My 22nd Birthday!

My 10th Birthday!

Growing up, birthdays were always a very big deal in the Jarkowsky household. My mom always made sure to make our day incredibly special in any way possible. No matter how old we got, we would always walk down the stairs to the house decorated with balloons and streamers, the table decorated with a card and presents and our favorite breakfast treat. Later in the day, she would make our requested dinner, and the entire family would gather around our dining room table. Spending time with my family was always my favorite part of birthdays. Once I moved to college, I dreaded my birthday. I dreaded the feeling of waking up and not getting to walk downstairs and see how my mom decorated. I dreaded not getting hugged by my parents. I dreaded not feeling special. Most importantly, I dreaded not being able to spend my birthday with my family. I also felt stupid that I was a college student who still felt like birthdays were a big deal. But in my family, no matter how old you get, your birthday always remains a big deal. 


Ice Skating With My Family For My 11th Birthday!

I'm not going to lie, I cried so much on my birthday as a freshman. I was already having such a hard time adjusting to being so far away from home, and then I had this overwhelming sadness of turning 19 and not being surrounded by my family and all of our birthday traditions on top of that. Every year it got a little easier. I realized I could make new traditions, and although I would always miss spending my birthday with my family, I was able to spend it surrounded by my best friends on campus instead. This year, I had the surprising feeling of sadness on my birthday, but not because I was sad to be spending my birthday away from home. I felt sad because I realized this is the last time I will be spending it with my friends at college. If you cannot tell already, I have a big fear of change ;)


My roommates are my very best friends, and they made me feel so loved on this birthday. I woke up to them coming into my room singing to me, and in that moment I realized how lucky I am to have such amazing friends who feel like my own sisters. I walked downstairs to balloon-covered floors, a decorated table, and our porch goose in a birthday hat sitting at the table! They made me cinnamon rolls stacked into a cake shape, and we all ate breakfast together. It was the perfect birthday morning!

After that, I quickly got ready to head to Suter's Pumpkin Patch with some of my Theta friends! I have always loved having my birthday at the beginning of fall because it is my favorite weather, and I love all things fall. This was the perfect birthday activity! We spent a few hours there and then got lunch together. I went home and did one of my favorite things: napping! If you know me, you know I am a sucker for a good nap, and I needed it for the rest of the day!



We were throwing a birthday party later that evening, so I helped set up our house for that before getting ready to go see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Freed Center! I had already seen opening night on Thursday, but it was so good I needed to see it again! After that, we headed home and welcomed some of my closest friends into our home to celebrate my 22nd birthday! I truly had such an amazing birthday and felt incredibly loved the entire day. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful friends and cannot wait to see what this next year holds for me. 


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