Celebrating 20

June 29th was my 20th birthday! 

I hadn't had a real party since I turned 14, so I decided this was the year.

I was really bad at documenting the details, but in essence, the theme was... beachy, with food inspired by all of my birthday parties of the past. It was easy, fun, and delicious. We ate cucumber sandwiches (1st birthday), fruit kabobs (9th), hummingbird cake (my all-time favorite as a kid), grilled cheese (8th), chips and salsa/guac, potato salad (4th), and the list goes on. We drank mom's iced tea, lemon limeade, and Rev3! We also had the chocolate fountain going, of course. Can't have a party without that beauty. 

I decided I didn't want any disposable cups or water bottles at my party; I didn't think all of that waste was necessary. Instead, I killed 2 birds with one stone and decorated mason jars for everybody to use as cups... that they could also take home as party favors. I know, I sold my souls to the hipsters. But I don't think hipsters do party favors...or birthday parties, for that matter, so I'm good.

Here's the set up of the table in the courtyard, where music played and we danced a bit (ok, mostly me)

 

We also found some straws with umbrellas hanging out in the garage...perfect!

I'm gonna find a close up picture of the mason jars so I can explain how I decorated them.

Later, we had a bonfire out front.

The whole crew (minus a few) (RHYME)

Even though I am positively sure now that I like going to parties more than hosting them, and I like cuddling at home with a book more than going to parties (on most days), this was a great birthday and it was really wonderful to have all these people in my home. Let's see... 7 of those people in that photograph, I hadn't seen for over a year; some not since graduation! It was like a mini-reunion and I can honestly say that it was GREAT to see all of these wonderful people. It made me so happy. I think I might also do a post on the gifts because they were all so thoughtful and sweet. 

I have felt like I was twenty for quite some time now, but I haven't felt that twenty was old (comparatively) until... right now. Really, I just thought about how strange it is that I'm in my twenties. I have completed two whole decades. I didn't do much to commemorate that fact, or my exiting the teen years, though I did do a dramatic reading of the letter I wrote to myself when I was 10. I should post what that looked like, too. It was quite interesting, but honestly? Not much has changed. I still have many of the same dreams and goals. Damn that feels good. Consistency in my life.

Everybody says 19 and 20 are boring. I will admit, it's true about 19. It's a conflicting age, because no one really knows how to feel about the end of their teens. At least, I didn't. Fear of the unknown, I guess. How do we be 'in our twenties'? What does that look like, feel like? I kept feeling indecisive about whether I wanted to slow everything down or speed it up. 

Twenty is a fresh start, in many ways. I can make my twenties whatever I want them to be. True, 20 is just dangling 21 right in front of your face mercilessly, but it's a great age to be old enough to savor your youth but young enough to still enjoy it. It's a nice round number. Probably the year before real life makes everything messy. (Me in a bar in a year? Messy).

I'm glad I made it to 20 in one piece. I like it here.