Sorry this took me a million years! But I did in fact have a birthday. I turned twenty-two and it didn't suck.

I hate birthdays, mine, that is. I really love my friends birthdays and getting them presents when I can, but when it comes to mine I just try to avoid having mini-midlife crisises and being mean to all the nice people around me. I've spent a few birthdays grumpy and drinking and telling people to leave me alone. ^^;; Sometimes I skip it altogether. My friends are always great, though, and treat me way better than I deserve.

Every year I decide too late that I want to turn my birthdays to the Hobbit tradition. Giving presents instead of receiving them.

A lot has happened in my life since my birthday last year, even if I think things have been at a standstill. Just a couple of months before February I got my job at McDonalds and at the time I was just trying to catch up and make ends meet. This year, the job I just got because I needed one has given me the independence I needed to get my life moving again. I work fourty hour weeks and make enough money to take care of myself. I have money in my savings and am ready when the apartment building calls me, with no fear of not being able to handle it. I am in the best place I have ever been with money in my entire life and I really feel like an adult. I am working towards moving out and going to school and bettering my life even more and I know by next year I will have accomplished that.

This year there was no rock stars, and no crazy partying or dragging Michi's drunk ass through Seattle (I really can't afford it right now if I want to move into my own place!) but I did get the great friends. Michi surprised me this year and for a few days before my birthday I had NO idea what she was planning. Or that she was planning anything at all! I did guess it while we were getting ready to leave but who cares?! When we got to Seattle to just generally dink around, Hana was there waiting for us!

But that was much later in the day.

First I slept in! Oh my God it was amazing!! My birthday also happened to be my first day off in fourteen days.

So left we left at one-ish. After I guessed my surprise. :P

Bwaha, Michi wears her work shoes like real shoes. Aaaand they look good. Haha.

First! We had the super exciting task of going to the bank and then the DMV!! What? We don't get to use the car very often. Haha.

We had to go to the bank to fix Michi's card first. Because she decided to commit fraud in Japan. Or... something. The night before she had been trying to book her room in Tokyo for May and her payment didn't go through on the website. She was sad but moved on to try and find a new way to send money. Money order or something. In the middle of the night she got a text from her bank asking if she wanted the odd transaction to go through. Because it didn't go through on the website she said no. So they blocked her card. We had to get that fixed.

The banker we talked to was so nice. He had to have a very long and apparently annoying chat with the man at the fraud agency and got everything fixed up. He just wanted to talk about Japan all day, but we had to go.

THEN we went to the DMV to ask them to resend me my ID that never showed up at my house! Apparently we're just difficult.

 I know. Birthday fun!

But we did get to meet Baby White Roger!! Or... for those of you who don't understand, super crazy adorable kid in a sparkly hat!!

It was very exciting.

Just so you guys know...

But we finally got to Seattle after battling traffic and showing up late and found Hana hiding poorly in Kinokuniya at Uwajimaya, so I attack hugged her. And we set out to run around Seattle! It was just so nice to see her and get out of the house! We could have sat at Uwajimaya all night and I would have been happy.

Hana, Michi, and Me

We grabbed some snacks and headed over to Oasis for bubble tea. Mine was free because it was my birthday~!

Regular milk tea, strawberry, and almond. Guess which belongs to who. :P

On our way from the International District to Westlake we noticed this sign on the back of the bus in front of us. Michi pointed it out:

"Did You Turn Switch off?
Pull Both Poles Down 
Tap Poles Together
Before Checking Shoes."


Yes, it has been explained to us. In technical terms. But still! What the heck?!

We stopped in at the giant Forever 21 that Hana used to work at and ran around trying to keep ourselves from buying things we couldn't afford. Window shopping is fun too, though! And Hana got to see and introduce us to her old friends.

We went to get dinner. Mexican food~~! My friends love me~! It was on the third story of the building, Michi pointed out the club she had gone to on our friend's birthday. I wanted the Mexican food, of course, but a lot of my decision was based on the fact that I wanted to go up the building. 

And we got a window seat! How?! We even had to wait for our table and still got a really cool one!

For a good portion of our meal we watched as two men wandered down that alley next to Forever 21. One of them seemed to just want to get to the other end. The other man was either drunk or way, way too entertained by his situation. It took them FOREVER! Man number two had a lot of detours to take. Taking a pee break, sitting down...

I got a coconut margarita~ Om nom nom~~

Hana got a pina colada.

I do not remember at all what Michi got. Something citrusy. Or peachy. I don't know.

I make faces while Hana tries to take nice pictures.

I ate way too much food. Tomatillo chicken enchiladas.

Michi's... something... something sauce enchilada. Wow I do not remember anything she ordered!

I believe Hana had rock fish.

On our way out Michi and Hana paused to say hi to a friendly Penguin. Isn't he sweet? And quite the pimp.

The Pricula machine at Game Works was broken again! So we played games instead.

Apparently Hana and I are not good at the Taiko game... Even when we panic and tap out. Michi on the other hand, got a perfect score. I wish I'd gotten a picture of that...

DDR wasn't much different. Michi's feet were flying, as usual. But Hana did do a lot of cute side-stepping. It was like Michi had a back up dancer!

Again, I didn't do much better. XD It's actually a little embarrassing.

This game is hard! You have to put your hands over the sensor things when it says, or under them, or both at the same time or one on top and one on bottom or- @.@ Michi was still better than us but... only a little.

This is when I dropped my camera and didn't notice! Luckily the nice people behind the counter had it. ...When I came back in looking for it.

Across the room we found a three person racing game. Hana and I knew we were going to lose but we played it anyway. In fact, we played three rounds. The first one Michi won, then Hana, then Michi. The levels were increasingly difficult and by the last one we all crashed into the same corner and Michi won because her car pushed mine out of the way and was slightly closer to the end. -_-

XDD So bad. I was... trying to figure out how to sit in this stupid giant seat! So very ladylike.

 
We wandered for a bit, just enjoying the night.

I got Hana to stick her finger up her nose and then we drove her home to the sick boyfriend.

Hopefully we can all go see Arrietty soon! Miss you Hana~! <3

After leaving Seattle Michi and I decided to hit a couple casinos on the way home, hoping to get some free money  for my Birthday. Tulalip gave me twenty-five free dollars and I lost it all!

So we stopped at Dennys when we realized we had stayed out too late and continued home.

It was a really simple night but exactly what I needed. 

A few days later while waiting for my ride, Adolfo and I walked over to Haggen and he bought me a little birthday cake. ^^

I love my friends.

I love you all.

♥ Amanda Leigh

Last night was New Years eve and today is the first day of 2012! New Years is by far one of my favourite holidays (lately it has been running a very close race with Christmas) for a lot of different reasons. Most importantly to me, though, is just the feeling of renewal. It's a brand new year of all our lives, a new start, a new way of thinking. And at the same time we don't only celebrate what there is to come but we also celebrate everything that happened the year before. All of the good times and the sad times and our mistakes and accomplishments. A night for joy and reflection. I just can't shake the feeling of something perfect every year on New Years and New Years Eve.

This year I have a few resolutions, some specific and some a lot more broad:

Most importantly, and I think it covers all my resolutions this year I need to get off my ass and get my life moving again! Somewhere along the way, a few years ago, my life hit something of a standstill. It's like I'm stuck in pause and I'm not even trying to do anything about it. It's getting old and it needs to end. This year all blocks are going to end no matter how hard it is.

I am going to get an apartment with Michi in Stanwood. It's not where I want to live but it's an important step to get things going in my life again.

I am going to get my GED.

I am going to go to Massage Therepy school in September and gain a skill.

I am going to sing. Somehow. Even if it's just at home.

I am going to read.

I am going to cook.

I am going to eat better, even if it just means not eating fried foods at work or at all if I can. I also need to keep track of what I'm eating and try to balance everything out.

I am going to write and actually finish something.

If I can afford it after everything else up there I am going to start taking yoga again. And at least work out more.

I am not going to let work rule my life and I am going to do a better job at work. (Sounds complicated I know ^ ~ I'll figure it out)

I'm sure there's others I have forgotten but most importantly:

I am not going to let others get me down. This is my life. No one else's.


As for celebrating, for the past two years Michi and I have spent New Years in Seattle at our friend Spencer's now infamous New Years Eve party. Way back when we were trying to find something to do with my best friend Darci and our friend Jack and we searched our way right into Spencer's apartment, three blocks from the Space Needle. We party hard with good friends, good music, and good food until 11:30 when we make our way to the Space Needle to watch the Fireworks go off, and then it's back to the apartment to contemplate the New Year with the Seattle skyline on the roof. This year was just as amazing, but sadly without Darci. ;_; (She was visiting family in Oregon.) We did manage to kidnap our friend/coworker Adolfo to drag along this year. But no one could ever replace her.

Michi Getting ready to head out.

 Me and Michi

I thought we'd broken my camera! XDD

Look at those eyes. O.O

Mrr. Hair. 

Adolfo~ He's gonna eat us!!

Grrrr or... is he smiling? :P

 Michi hand!

Elevator at Uwajimaya~! Can you believe Adolfo has never been there? He didn't even know it existed.

Uwajimaya was beautiful~

It took us a bit of time to get to Seattle due to some... detours. Well, we had to pick up food and drink for the party but after pulling off in Marysville we had a time getting back to the freeway. A time that involved Michi driving us into a scary dark alley behind a whole bunch of stores that could have gotten us all raped and murdered and no one would have known for days! She threatened to drop us off in alleys for the rest of the night. Separate ones so we couldn't help each other survive. ;_; So when we got to the store Michi had to pee. But the food court was closed.

So we went to Oasis! An evil ploy perhaps on Michi's part.

Michi went to the bathroom and Adolfo waited to grab her drink. Apparently the guy was singing to himself while making drinks and scared Adolfo when he yelled out the number really loud. The kid was cute but he was very loud. Haha.

 Yumm, almond milk tea~

Unwajimaya had SO many cute things and Adolfo was so sad he had no money! But he has decided that he's planning a day. We're all going to Uwajimaya. And then the zoo. 

Spencer!

It took us a million years to find the apartment building with much life threatening and crying but we managed! Lots of people got there at eight thirty and then a TON more later. The ittle-bitty apartment building was packed. Everyone brought food and drinks of all different kinds. Spencer introduced us to 'Warp Pipes'. There was lime and Mike's Hard limeaid and melon liqueur and blue curacao. Mellow, but very yummy.

Colour is important apparently. :P

 Fireball shots!

 Poor Spencer. He no like.

It was so cold at the Space Needle but so, so beautiful. It was almost too long to have to wait.

This took us like ten tries.

Ready?

5... 4... 3...

2...

1...

2012.

We made our way back to the apartment where the party only picked up. The three of us headed to the roof, though, to really feel out the new year. You could just feel Seattle awake and excited. The air was crisp and cool and most of the time we just stood and stared out at everything.

You can't see it very well but this is a ferry that comes across the water every year. We always see it. I wonder what it would be like to be on it for the ringing in of the new year.

I couldn't have asked for a better night.

Happy New Year.

♥ Amanda Leigh