Today is my 15th birthday. I didn’t want a party this year, so we went out to dinner earlier this week with my girlfriend Hayley — she was going out of town for a couple of weeks, so we celebrated a few days early before she left.

I didn’t want a birthday cake, so we had an awesome “turtle” ice cream pie instead. (There aren’t any turtles in a turtle pie — it’s a chocolate crust filled with vanilla and chocolate swirl ice cream and topped with caramel and pecans.)

I got some cool gifts — gift cards for Barnes & Noble, AMC movie theaters, and a VISA gift card from my grandparents in Las Vegas (Thanks grandpa Gerry & grandma Patty!), a card and some cash from a director I work with (Thanks, Maria!), and clothes, new Skull Candy headphones, and some cool eye glasses from my grandparents (Thanks, grandma Deb & grandpa Fred!). Geoff McAlister & Tabetha Price gave me a guitar-pick holder bracelet — with some guitar picks signed by Scott Ian of Anthrax in it.

This year is going to be awesome. I start high school, I’m going to Vermont this summer for Circus Smirkus, and I’m planning to learn to drive. For now, though, I’m going to spend the weekend with my best buddy Devin, and enjoy all my gifts.