COUSIN'S 18TH BIRTHDAY

Hello everyone, @lorene08 here! Today’s blog is a special one. Last November 20, 2025, my cousin/best friend celebrated her legality.

She is not just my cousin—she’s also one of my closest best friends. We grew up together and became really close. She’s my best cousin, best friend, best adviser, jogging buddy, food buddy, and one of my “call away” friends (we’re neighbors btw HAHAHAHA).

A week before her debut, she told me that I would be part of her 18 candles, and in fact, I was the first one on the list. Just thinking about it made me nervous because I’m not used to speaking in front of many people—plus the thought of using a mic? Lols HAHAHAHA! But a few days later, she told me and our other cousin that the 18 candles and 18 roses will be cancelled and that the celebration would just be simple—eating, singing, and bonding.

She also informed me that the theme of her debut would be blue, and the color coding would of course be blue. We could wear white if we didn’t have any blue clothes available (I immediately went to a thrift store to find a blue top lol).

Time skip to the day of her birthday…
I was so late, guys. The event was supposed to start at 3 PM, but they were still waiting for other guests, so it started around 5 PM. It was so embarrassing because I was the only guest who was late HAHAHAHA! But luckily, I arrived right before the 18 candles started. But even though I was late, the birthday party wasn’t boring at all. Our cousin, who was also the emcee, was super funny and energetic. She kept everyone entertained, and even the awkward moments became fun because of her jokes and hype. She really brought life to the whole event.

Guys, I didn’t prepare any message because I thought it was cancelled 😟 So when they called me (right after I arrived!!) I just said random things. It was honestly so embarrassing, but at least I survived HAHAHAHA!

After me, her junior and senior high school friends gave their messages. Since there weren’t enough girls for the 18 candles, the emcee decided to call other guests—our cousins and even some cute kids from the neighborhood who were invited.

After the candles, it was getting dark so the emcee said they would continue the 18 roses and 18 treasures after dinner. We were told to line up so everything would stay organized. They had caterers, so the food was portioned for everyone.

Since the line was long, my cousin John and I took pictures with Roxy. Our youngest cousin, baby Justin, joined us too.

After dinner, the 18 roses started. I was laughing because some of our cousins were guessing if my cousin’s boyfriend was there. We were teasing each other and laughing at her answers. Since there weren’t enough boys, some of our uncles were called to join.

Of course, her older brother had the first dance, then our boy cousins, and lastly, her father.

(My father was also part of the 18 roses btw cutieee!)

For the 18 treasures, many were called too—like the woman who took care of her when she was little (now a successful businesswoman), her elementary teacher, and others who weren’t prepared but still included because again there weren’t enough people. Even my grandmother got called HAHAHAHA!

Not long after, the program ended, and it was just the debutant and her friends drinking and having random chika.

Since I don’t drink, my other cousin asked me to take candid photos of him, so I agreed. We took turns taking pictures of each other (I trained him btw because he’s not that good at taking photos HAHAHAHA). Outfit check:

The event ended quickly, but I’m really glad I was one of the people in Roxy’s life who witnessed her grow up. We’ve been friends since we were little, and I’m lucky to have her as my cousin. She’s really my closest one out of all! I wish her happiness, success, and the strength to reach her dreams. I also hope she continues to be the good-hearted person she is. 💙

Thank you for reading, everyone! See you in my next blog!