Turning 21 is a big deal. It is arguably your last exciting birthday, and I think why it is exciting goes without saying.

I finally just reached this birthday milestone, and my night was exactly what I would have wanted it to be. I bought a new shirt for the night, did my hair and my makeup, had the stereotypical girl turning 21 sash and balloons, and I drank and went out with my friends. But there is not one point of the night I could not tell you about.

You can all celebrate however you want, as they are your birthdays, but for my birthday, this was perfect.

I am tired of the stigma that celebrating things around this age is a reason to get incoherently, miserable to be around, drunk. Why would I want my only memories of my birthday to be me throwing up the next morning? Instead, I can remember laughing with my friends and taking pictures and dancing.

From everything I have seen, blacking out and throwing up does not sound fun to me, and I am glad that my friends let me decide what was going to be fun for me and not what they thought would be fun.

Being force fed shots does not sound like my ideal night out, nor does chugging drinks for "fun".

I am not trying to sit here and pass judgement on those who have tested their drinking limits in honor of birthdays, you do you. But let other people decide how they are willing to spend it, and in turn do not judge them for how they chose to celebrate.

If remembering what happened makes my birthday "lame" to you, then it is probably a good thing that you were not apart of my celebrations. Personally, I was happy to be surrounded by people I love and remember every minute of it.