“Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest.” ~Larry Lorenzon
When I was eight, before the world was dominated by Bushs and Clintons, I made this timeline of every event in my life from my high school graduation to when I would get married and start having children. 24 was apparently the age that my eight year old mind thought would be a good time to start in on the whole marriage and parenting one-two punch. Normally I’d say that my eight year old self was high, but instead I will say Aww. Because eight year olds are cute and wistful and think that 24 is ‘old’. Eight year olds have yet to become cynical and pessimisstic. They are wonderfully optimistic most of the time and one must admit that it can be adorable.
Today is my 24th birthday and I am a tad more pragmatic and would like to set my goals a little lower. All I really want is to have a good year. There are also more personal things like the ability to eat a burrito without analyzing every bite and calming the fuck down because some things won’t ever change. But other than that it’s all very simple and the rest written down and tucked away for a rainy day. I think that if I told my eight year old self that having a baby at 24 really wouldn’t bode well for her career (never mind what she would do if I told her that she would have enough money to fill her closet with shoes, because she HATED shopping with a passion) or for her relationship with her roommate, but at 24 there could be as many cupcakes as she wanted because her mother won’t be around to say No; then she would totally be down with that. So I think I’ll shuffle things around and save those major life events for another year.
48 Comments
I am so proud of you. My goal at 13 was not to have sex until I was 25 and get married at 30. I got married at 21 and my darling son was born when I was 23. You are so much stronger than me. I’m jealous, too.
I once actually thought that I’d be dead by 30, because Sweet Jesus, 30 is OLD! Thankfully, that didn’t come true.
Happy birthday, old lady! I hope it’s a great year for you.
Happy Birthday!!!
HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY!!!
MAY THE NEXT 24 BE WONDERFUL – FULL OF ONLY LOVE, JOY AND HAPPINESS!!!
Happy Birthday!!
Have the most fabulous 24th birthday ever!!! At 24 I moved away from home to the “great state” of Mississippi. You can’t do as badly as that! LOL
Delurking to say Happy Birthday!!! I hope you have a great day…and I’m sure it will be a birthday weekend not just one day!!! Have a great one!
De-lurking to say Happy Birthday!
Enjoy where you are in life, it’s a great time!
Happy Birthday, Heather B!!
Dooode, 24. Twenty-four is good. Still young enough to be footloose and fancy free, but old enough to Know Better and grow into yourself and embrace all that you are and not care so much about what people think. Le sigh. I wish I had been even half as self-possessed as you are when I was 24.
Today is definitely the day to have as many cupcakes as you want.
Happy Birthday!
A birthday on a Friday!? Awesome! Hope it’s a great one…
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday! And here’s to all the cupcakes one deserves on their day. (Which is A LOT.)
Maybe I’ll stop by Sprinkles and have one on your behalf.
Happiest of birthdays to you!
24 was one of my most favorite years (so far anyway) I hope that it is for you too.
Happy Birthday!! Have a good time today.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
Wow, 24 seems like a lifetime ago for me!
But I’m sure it will be the best year yet for you! Happy Birthday!
(When I saw the title of this post, I immediately thought it was about the TV show on Fox. But your birthday is a far better topic!)
Happy, happy birthday!! Now I want a cupcake.
I hope you have a wonderful, fabulous year. And that you put Philadelphia on your travel schedule.
Happiest of birthdays to you, beautiful woman. And I’m glad I’m not the only one who daydreams about talking to my younger self.
happy birthday heather!!
happy 24th and may you have a specatular year!
PS – you are the third person i know whose birthday is today!
Happy Birthday. If memory serves, 24 was a great year to enjoy, old enough but yet not too old yet. BTW, I’m 34 so perhaps my memory has faded!
Happy birthday Heather!
I wish I had had the great idea of just “having a good year” at 24 but I wasn’t pragmatic enough at that time, good for you that you are already!
Happy Birthday to a wonderful person!
Happy happy birthday!!
Have a superb day! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
(PS – You’re still a baby
)
Happy birthday, sweet thing!
HB, HB!
Hooooo boy. I kill myself.
Happy birthday to the fabulous Heather B! I hope that you have a terrific year, starting with as many cupcakes as you can handle.
Happy birthday! Here’s to a very terrific year for you!
You all are so very kind. Thank you a million times over. And now, WE DRINK! or at least have a burrito and one beer.
Happy birthday, sweetie! YAY!! Enjoy your birthday burrito & cupcakes — sounds perfect to me!
Happy Birthday! Have a drink. Pamper yourself a little. Enjoy. Twenty four is a good year. Really.
Happy Birthday Heather!!!!
Happy birthday! Be sure to get your giant margarita (if i assume you’re at the burrito place i’m thinking of)!
Happy birthday! I think you should plan a big trip for your 25th.
Sadly, my 25th is right before an election. So the big trip is planned for a week or so from now. Wheeee!
Actually why am I saying ‘sadly’? I mean Thank God, there will be an election right after my 25th.
HAPPY BIRTHDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!! XO
Happy birthday, pal.
Here’s to non-analytical burrito enjoyment!
This post reminded me of how my older brothers asked me when I was 4 years old how many kids I wanted to have when I grew up, and I said, “24.”
Thank goodness some goals change. Haha.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
I wish I could share a story about when I turned 24 but I think that was the year I discovered Jager…
Happy Birthday!!!! I’m almost 24, I actually can’t wait! 23 sucked and 24 looks like it’s going to be a good year. For one, I’ll be going into it at least 30 lbs lighter!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
(yesterday
Happy Birthday, you young thing, you! (I turned 40 yesterday – bahh!)
I’m impressed that as an 8 year old you made a timeline! i was playing barbies! Happy late B-day. I lurk your blog everyday. I love it.
Well, hey, I missed it. But Happy Belated Birthday!
(Also? I had a kid when I was three months shy of 25. My daughter is now 12 going on 30. Just FYI and tempus fugit.)