Looking Back

I'm 22 years old. But only for one more week. Yep, that's right. My birthday is coming up in just 7 days. Guess what I'm doing for my birthday -- working! Woo! Welcome to adulthood, right? I don't expect anything exciting to happen this year, but that happens as you get older.

But I'd like to reminisce. I'd like to look back and remember all my fun and eventful birthdays.

Seven was Heaven- When I turned seven, my parents had a big cowboy-themed party. We had lots of decorations and a horse-shaped cake. Everyone who came, my family and friends, all dressed up in their best cowboy gear. I specifically remember getting a Jasmine Barbie doll from my friend from school. I loved that doll.

Turning into a Teen- When I became a teenager, I had three of my best friends come over to my house. My mom had fondue for us and a personalized game of bingo. We had ice cream cake and a concert in my living room. (We used remotes for microphones and danced around to songs we liked.) Then we had a sleepover where I'm sure we stayed up late to talk about boys!

The Sweet Sixteen- When I turned 16, I remember walking into my house to a surprise party. My house was full of my family and decorations. My mom and aunt got me a 6-layer chocolate mousse cake from The Cheesecake Factory. Oh man, it was delicious! I also got to have a party with all my friends from high school. Sleepovers are the best.

The End of the Teen Years- I turned 20 while I was in college. One of my best friends at the time completely surprised me by showing up to my dorm. She went with me and some of my very best friends out to Pizza Hut (it was tradition). We came back to our dorm and played a really fun game of Cranium. Then, for the actual day of my birthday, we got all dressed up and went to my college formal. It was a blast!

The Right of Passage- I turned 21 as a junior in college. I became legally allowed to drink alcohol. However, the college I went to had a no-drinking policy, on or off campus whether you were of age or not. That was fine by me. I was lucky to have friends who agreed with me that you can have way more fun without alcohol. My roommates surprised me by having one of my best friends show up at our apartment. My roommates from college were really good at surprises! Anyways, we had lots of friends over to play games. That night, we got a secret call -- nerf war was on! A bunch of us gathered our nerf guns and darts, dressed in black and snuck into one of our classroom buildings. We split into teams and had an awesome time playing capture the flag. My roommate also made me a strawberry cake complete with fresh strawberries on top!

The Last College Birthday- My last birthday while I was in college was just a year ago when I turned 22. All my friends and I got together and went to Noodles & Co. I love noodles. Then we hit up Dave & Busters, which was so fun. It was also really neat because my friend from Australia was in America at the time and was able to come. The day of my birthday, I woke up to cinnamon rolls and presents at the kitchen table. That night, I was surprised with flowers, chocolate chip pancakes and even a surprise party with cake and games! I told you my roommates were good at surprises!

So whether this year's birthday is memorable or not, I've had plenty of awesome birthdays thanks to my beautiful friends and family. I'm sure my birthdays will become less memorable over the years, but I have plenty of happy memories from years past to last me a lifetime.