you should have friends like mine....

so, those of you who know me know that i love to celebrate.
holidays.
vacations.
important school days.
birthdays.
anniversaries.
milestones.

in fact, when i taught 5th grade, every kid's birthday was an occasion. the door to the class and the kid's desk were decorated, there was extra recess time, the kid got a special gift and we read "on the night you were born" on each birthday.
and when my sister turned 21, we had a surprise party for her....complete with imprinted m&ms and fake jello shots....
i crave holiday decorations. for each holiday.
on my one year b-more anniversary, i ate at the first restaurant i ate at when i moved again.

in short, i just love it.

so when my birthday was coming up (and my 25th, at that -- an important one!) i started celebrating on my blog with lists of 25. and i thought about ways i could celebrate with friends, but didn't feel like planning a party to celebrate me (it's just not really my thing).
i decided that i just wanted to spend some time with the people i love. i didn't really care what we did, i just wanted to be with my friends.

little did i know that my friends had a plan.
and a list of their own.
25 things to do for me on my birthday.

like all wearing my favorite color. and a big group hug.
a children's book (which i will forever view a little differently than it was intended)
a game of spoons. taking pictures.
a list of 25 things that happened in 1985. flowers.
sitting on the floor.
and so on.

it was low key. simple.

but completely right up my alley.
very special.
thoughtful.
perfect.
and done so that i felt genuinely and dearly loved.

i cannot express how much it meant to me.
my friends are simply amazing.

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