Don’t you love birthday cake? There is just something so perfectly amazing about homemade frosting. If you are really lucky, the birthday cake belongs to you and then a whole new world of possibilities opens up. You get the very first piece of birthday cake when you are the one who is actually celebrating a birthday. You get to dictate exactly which piece of cake that you want. Also, the next morning before anyone else is awake, you are allowed to eat as much birthday cake as you want for breakfast. Go ahead. I won’t judge. As long as you don’t judge me because that is what I had for breakfast Sunday morning. Yum.
I have had some amazing birthdays. When I turned 8, my brother and I had a birthday party at McDonalds. For the most part, we did family dinners for birthday celebrations, so to have an actual birthday party with all of my friends there was the best gift an 8-year-old could have imagined. I have Polaroid pictures that show a very young me opening presents and grinning. There was a lot of grinning. Plus, I was wearing a jean jacket, so you know that I meant business. I remember, very vividly, standing up on the chair to open gifts and looking out at my family and friends. I felt very special and very loved, which is exactly how every little girl should feel.
When I turned 16, I had my very first (and only) surprise party. My friend Marianne arranged the whole thing without me knowing any of it. The day before the party, my arch enemy-- hey, I was in high school, everyone had an arch enemy-- called and told me about the party, so it was a surprise no longer, but that just meant that my hair would be shinier and my makeup perfect when I acted surprised. As I walked down the stairs to Marianne’s basement I could hardly stand it, I was so darn excited. There is a fantastic picture somewhere of me with my hands up in the air and a look of shock spread across my perfectly lipsticked face. I would never win an Academy Award for my performance, but no one was judging. Once again, I can remember sitting with all of my friends and opening up CDs and just feeling special. My friends were there to celebrate with me. Or maybe they just came for the cake. It was an amazing cake.
For my 21st birthday, I got to spend the day in Heidelberg, Germany with my best friend Elizabeth. We went to the Heidelberg castle and climbed a lot of stairs. It was such a perfect day. We wandered around Heidelberg, took lots of pictures and went shopping. The highlight of our trip was supposed to have been going to eat at the Hard Rock Café, which was listed in the guidebooks. I think that they called it that just to trick silly American study abroad students into eating there. All we were looking for was a hamburger instead of a bratwurst, was that so much to ask? I honestly can’t remember what we ordered, but I do remember that we switched halfway through the meal hoping that the other had ordered something that included some semblance of taste. The best part of the day was just being with Elizabeth. It was nice to be on an adventure and have someone to share the day with.
On Saturday, I celebrated my 28th birthday. My mom and sister were here, so it was extra special. As I stood in the kitchen and listened to my kids sing, “Happy Birf-day to YYYOOOUUU!” I was struck again with that feeling of being special. Birthdays around here are never about the gifts that are received (even though my new sewing machine ROCKS!) it is about making the person feel special and loved. As I have watched all three of my children smear cake all over their faces on their first birthdays, I know that there are many special birthdays ahead of them and I can’t wait to be a part of them.
That is my take. What is yours? Do you have a special birthday memory? What is your favorite way of making someone feel special on their birthday? What are the fun traditions in your family? I am going to issue a challenge here… that’s right, a challenge!… I challenge you to write a blog about birthdays! Leave me a link here as a comment and I will come and read what you have to say. I will choose one winner who will win a RAK from me. I have lots of yummy embellishments that need a loving home. So, let’s hear it! What’s your take?
