Hey Alec, can you believe it? 21 years old! It's one of the big ones. It's one of the milestones.

As always, I'm writing this to a future you.

Current you is out with your girlfriend and friends right now. You've been tired and stressed with school. Your birthday is on a Sunday and many of your friends aren't old enough yet to join you in a toast.

It's not the big celebration you imagined.

Alas.

Hopefully you're having a great time, though. I imagine you are.

And, if nothing else, your 21st birthday was spent with people who love you.

So.

This evening, you, your girlfriend (I don't share her name in the blog because I don't know whether she's okay with it,) your brother, his wife, your mother, and I all met for dinner at The Cornish Pasty. It's a pub style restaurant with a nice selection of beers. When the server learned it was your 21st birthday, she still carded you, but then she brought you a complimentary car bomb - a stout with a shot of whiskey. You dutifully drank that. And with your meal you ordered a 32 ounce nut brown ale. The server peer pressured your brother into also getting a 32 ounce drink so as to keep you company.

For the record, neither you nor your brother were driving.

It was all enough to leave you feeling tipsy but not hammered. After the food, we had ice cream cake which your mom brought, having called ahead to make sure the restaurant was fine with the outside dessert (they were).

Afterwards, you and your girlfriend came back to the house where we relaxed a bit. Of course we had to show her a bunch of baby photos. It's a thing. Then you both headed out for the evening.

It was all pretty low key, but, I'm glad we got to share a part of the day with you.

And this is where I leave off. I'm ready for bed. My days off going out on a school night are waaayy behind me.

Come to think of it, I've never been much on going out on school nights.

But I digress.

21 years old!

Your mother and I are so proud of you and the man you've become. We're proud of your determination and perseverance. We're proud of your decency and compassion. We're proud of your honesty and humility.

You're a good person.

And with that, I say good night.

Happy birthday, Alec! I'm I love you.