Don't Stop Now

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY NORAH RAE!”

It was finally my 18th birthday. The day I’ve been waiting. The age I’ve waiting for. The moment I woke up, it felt everything fell in place. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and now I was in one room filled with the people I loved. Nothing could go wrong. Nothing.

Both of my parents wrapped their arms my waist as we looked up at Tim who was taking pictures. We smiled, said ‘Cheese!’, and moved on with another group of people. Next it was my solo with my mom, then my dad, then with Pat, Tim, and both of them. Finally, it was one family picture. It went on and on…

My favorite picture though is the one of me and John, Garrett, Jared, Kennedy, and Pat. I look at it and laugh because it’s hilarious. The moment Tim pressed down on the shutter button the guys dug their hands into my beautiful, chocolate marble cake and wiped their fingers on my face. I laughed so hard and then for a second picture, the guys kissed my cake-y cheeks.

This was a birthday I’d never forget.

We finished the day with dinner at my favorite restaurant: Chili’s. Then, we drove back to the Kirch residence and watched the video compilation the boys made me. I had no idea they had done it. They sat me down on the couch and pulled out the DVD case that had a collage of pictures with my face on it.

“Norah Rae Kirch, we would like to present to you your birthday present. This has footage we’ve collected over the last 5 years. It has the biggest moments in your life, like for example your high school graduation. It also includes your first Warped Tour,” Garrett interrupted and said, “The day your Warped cherry got popped!” I laughed.

John rolled his eyes. “Anyway, this video is for and we really hope you like it. We could’ve bought you a gift or wrote a song for you, but we wanted to make you something you can not only listen, but to watch over and over. We love you Norah Rae.”

Then, the guys bowed and walked up to me and planted a kiss on my forehead, just like I like it.

“Thank you,” I smiled.

The boys surrounded me on the sofa, while my parents had the love seat. Tim sat along the arm rest and dimmed the lights as Pat pressed play on the DVD player. The video started off with Girls Do What They Want, which was dedicated to me because the boys always complained about how difficult I was. I laughed every time.

As we all cuddled on the couch, my eyes were glued to the TV screen. The video was beautiful and I felt like crying. Some of the clips included my 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th birthday and all the funny details in between. It also had solo comments by each of the guys. Then, some other clips that were part of the video were ones when I pranked the guys so badly at their Bamboozle show. This video had every amazing moment in my life and I couldn’t thank them enough. They created something beautiful and I already knew I had to cherish this with my whole heart.

“Happy Birthday Norah! We love you!” Then the TV faded to black with the song What Are You Waiting For by My Favorite Highway playing in the background.

I looked at the guys who already had their smiles on their faces and beaming faces towards me. I stood up and gave them all kisses on hugs because they deserved it.

“You guys are the best! I love it! Thank you so much.”

“Ahem,” Tim coughed, “who do you think taped some parts of it?”

I ran to Tim and wrapped my arms around him. He and I always had a close-knit relationship. He taught me how to tie my shoes and how to make pancakes. Pat taught me how to play drums. My brothers meant the world to me.

“How could I forget my favorite brother?” I added.

Pat turned around, “Excuse me?”

“Oh, shut up. I love you too.”

Then, all the boys turned to me. “I love all of you guys too.”

“What about your loving parents? The ones who bought you a car?” Their voices sounded suspicious from behind my back.

I turned around quickly and jumped onto their laps. “You didn’t?”

My parents nodded their heads and pulled out the car keys that belonged to a car that was now mine! I grabbed them from my dad’s hands and kissed them both on the cheeks. I don’t remember how many times I said ‘Thank You’, but I’m pretty sure I said it over 500 times. Then I jumped off the couch and ran outside with everyone trailing behind me.

It was the Volkswagen I always wanted. “THANK YOU SO MUCH!”

“I can’t wait to drive it this summer!” I giggled and jumped up and down, clinging to Tim’s shoulder.

He patted my back and stopped my jumping. He turned me to face him and the rest of the guys. They looked at each other and smiled. I wasn’t sure of what was going to happen next.

“Umm…”

“Norah,” John started. “We want you to come on tour with us this summer.”

I stood there, jaw opened and everything. That was something I’ve wanted to do since they started touring. I’ve always wanted to join them on the road; I’ve always wanted to travel across the country. How could I say no?

“YES YES YES YES YES YES!”

This is where my summer starts amazingly.