Cheers!

I cannot believe how lucky I am. Seriously. So many cakes, drinks, gifts - I haven't stopped beaming.

So at midnight, boyfriend M and couple-friends DP and AP and I went out for my first legal drink. I am ashamed to say my first drink was the most proverbial drink you can think of - a Sex on the Beach. Five minutes after being carded and opening a tab, I was finished with my Sex on the Beach and ready for another drink. Next up was a concoction of tequila, triple sec, and blue syrup. After that was a 9 hour snooze on a king-sized bed. (Did I mention my first legal drinks were at a lounge in a casino? Sex on the Beach in a casino - so skeezy.)

After I passed out got some beauty sleep, I woke up and 1. wondered why 2 drinks made me pass out and 2. was ready for more.

Mom and sister came and picked me up for brunch; we tried this delicious local place that had three drinks listed under the words: Hangover Cures. I ordered a "famous fizz", at which point my mom muttered something about "not drinking too much". (You only turn 21 once, mother dearest. I'm sure if you could remember your 21st you'd agree that 3 drinks in the span of 12 hours is no big deal.) Post-brunch we opened gifts and went out for froyo.

In the middle of the afternoon, boyfriend M and I went over to bestie J's house and swam with roommates J, B, and H, bestie KO and bestie JLH. We had punch, did the pencil (my favorite pool trick) and cannonballs, and played Drink & Dare Blocks, which was a gift from bestie JLH.

That evening we went out for dinner at one my favorite Mexican restaurants. Can I just say salsa/queso/margaritas is a gift from the food gods? Dinner was fabulous and lots of friends came out to celebrate. After dinner we piled into a limo and hit the bars! (One more time: finally.) Since my birthday was on a Sunday evening, the bars were really slow. We had a blast despite being the only party in every bar! (So many thanks to everyone who bought me drinks/shots and to the bartenders who made me concoctions for free!)

I crashed around 3:30am after a craved snack of flaming hot Cheetos and I woke up thankful that I only turn 21 once. (Ouch, hangover.)

Even though my birthday was on Sunday, we didn't stop celebrating until this evening. That's quite alright with me.

Monday evening I had a birthday dinner with my dad, then went out for a drink with bestie MA. Tuesday at work, my co-workers surprised me with a tasty cookie cake; Tuesday evening my dad's side of the family threw me a birthday party complete with confetti salsa, strawberry cake, and money to put toward a DSLR (camera). And this evening my grandmother took me to an outdoor concert in the gardens, where I enjoyed a glass of red, and then I opened gifts and had more cake. (Am I in a sugar coma yet?)

The cakes: Cupcakes that boyfriend M got me :)
A cookie cake from co-workers (so nice!) that could give you 5 cavities from one bite
Strawberry cake that my aunt made for the party Tuesday evening
Another strawberry cake that my mom made this evening

The drinks: Strawberry margarita at my birthday dinner
Bartender made us "birthday cake" shots
This was a very funky drink!

And that will conclude the drink pictures because the rest are out of control.

The gifts: Rollerblades from boyfriend M
Gorgeous bag from mama
I love greeting cards (and want to have my own greeting card company one day!), so this was awesome! (And they're even better when they're full of cash!)

Thanks to besties who got me jewelry, shoes, and games; to mom for not only getting me the bag, but getting me a hot stone massage and beautiful dress, too (!); to baby sister for the portable hammock; to grandmother for the iHome; and to dad for the camera money and bike helmet.

I am incredibly blessed and have enjoyed celebrating with you all. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of my life thus far. Twenty one is going to be a brilliant year.