It was my 21st. I was the only sober one. I remember every second of it - and for that, I am thankful.

Hi friends!

On February 5, I celebrated 21 years of an abundant and blessed life. This was the most special birthday I have ever had. I woke up to a morning of blueberry cheesecake muffins {made by Courtney (I always make muffins for the both of us in the mornings so this was a special treat for me)} as well as tons of yellow notecards saying what I mean to her. “Creative, saved, loved, righteous, genuine, refined, HIS, abounding in grace….”  She also bought me more muffin mix for the future muffin mornings we will have together. 

Hannah, another roommate, gave me a gift card to Hobby Lobby for $25 and a cute hat in the afternoon. I was surprised by a phone call from my friend Riley who took me out for lunch and greeted me with this birthday gift...
    

Yep, my first beer. I looked at him and said, "Riley, you know I don't drink!" He just laughed and said, "Well, I know but at least you can legally have it in your hands." Since I had class right after lunch, I was forced to carry it around in my purse (fortunately I carry a large purse so I could hide it) through 2 classes. I have no clue what to do with it now.

After my class was let out at 5, Courtney and Laura picked me up and took me to my favorite place... Olive Garden. I love pasta. It's unhealthy how much I love pasta, actually. They made a poster that had my closest friends on it write the things that make me special to them, had a balloon floating from the table and then came the gifts. Laura gave me an AWESOME yellow, vintage wallet and Keri Anne gave me another cute hat! Dinner was filled with nonstop laughter and incredible food (and dessert).

Courtney, Laura and I went to Party City after that to get my accessories for my "night out". A pink boa and feathered tiara. I realized how much I still love to dress up... something that still lingers from childhood and I love it.

So my friends from Cambridge Coffee and I all went to a new dance club in Auburn called PULSE. It was sooo cool. The floor lit up with different colors and there was a disco ball. I had the time of my life. I was the one of three people not drinking and I was still the first one on the dance floor. We danced the night away - 4 hours straight to be exact. It was my 21st birthday. I was the only truly sober one. I remember every moment, and for that I am thankful. Not too many people can brag about that. 

 

It didn't stop there though. The night ended but over the weekend, I went home and the birthday just kept getting better. There was a delicious caramel cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory waiting on the kitchen table. Mom cooked a new spicy mac & cheese recipe and they all gave me my gifts. Chase gave me an awesome Dr. Seuss card, some delicious tea from Teavana and an iTunes gift card (dad gave me one in the mail so I'll be taken care of for a few weeks music wise)! Mom gave me never-ending art supplies!! I can't wait to start working with them. We didn’t get to spend much time crafting this week, but it’s time for her treatment so I’m excited about when we’ll have the chance to soon enough!

  

One of the most special gifts though was from my dad... “A Journal of Butterfly Kisses” The first half of the book is filled with reflections and encouragement from my dad and the second half is left for me to fill up about him. I started crying when I was reading it. I am so thankful for such amazing parents… especially a dad who had tea parties with me, videotaped my magic shows, and still takes me on daddy-daughter dates. I couldn’t stop writing last night when I was filling in my part about him. One of my favorite parts was, “The color that best describes your personality is the hot pink of a sunrise and the deep blue of a clear sky because you are both vibrant and calm at the same time. You have a quiet truth about you.” He’s so poetic! To have my dad say that about me lets me know that I am still on the right path to becoming the woman I strive to become. There are so many parts of the book I would love to share with everyone, but I guess it’s a daddy-daughter thing. Most would never understand just how special our times together are. The page I started crying was, “One thing I hope you will always remember me for is ‘loving you’.” As long as I live, I will never forget that. My dad is my superhero and will forever be.