How to Spend Your Birthday

For the past few years, I've planned something exciting around my birthday so I can celebrate without thinking too hard about why I'm celebrating. Don't get me wrong; I still like my birthday, and I loved hearing my phone ring all day, letting me know I had Facebook posts and text messages and even some phone calls from people wishing me a happy birthday. I just don't like to have time to think about how old I'm getting. So this year my mom and I decided to go to Cedar City for the Shakespearean Festival. It was fabulous, as it always is. We also decided to take two extra days to visit the Grand Canyon, since the last time I was there I was three and it doesn't count if you don't remember it. And we love road trips! OK, we love trips of any kind; this one just happened to be a road trip. Anyway, one of those Grand Canyon days just happened to be July 21. This is how you should spend a birthday:

Yes, I went hiking in my flip-flops. It's my birthday—if I'm wearing shoes, they're going to be flip-flops! (Besides, it wasn't a very long or strenuous hike.) There's nothing like standing on the edge of one of the natural wonders of the world to remind you that God exists and He loves you, even if you are 33 and single.