Great Birthday, Great Year (Part 1)

"What you do for your birthday reflects what kind of a year you're going to have," my wise mentor Judith from Iowa encouraged me as I listened intently. I called her for advice because, frankly, I was dreading my 18th birthday party. It was a jungle-themed dance party, yet a few days before it happened, I wanted to call the party off. Cancel the venue, cancel the DJ, cancel any and all celebration of my birthday. The whole thing had been a nightmare to plan, especially because we had accidentally planned it on the same night as one of my sister's Twelfth Night performances. I was an emotional wreck, not even including the feelings of becoming a legal adult (YIKES) I told myself that I would get excited eventually as we got closer. And when that didn't happen, I felt like it was too much effort and not enough enjoyment to even go through with it.

"If you sit around depressed, that's the kind-of year you're going to have," Judith continued. I knew she was right. I would forever look back on my 18th birthday and feel love and fond memories, or I'd look back and feel depressed all over again that I didn't do anything special for my birthday except sit around and sulk. Yeesh. 

By the time I got off the phone with my dear friend, I was starting to feel a twinge of excitement- She gave me fun and wild ideas for my jungle bash, and for the first time, I felt like it all might work out.

Little did I know.

God works in mysterious ways. The things that you least expect to happen end up being the things you appreciate the most.

When we arrived at the church to set up, things started getting crazy. Missing keys, unlocked closets, decorations, disagreements, food, time constraints, trying to find spoons, stress, the list goes on. Thankfully, everything worked itself out. Surprisingly, everything was ready for when the guests arrived.

Except that the guests didn't arrive. At least not all of them.

We had planned for 30-50 people to come. We ended up with a total of about 25 because none of the "I'll-try-to-make-it"s or the "maybe"s ended up showing. At the time, I was feeling seriously panicked that all our hard work would end up being a flop. I shouldn't have.

My friends. I don't even know what to say about them except that they're awesome and they know how to have a good time. Half of them thought they were bad dancers (lies), but they boogied it down anyway. The people that showed up came because they wanted to celebrate me. Even though there were less people than I thought, the quality of the people there was worth far more than any number.

We had a blast, and Judith, you were right. I can already tell- My year of being 18 is going to be just the way I celebrated it :) This year may not go the way I expect it, but it'll be better than I could've ever imagined on my own.

 

[To hear about my adventures on my actual birthday, read Great Birthday, Great Year (Part 2).]

Lizzy M and me goofing off at the photo booth

My first kiss :P

Kim and me

Ready to rock the Safari

The girls

Nicole, me, Kimmie, and Lizzy

The boys

Graham, Connor, Jacob A., Ryan, Kade, Jacob M., and Jake H.

 

The group (minus some of the late people)

Top: Brandon, Mom, Graham, Sherry, Joe, Nicole, Lizzy, Ryan, Kade, Russ, Dorthy, Jacob M., Dad

Middle: Jacob A., Kim, Me, Jake H., Anne, and Becky

Bottom: Connor

We are all so wild :P

 

 

Can you spot the coconut cup in this picture??

Priceless

 

My childhood friends (They missed the group photo because they came late)

Jacob S., Devon, Eric, Me, Lizzy, and Ryan

 

The family picture :)

Dad, Brandon, Becky, Me, Mom, and Jacob

Notice how the parents are wearing tiger hats, the boys are wearing giraffe hats (figures, since they're so tall :) and the girls are the zebras. We didn't plan that, but it happened that way :)

 

The one who gave birth to me :)

 

The one who has put up with my big sister antics...

And messy room

 

The rocking DJ!!! He was amazing :)

 

 Me and my brother after our swing dance

He doesn't usually dance, but that night, he rocked out :)

 

You can't see very good, but this is a taste of what the night looked like

  Starting out the Limbo :)

My Birthday Cake

This is me attempting to blow out the candles.

See if you can spot me spitting all over the cake :)

Oh well, more for me!

 Everyone praying for me.

I'm holding a little lion in my hand that my mom gave me, reminding me who I am.

I am strong, courageous, fierce, and loyal. 

I am wild and free.

 My name even reflects that I am a kindred spirit with these powerful creatures, that even in the most dangerous situations, God is there with me.

I am a new creature in Christ. 

And if I had my choice, I'd be a lion.

"I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I sat quietly, agreed politely
I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I let you push me past the breaking point
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything

You held me down, but I got up (hey!)
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, your hear that sound
Like thunder, gonna shake the ground
You held me down, but I got up
Get ready 'cause I had enough
I see it all, I see it now

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter
Dancing through the fire
'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar"