I know that getting older can be a terrifying and dreaded thing- especially for those of us in our late twenties as we inch closer and closer to 30, but personally, I embrace it. With age comes more experiences, more possibilities, and sure- more tough choices- and while your body and desires may change from what they were in, say, your teens or early twenties (i.e. staying out and partying all night or gorging on greasy fast food can and will come back to haunt you,) there’s nothing wrong with aging. Getting older is a privilege that many people unfortunately don’t always get to have.

Having a birthday right smack in the middle of a work week blows, however. Such was the case with my 28th birthday yesterday. It’s hard to coordinate plans to celebrate with friends and family when you get out of work in the evening and have to be up at 7 a.m. the next day- so when my mom told me to come by after I’d left the office for the night because she had a surprise for me- I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’d already spent most of the day completely stunned by the amount of incredibly sweet messages and birthday wishes that poured in from friends and family from all over. It was overwhelming- in the best way possible!

What I got when I arrived at my mom’s house was a “Walking Dead” themed surprise party with some of my relatives. When my mom knows I’m a big fan of something- she goes all out. The Daryl Dixon cake pictured above was something she had made for me that I loved so much I didn’t want to cut it at first.

Apart from the cake, my “Walking Dead”-geekiness was further fueled with toys, a huge poster, a shooter-style video game, the best socks ever created, and a W.W.D.D.D t-shirt. Also? This:

Yeah. That’d be a life-size Daryl cardboard cut-out. I told you all my mom went all out, guys. I may be 28 now, but my space will no doubt resemble that of a teenaged fangirl/fanboy’s by the time I’m done moving and rearranging all of this stuff into it. It’s going to be awesome.

Another non-“Walking Dead” related surprise came in the form of an ASUS Transformer Book my mom bought me in an attempt to make my staying connected while traveling 100000000x easier. I was speechless. For years I’ve been taking my laptop everywhere, and for years it’s been such a pain in the ass to carry around or fly with. I’d been meaning to finally downsize to a decent and thinner tablet for the longest time, but have never actually gotten around to it- instead relying on my SmartPhone when on the road. Out of all the wonderful, geeky, and totally “me” presents I received this year- the ASUS was the one that nearly moved me to tears.

Yesterday was truly one of the best birthdays I think I’ve ever had. Between the flood of calls and messages I received to the completely fantastic surprises my family had planned for me- it was an amazing, wonderful day- even if I had to work!

Thanks to all who wished me a good one! It meant the world to me!

xox