Happy birthday to me

The countdown is over. Today's the day, the 26th anniversary of my birth. As you may have noticed from my zealous counting down, I get pretty excited about my birthday. I know I'm probably too old to look forward to it as much as I do, but I've always felt that way, so why change now? Here's a look back at some birthday highlights of the past 10 years.

1997
I turned 16 and finally got my driver's license. I say "finally" because I was a senior in high school and by far the last of my friends to turn 16. I was taking French at the local university, so I was finally spared the embarassment of having my dad drive me to and from my college class.

1998
Freshman year at Lawrence. I was trying to keep it on the downlow that I was a young 'un, but my Best Friend and my Gay Husband ruined that by posting signs that said "Happy 17th Birthday, Louisa!" all over campus. Everywhere I went I was greeted by multiple posters and strangers jeering as they wished me a happy birthday. Thanks, friends.

1999
In honor of my 18th birthday, my friends bought me a copy of Playgirl, which I couldn't look through without dying laughing, and a pack of cigarettes, which I didn't smoke (I was a good girl and a voice major, after all). My best friend from high school was visiting, and we had a huge party in my dorm room and all the surrounding rooms. Underage drinking may have taken place. I can't remember.

2000
I was taking the term off and interning at Seattle Opera. My parents drove up to take me out. I ate multitudes of shellfish in the rotating restaurant at the top of the Space Needle, and got a much-coveted Razor scooter just as that fad was going the way of the pashmina trend.

2001
Senior year. I was only turning 20, but we went to the bars anyway, told bartenders it was my birthday, and hoped they weren't looking too closely at the date of birth on the fake ID I gave them. Ahem.

2002
In my year off after undergrad. I was stage managing Equus and dating a highly inappropriate man. We had a party at my parents' house after the performance, despite the fact that it had to start around midnight. Turning 21 felt pretty anticlimactic because of aforementioned underage drinking. Don't judge.

2003
My first year of grad school, and one of the lovely times that my Best Friend and I happened to live in the same state. She came over and we baked pumpkin pie and had girl time.

2004
My boyfriend threw me a Sesame Street-themed birthday party. We made cupcakes, blew up balloons, and gave out treat bags at the end of the party.

2005
My first year in Houston. We all went out to dinner at Ninfa's on Navigation, went salsa dancing at Sky Bar, and played pool at Cecil's, where I got to be a first-hand witness to random boy-girl drama that I was happily not a part of.

2006
We had a party at our apartment. All my colleagues got me alcohol-themed gifts. Hmmm. Much cheese was consumed.

And this year? Well, there was a fantastic party on Sunday night, and today has been wonderful. Lunch with my coworkers, cake with candles, much singing, phone calls from friends who aren't here, a good rehearsal, and presents! Now I'm off to dinner with Nathan at one of my favorite spots. Happy birthday indeed.