Twenty-eight and surrounded by the good ones

Jake insisted on making his famous blueberry pancakes this morning, which meant I woke up to the smell of butter and vanilla and the sound of him quietly cursing at our ancient griddle. By the time Carmen, Sarah, Michelle, and Alex showed up with mimosa supplies and way too many gifts, our little apartment felt like the center of the universe.

Twenty-eight and surrounded by the good ones

Turns out they’d all secretly coordinated - Sarah brought homemade granola (of course), Carmen showed up with a new yoga mat since mine is basically held together with hope and duct tape, and Michelle gifted me this gorgeous leather journal for all my nursing observations. Alex surprised everyone by bringing actual flowers, not the grocery store kind but real ones from that fancy place downtown.

The face I made when I realized they all coordinated gifts.

The look on my face when I realized they’d been plotting behind my back for weeks.

Twenty-eight feels different somehow. Not in a dramatic way, just… settled. Like I know who my people are and they know me right back. Jake’s already planning some elaborate dinner for tonight, but honestly, this morning with everyone crammed around our tiny breakfast bar, fighting over the last piece of bacon and arguing about whether we’re too old to do birthday shots before noon - this is exactly where I want to be.

Spoiler alert: we decided we’re definitely not too old.