It was my birthday on Saturday. September 1. I was born into the world around 1130AM on that day to Ralph & Velvet 24 years ago. I had an older brother, Chad, and I cried like a donkey/Horshack. In 1990 my sister Jes came into the world and she looked like a monkey. (really, she had a LOT of hair)
My mum recently posted pictures on Facebook of me through the years and it made me realize how blessed I was and still am to have so many amazing things.
I am strong. Looking at the pictures not only brought back a flooding of childhood memories, but also recent ones. I remember how much I've over come in my life.
Some bad things happened in childhood, come jr high I had almost no friends, my parents separated and got back together, I did drugs and got clean. I moved out, moved back in and moved out again. I went to school, failed, and then went back and am kicking ass at it.
Last years birthday was a really rough time for me. One of my best friends in the world walked away and he never turned around. Chelsea and Dean came to my rescue. From then on? We have been a tripod. A triangle. The strongest shape in the world.
This year, me and a different best friend figured things out and started talking again. Chelsea & I went to Vegas on a girls trip. Renee and I got closer, Nix has been there on countless 3AM nights where I needed to cry on her shoulder, and the tripod remains stronger than ever.
This weekend, the weekend I turned 24, the tripod took on the city of Edmonton with a few other friends. The tripod stood through Friday, Saturday, & Sunday. We were gazelles and t-Rexs, we were drunk, we danced, and I may have shed a few tears. Sunday was an interesting night. I had a moment of clarity in my drunken stupor and lost it a bit. Dean & Chelsea came to the rescue and sat with me. They reminded me that we are a triangle. We are always going to be there for each other. We are strong. We stand united.
I have been blessed beyond measure this past week. When I needed friends, they stepped up. Jessi was there for me when I needed to cry, dean dropped everything to come over, Chelsea talked to me at 1am, nix reminded me about life decisions, Renee talked me through a situation.
I believe that everything happens for a reason. I'm not sure what some of them are sometimes, but this weekend showed me who was there. Not just the people that showed up, but the people that are THERE. 100%. Ready to give up a night of sleep to celebrate, cry, hug, laugh, anything.
It is YOU that I am toasting on my birthday. To Chelsea, Dean, Jessi, Sean, Nix, Renee, and my family. I wouldn't be half as strong as I am without you. So on my birthday, I toast you. Here's to another year of reminding each other that we're amazing. Another year of sleepless nights, study dates, slo pitch, tears, hugs, and laughs. I love you all more than you know. I appreciate you all more than you know.
Here's to YOU
