Strawberry Sundays: Birthdays & Concerts

Every Sunday, I recap the prior week and recognize the beautiful things in my life, or the "strawberries" as I like to call them, because strawberries are my favorite fruit. For the first "Strawberry Sunday" I am starting three days ago to my birthday.

Fri, Dec. 26 - I had lunch with my grandmother, shopped at Urban Outfitters and Zia Records, visited my friend Jared at Handlebar, and then came home to prepare for my party.
When I got home, I found that my parents had gone ALL OUT on my birthday! They decorated the house with streamers and balloons, made a photo slideshow on the TV, made me a cookie cake, and my dad made homemade beer for the party. It was so sweet to know that they devoted so much time and care to make sure I felt special on my birthday.
A bunch of my friends came. We played Cards Against Humanity, drank drinks, listened to music, and stated our gratefuls. I got perfume from Mia, a Paul McCartney DVD from Ryan, a cassette tape bottle opener from Nate, some music from Jason and Ted and Gabe, some beautiful printed photos from Freddie, a drawn picture from Michelle, and a portable record player from my dad.
Strawberries: Parents who make you feel special, friends who let you know just how much they care about you, and celebrating turning 24 with some of my favorite people.

Sat, Dec. 27 - I started my evening by dining at the new Culinary Dropout in Tempe alone. Sometimes I enjoy dining alone so I can catch up on social media and emails without worrying about devoting attention to another person. This time was nice, because my server was actually someone I knew, so it made the experience more enjoyable.
After dinner, I headed to The Duce for my friend Ryan's graduation party. I've known Ryan since my second semester of college when we studied audio recording together. Now five years later, our friendship has grown (mostly over music) and it's so great to see him graduating college with his degree in journalism. He's worked really hard and to see this achievement warmed my heart.
After his party, I headed to Scottsdale to see my friends Jared & the Mill play opening night at a new venue called Livewire. The boys have been on tour for most of the year, so whenever they play in town I always try to go see them.
Strawberries: Dinners alone, celebrating a friend's achievement, and enjoying music made by my friends.

Sun, Dec. 28 - Today was my baby sister's first birthday. It's been such a blessing being able to watch Madeline grow up over the past year. She has brought so much joy to my life, especially now that I live in her home. Her first birthday party was filled with love and warmth and everyone who came radiated love for her.
After her party, I headed out to Crescent Ballroom to play trivia with Freddie, and then we enjoyed the music of Courtney Marie Andrews, a lady whose music I have loved since high school. She's another musician I try to see every time she's in town now that she lives in Seattle.
Strawberries: Celebrating my sister's first birthday, being able to watch her grow over the past year, and listening to Courtney perform live another time.