Next Benchmark: AARP?

Well, I survived it. The Big 2-1. I haven't bought myself a single drink yet, which of course makes me the lamest 21-year-old on the planet. But I did it - I made it 21 years on this planet, and I think I deserve a pat on the back for that.

The cupcakes I decorated for the cast of Candide!

Please, excuse the lackluster introduction. I have to say that yesterday was one the of the best birthdays I've ever had... ever. I guess it sort of slipped my mind that 21 was big and important, which produced low expectations that were consistently blown away by all the amazingly kind things my friends and family did for me. 

To simplify, I was just praying my birthday wouldn't suck too hard, and it happened to rock. 

Similar to my Thanksgiving review, here is a typical WMWC list of why my birthday was pretty much awesome, in no particular order.

1) Beautiful, sunny weather. It could have been warm, but hey - I'll take sunshine over gross any day.

2) Wearing a fabulous (far too expensive) shirt paired with perfect little turquoise flats and my current favorite pair of jeans. Great outfit, if I do say so myself.

3) No less than THREE "perishable packages" arrived at my dorm unexpectedly. Flowers, a bottle of champagne, and a big ol' Edible Arrangement, which will act as all of my meals for the next few days. That, and cereal.

4) Gotta love the constant Facebook wall posts. Thanks for those, everyone.

5) Lunch with my mom. To be fair, that was the day before my birthday, but we went to Todd English's restaurant, Olives, in Union Square, which was sufficiently swanky and delicious, so it belongs on this list.

6) Obtaining, decorating, carrying, and giving away cupcakes at rehearsal. As much as those damn cupcakes took forever to decorate and made my arms burn walking to and from campus, there was something so rewarding about feeding the people I love who are working on this production right now. I don't know, call me crazy, but making people happy is a present in itself.

7) Knowing my best friend was having her birthday on the other side of the island. Even though we played phone tag all day, I like to think she was enjoying her birthday as much as I was.

8) Removing my fake ID. Replacing it with my real ID. Sweet.

9) Little things - text messages from friends I haven't heard from in a while. Being treated to a skinny vanilla latte (which is becoming an increasingly expensive present!). Hugs.

10) Hearing the cast of Candide sing "Happy Birthday" even though it was like 11:30 p.m. and everyone was completely exhausted. Really, I almost cried.

11) Coming home from rehearsal to find my Edible Arrangement refrigerated and my roommates waiting, card in hand, to give me champagne-infused Jacque Torres truffles. Mmmmm.

12) Finally, and most confusingly, a long overdue, refreshingly honest conversation with The Well-Intentioned Ex-Boyfriend. Oddly enough, he was the first person to wish me a happy birthday at midnight (via text), and the last person I talked to when the clock struck midnight and my birthday was over. The lines are blurred and it's all pretty much a mess, but it may be a good kind of messy... although I can't say for sure. All I can say is that it felt very natural to begin and end my birthday with him, in spirit.

I apologize, my WMWC readers, for the lack of sarcasm in this post, which was hardly even the least bit humorous. But I guess I'm just feeling too grateful to be spiteful, you know? So I want to say to everyone a big hearty thank you. Thank you roommates, castmates, family members, friends, and even thank you to The Well-Intentioned Ex-Boyfriend. If I could, I would reach out through the blogosphere and hug each and every one of you.