I am 21.

Four days ago, I was sitting in a bar with five of my friends enjoying the smooth sound of a hefty hispanic man singing along Garth Brooks. In the midst of my 21st birthday celebration, I started singing along to his rendition of "I've got friends in low places" while finishing my fourth drink of the night. I sat there with a smile on my face while being hassled by my friend Ryan, "Drink your beer, Paige!" and thinking to myself, I have the best friends in the world. 

I mean, of course everyone says that when they're with good people celebrating life achievements. But in all honesty, I really do. 

How many people do you know that would sit in two in a half hours worth of traffic to come to hang out with someone they've only known for a few months? Or who do you know would drive out after work on the night of a big NBA play off game to be hassled and forced to eat a ton of food they didnt want to eat after knowing someone for barely a month? And who do you know would put up with a drunk 21 year old on the drive home, or have something professed to you by the same drunk 21 year old?

Not a lot, I bet.

My friends put up with a lot of crap. They help me through the tough times, when I'm insecure, when I feel like I have nothing else left. They motivate me into becoming a better person, they help me become more level headed, they talk sense into me. 

If it weren't for them, I'd be nothing. 

Seriously. 

I have overcome many fears and obstacles in the past year. I've made great and poor decisions, and have learned a lot from those who have tried to straighten me out. I'm not as out of control as I once was, I have stability. These friends have sat me down and shown me the important things in life: job, goals, family, friendships, getting back on the horse. They expect a lot out of me, and I don't want to disappoint them.

I realized on my 21st birthday, that I constantly tell each and every one of my friends how proud I am of them. 

Now, it's my turn to make them proud.