Eighteen?!

The last time I wrote a blog, I was a mere child. Well, sort of. However, last Friday was my birthday and now I'm eighteen. The big one-eight and the age that heaps a pile of responsibility onto my lap or at least gives parents and teachers the go ahead to use the "you're an adult now, you should know better" form of chastisement.

A lot of people on their 18th birthday decided that, because they're now old enough to drink legally, they want to go out drinking for their birthday, or go out to a night club or have a massive party with loud music and drink. (Sorry, am I stereotyping a little too much?) Anyway, I decided I didn't want that. In fact, I usually do hardly anything for my birthday. 17th - Nothing, 16th - Small meal at home with friends, other previous teenage years - sleepovers, younger - days out with a friend, younger than that wasn't much my decision but I've never had a big party. I've never had a party anywhere other than my house and I've never had more than about ten friends around to celebrate, if that even. However, this year I decided I wanted to break that tradition. I was turning eighteen, I'm hoping to go off to university in September, I've met some brilliant new friends over the past year, got to know some others even better and there were older friends where I needed some sort of excuse to meet up with them. However, not being the drinking type and thinking that no-one would turn up if I had a party where the DJ was playing DFTBA music all evening, I decided to have a barn dance.

For a bit, I was worried nobody would turn up. Everyone seemed to be busy with exams (I should probably have been revising too but that's another issue) and a lot of people couldn't make it down for the evening. I was also worried that those who did turn up wouldn't like the idea of a barn dance or my friends from different 'circles' wouldn't mix so I'd spend the evening flitting between groups, trying to introduce people to each other. However, my worries were pointless as a good number of people showed up and everyone had a great time (or at least they said they had a great time...) and it was so great to see so many of my friends in one place, all getting along. My friends from Roothill and Crowborough and school and church, all mixing, all talking, all having a great time.

One thing that it seemed no one listened to was my instructions to "just bring yourself". As you may know, I think that personal presents are the best and I hate it when people give presents for the sake of getting presents (in cases like that I'd quite often rather have nothing at all) however I had a ton of amazing presents. Most of which involved either chocolate or sheep. However, two of my favourite presents have to be the ones that had the most time put into them and the most thought put into them. Don't get me wrong, I loved all my other presents too but these two are the absolute best.

The first: cup cakes decorated with icing in the shape of sheep. They were hand decorated (I don't think the market for sheep iced cup cakes is massive anyway) and the only thing wrong with them is that I can't keep them and have to eat them! Although, after eating two, they are as delicious as they are amazing to look at.

The second: a poster drawn and painted by Matt.

I was gobsmacked when I unwrapped it and took it out of its tube. Now, Matt will probably be all modest about it but I have to say it is one of my favourite presents ever and in close competition with my scrapbook. You could say I'm on the verge of obsession with it, showing it off to my friends (via my phone) and having it as the background for my laptop as well as my phone and also making sure I've placed it in a part of my room where the sun can never get at it and fade it. Basically it's epic and awesome.

Talking of my scrapbook, I took it with me on Saturday, left it on the table with a box of pens and gave my dad and my friend Beth the job of making sure everyone signed it. And boy did they sign it. I got wonderful little messages from everyone there, even the barn dance caller! However, once again, Matt stole the limelight. The signatures and messages had spilled onto a third page and Matt did a wonderful little drawing (well, Cylinder taking a holiday over the weekend) on the fourth page making it amazingly epic and also meaning I don't have to come up with something epic to fill the page - he's done it for me!

So basically, I had an epic 18th birthday filled with friends, sheep, singing cards, Doctor Who-ness (including a card from Timmy with 10th Doctor and a badge saying '9'!), chocolate, smiles and fun!

Thank you everyone and DFTBA xX