May 5, 1999. May 5, 2017. Eighteen years. I can’t quite fathom how quickly time flies. I know, it sounds silly, but I remember everything, so clearly, so vividly, and it seems like I was a little kid just yesterday. Instead, I’m finishing up senior year. Graduation is next month. College starts in the fall. There are so many changes ahead in the coming months, and this next year is going to be one for the books. I’m sure of it. Birthdays, to me, are nostalgic. Birthdays are fluffy yellow cakes with billowy chocolate icing, dotted with colorful sprinkles. Birthdays are candlelight and flickering shadows and smiles. Birthdays are celebrations, victories, good…