Birthday Weekend Memories!

Maybe I’m simple or I have a low threshold for happiness.  I’m not really sure, but what I do know is I had a fantastically, perfect weekend.  As the weekend progressed, I mentally inventoried each special little thing that cumulatively gave me one of my favorite birthday celebrations ever.  Noting 46 of these items was an easy feat to achieve.

1. Early morning surprise drive-by with birthday wishes
2. A Happy Birthday text from my son.  (He was upstairs when he sent it to me.)
3. Birthday cards at work
4. Facebook birthday messages, especially when they contained the word “inspiring.”
5. A pedicure and manicure to begin my weekend
6. The tuna roll I inhaled
7. A gigantic salted caramel mocha sipped pond-side in the sunshine
8. Thoughtfully selected, thoughtfully wrapped presents.
9. Reading a funny book aloud with a friend
10. Receiving a handcrafted card from Quinn
11. Listening to Quinn explain the handcrafted card he gave me.  It involves superpowers, popcorn falling from the sky and the sentiment that he “lives” me.
12. That run that I took as the sky began to darken and the sliver of moon that led me back home.
13. Finding the perfect thing to wear for my birthday dinner.
14. Reading a special card.
15. That parking space on the corner of State and Lark.
16. A tasty sparkling rose from New Mexico, Gruet.

    

17. The pasta that was worth every moment of self-denial, house made tagliatelle with a cinghiale Bolognese at the bar at the Wine Bar and Bistro on Lark.
18. The tasty glass of Spanish granache that accompanied my pasta and the beautifully rare hangar steak that I enjoyed as my main course.
19. The creme brûlée
20. The glass of tawny port I sipped with desert
21. The enjoyable conversation I shared at the bar with friends
22. Neil Young playing during my meal
23. Getting a good night’s sleep
24. A beautiful morning on the first day of fall
25. The soccer game beginning early
26. Getting every single chore out of the way prior to my friend’s arrival
27. Driving my friend’s stick shift Beetle.  I’ve still got it!

    

28. The sunshine topping off my apricot glow, poolside under a mostly blue sky.
29. That dive into the pool which simultaneously took my breath away and confirmed that I was alive.
30. Laughing with Will about the disparity between how men and women perceive 4 inches

    

31. Being presented with the sickest cake I have ever tasted – Civitello’s Italian rum cake.
32. The hot tub!
33. Joining the Decades Party.
34. Popping that bottle of Prosecco knowing we wouldn’t be driving any place.
35. Watching that rain storm creep in.
36. My boy making popcorn for movie night.
37. Walking a couple of laps in the misty rain.
38. A friend stopping by for a night-cap.
39. That cake…
40. Sleeping soundly in a cozy bed with the windows open.
41. Breakfast from All Good Bakers.
42. Seeing the faintly yellow reflection of the leaves out my window.
43. Another piece of that cake…
44. A nap as the sun shined onto my first-flannels-of-the-season made bed.
45. A walk through the Honest Weight Harvest Fest in Washington Park
46. My run, all 5.66 miles of it, and the best hot shower I could imagine.

    Now, when your special day comes around again – be sure to celebrate it.  Indulge yourself.  Feel special.  And, if you need any ideas for having a memorable time, feel free to borrow any of mine.  I’ve been blessed with plenty to share.