Not to be a cliche...

...But my best birthday ever was probably my 16th birthday. However, the circumstances were anything but cliche.

April was a crazy month for my family. The 1st was the the date of my operation to place two screws in my leg in order to hold my kneecap in place. I then took up residence in the downstairs living room, was stuck on crutches, and was then told I would not be able to walk on my own for my birthday on the 30th.

Why did I pick this as my best birthday? Because my family and friends made it the best. For school, my mom tied balloons to my crutches and one of my friends smuggled away cookies meant for a bake sale. A group of friends and I ate said cookies in Algebra and laughed our way through the math. After school, everyone piled into the car and took the party to my house. We watched movies, ate gourmet chocolate cake, raced (read: crashed) on Mario Kart Wii, and had a great time.

It may not have been on par with the parties on MTV, but I bet you that I had more fun than any of those heiresses. A giant ball with hundreds of invitees does not an awesome party make- a group of people who love you do.

So I could have told you about my tenth birthday when I competed in a horse show prior to heading to the shooting range to fire some guns with my dad, one friend, and his dad. . . But that can wait. The story of 16 was much more heartwarming.

Iris Black is the author of Just One of the Guys (now on Kindle) and can be found at any number of places, including Sam's Space, Facebook, and Twitter.