Seasoned With Sydney

I've been a new age for exactly one week today. The slider is quickly reaching the middle of the twenty- something scale, and it is a fact that both scares me and excites me, depending on the day.

There are two types of people I've met in this world: people who absolutely looove birthdays, and people who threaten physical harm if there's even so much as a whisper of their birthday in the air. Me? I think I fall somewhere in the middle. I like birthdays, I think they're cool. I think it's important to celebrate each one because you never know how many you're going to get in this world. But I don't really go all out. Honestly, it's partially because they tend to sneak up on me now that I'm no longer in elementary school and there's no longer the obligation of a parent to throw a mini party with enough tiny forks and plates and cups, and copious amounts of brightly-colored frosted cupcakes for each member of my class. I also don't go all about because there's so much hype around birthdays that once it's over, I always feel a little bit of loss because I have to wait another whole year to again be the Birthday Princess.

I do exactly what I want, and when I want on my birthday; absolutely no exceptions. If I want to binge-watch an entire season of Friends in an afternoon, there is no judgement. If I want to sing at the top of my lungs to the hits off of The Emancipation of Mimi album in a house full of people, I'm going to do it. AND, if I want to bake my own birthday cake from start to finish and entirely from scratch, well, yeah I'm going to do it. And I did. I baked my own birthday cake. Three layers of very tender vanilla cake, slathered in a LOT of delicious buttercream frosting dyed a decidedly peach-ish tone depending on the angle, and topped with cute little sprinkles. It took me approximately four hours to make in total, and I loved every single second of it. For one, this cake is a GIANT step up from my last attempt to make a very small, very sad excuse for a cake. That very simple cake was hard work manifested. And it was delicious.

The older you get, the more time you spend reflecting. To that affect:

Five Very Important Things I've Learned in My Twenties So Far

Friends come and go, and friendship is a two-way street. Only make the effort for those who make the effort for you. That's what makes it special.
Quality over quantity in all aspects of life.
Listen to your elders when they're trying to tell you something. They've got stories that are better than anything you'll see in theaters, and, apart from the tiny embellishment here and there to keep your attention, they're totally true.
Work hard and have patience. You'll get everything you need and even some of the things you want, but it's probably going to take some time. And you know what? That’s okay.
Having a plan is great, but don't forget to deviate sometimes and just enjoy the ride. Nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say.

As far as birthdays go, this one was pretty ace.

Here's to many more, eh?