Some of you may be familiar with the idea that we may move to Poland someday. Nothing is for sure, and we are just as likely to end up in London, or New York or stay in Dallas, but Poland is definitely on the table. For most, the isolation which would come from moving to such an environment would be overwhelming. Yesterday I realized that  it’s quite possible that I would survive if we did so.

You see, yesterday I celebrated my 24th birthday without seeing a single person I know, and I loved every moment.

I started things off on the right note by getting all gussied up in the new dress I bought during the Macy’s one day sale for $30. I wore the earrings my parents gave me for the wedding, the necklace TH gave me as a wedding gift, and my funnest pair of heels. I tried to leave the spare tire around my middle at home, but it insisted on spending the day with me. :(

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And a picture of the heels for no good reason, other than to show you how darling they are. (They’re actually a size too big and I can hardly walk in them, but I wear them despite the blisters.)

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Although I vowed I wouldn’t do anything business related that day, I was already headed downtown so I stopped by the county Clerk’s office to cross one important thing off of my to-do list. This isn’t the building where I found the clerk, but it’s much prettier than the building where his office resides so I took a picture of it instead.

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What is this form? It’s my assumed name certificate! I can officially open up a bank account and start accepting MONEY.

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Next stop on the birthday tour was the Dallas public library. I had high hopes, but I wasn’t that impressed until…

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I found the used book section! I got all of these book for $5.50. Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own, a hardback about the Holocaust, a book of love poems, Elizabeth Post’s The Wonderful World of Weddings (a 1970 classic which I must share with you all), and a naughty indulgence in the form of a lifestyle columnist’s memoir about her experience with pregnancy. I hope to be a mom just like her someday.

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Then it was on to Sprinkles! This nice man standing next to me saw that I was taking pictures of the Sprinkles sign and asked if I would like him to take a picture for me. Am I in focus? Nope. This goes to prove that holding a $1400 camera in your hand doesn’t even give you $1 photos if you don’t know how to focus properly. :) But at least you can see how excited I am to be there!

I ordered my cupcakes (a box of four for $13, robbery!), packed them in my car and saved them for later.

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It was time for lunch/dinner, so I stopped into La Madelaine for a quiche and lemon tart. And a little light reading on the side. :)

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A trip to the temple for an endowment session left me feeling relaxed and peace about some things I had been praying about. I know some have a difficult time understanding the temple, but there is no better way to describe it than a respite. Like the spa, except free. And a better investment in the long run. It is a way of escaping from the pressures and the stresses of the world, a place of peace. I always leave wishing I spent more time there.

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Even though I rented a movie last night (Man on Wire, a definite must see), I went back again and got another. This time I chose La Vie En Rose. Moving and beautiful. Also reinforced my belief that the Word of Wisdom is from God. Dependency on alcohol and drugs can do awful things to a person.

Once I started the movie, it was time for the cupcakes (well obviously I took these pictures before the movie started, but I ate the cupcakes during the show).

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Genius branding. All businesses can take a tip from Sprinkles. I love food that is almost too pretty to eat.

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Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. In case you were wondering the circles on top are absolutely disgusting. The emphasis is obviously on design, not taste when it comes to those bad boys.

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I don’t recommend eating more than one at a time. Unless you want a tummy ache like me. :) But I do recommend them. Once a year. Because no one can afford $3.50 cupcakes more often than that.

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A lovely birthday. Could have been made twice as wonderful with my husband sitting on the couch eating cupcakes and swooning over the music with me (okay, he would have watched very passively, not swooned), but at this point we’re so happy that he has a good job I can’t complain about the many nights we spend apart. And the reunions when we come together once again are so sweet.

How does 24 feel? Great on my end. I wish a day just as wonderful for all of you in the year to come. Thank you for all of your lovely words and birthday wishes, they were the cherry on top of my sundea of a day. (Or the sprinkle on top of my cupcake if you will.)

XOXOXO

That Wife

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