THE DEPRESSING: As I wrote the date to take notes for database class just now, I realized that exactly one month from today I will turn 25.

I turned 25 in Tintern Abbey with Deloria and darthkiwi.
It softened the blow.
(This is an example of understatement, but if you haven't BEEN to Tintern, you might not get that.
)
TINTERN DAY WAS THE BEST DAY EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!

I realise that most of you may not yet understand why.

Let me explain.
We woke up in our amazing hotel rooms with our extremely comfy beds and baroque ceilings.

Then we went and had fabulous breakfasts and were picked up by our tour guide. We were then driven around Cardiff and I got to annoy everyone by pointing out all the pretty pediments and turrets and everything!!!!!!!!!!!!

We saw Roman ruins and got stuffed pet dragons and went to a very pretty castle ruin with reenactors (this was Delling's castle!

IT REALLY WAS! PEMBROKE FTW!

). After that we went to lunch at an adorable place with a menu with things like "Henry VIII's Roast Chicken; cut off its head and sack a few monasteries!" and "Naughty Monk's Baguettes" on the menu. Dessert consisted of Delling's first-ever cream tea!

For everyone who has not had the pleasure of sampling these, they are warm crumpets with clotted cream, butter and strawberry jam and are beyond decadent.

We then walked over to the Abbey. The beautiful, fantastic, unbelievable, gothic abbey. My abbey.

Mine.

We discussed nesting and squatting and never leaving.

Darthkiwi had to carry me out of it. But the abbey and I will never, ever forget each other.

We are bound together for life now.

We are in love.

We are an item.

We belong together.

We complete each other and only together are we as beautiful as we could be.

My abbey. I tried to incite darthkiwi and Delling to commit abbey-theft, but they refused on very silly grounds.

We then went to see another castle and I mourned. When we got back to the hotel, I gave everyone Easter bunnies!

Delling's was nougat and Jamie's was raspberry-vanilla-white chocolate. We watched South Park Easter specials and Robin Hood: Men in Tights and we ordered Chinese take-out and ate triple-chocolate fudge cake.
SO yes, Tintern Day was awesome.

And Delling's birthday has become synonymous with Tintern Day. And every year we will make a pilgrimage to Tintern.