This is the story of a happy birthday

Thursday 3 March 2016Tuesday 3 January 2017 kristybirthday, Devin, friends, Madison, Wisconsin2 Comments

This weekend I had my first birthday in Madison.

My friend Makeba flew in from New York, like the life-size present she is! She is a seasoned traveler, and this was her first trip to the Midwest, so you know I had show off all the good spots.

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We checked out the feminist bookstore, three coffee shops, two museums, one airy boutique, a steakhouse straight out of 1960, the State Capitol from every angle at every hour, a free yoga class overlooking the lake, and a store where you can sample absolutely everything!

We also walked on water.

Frozen water, but still! It takes a lot of courage to walk on a lake when you did not grow up doing this kind of thing.

Devin’s idea of reassuring us was to stomp on the ice as hard as he could right next to our feet. “See! It’s very frozen! Hey, look at that crack over there!” (Did you know you can have false symptoms of a heart attack?)

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We were also able to rescue some chairs that had been abandoned in the middle of the lake (but not before taking some cool pics).

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Last year Anda sent me the most beautiful gold sparkler candles in the shape of the numbers “2” and “6” and I rushed to use them on my birthday eve, before turning 27. (Numerous people later told me I could have waited until I turned 62. I hadn’t thought of that; otherwise, I might have!) By coincidence, our friend Kate gave me two chocolate pastries that were a perfect match.

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After the birthday eve blowing-out-of-candles (a new tradition I highly recommend), we went to Gib’s and saw almost everyone I know in Madison in one place. This might be the uncoolest thing to admit in writing, but I realized I have more friends here than I thought (when did that happen?), and it was super nice to see them all in one place!

Then, we went to a ‘90s vs. ‘00s music video dance party, and I learned that I am the only person I know who prefers the noughties to the nineties, at least musically. This is shocking to me. Doesn’t anyone remember Hey Ya? Paper Planes? The genesis of Young Money? Without which there would be no Nicki Minaj or Drake, and then where would we be??? I don’t even want to think about it.

One bright side of living far away from most people I know is that I got more phone calls, FaceTimes, and birthday packages than ever before. I just finished making a list of all the people I still need to thank or call back, and it is the nicest to-do list.

In conclusion, I like my birthday and I like you.

TWENTY-FIVE

Sunday 29 June 2014 kristybirthday, friends, twenty-five3 Comments

all my friends are party animals Last Saturday I finally got around to turning twenty-five. I’d meant to since my birthday, but first there was a big protest, and then there were big life things, and finally, I decided to make my lifelong wish to have a summer birthday come true.

Of course I wanted a ridiculous party, so I put on a gold dress and invited all my friends to wear animal masks with me. We ate all my favorite snacks: elotes, spicy watermelon, guacamole—even chamoyadas. Devin surprised me with my favorite cake, which happens to be the first cake I ever baked for him, and Tasha baked vegan cupcakes with gold sprinkles because she understands me. After we’d had our fill, we walked to the nearest dance floor and danced our animal hearts out. It was magical.

I am absolutely thrilled to be twenty-five. When I was in third grade, my two favorite teachers were twenty-five years old, and I couldn’t wait to be like them. They were so smart, so talented, so worldly. One of them had a tiny tattoo of a heart on her ankle. And they couldn’t believe the ‘Macarena’ was popular again because they had known the song and dance since college.

Now that I finally am twenty-five, I’ve been thinking about whether I’ve achieved a similar level of cool, whether I can live up to my nine year-old self’s expectation of wisdom and worldliness. What is my ‘Macarena’?

I did listen to The Weeknd back when his identity was a mystery and House of Balloons was a free download.

I knew ‘Pon Da Floor’ before it became the backing track to Beyoncé’s ‘Who Run the World? (Girls),’ and I think the original is way better (though I never learned its accompanying dance…).

I watched the first season of Girls in the midst of my own first season in New York, and the only thing I have in common with seasons 2 and 3 is a recurring cast of characters who love me despite the fact that I never seem to change.

All of those things didn’t quite make me feel twenty-five, but last week I went to a wedding and when the five year-old flower girl requested the ‘Macarena,’ I thought, ‘Kids still listen to that?!’

It’s official. I have become my dream age!

Every Day is Hat-urday, Pt. I

Sunday 24 March 2013Wednesday 27 March 2013 kristybirthday, Devin, rambles, winter4 Comments

It’s technically springtime, but New York is still COLD. And I’m afraid it might be all my fault.

wondrous winter hat — What have I done???

See, when Devin gave me the wool hat of my dreams for my birthday, the first thing I did was wish for a long winter, so I’d get lots of chances to wear it this year.

Since my birthday, it’s been consistently near-freezing, and I have worn it every day. I still love love love it, but I’m thinking we could both use a break until about mid-October with the occasional September reunion. So this weekend, I sent Mother Nature another memo.

MEMO

TO: Ms. Mother Nature
DATE: 24 March 2013
SUBJECT: Springtime

Dear Mama Na’,

Thanks so much for doing me a solid and letting me break in my new favorite hat. It’s been really nice!

However, my neighbors and friends and all ten of my toes are ready to thaw. Mr. Softee is begging for business. Baby birds are shivering while they chirp.

Please feel free to resume regularly-scheduled programming.

Your friend,
kristy

The time I turned twenty-four

Friday 15 March 2013Sunday 5 January 2014 kristybirthday, friends, growing up, New York6 Comments

I turned 24 in February, but I have no pictures to prove it and I got writer’s block because I didn’t have anything interesting to say about it. But I can’t not write about my birthday—the only holiday all about my life—on the only blog all about my life. So here we are almost a month later, and uh, I guess I have some thoughts about my age?

The best part was reading and hearing everyone’s birthday wishes to me, which all went kind of like this:

Dear Kristy,

Happy Birthday! I am so proud of you! Look at all the things you have accomplished since last year!

I love you!
Your friend/mom/cousin/friend/partner/co-worker/aunt

And they are all 100% correct to point out that I’ve accomplished a lot since my 23rd birthday. Because I was a hot mess last year.

Last year, I had my birthday dinner at Chipotle because I was too overwhelmed by New York to find a restaurant. And I couldn’t even find the Chipotle because I didn’t understand that Broadway and West Broadway are two totally different (stupidly named) streets. After dinner, I dragged Anda to find a dress with me and then cried outside Bloomingdale’s because “all those dresses are so ugly! I can’t even afford them, but I just don’t understand why there are no good dresses anywheeeeeere” (sorry, A).

A few days later I had a nice birthday party thanks to my friends, in our tiny apartment filled with flowers. And a year later, somehow I ended up 24 with a CSA share and a membership to the YMCA. I knew how I wanted to celebrate my birthday and what I wanted to wear, but it didn’t hit me until I was having dinner. I looked around and saw almost all the friends who were at my 23rd party (plus two of my new roommates). And I realized most of them had been at other birthday parties of mine!

Marissa at my 10th birthday sleepover in Texas. Jess at a surprise party for my 18th at Spiral Diner. Anda threw me the best party on the 19 bus for my 19th. Tasha showed up to my 23rd Chipotle birthday meltdown with a pink rhinestone piggy bank, and here she was at my 24th with a stack of party hats and a pink tinsel tiara for me. On and on around the table.

Growing up, I always imagined my ‘adult life’ like this: living in a city, full-time job, regular-status at a coffee shop. But I didn’t know I’d get to keep my friends.

I’ve known most of them since I was 18 or younger. That’s 6 years or more of shared history! In multiple cities. (Woah.)

So, if you’re reading this, whether we were together in real life or through technology/our hearts/whatever, I hope you know that you’re my favorite birthday present. The gift that keeps on giving. The present that always fits just right, etc. etc. I love you!

The time I turned twenty-three

Friday 9 March 2012Friday 15 March 2013 kristybirthday, friends, growing up, New York3 Comments

This year I spent my birthday feeling a little out of sorts. All of my very best friends in New York gave me lovely presents and surprises, but for most of the day I was alone in this big city I am trying to call home.

I felt like I should feel lucky to have the day off on my birthday—a Tuesday, no less—and I should be happy exploring New York by myself, because I have always dreamed of living here and now I do. But the truth is, I felt lonely and overwhelmed despite my best efforts to feel otherwise.

This led to me getting upset with myself for not being happier, more thankful, more well-adjusted. It went like this: first, I got upset at myself for not feeling like a New Yorker and for wondering if I’m not cut out for this place after all. Then, I got upset at myself because isn’t living in New York and hating it the biggest cliché of all?

This emotional catch-22 lasted until I talked to a girl on her way to get a tattoo symbolic of her hometown. She told me she was moving back home after living here for a year and wanted to get something to remind her that she’d come to New York for a reason. ‘It wasn’t to live here; it was to realize how much I love home.’

Just writing that puts me at ease. When I mulled it over, I realized the reason I came to New York was to grow. I may not have a favorite restaurant or a dream job, but I am certainly learning something and striving to be a better person every day. And this is exactly what I want my life to be about.

When I think about my twenty-third birthday, I hope I’ll remember this lesson…and one of my favorite birthday parties ever. (It happened the Friday after my birthday, which was a MUCH happier day.)

Do you want to see pictures?

Anda and Tasha helped me put up these streamers.

the spread — Most of the food and flowers came from the Union Square farmers’ market! All the drinks were sparkly.

Action Shot — Everyone ate and talked and had fun (I hope). Some people made hats and drawings. I got to see friends I hadn’t seen in ages!

To Me — There was the traditional singing of ‘Happy Birthday’ followed by the traditional blowing out of candles.

The Dress — I finally found a birthday dress the day before my party! I’ve written before about my clothing politics and am proud to report this is a vintage find. That belt, also vintage, is one of my first attempts at accessorizing. Do you want to know what the buckle is?

Thanks to Jess and Tasha for the majority of these pictures. Thanks to all my friends and family for a terrific birthday, overall.

Birthday dress, birthday dress (it’s the best day of the year, girl)

Monday 27 February 2012 kristybirthdayLeave a comment

I don’t know about you, but birthdays are super cool in my book. I love birthday parties, birthday cakes, birthday presents, birthday songs, birthday cards, birthday wishes, and of course, birthday deals. (This restaurant once gave me an entire free meal!) I love all these things unabashedly, but my favorite birthday institution hands-down is the birthday dress. Since tomorrow is my birthday, I have to go find this year’s today. Before I do that, let’s reminisce about some of the great birthday dresses that have come before it, shall we? (Warning: this miiiiight be my most self-indulgent post ever.)