I love birthdays, especially my own! Below are the three best celebrations I've ever had.

1. My 11th birthday. My parents let me have a pool party. There was cake, and swimming, and a weird summertime version of an Easter Egg hunt, except my dad had put dollar bills in the plastic eggs instead of candy. I was the coolest 11 year old for a whole week.

2. My 21st birthday. My boyfriend was living in my parents' attic at the time (long story...) and one of my best friends showed up at my house with three of our friends from Ireland in tow. I bought beer legally for the first time, then took my friends to the ocean where we jumped in waves, told stories and ate cake.

3. My 25th birthday. I finished grad school and successfully reached a quarter of a century on the same day. To celebrate, I invited everyone I knew to the bar, and everyone showed up! And bought me a drink. The next day was not so fun, but that night? One of the best ever.

My next birthday isn't until August, but it's never too early to start planning!