I cannot believe I am actually 25 years old now! Where has all the time gone?! My birthday this year was the best ever! It just kept getting better and better. I felt a surge of overflowing bliss! I have not had as good of a time as I did this weekend in a long time. Just plain awesomeness!
First off, I want to thank God for allowing me to live this long. I am here because He saved me. I received a very special gift... a second chance in life. I am trying my hardest to not waste a minute of it on meaningless matters. I want to treasure every second of my new life and take absolutely nothing for granted Even one single breath is precious.
I also want to thank my parents who gave birth to me 25 years ago. I know raising me was not easy whatsoever. You both always gave me your all and did the best you could to steer me down the right path. No matter what I do or did, you still love me unconditionally. I am so grateful and proud to be your daughter.
Major thank yous to my siblings who have put up with this tyrant all these years. I was not always a good role model to you two, but despite that, you both have turned out to be amazing young adults. You two are my role models and inspirations to be a better person. I am truly blessed to be your big sister.
Special thanks to my closest friends. Your love and support help keep me sane. You all are my outlets to the outside world. I know I can always count on you guys to be there not only for me but also for my family. I can confide in you all about anything. Without you guys, I would not be where I am today.
Thank you to everyone who celebrated with me! I appreciate all the love and kind wishes. I am one lucky girl!
How did I celebrate?
On Friday, I did my makeup. My mom got me dressed and ready. At night, I went out to dinner with my girlfriends An, Gracia, Kim, and baby Abbey. It was the first time I went out to dinner with the girls and also the first time I went somewhere without my family accompanying me. At 6 PM, my mom and brother dropped me off at Choo Choo Sushi, which is located right in front of my neighborhood. The girls were already waiting inside for me. They were surprised and just as excited as I was that my mom and brother were not staying for dinner. We ate, talked, and laughed throughout dinner. We caught up on each other's lives. Then, we took pictures and ate cake. Yummy!
 |
| The girls and I celebrating my 25th birthday at Choo Choo Sushi. |
When I was looking online to find restaurants near my house, I stumbled upon Frozen Cafe. Their website looked really nice, so I told the girls I wanted to check it out. It was located in the same strip as the restaurant. The cafe sold gelato, yogurt, and coffee. We tasted a few gelato flavors. I decided to get red velvet. It was delicious! The girls refused to let me pay for anything. The girls got yogurt while I sat at the table, eating my ice cream. When they came to table after paying for their yogurt, they informed me that the young man behind the counter was going to pay for my ice cream. Yay me! We talked some more. Around 9:30 PM, my mom called me to see if I was ok. She was worried about me since she had not heard from me for hours. I told her that she could pick me up. My parents came shortly to take me home. I told my mom to push me to the counter so that I could thank the guy for the ice cream. I parted with the girls afterwards. I had such a fun night with the girls. Oh how much I have missed hanging out with the like that! Love you girls with all my heart!
 | |
| My best friends and I hanging out at Frozen Cafe. |
On Saturday, I did my makeup again. My mom got me dressed before she left to go pick up some food. My dad got me into my wheelchair and washed my hair. He even blow-dried my hair for me. My mom came home with a bunch of food. Around 6 PM, my mom's two best friends came, and then my former co-worker, now close family friend, Nghi and her mom arrived shortly after. One of my mom's best friend Cô Hiền gave me this gorgeous knitted infinity scarf from Victoria's Secret and a beautiful cake from Jungle Cafe. My mom's other best friend Bác Tố gave me these lovely roses. homemade dessert, and some money. Nghi bought me my favorite gelatin dessert and this huge, delicious Napoleon cake. I love these people!
 |
| All of our close family friends came to celebrate my birthday. |
 |
| I received these beautiful roses from an old friend, who I just realize I miss having in my life. |
We started eating all kinds of Vietnamese food. I started off by eating Vịt Bắc Kinh (Peking duck) with Bánh Bao (steamed buns). Then I ate Nem Nướng Cuốn (grilled pork patty rolled in rice paper). I had a few pieces of Bánh Bột Lọc (clear shrimp and pork dumpling). I had one of my mommy's Chả Giò (egg roll). After all that, I had a small bowl of Bún Bò Huế (Huế-style beef rice noodle soup). I was so stuffed! My mom made Hủ Tiếu Áp Chảo Thịt Bò Bông Cải Xanh (pan-fried flat rice noodles with sauteed beef and broccoli) for her friend's children and my brother. After a period of sitting and talking, my mom brought out desserts. One of my mom's friend made Bánh Da Lợn (steamed tapioca layered cake) because she knows how much I love eating those. I ate one piece of that and a piece of Thạch (gelatin) that Nghi had ordered from this lady. I love the coconut bits inside the gelatin. Yum yum! :) Finally, it was time for cake!
 | |
| My family (missing my sister) and I taking pictures before I cut the cake! |
 |
| This Napoleon cake is not only yummy to look at but definitely yummy to eat too! |
 |
| This cake from Jungle Cafe is so pretty and gooood. |
At midnight on Sunday, my mom was the first to tell me 'Happy Birthday.' She told me that earlier on Saturday, while she was giving me a bed bath, she was going to wish me a happy birthday. Something told her to wait though. She later talked to my sister on the phone and told my sister to wish me a happy birthday. My sister had to remind my mom that my birthday was not until tomorrow (Sunday). My mom laughed at herself over her absentmindedness. She can be so cute sometimes.
Around 2:30 AM on Sunday, one of good guy friends Dan messaged me on Facebook Chat to wish me a happy birthday. I was really, really happy to hear from him. I had not talked or seen this friend in a long time, but I think of him often. We chatted for about an hour, catching up on what was new in our lives. It is hard for him to visit me because he is incredibly busy with pharmacy school. He was one of the few friends who visited me often when I was in the hospital. I know that no matter what happens I can always count on him to be there for me. I miss you and cannot wait for you to be free to come visit! :)
 |
| This was us celebrating 3 years ago for my 22nd birthday. |
I was supposed to go to church on Sunday morning, but I was not feeling well. I think I ate way past my limit the night before. My stomach was bothering me because of that and because I had not pooped for 2 days. My mom stayed home with me while my dad and brother went to church. I went back to sleep while my mom tried to do my bowel program, but I was constipated. Too much information? Too bad! Haha.
When my dad and brother came home, they came straight to my room and woke me up to wish me a happy birthday. They brought in these balloons that the girls had given me on Friday and claimed them as theirs to give me. We all ate leftovers for lunch. Afterwards, I started typing this post as I listened to music. My mom left around 5 PM to go to church. My brother was upstairs doing his own things. I have no clue what all my dad did. He probably took a nap. Just another typical Sunday.
Around 5:30 PM, there was a knock at the door. One of my other good guy friends Henry came to the house to wish me a happy birthday. The last time I saw and talked to him was a year ago on my 24th birthday. Although we live within walking distance, it feels like we live worlds apart. I rarely leave the house, and he is busy working. Oh how I have missed him dearly! We got caught up on everything. It was so nice to see and talk to him! He also visited me often with Dan when I was in the hospital. They truly are my best guy friends even if we rarely talk and see each other nowadays. Love you guys!
 |
| This was also taken on my 22nd birthday. |
My sister called me around 9 PM and wished me a happy birthday. We talked for a bit. She was sick, so I did not keep her long on the phone. It was so great to hear from her. I ended my birthday weekend on a perfect note. I cannot wait for her to come home so that we can go eat at a Korean restaurant. Thanksgiving break come quicker!
 |
| Even though she was not physically here to celebrate, I still have to put an old picture of us up. |
Before my accident, I had my whole life planned. Well, at least. I thought I did. I saw myself graduating at 23 years old. After graduation, I wanted to get engaged, and then I was going to travel around the world for a year. How would I afford that? I figured I would either continue to work at the pharmacy as a pharmacy technician or be a substitute teacher. I would have gone on a road trip to New York then to Canada. I wanted to go on cruises. I would travel around Europe. I definitely wanted to go to Korea and Japan. After traveling, I would try to get a job at an elementary school as a 4th or 5th grade teacher. At 25 years old, I would get married and have my firstborn at 27 years old. This was my ideal life.
Boy, can my life be any further from that plan? Now that I am 25 years old I see that plan was a bit silly. No matter how much you plan your life, everything can change in a split second. I am taking things slowly now, one day at a time. I no longer expect anything or else I would be setting myself up for possible failure. I feel like I have gotten wiser although I do miss the innocence of young age. Where will I be in another quarter of a century? Who knows? I honestly do not want to know, but I look forward to finding out as time continues to go on. I am ready for the future. I am ready for next year's birthday celebration!
 |
| Thank you for reading my blog and celebrating with me! Now it is time to eat some cake! :) |
No comments:
Post a Comment