I turn 29 on Friday. Did you get me a present? I am celebrating with my folks tonight. I’m celebrating with my O! friends and Jeff on Friday. My Dallas friends are getting screwed. Hahahah. Kidding.

So tonight, four days early, I’ll get to open presents. It will be the earliest I’ve ever opened my presents. It will also be only the second time I haven’t seen my parents on my birthday. The last time was on my 21st birthday. Then, I had decided to stay in Norman and live it up with my closest friends.

Since I didn’t have a blog back in ‘99, I thought I’d tell a touch of that story today. You know, on the day of which we are celebrating my birthday early.

Ok, so I turned 21 ten days before the Millennium! It was going to be exciting! It was going to be awesome! It was going to fantastic! It was my 21st, and ten days later the world was going to end (or something)!

I had elected to stay in Norman for my birthday. It was going to be the first time that I wouldn’t be home for my birthday. And this was going to be a BIG, HUGE birthday! HUGE! Class ended Friday, December 17th. My birthday was the following Tuesday - four whole days later. Honestly, I didn’t expect many people to still be around. If it were me, I wouldn’t have been in town. I was known for leaving the city as soon as finals were over.

Hell, even my roommate Jenny had left to go to California with Justin. And I would find out after she got back that she was all knocked up with her first baby girl. (Who is absolutely beautiful and looks almost exactly like Jenny which makes me laugh just a little.)

Ok, so the 21st tradition in Norman (at least back in the Stone Age, I’m sure it’s different now) was to go to all the local campus bars and get a t-shirt that marked your birthday at that bar. It was either a free shirt or a free shot. Me? I picked the shirts because I am a nerd like that.

This was about the time we were planning the very first WICKED. So, there were many IM conversations and emails between Cullun, Nicole and me. I may have mentioned this also to Cullun who was (is?) one of my most favorite Brothers from the Southwest Missouri State chapter. (You know…because I spent the better part of my college career on their campus. I’m surprised I never just ditched it all and enrolled there too. I could have gone concurrent! That would have been hilarious.) So, I may have mentioned this to Cullun.

So, I told my friends (and Brothers) that I was going to live it up with my college-aged friends and drink until my eyeball exploded. Legally, mind you. Because I would be 21. And wouldn’t you know it? Not one damn waitress carded me all damn night. Seriously, why don’t more college kids “pretend” it’s their 21st birthday? It’s not like anyone is going to question it.

Alright, so school ended. I had a very long weekend where I scrubbed every inch of my apartment. Well, at least my side. I didn’t want to be nosy and root around in Jenny’s stuff. So, I left her room and bathroom as they were. Except for the kitty stuff which I dutifully cleaned as Lucky still lived there.

Finally, Tuesday rolled around. It was my birthday! I had great emails and phone calls from all over the country. I got flowers from this boy I was talking to. I got a bunch of cards. My folks called and wished me a happy birthday.

Then Cullun showed up on my doorstep with three people in tow. In fact, one of his traveling companions was none other than your favorite reality star and mine, David Daskal! (I know, you're totally jealous.) Then my brothers started showing up at my apartment. One after another they came. They dutifully drove me to the first bar.

O'Connell's is an OU staple, so of course it was my first bar that night. However, my birthday comes so close to the end of the year, they were out of 1999 shirts. So, they gave me a shirt for 2000. Well, obviously, since I hadn't spent my 2000 birthday at the bar they gave me a free shot out. I so love that bar. While we were sitting there, more of my friends and brothers trickled in.

22 people in all came to my birthday. Isn't that awesome? I was very impressed and happy and all that good stuff.

We hit one more bar after that, The Mont where I got a 99 shirt and a swirl. Yum. We started playing drinking games. My favorite game is the shot game where everyone picks a shot and we all do a round. It's a lot of fun and you get to try a lot of different drinks. I had two liquid coc@ines and a three wise men which were both terrible. I used to have the list of all the shots I did, but I'm sure it's tucked neatly in a scrapbook or long gone by now. The goal was always to do 21. I think I got to 17 and they took me home.

We then ate cupcakes and danced around my very clean apartment until we all collapsed into a sleepy heap. And no, my eyeballs didn't explode, but yes I was quite inebriated. I hear that's what you're supposed to do on your 21st birthday. I woke up to a living room full of people and a kitchen smelling like pancakes. (Someone got up before me.)

That day I drove back to Dallas to spend my Day-After-My-Birthday with my folks. It was totally worth staying in Norman.

So, tonight, I'm celebrating my birthday with the folks. We're doing dinner, mom made cupcakes and then presents! I'm excited. My birthday is my favorite holiday. Although, I don't think I'll get a birthday shirt tonight.