Birthday Weekend

I don't think I've ever had such a terrific birthday. Truly. Even though my friends were all stressed with grading finals and packing up to leave the city/country, they all made the weekend so special and wonderful. I'm still kind of blown away by it.

BIRTHDAY PART 1:
On Saturday night, Jess and I opened up a nice bottle of red wine that she'd been saving, and we just hung out and talked. Red wine is very conducive to long talks about what we want and why we want it and family dynamics and love and my future husband, Astronaut Mike Dexter. It left me feeling warm and cozy.

BIRTHDAY PART 2:
After we finished the bottle, it was time to head downtown. The only thing I specifically requested on my birthday was a trip to Brooklyn, that classy restaurant that serves pizza and hamburgers and salads and whatnot. We all met there around 8 pm and had a nice time talking and drinking margaritas and wheat beers and other lovely Western specialties. Some toasts were proposed, the owner of the restaurant gave me a complimentary chocolate-y shot, and my friends sang "Happy Birthday" to me over a delicious slice of cheesecake. Perfect, no?


After Brooklyn, we headed to KTV to do my other favorite thing: sing badly to classic songs.


It was grand.

BIRTHDAY PART 3:
The next day was my actual birthday. I spent it laying around in bed being incredibly lazy. Also, I ate a lot of chocolate. But soon, it was action time! One of my Belarusian classmates, Alex, has the same birthday as me and so we decided to have a joint party. Alex was much more ambitious about this shindig and arranged the whole thing at Black Beans, a cafe right by my apartment. It turned out to be a fantastic party. Lots of really nice people and games and food and drink and music. People complimented my DJ skills and everyone had a great time.


Alex & I. Can you tell I have a crush on him? I know, I'm pretty subtle.








BIRTHDAY PART 4:

I know you're asking yourself: how could it get any better? Good friends, wine, music, love, laughter. Well, after the party, a bunch of us came back to our apartment to hang out. Jess had decorated the apartment with balloons; Alex had bought me beautiful flowers, which I promptly put in water. And then: my friends gave gifts. Yes, after treating me to a night on the town and generally showering me with birthday attention, I also got presents! A beautiful scarf, earrings, chocolate, a thermos, and a photo collage.

Oh wait - AND an amazing present that references my favorite show: 30 Rock. Specifically this episode. I mean, I'd rather have a framed ticket of The Gender-Blind Crucible, but I suppose a drawing of a frog & a coffee mug filled with bath salts will suffice.

When people know you well, it feels great. So thanks, friends. You made me feel really special on my 24th birthday. I think I'm ready to start ushering in my mid-twenties. I love you lots.