I'm 27!!!

I turned 27 and I really do feel older. 26 was a crazy year. I moved to Vietnam all by myself, I started a "real job" and I've traveled all over Southeast Asia! Now it's time to stop just surviving and keeping up with life but really work on living on purpose! So I've made some pretty interesting life changes: (1) I am running a race in December in Cambodia so now I've started to run, swim, yoga. It's great because I go exercise with friends after work and I actually leave work at 5! (2) I've started oil painting! After my first successful attempt at oil painting I ordered a book that will help me develop my painting. (3) I've become a pescatarian! This is huge. I've been a ovo-lacto vegetarian since I was 4 and I decided that since I live in Vietnam I should start somewhere. So I've eaten tuna, grouper and one other fish I don't know the English name. But I haven't tried other sorts of seafood but who knows maybe... (My grandma is going to be so happy!!)

Here are some photos from my 27th birthday. My co-workers took me out to eat at Sen Chay (a Buddhist Veggie restaurant) and got me a really yummy cake.

Then my friends took me to the Deck, a really great restaurant in An Phu along the river. It was perfect to get out of the city and just hear the river go by instead of the motorbikes. The food was amazing!
My friend, Hong, made me an amazing carrot cake. The wind was a little strong so the lighting of the candles was a little crazy. However, I've always thought it was weird that we blow on the cake trying to blow out the candles and then serve it to everyone. So I'm glad that the wind blew out my candles. =)
I love my friends!! They've been such an encouragement to me while I've been in Vietnam.