Well, in my opinion, your opening was fine—most of the time, your opening will not result in the loss of a game (except maybe the Barnes or Anderson).
Move 9- I would have moved NxBa6. Was not protected and you moved there eventually anyway.
Move 21- I would have moved Qd7. By moving the queen into opponent territory, you keep pressure on the opponent and off of yourself. Also, that move led to the loss of your queen.
You played well, just missed a few loose pieces, could have been more aggressive too.
"I woke up this beautiful morning with the intent to play some good, fun-natured live chess. As I found myself playing another foreign player, I began playing book openings and getting into bad spots. I need some advice on how I could've avoided this position and gotten the upper hand. Feel free to comment!"