I have the best friends in the entire world.

I do. It's true. I'm sorry that I'm making you all jealous, but I just gotta speak the truth. My day was complete with a glitter poster on my locker, a birthday message that my friend woke up at 5:55 in the morning (the exact time I was born 16 years ago) to write, two beautiful books (one from Jess, one from Annie) that I am very excited to read, a ridiculous number of wall posts to keep me extremely happy, getting sung to in math, German, and chem (the chem rendition involved some downright gorgeous harmonization), getting a birthday pencil from Frau that says 'Zum Geburtstag Viel Gluck', taking quite a few 'flattering' bday pics, eating peanut butter cookies, and a beautiful-wonderful-I am-in-love-with-the-people-who-made-it cake. Around 1:30ish I get a text from Katie that says "Go to the jungle at 2:18." Hunter's physics class is right across the hall from my chem room and so after asking to "go get something from my locker", we ran to the jungle and Katherine, Jackie, and Katie were waiting there with the most amazing cake I have ever seen.

I WAS SO HAPPY. WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE. I walk back into chem later (Katherine had to come to explain to my chem teacher, also her mom) and I just said "I have the best friends ever." And everyone agreed because OH MY GOD I HAVE THE BEST FRIENDS EVER, IT'S TRUE.
So my day was fantabulous and I hope yours was good too. Picture time? I think so.

Shoes: Payless, I believe; Jeans: Delia's; Belt: TJMaxx;Ring: Laila Rowe; Sweater: Urban Outfitters; Hair Clip: Mom's bought many many years ago in San Antonio; Flowers: Waiting on the counter for me, smelling and looking beautiful, from my daddy


Only my favorite thing in the world: a fruit tart (picked up by my lovely dad) from Zaro's


Oh hey paparazzi

5 o'clock daily prayer to Tyra. No big deal.

Getting ready...

OH DAMN. I JUST REALIZED NOW THAT I COMPLETELY COMPLETELY FORGOT TO MAKE A WISH. Oh man...the one birthday cake basic...and how did I not even remember that till now??

Je T'aime! (&& Junior's Cheesecake in the background)

And we're back to the beginning. Oh that 7 o'clock morning frost...
Katie and Jess took pictures in school, so some more may come. But until then...it was a super A+ day.
Lots of love from a true sixteen year old girl,
Sylvia

Sixteen Things To Do While I’m Sixteen

(For the record, I swear I didn't look for a picture of Marilyn! She was simply on the first page of my google images search...I know, the craziness never ends/she just may be following me.)

THAT’S RIGHT KIDS! It’s officially the day of my birthday and I am already blissful. I have the most amazing friends, I’m having a fruit tart from this place I love in Grand Central for breakfast, I’m bringing about 50 peanut butter cookies in tomorrow to share with my chem class and some other fantastical people…and ah I JUST AM SO HAPPY!
Today, I made a list today of all the things I want to do while in my sixteenth year. Putting on my blog raises the stakes way up. I mean now it’s published, out there in writing. Can’t hide away from it. How many exactly will be completed by this time next year? We shall see!
1) Try bangs
2) Learn enough French to have a conversation about weather, order baguette and coffee at a restaurant, and pay for clothes (of course my abilities will hopefully surpass theses tests by the time the pinky promise Annie and I made at rehearsal of our trip to Paris is held)
3) Run a mile in 8 minutes & 2 miles in 16 minutes and 16 seconds (yep, I’m going all the way with the whole turning 16 theme.) I’m not exactly stretching the limits on this one and hopefully this goal will be an easy reach with the help of me and Lineth’s new duet running club, Team Chartsy!
4) Start my one-photo-a-day-365-in-a-year project.
5) Read at least three other Dickens’s books (I’m still mulling over which ones specifically), Gone With The Wind, and at least one or more out of Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma. Also, I need to make time for Life of Pi, Three Cups of Tea…ahh, the list goes on but I shall spare you.
6) Memorize the capitals of all the United States and the countries in Europe. I mean, I probably know way more Europe than I do US. And that’s sad.
7) Watch at least half of my dad’s (approximately 800) DVD collection. Specifically, watch all the James Bond moves to compare who made the best 007. Furthermore, watch all the Lord of the Rings in one day.
8) Have mom teach me her magnificent ways of sewing.
9) Learn to cook 5 staple dishes to use when cooking in my NYC apartment.
10) Sleep outside.
11) Get up at 4 in the morning everyday for a week. (There’s something so beautiful about the early world when most around me haven’t woken up to begin their day.)
12) Learn to rollerblade. (Um. I am actually terrified. But with enough kneepads, elbow pads, and helmets…maybe I can accomplish this one?)
13) Learn to play The General on guitar…among other things.
14) Ask my grandparents (Opa specifically) about the war, life growing up, family, anything they’ll tell me. If possible, stealthily tape record it. Furthermore, go to a home or hospital where I can talk to the elderly about their experiences…you know, I just can’t help but think of how many individuals’ stories have been lost with time. I want to keep as many as I possibly can alive.
15) Paint my room.
16) Spend a day with my eyes closed or covered. Spend another day with impenetrable earmuffs of some sort. Spend a third not eating. Spend a fourth not saying a word. All for just the smallest of tastes of how it is to be blind, deaf, hungry, and mute. (It’s not much—only a sample. I can’t even come close to say that I will know what it’s like to starve, but there are limitations—besides the fact that I don’t think many people would appreciate the starving myself for more than 24 hours.)
So, there you have it. I’ll be keeping you posted.
Lots of love from a girl who can say officially at 5:55 AM that she is sixteen going on seventeen,
Sylvie