Turning 21!

I’ve always said birthdays are my second favorite holiday, especially my own birthday. Call it selfish, but it’s my truth. I just love birthdays!

As a girl with a birthday at the very end of a long month, I’ve always celebrated all month long. March 1st marks 28 days from my birthday and I certainly won’t let you forget it.

But this year I turned 21 and things seem to be a little different. Yes, I still reminded my family and friends, but it wasn’t the same. I wasn’t reminding my best friend every single day and that was different for me.

As you know if you’ve been listening to the pod, I turned 21 on Good Friday. Seriously, who does that happen to? Besides the hilarity of my situation I had the best birthday ever. Birthdays in college are really hard - being away from your family and having to learn what these life events look like without being in their presence is hard. I am so lucky I got to come home and spend my day with my family this year. I picked up all my birthday freebies and spent the night out in downtown Rome with my favorite people in the whole world.

There’s nothing better than that! It was actually the best birthday I’ve had in years, literally. I felt so loved and seen and cared for. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

I think this is the first birthday I’ve actually felt like a big girl. This is the first time I’ve felt like, “Wow, maybe I am growing up.” And what a terrifying thought that is.

But it also makes this birthday one of the sweetest ones I’ve ever had. More than the celebration or the excitement, I’ve most appreciated the way my family has taken the last 21 years to help me grow into who I am today. It makes me a little teary when I think about how special they are to me and how they love me so well that they’ve spent 21 years of their lives pouring into me.

Turning 21 has marked a milestone of realizing what becoming a big girl is like and so far I’m liking the change. So, cheers to 21 and a whole new year of growing up!