Sunday, June 5, 2011: Happy Birthday to ME!!! (& Kristin Ann and Chandler)

            So today I finally turned 21! While I didn’t technically hit the 21 mark until 7:47am, I opened my presents (which have been sitting under my bed for a week!) from my family at midnight (all of which I loved)! It’s still very weird that I didn’t get to spend the day with Kristin Ann, but like I mentioned yesterday, she’s coming up during the week to celebrate. It was also a little weird that none of my friends from school were here today to celebrate; although all of them are going to come celebrate at some point this summer. But after spending my birthday with them all last year, it was very different celebrating without them.

            Chandler also celebrated her 21^st birthday today, and this morning a bunch of us got up early and went to a Polo match on Governor’s Island, even though none of us really knew anything about Polo. It was a lot of fun. We got all dressed up, hopped on the subway (even though we were dressed in a way that scream “rob us, we have money”), then got on the ferry. There weren’t many people there at first (seeing as the match didn’t start until 2:30, the gate didn’t open until 11, and we got there around 10:45), so we were able to secure a few tables and chairs. Most of the day was just spent hanging out and talking. Stupidly, we chose to eat around 1pm, which is after a lot of people got there, so the lines were really long. Champagne was $17 a flute, and when we first got there we had all talked about splitting a bottle (which would’ve worked out to $11/person), but throughout the day we ended up not getting it (mostly because the line had gotten so long). The trip back on the ferry was ridiculous! We left when the match was halfway over (as did the majority of people) and the line was extremely long and people kept attempting to cut the line. Eventually, we did make it on the ferry, but only after a lot of waiting. We were all wicked tired, but made plans to go out to dinner to continue the celebration of Chandler and me turning 21. Also, once we got back to the dorms, Kate and Nadia surprised me with a cupcake from Crumb placed in a martini glass (I’m waiting until after dinner to eat it)!

           Tonight we went to a Mexican Restaurant, and I ordered my first alcoholic drink, a Long Island Ice Tea (and my second was a Piña Colada). The food at the restaurant was ok, but the people I went with are simply amazing. I can’t believe that we have all only known each other for a week. It seems like we’ve been friends for a significantly longer amount of time! Once we got back from the restaurant, we ended up hanging out in Chandler, Katherine, and Shelby’s room for a little bit, and it ended up being the perfect ending to my birthday. I absolutely love all of the friends that I have made in New York, and am now getting the agonizing feeling that once these 8 weeks are up, it’s going to be a seriously hard departure (don’t worry, I’m totally planning on making the most of every second I have in the city).

            Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday (whether in person, via Facebook, or text). Also, a special thanks to everyone in New York who made my 21^st birthday simply unforgettable. Chandler, Steph, Steven, Katherine, Nick, Tyler, Shelby, Hannah, I can’t thank you enough for making today one of the best birthdays ever. And I honestly can’t tell you how much you all mean to me. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that today marked one week since we all moved in, and that in just that short amount of time we moved from being merely Facebook friends to actual friends. Thanks again.

And a final Happy Birthday to my best friend, literally since the day we were born, Kristin Ann! We’re finally 21! Where has the time gone!