So, It's February - and I'm officially 27.

The best Funfetti birthday cake ever.

My birthday just passed and I'm officially 27. That makes me nostalgic. I'm in my late twenties. I was in second grade twenty years ago and I've been able to get into R rated movies without a parent or crossing my fingers that I don't get carded for a decade. Eff. I'm old, y'all. Like - really old. 

Okay - now that all of the over 27 readers hate me for saying I feel old, let me tell you this: JUST KIDDING. I feel great at 27. I feel empowered. I feel...wiser (?) than I did this time in my 26th year. I feel like 26 was a big learning year for me and I'm honestly excited to learn more this year. I want to learn more about food, exercise, healthy living and life in general. I'm excited.

My 27th birthday celebration, as you can see by this picture, was awesome. I had Funfetti cake with chocolate frosting and lots of sprinkles made with love by my friend Karen - she's been making and decorating cakes forever. I need to share some of her awesome creations one day. She's a super awesome artist and even owns her own invitations/cards company - Sprinkles & Ink. Yes - I'm pimping her out. She made me a Funfetti cake - this is what happens when you make me a Funfetti cake.

Anyhoo, our friends Karen and Billy made me birthday dinner consisting of two of my favorites: buffalo chicken strips and french fries. No - this was not a healthy meal. No - I didn't give a crap. It was delicious! AND THERE WAS FUNFETTI CAKE FOR DESERT - I hope we've covered how great Funfetti is by now. It was a great celebration and I really appreciated it. My birthday present from Billy and Karen? They're going to pay my entry fee for the Ridgeland Make a Difference 5k! Race fees are expensive and I love that they know me well enough to know this would be a great gift. (Thanks, y'all. I love you more than you know!)

I'd like to share something I noticed this week as I was looking at pictures on my desktop at work - it was February 2nd, and I noticed that I had taken a picture of what I was wearing to work on February 3rd in 2011. These pictures - taken almost exactly one year apart - made me realize (FINALLY) that I HAVE made a big change:

February 3, 2011

February 2nd, 2012

Pretty cool, right?! Yeah, I'm freaking stoked about it. I look hot! I mean, obviously, my modeling skills have improved, but c'mon! LOOK! That's at least a 20 lb difference (I can't remember how much I weighed at this point, but definitely around the 218-222 mark). LOOK HOW HOT I AM NOW. LOOK! Okay, stop staring..............go back to staring. I'M HOT.

Okay, moving on. I'm officially at 198 - again. I need to work on my food and exercise situations. This week was rough because of my birthday and people wanting to eat with me, cook for me, take me to meals, etc. (what's up with that, btw? Because I've aged, I'm supposed to gorge myself on deliciousness?). Plus, I had three appointments this week after work - so my time has been monopolized by other things this week. I need to get running again. 

Recently, I've also started sharing my blog on Pinterest and Facebook. I'm pretty freaked out about showing people that I haven't seen since high school (or some since elementary school, yikes!) my gut. But, I feel like it's one of those things, you know? Hold up to your end of the bargain and hope that you don't become fodder for jokes at the reunions to come. I take pictures of myself in a sports bra each month to show myself, and the world, the progress (or lack there of) I've made. It's not a pretty picture, but hey, that's the point, right? It's not pretty now, but, hopefully one day it will be. 

This picture is just proving to me that I seriously need to get some toning in. Cardio alone isn't cutting it anymore. 

I guess I've put off my topless pic of the month for long enough, eh? Click if you dare: