Last Sunday, February 26th, I celebrated my 22nd birthday. I had a great, fun-filled weekend that included a girl’s dinner at Panzanella (my favorite Chapel Hill/Carrboro restaurant) with my roommates, Meg and Kristen, and my friend Katie who was visiting from Wake Forest, a party at my apartment with a lot of my Chapel Hill friends, a birthday brunch with my family, and a fun trip to Durham for dinner and drinks with my boyfriend, Brad! It was the best weekend I have had in a while, and it was just the right amount of fun and relaxation before all of the midterms and meetings I had this week before Spring Break. While birthdays are always fun, this one was the first I have had where I have actually felt that I am “growing up.” The glamor of being 21 has started to fade, and the reality of the world after college has started to settle in. Based on the presents I got from my parents, it is clear that they realize I am growing up too! Last year’s 21st birthday looked like this:
Lots of alcohol from my friends/family!
This year, however, the presents I got looked like this:
Magic Bullet!
Serving tray
Kitchen utensils
Surprisingly, I actually like this year’s presents just as much than last year’s presents (if not more!) I absolutely love cooking and being in the kitchen, and it was fun to get some new supplies. I also love hostessing and entertaining, so my parents gave me these adorable mini tasting bowls and silverware along with two cookbooks, one with recipes for mini desserts, and the other detailing mini appetizer recipes. I plan to get a lot of use out of these!
I was also spoiled because my parents brought me a tasty vanilla cake, and my roommate Kristen bought me a delicious chocolate ganache cake!
Needless to say, my healthy eating habits took a bit of a hit this week! However, I still managed to run some, and I am feeling great about my progress with the Couch to 5K training program.
I may even go so far as to say that I am beginning to enjoy running! When I don’t have the time to run, I even feel a little disappointed. Let’s hope this feeling sticks! Tonight my sister joined me for my run. Although she really didn’t want to come and complained about any hill we encountered, I think she ended up being proud of herself for coming along. I wish I was going to be with her all week to keep her motivated! However, tomorrow morning, I am headed on my Spring Break trip to Charleston, Hilton Head, and Savannah with Brad and a couple of our friends! I am incredibly excited to have a week off from school spent relaxing with good friends! Let’s hope I can manage to eat reasonably healthy while dining out this week and find time to continue my running habit. I made sure Brad packed some work out clothes, so here’s to hoping that he joins me!
Anyone have any suggestions of great places to eat or visit in Charleston, Hilton Head or Savannah?
lise on life 
