This week, I have the joy of celebrating yet another birthday. Like many of my friends, I'm at that weird age where there's a lull in the big milestone birthdays.

I'm turning 28 years old on Thursday, and so the excitement surrounding your 28th is not quite like it is around say, your 25, 21, 18 or, of course, your 16 birthday. In order to make this birthday a little more exciting, and a lot more nostalgic I present to you a soundtrack of my 16 year.

Below you will find 16 songs that defined my sixteenth year, and the many miles I spent driving around in my 1995 Honda Civic EX with the sunroof open and windows down, blowing out speakers every chance I had. And yes, I realize that I am opening myself up to some serious ridicule for sharing these.

*Disclaimer: not all of these songs were popular with everyone in 2004 (nor were they written in 2004), but it definitely shows a little bit of who I was back then.

1. Slide - Goo Goo Dolls

I remember the day I got my license, I opened up my sunroof, rolled down the windows and blared the Goo Goo Dolls "Dizzy Up The Girl' album as I cruised the back roads of Bartholomew County. I may or may not have worn out my copy of that CD.

2. Black Balloon - Goo Goo Dolls

Like I said the "Dizzy Up the Girl" album was my favorite CD through much of my high school career, especially during my 16 year. In the midst of some teenage angst, depression and anxiety — the lyrics to this song registered with me in a way many other songs didn't.

3. Headstrong - Trapt

This song, from the self-titled album Trapt — was the song I'd blare after work to stay awake or while driving somewhere in bad mood or angry. It's a head banging delight and it always makes me feel better.

4. Echo - Trapt

This is one of those early 2000s rock band power ballads. Admittedly, this song was the theme song to my first real relationship and it still brings all the feels from that time in my life.

5. Beauty in the Breakdown - The Scene Aesthetic (TSA)

TSA was pretty unknown then and remains so today, however, this song definitely got me through some of my darkest days. I could turn this song on at any point when battling with depression and anxiety and it always made me feel like I wasn't alone in the world.

6. Hands Down - Dashboard Confessional

I could easily list any Dashboard Confessional song on this list, but this one hands down was my favorite (see what I did there?!) It was just a great song to rock out to, singing at the top of my lungs.

7. Ocean Avenue - Yellowcard

YellowCard was another one of those bands whose entire album could be considered the soundtrack to my 16th year. I played this track over and over while playing the "steering wheel" alone with drummer LP. Summer nights racing home, trying to beat my curfew with this song blaring is nothing but a distant memory at this point.

8. Empty Apartment - Yellowcard

Another song for my teenage angst. This was one of those songs that you listened too no matter if you were mad at friends or a girl — that line "it's OK to be angry and never let go, it only gets harder the more that you know" pretty much summed up the way 16-year old-me felt about things.

9. Drive - Incubus

I had just turned 16, naturally driving was something I did as much of as possible. This song was the perfect soundtrack to long country back road drives.

10. What I Got - Sublime

I can thank my soccer coaches and Dave Mirra's BMX Freestyle video game for my love of sublime. Nothing says "chill" like listening to the voice of Bradley Nowell (R.I.P.) singing about everyday life.

11. What Would You Say - Dave Matthews Band

Dave Matthews Band (particularly this Live from Central Park album) will always be one of my favorite bands. Hands down the best live show I've ever seen. In 2004, with my newly found freedom, there was nothing I loved more than rocking out to this nonsensical song after soccer practice.

12. Mr. Brightside - The Killers

Honestly, I'm not sure why I loved The Killers when I was 16, but I really did. This is probably one of the few bands from my 16th year that I look back on and wonder why I spent $13 of my hard earned dollars on this album.

12. Confessions - Usher

If you were a high school student between 2004 - 2007 I would guess you owned this whole album. This song was another song that would be a driving home late a night, looking for something to sing along to type of song. Usher was the epitome of R&B at that time and I loved this song.

13. Changes - 2pac

Any one that really knows me, knows that this song is on my top 10 list of all time favorites. I loved just ripping this song in my car with the subs in the trunk rattling my rear view mirror. To this day I can't help but rap every lyric like I'm Tupac myself.

14. Thugz Mansion - 2pac ft Nas

This song was just a smooth listening song. The acoustic guitar mixed with classic Pac and some Nas added in.

15. Can't Stop Won't Stop - Young Gunz

Again, up tempo with a good beat, and lyrics to learn. This song was fun to just rap along too on our way into town for food on a Friday night and I'm pretty sure it was my ringtone for the longest time.

There you have it, in all it's glory. Obviously my 16th year was filled with a lot of rocking out in the car to fun up-beat rock or rap, or driving around trying to figure out why life was so hard. For me, this post provided a lot of nostalgia as I turn 28 in a few days -- and I'm so glad I have these tunes to remind me of the past.