Turning 21

21

This past week I celebrated my 21st birthday. It's the "rite of passage" into adulthood, right? The time when you can finally drink, and don't have to worry about getting an "under-ager." Everyone seems to be so excited to turn 21, it's like they want to rush through their younger years just to hit the "golden age" so that they are able to drink. Now it was my turn to enter the age that everyone looks forward to.

This birthday kind of crept up on me, and I didn't think much of it. My boyfriend, Dusty, and I made a plan to stay up until midnight on the 6th so that we could go out to the bar for a drink. It sounded like a fun plan until the night actually came and I felt a cold coming on. I managed to stay up until 11:30pm, but then I turned into bed because I decided that I didn't NEED to go out drinking.

Dusty and I both took the day of my birthday off of work to spend it together. We got to sleep in and start the morning slowly. Once we got moving, we headed to La Crosse and dropped off my brother's senior picture book at the Studio on Main (where he got his senior pictures done). After that, we went to the mall and Dusty treated me to some shopping. We stopped at Spencer's and we got a couple of shot glasses, Dusty got a Rick and Morty one, and I got one that says "Just Turned 21" and another that says "Drunk Up B*tches!" I got a matching set and two free bags from Victoria's Secret. We then wandered over to Rue21 and Dusty got two bottles of cologne, and I got two bottles of perfume. Our final stop in the mall was Maurices where I got a pair of blue jeans and a water bottle.

After shopping, Dusty treated me to lunch at Red Lobster. I had to show the waitress my ID for the first time when I ordered a Sunset Passion Colada. She wished me a happy birthday, and so did the couple at the next table. Dusty and I got to enjoy lunch, and then the waitress brought out a free sundae for us to enjoy.

This caption (I think) is supposed to say "Her *first* legal drink"

On our way home, we stopped at my grandparents to talk to them and see what they were up to. After at least half an hour spent talking with them, we headed home and they headed to town. At the end of the day, my mom, sister, brother, and "other brother" came to Tomah to eat at the bowling alley with us. We all split an appetizer platter and two large pizzas. The bartender mixed me up a "Sex on the Beach," and Dusty later ordered two Jaegerbomb shots, which he insisted that my mom or I had to take with him. My mom and I compromised, she took a sip, I drank half, and we handed Dusty the rest of it.

In the end, responsibility got the best of me (as always) because I had my last day of classes the next day, so I was in bed at a relatively decent time. It's now the weekend after my 21st, and I've been working. I work again tomorrow, and the following two days, and then I have finals the two days after that. I may never "really celebrate" my 21st birthday, but I am perfectly happy with the way that I did celebrate turning 21.