My Golden Birthday!

The years are flying by so fast, and I cannot believe that I turned 23!  This was my first birthday in Pittsburgh, and it was so weird that in a new city, it was really only Paul and the MSTP that knew it was my Birthday...haha, just kind of an awkward feeling.  I stayed up late the night before baking peanut butter oatmeal cookies for my class and for the Hackam Lab.  I wanted to try a new recipe, and I thought it was only fitting that I revert to first grade traditions of bringing a treat on my birthday.

Paul gave me one of my presents early which was a large canvas portrait of us together on the Charles Bridge in Prague.  It's a great picture, and an amazing present.  He did a great job picking that out!  We hung it in the room, and it's so colorful that I think it will be easy to decorate the room around that picture.

On Thursday, my actual birthday Paul drove me to work because he was heading to Children's for training too.  I had to badge him into his training room, so I hope others found their way as well!  We found boxes from amazon in our apartment walkway which arrived just in time for my birthday.  Paul got me awesome birthday presents:  Finger Spatula, Salt & Pants, Moo-Air-Latte!  They were exactly what I had wanted! 

I worked in lab most of the morning and went to look at different immuno-florescence pictures with Macky.  After lunch there was the Children's First Annual Research Symposium.  One of the lab members was giving a speech so I wanted to see all of the different talks.  The person right before him talked about depression in pediatric IBD, which I  heard at the IBD conference in Florida.  There was some pretty cool stuff, and amazing food!  I snacked like crazy and then took the shuttle to get to class in Oakland.

Fuel and Fuddle - My 23rd Birthday!

I had to present the introduction to an IL-17 paper which went fine. I don't know much about immunology, but Taylor was working that area which made a big difference!  My classmates bought a cookie cake and after class we all went out to eat at Fuel and Fuddle.  There was a Katy Perry concert downtown at the Peterson Events center, so Oakland was pretty crazy and full of tweens with short skirts and excessive makeup.  There was also a mix of older girls/women dressing in a similar fashion which was interesting. 

This was why I was SOOO full...

We had to wait a long time to get a table big enough for us at Fuel and Fuddle, but after we sat down and grabbed a drink it was worth it.  The food and drinks we so filling I could barely move.  My stomach was distended to maximum capacity.  My wonderful classmates dusted off their vocal cords and sang happy birthday while we lit the MSTP Birthday Candle, which we decided will stay with us for the next 8 years... (9 for Zel...) haha.

Josiah cutting the cake, praying he didnt' stab himself again...




The MSTP crew out for Birthday Dinner!  Love them!

   It was a great Birthday.  I returned home full and bloated, the sign of a success....