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When On Earth Did I Get So OLD?!

It seems that whenever I'm avoiding doing something, I blog. Today it's unpacking from my amazing vacation to the beach. So anyways, this Thursday is my 18TH Birthday! How did this happen? When did I grow up? I can't believe that I'm going to be an adult! It's just too weird! Hanging up in my room, I have a picture collage that my mom made me for my sixteenth birthday. It has pictures of all of my birthdays leading up to that point. Now readers, I will take you on a virtual tour of birthdays past! Ready or not, here we go! I really wish I had some pictures on my computer, but alas, I do not. Maybe some day.

AGE 1: Well, for my first birthday, there's a picture of little me popping out of a box that says I'M 1! In the hair department, I was a bit of a late bloomer. There is ne'ere e'en a hair. Well, it happened eventually.

AGE 2: Ah yes, the year of the curly afro. You read right. Ringlets sticking up all over the place. It was a mane that could not be tamed. No Miley Cyrus reference intended. I don't remember anything about my birthday, but I'm sure is was great. I always loved getting new toys, seeing as I WAS an only child, emphasis on the was. What a sad day it was when THAT ended.

AGE 3: My third birthday was when we had just barely moved to Virginia. I had a doll party. My mom made an actual doll cake, one of her many birthday cake master pieces over the years. We have this one classic picture where I'm staring at the candles with a look of sheer terror while Matthew is blowing them out. He was so helpful.

AGE 4: What little kid goes through life without having a doggie birthday party? Oh yes. My mom made everyone a dog nose and ears and we played charades, bingo, duck duck goose of course, and all sorts of zoo-like games. My little preschool friends and I LOVED it.

AGE 5: Oh yeah, this one was good. I had a TEA party, at which ironically no tea was served because a) I was 5 and b) oh right, we're Mormon. All of my little friends, both boys and girls mind you, and I dressed up and played all sorts of cute little games. In case you couldn't tell, I have to mention that my mom is the queen of birthday parties. She just kept getting more and more creative as the years went on.

AGE 6: My 6th birthday was one that went down in history. It was SO good that every single one of my younger sisters wanted this exact party when they turned six. The theme? Candy Land. My mom cut up pieces of construction paper and made a trail leading all over the house, transforming the place into a Candy Land board. We visited Marshmellow Meadow, where we sang "Happy Birthday" with Marshmellow's in our Mouth, M&M Mountain, where whoever guessed the correct number of M&M's in a jar got to keep it, Fruit Loop Cove, where we made fruit loop necklaces, another place where we fished for gummy worms, and of course my personal favorite Presents Peak. Best birthday ever.

AGE 7: There's actually a really good story behind my 7th birthday. One upon a time I was at my grandparents' house. They used to have a gymnastics mat. I decided that I wanted to try a trick that I called a "Jumpersault", actually a front handspring. Needless to say, it didn't go so well, seeing as I'd never taken a class in my life. I landed on my right arm and had to be rushed to the ER and got a cast. This went down three days before my birthday, a luau party this year. I picked a yellow cast covered in teddy bears holding balloons. In all of the pictures from this fabulous Hawaiian bash, I am seen in said cast that went to about six inches below my shoulder.

AGE 8: Another classic party that all three of my sisters copied: the cooking party. We started out playing cooking bingo with boards that my mom MADE. Yup, she's too good. Then we each got to decorate aprons. The food of choice was of course pizza, which has always been my favorite. Everyone got to make their own individual pizza. Another classic party.

AGE 9: I decided to go back to the whole luau theme thing. We decorated the house with luau decorations and then my parents took my friends and I to see Lilo and Stitch, a movie that I ironically really don't like now, but apparently did back then.

AGE 10: This birthday party's highlight was definitely the cake. I got to take my friends ice skating, which was fun and all, even though it was July, but the cake was pure genius. It was a sunflower cake with Twinkies as the rays. Oh mom, you go girl!

AGES 11-17: All of these years I thought I had outgrown theme parties. Really I haven't. I think I want one this year. I made memories with the friends that I spent these days with seeing movies, hanging out, MUD PIE (a divine culinary creation) laughing, talking, and last year I got to take three friends to the Melting Pot! It's so fun to look back and realize all of the good times that I've had growing up as a part of a wonderful family with wonderful friends! Even though I can't believe I'm really going to be an adult, my growing up years are ones that I will never ever forget and I can't even begin to thank the many people who have shared them with me! I am truly blessed!

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