Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Turning 27

Ever since I was little, my mom always made my birthdays a big deal.  Even when we didn't have a ton of money to waste, and my mom was working hard to provide for my brother and me, birthdays were our days, and my mom did whatever she could to make it an extra special day.  No matter what, she always made sure that I was surrounded by friends and that we were all entertained and having a great time.  Some highlights that I can still picture vividly... (5 yrs old) crying hysterically when a Strawberry Shortcake clown came walking up the driveway as birthday party surprise. I loved Strawberry Shortcake, but the clown freaked me out... (8 yrs old) Fame City/Funplex party- think roller skating, ski ball, putt putt, and go carts... (13 yrs old) bowling alley party- complete with teenybopper music and disco lighting... (18 yrs old) Magic Island Dinner party- fancy dresses and heels and a vegas-style magic show.  I think it was the first time I valeted my car, and I felt like a movie star...  Anyways, you get the idea, I love birthdays, and I love the birthday build-up.  In my house, my birthday usually started in July when I would say phrases like... "It's allllllmost my birthday month... are you so excited?!"  Which would lead to... "But I think I should be able to ride in the front seat because it's my birthday week."  At which point I would become practically invincible for the entire month of August because... "Hey! I just turned (fill in the blank)!"

Even years after I've left my mom's house, it's still ingrained in me to see my birthday as a vivacious celebration of friendship and life! So needless to say, I was feeling pretty down about being in this new city and not really having any friends here to ring in the new year with me.

All that being said, I was forced to realize that proximity does not have to dictate the degree of celebration...  Obviously there was a long list of people who I desperately wanted to see last Tuesday-- people I wanted to hug, people I wanted laugh with, people I wanted to sit around with and talk about how much we love Teresa from NJ Housewives, people I wanted to pray with and hear about what God is teaching them right now, people I wanted to go to Walmart with in the middle of the night, people I wanted to sit around and do nothing with, the list goes on and on...  I didn't get those wishes for my birthday, but what I did get was time to reflect, and time to appreciate how truly rich my friendships are.  Although we weren't all together partyting in the same room... or the same state for that matter, I still felt "surrounded" by amazing friends and amazing friendships.  And the fact that I am missing so many people is not reason to be disheartened, but rather it is the very thing that I celebrated this year! It's sad to be so far away from people that you care about, but it is a blessing to know that over the years I have crossed paths with so many wonderful people who have enriched my life tremendously.

So although I could fill an encyclopedia with the names of people that I love, I'm going to try to quickly give thanks to some friends who have specifically helped me a great deal these past few weeks as I've transitioned into this new phase of my life, and who serve as a constant reminder that distance is irrelevant in the arena of friendship.  (In alphabetical order):

Cimbak- For asking me out on a phone date!  ;)
Craig- For leaving messages asking for tickets to my show.  Thanks for believing in me and thanks for getting me here!  
Edith- For giving me something to look forward to in October!!
Groover- For keeping me in the loop about Colt Camp and the evolution of NC spirit by copying me on the all-staff emails!
Kat- For giving me something to look forward to in September!!
Kate- For tornadoing through NYC for just 24 hours but still creating the best weekend I've had here to date!
Katie- For being here to welcome me to the city on my first day.  And for commenting on my blogs!
Michelle- For your impending visit!  And for speaking words of encouragement and peace to me when I needed it. 
Pears- For initiating a standing weekly phone appointment.  And orchestrating a Labor Day reunionapalooza!
Tyler- For being there for me when I was down, and being so positive and supportive about everything(.) And for the random texts!

And just a huge thank you for ALL of my friends, for being in my life and making me a better person.  So wherever you are, find the closest thing to drink and raise it for a toast.  I'm serious.  Do this now.  And here's to 27 SPECTACULAR years! Celebrating life and love and everything else in between! Prost!



P.S. In case you were wondering, or in case I made it sound as such, I did not spend my entire birthday just sitting in my room reflecting.  :) About 20 dancers from my program came out to help me celebrate, and we had a "smashing" time.  One of the native New Yorkers recommended a spot called 123 Burgers Shots Beers-- creatively named after their $1 burgers, $2 shots, and $3 beers.  We didn't get too crazy, as we all had dance the next day, and some of them still had more classes that same night, but we all had a really great time and it was a fantastic birthday!


2 comments:

  1. A TOAST!! :)

    I totally just pounded half of my bottle of water in celebration.

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  2. Thanks for the shout out! I feel honored and way cooler than I actually am. Don't worry, Craig also talks all the time at school about all the shows you're in. I think last time I heard, it was CATS. So way to go :-)

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