The last day of my twenties...

Tomorrow is my birthday. Today is my last day to be 29. The last day (actually the last twenty minutes) that I can say, "I'm in my 20's." That's it. It's over. So long, goodbye 20's.

Hello 30's.

A year ago on Febrary 16, I turned 29. I was totally freaked out about turning 30 in a year! It sounded so old. I didn't want to think about it. I just ignored the thought and relished still being in my twenties for a whole year. :o)

About a month ago, something changed. Maybe it was inevitable. Maybe it's the fact that so many of my friends are in their thirties (or even older...heh heh). I had to face it. Suddenly, it didn't seem so scary anymore. I'm actually looking forward to it. I think this will be a really good decade. I'm finally feeling more settled and adjusted here in Holland. I feel more at peace and happy with life on a day to day basis.

So, I've decided this big event must be celebrated. I'm not just going to hide in the closet and let the day go by. In the typical Dutch fashion, I'm throwing myself a birthday party this Saturday. Two of my girlfriends are baking cakes, P. is buying the beer tomorrow night (that's right girls, I drink beer) and I'm planning the rest of the menu. I recently learned how to make sushi (ok, sushi rolls). I have yet to progress to using actual raw fish, so I use smoked salmon, crab meat, eel and all kinds of veggies. P. and I recently investigated the Chinese grocery store in the city which had all kinds of cool, strange, tasty treats, so I think I'll explore there for the party too.

If you like to cook and don't already know it, http://www.allrecipes.com is a great resource. I love it because you can type in a couple odd ingredients you have left in the fridge or pantry and it finds a recipe for you to use.

Sometimes it's difficult to find all the ingredients I want though. For instance, they don't have chocolate chips in Holland. Craving choc chip cookies, forget it. Doesn't exist here. I also have never been able to find black beans. Real marshmallows aren't so easy to locate or microwave popcorn, food coloring or maraschino cherries. They do have them, but you really have to search. I actually tracked down the food coloring through a friend in Germany for my Halloween cookies.

Last movie: Elektra. Our gym has a new DVD borrowing system where you can borrow a DVD for free for up to 3 days. I'm guessing the idea is that if you have to return the movie, you'll also workout more often. I love movies, so it works for me. This was P.'s choice (I'm sure for Jennifer Garner). But, I really enjoyed it. It was visually intoxicating.

Current book: The English Assasin by Daniel Silva. A spy novel in the same realm of Dan Brown. This is a candy book for me. I love to get wrapped up in these books and can't put them down. I've wanted to read it for awhile and finally borrowed it from a girlfriend who bought it for her husband at my suggestion. I knew he had the same taste in books and hey, works for me, now I get to read it for free. :o) I'm also reading Desert Flower by Waris Dirie (selected for both book clubs). So far, so good.