It’s finally here: your big day. You have entered a magical new world where you can now legally drink, gamble, and own a firearm. What a time to be alive. We have waited for this day for such a long time as a bff duo. When I turned 21, all I could think about was your birthday, because it just wasn’t the same without you. But the times of searching google for nightlife that we could actually enjoy are gone. Now we can hit the town without a strategic plan, enjoy more nights out, and the best part: You can have wine with your pasta. That’s right. Look out world, my best friend is turning 21 today.

I know right now is probably so exciting you don’t know how to handle it. I remember going to work at 9 a.m. the day of my birthday and thinking: “Why am I not celebrating yet?” Of course, I was the girl that ordered wine or beer with her meals every time I went out for a month. And although I know you probably have more self control than I do, I want you to know that this birthday is the time when you get to be entirely too much, and nobody can say anything. If you want to be completely unrespectable for a night, now’s the time. If you want to plan your meals around what will pair well with the drink you just ordered, that’s totally acceptable. As your best friend, I am officially giving you the liberty (because I have that power, duh!) to be overtly ridiculous and post the most basic Instagram-esque photos. Because at the end of the day, when the excitement fades, we are grown women with jobs, financial responsibilities working towards our degrees. So it’s okay to enjoy this moment (and all other moments of this year) and establish your legality. The world is always ready to throw some crazy twists at us to remind us of our adulthood, so don’t be afraid to tell the world to shove it sometimes and have another glass of wine. If there was ever a time to celebrate being young and silly, now is the time.

I am so incredibly happy for you! Not only because we can now toast each other the next time we’re together, but mostly because there is so much to toast. Looking back on our high school days I would have never imagined that we would become this close. I could have never predicted how strong our relationship has become, but I am eternally grateful for it. And when I tell people about my best friend, it almost brings me to tears. You are an amazing woman. You are incredibly kind, you always know how to make me laugh, and you are courageous in a way that I cannot even begin to explain. I know we haven’t had too similar experiences in college, but I know that it is one of the most challenging times we have both faced. And although the past couple of years have not been the easiest, I have seen you grow in ways that amaze me. You are an incredible best friend, an amazing woman and the most deserving birthday girl on the planet.

So get out there and taste your freedom! Although we’re not together yet, we will be soon, and I’m so thankful for that. You deserve today (and all the shenanigans we will get into later to celebrate). So today, I toast to you: the best friend a girl could ever ask for.