Today I turned.....19! where has the time gone???

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Today I turned 19.

Nineteen. It feels like one of those ages that deserves its own kind of celebration — not just a quick “happy birthday” and a photo, but a proper day. A day where everything says this is for you. A day where the people who love you most show up, stay present, and make sure you feel it in every moment.

And that is exactly what happened.

We didn’t do “quiet” today. We did a DJ. We did a family fun day. We did friends. We did laughter. We did music loud enough to feel in your chest. We did the kind of atmosphere that makes you forget the hard bits for a while — the kind that makes the day feel light.

The best part wasn’t even one single thing. It was the energy.

From the moment the day kicked off, it felt different. It felt like a party you could step into. Everything was themed — not in that “a few balloons and a banner” way, but in the way where you can tell someone cared enough to think it through. The little details mattered. The set-up mattered. The whole day had a look and a feel, like it had been built around me.

And the cake? The cake understood the assignment.

It wasn’t just a cake you cut and pose next to. It was themed, part of the whole day, part of the story. One of those cakes that makes people stop and go, “No way… that’s amazing,” before anyone even thinks about eating it.

Having a DJ should honestly be compulsory on birthdays.

Music changes everything. It fills the space. It shifts the mood. It makes people move, even if they’re just swaying or clapping or doing that thing where you pretend you’re not dancing but you absolutely are.

And for me, music isn’t just background noise. It’s connection. It’s stimulation. It’s familiarity. It’s joy.

Watching everyone together — friends, family, the people who know me properly — it felt like the room was speaking its own language. The kind of language where nobody has to over-explain. Where you don’t need perfect words. Where love is obvious.

I’ve learned something over the years: the best days aren’t made by the big things, even though the big things are exciting.

The best days are made by who turns up.

Today, people turned up in every way that counts. They didn’t just appear for a quick photo and disappear. They stayed. They brought warmth. They made space for me to be part of it all. They didn’t make the day “about” my needs — they just included them naturally, the way it should be.

That’s what makes something feel safe and normal and genuinely happy.

A family fun day sounds simple when you say it quickly, but what it really means is this: a day where I’m not on the side lines of life. A day where I’m right in it.

The theme wasn’t just decoration. It was intention.

It was somebody saying, “We know you. We celebrate you. We want your day to look and feel special.” And that matters, because sometimes life can be all appointments and equipment and routines and planning.

Today was planning too — but the joyful kind. The kind that builds memories instead of managing problems.

Nineteen feels like growth. It feels like strength. It feels like looking around a room and knowing you’re not doing life alone.

If you’ve ever loved someone with complex needs, you’ll understand this part: joy doesn’t always come easily. Sometimes it has to be created on purpose. Sometimes it takes extra effort, extra thinking, extra organisation, extra everything.

But days like today prove it’s worth it.

Because I didn’t just “have a birthday.”

I had a celebration.

I had music. I had friends. I had my people. I had a themed day that made me feel seen. I had a cake that was part of the magic. I had a room full of love that didn’t need translating.

So here’s to 19.

Here’s to more fun days. More music. More moments that feel like life, not just time passing.

And here’s to everyone who helped make today what it was.

I felt it. All of it.