and white mad tea party but it fell through, which was quite upsetting but what i ended up doing ended up being so much more memorable.

i've always been interested in odd things, ghosts and the queen mary being two of them. i've been bugging my mom about going to the queen mary with me so she decided to get rooms at the queen mary hotel for my birthday. i was so excited, and a little hopeful something ghostly might happen...

myself, my mom, and brother drove down to long beach together and we started off by stopping at cisco burger for lunch on the way. my sister, brother-in-law, and dad met up with us later in the evening. we checked in when we got there and had fun seeing the rooms and then we explored the ship. later that evening, when everyone was there, we had a yummy dinner at one of the restaurants on the ship. the next day was jam packed with breakfast and then tour after tour. on the way home we stopped at cafe rio for dinner. it was tiring and so fun. the history is amazing! all the things that ship went through, it's no wonder it's haunted!

many parts and fixtures in the rooms on the queen mary are original pieces from when the ship sailed. it was so interesting to see, and almost a gateway to the past just imagining how people sailed across the ocean on this huge vessel.

sadly there were no ghostly experiences but it was an amazing birthday none-the-less! i spent the weekend with the people that care most in my life, which is priceless and irreplaceable.

the queen mary

my sister and brother-in-laws room

one of our tour guides [he was adorable!]

the third class swimming pool, my favorite, and one of the most haunted areas of the ship

a dismantled boiler room, another very haunted area

birthdays at the beach

my moms birthday just passed on April 11th and to celebrate she wanted to have a weekend at the beach. she and my sister found a very cute and quaint place to stay at.

it was an interesting set up that worked perfectly for our family. it was the top floor of a building that had three separate rooms. each room had its own key so different people could rent out each room but share the floor. we rented all three rooms so we had the dining room area and sitting room all to ourselves [which was perfect for our late night games of flinch!]. it was so pretty, each room had a view of the beach.

we hit the beach on the first day and had my moms birthday dinner at one of her favorite seafood places, the whale's tail, that night. we stayed up way too late playing games and the next day got breakfast and hit the outlets, another of my moms favorites.

the trip was a success. my mom enjoyed her birthday and so did everyone else! the atmosphere of the hotel was so fun to be in, and who doesn't like to be by the beach? [besides my hair...ha]. my family is amazing and i enjoy [almost] every second i get with them. :]

the dining room area

view of the beach from my parents room

the birthday girl!!

my mom and dad

new surroundings

its been a while...it's that awkward line you say when you know you probably should have talked to someone sooner, but didn't.

there's so many new things that have happened recently. first off, 2010. second off, a huge step forward in my life: i moved out. on january 24, 2010 i moved into an apartment with a friend i met in college. it's a cute one bedroom apartment with a very retro feel. sharing a room is new for me, seeing as i've had my own room my entire life.

these past couple months have definitely been a learning experience. i feel like i'm growing and maturing in a way i couldn't have living with my parents. one big thing is definitely learning the value of things and budgeting. it's hard at times, but worth it in my book.

another huge thing happening is turning 21 at the end of the month. this is a huge deal to me because, don't yell at me, i feel old. i know 21 isn't old, but i feel like i'm starting the next portion of my life. i also feel like i really should be further, career wise, and that's making this particular birthday harder.

i'm not a big fan of resolutions or unnecessary goals, but i have determined that upon turning 21 i will come up with goals to achieve by mid twenties and thirties. we'll see how it turns out. ha.