Turning Twenty

pic from megwhiteiii.deviantart.com

Today is my last day as a teenager EVER! Tomorrow is my 20th birthday, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Turning 18 is always a huge deal, and similarly the big 2-1 requires a certain amount of hoo-hah, but 19 and 20 leave you in a bit of a no man's land. It's as if when you reach 18 years old you're technically officially an adult on paper, but realistically, I don't think you're a proper grown up until you're 21. Or maybe it's actually when you've bought a house and can iron without making more creases. Which could be a hell of a lot later. The three years in between 18 and 21 are just a bit random really. You don't know where you are. It's a real problem of young people today. *sob*

Obviously I'm still excited because I LOVE BIRTHDAYS more than most people - my own or anyone else's. I like to make a fuss, have a celebration, see my family and friends, and (obvs) eat cake. You only get one a year, so it's nice to make other people feel special. It's their day. Make an effort and they might just make one back when it's your birthday.

Is any party complete without Party Rings? (telegraph.co.uk)

I remember how excited I used to get when I was a little girl. I couldn't sleep the night beforehand. It was the one day of the year when I was allowed cherryade and Party Ring biscuits (that reminds me... I really should get some for tomorrow. Or ask the madre to buy them. I'm allowed to on my birthday whoop whoop!). Naturally, the presents were the main attraction of the day. Every year, without fail, I would take chocolates into school, my mum would make a chocolate cake covered with Smarties and we would have a party with a bouncy castle in the garden for all my friends. It was the best.

It doesn't help that now, as a university student, my birthday falls at a really awkward time of the year. My uni term doesn't start till reeeaaally late so I'm still at home (as are most of my uni friends, dotted round the UK), but most of my home friends from school are already back at their unis. Awk times. I reiterate, these are the serious problems of my life.

However, you can always count on your family to come over where cake is concerned. I love to organise gatherings and parties, so it's a joy for me to have people over to celebrate and eat cake with me. And although I already know what all my birthday presents are (because I chose them on a shopping trip yesterday), I'm sure I will still lie in bed tonight with hopefully more than a twinge of excitement about what tomorrow will bring.

PS Family, I hope you don't think I'm too old for balloons!

PPS I have planned to make what is hopefully going to be an epic birthday cake, so if it goes well, watch this space for the recipe.

PPPS Birthday cards/tweets/facebook messages/comments/presents are all welcome. Just in case you weren't sure.