My birthday was more fun than I thought it would be. I wasn't sure how exciting it would be without friends. It would have been a blast if Del Viento had been there, but we were in San Juanico and they were still in La Paz. I have had friends celebrating my birthday with me for as far back as I can remember.

In the afternoon, Mom, Cavan, Tommy and I went to the beach. We brought squirt guns, a tennis ball, and our big, three-person water balloon launcher. The squirt guns didn't really work. Some of them only shot about five feet, while others shot about twenty or more feet. I saw a sea star with lots of legs. It was getting flipped over and over in the small waves. I put it a little deeper so the surf didn't affect it. There were some young couples a little ways down on the beach. One of the girls came over to us, introduced herself (I don't remember her name), and invited us to play the games they had set up.

I can't remember all of the games, but one was like bocce ball only with rocks, in another you threw a frisbee and tried to hit a can off a pole. There was also one where you tried to throw a ball through a hole in a board, and you get a certain amount of points if you hit the board or get it through the hole. I didn't play any of them, but I did play with their cat Sita, who was on a leash inside a little cave. She was a cute, gray tabby. She climbed the rocks on the cave but decided that it was too hot in the sun and came back down. She was very nice.

That night, I had the choice of having a campfire or watching a movie. I chose a movie. But now I regret my choice, because we could have watched the movie anytime, but a campfire is a pretty rare activity. We watched Planet 51. My cake split in three. We tried to conceal the cracks with frosting, but it didn't really work. It still tasted great, though.

My mom and dad gave me a hat, two shirts, two shorts, two skirts, a sleeping mask, and I also got an inflatable water bed! Cavan gave me a book of dice games and Tommy gave me a spork. We gave Snuggles the tissue from my presents. He loves to attack tissue, but balloons freak him out because once one popped in his face.

My birthday was very fun, but it's hard to have birthdays without friends, just like it's hard to have Thanksgiving without family, and Christmas without snow. I had a great time, but on my next birthday I hope I have friends with me.