22nd Birthday Celebration!

I don't know 'bout you...

Oh! So this is what T Swift has been talking about.  I totally know what it feels like to be 22 now :).

Today is my 22nd birthday! My mom keeps saying that she can't believe how old I am.  Frankly, I can't believe how old I am.  Bri gave me a really sweet card that talked about some of the things that have happened in the last year like running a half marathon, graduation, getting a job, and signing a lease on an apartment.  I can't believe I am old enough to be doing all that! I am so scared and excited about what the future holds and this birthday is a reminder of the fact that I am pretty sure I'm an adult now.

Last night, I had a really fun celebration with some of my friends downtown.  We went to RJ Grunts for dinner and then hit up a couple of bars in Lincoln Park.  It was a great night and we all had a really fun time!

Now, I am getting ready for a little birthday zumba with my mom and then grocery shopping for a birthday bbq!  We are having friends and family over tonight for a grill out and I am excited to keep the celebration going!  I also made my favorite desserts to share: Red Velvet Cupcakes and Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes.  I brought some of these in for my counselors at camp, made Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes for my campers, and now I have leftovers for today's party!

For the Red Velvet, I did the same recipe as the cake version, poured the batter into cupcake pans, and baked them for 12-18 minutes.  12 for the mini cupcakes and 18 for the big ones.  Then, I frosted them with my favorite cream cheese frosting:

16 oz light cream cheese
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 - 3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
milk or half and half as needed

Simply beat together and frost!

For the Funfetti, I followed the exact same recipe as last year and they came out super delicious! The campers were raving!