Hard fought match

I would have to say that this was one of my most thought out games, and even after the early mistake i made, I was able to pull out the upset and win by resignation.  After the queen exchange, black offered a draw, but i could not accept it because of the pawn advantage.  Any input, advice, or comments on this game are welcome, especially since all advice and criticism works well for future games. We can learn a lot from other perspectives.  One thing that seemed to work best for me is to play higher rated players, because even if i lose (which happens a lot), I learn new tactics and strategies that I do not come across when I play lower or equal rated players.