Celebrating Birthdays

This is Elizabeth.

She and I have known each other for quite some time, but it was only when fate threw us together in the form of jobs 6 blocks from each other that she became the staple in my life she is today. Elizabeth is so smart and funny and self-aware. She is a miraculously good listener but she calls me out on my crap. I feel like I can always tell her what I'm thinking or feeling. I also feel that, even though we are almost basic opposites when it comes to communication, we both make an effort to understand the other person. This has been quite the gift in my life, as I oftentimes have difficulties understanding people different from me. I feel like being friends with Elizabeth has made me a better person and a better friend. I have infinite appreciation for her.

And today is her birthday!

I think celebrating birthdays is the best ever. Imagine a person who gets super affectionate when they are drunk. That is me with birthdays. When it is a friend's birthday I feel like it is ALWAYS appropriate to give them ample hugs, buy them things, tell them how great they are, hear stories about past birthdays, talk about the implications of age and what we want from life. Every birthday celebration I've ever been to has been the best birthday ever, because I feel like on other people's birthdays you get to lavish them with as much love as they can take. And I have A LOT OF LOVE TO GIVE. 

This morning when I was making coffee I made up a song about Elizabeth's birthday. On the bus I realized I had already forgotten it. Good thing I had recorded it to send to her this morning!

One of my favorite things about Elizabeth is she never gets weirded out by how much I love her. Actually I feel that way about all my important people. I don't think I necessarily love my friends more than other people love theirs. I just talk about it CONSTANTLY. I think I tell Diane that I love her about 7 times a day, on average. One time I wanted to text Elizabeth NO LESS than 4 times in one day, just because I wanted to tell her how much I loved her. But I didn't. So of course I had to TELL her that I wanted to text her NO LESS than 4 times in that one day just to tell her I loved her, and she said she wouldn't have minded. What a good friend.

One time for Jan's birthday, I got up extra early and made her coffee and got her a breakfast sandwich and then labeled everything on the counter ( i.e. birthday coffee, birthday breakfast sandwich, birthday newspaper, birthday microwave, birthday coffee mug) with brightly colored post-it notes.

For my Dad's birthday I always like to pick out the sappiest card possible. I only purchase a card if, when standing in the card aisle at CVS, I get teary-eyed. Cause if I get teary-eyed my dad will all out cry. The best is when he reads all of his birthday cards to me. And then cries while he is reading them. I like to call him on his birthday AFTER the mail has come so he can read them to me. It is my faves.

I also love it when my dad sings "Happy Birthday" to me on my voicemail. In his adorable old man voice. It is always the best part of my birthday.

One time for Soul Twin's birthday, she and Jan and I ate burritos and had rainbow chip cake at our house in Jamaica Plain. Birthday parties can be fun, but sometimes it is also nice for them to be small. Because then you usually get to eat more cake because there less people to a) eat the cake and b) judge you for eating the cake. It is important that NOTHING impedes the joy of eating cake. Especially judgement.

Today for Elizabeth's birthday we ate A LOT of Indian Food and then got some Burdick's Hot Cocoa. She told me about what her mom was doing the day Elizabeth was born. Then we went to Anthropologie, where I yelled about how ridiculous Anthropologie is. When I acknowledged I was yelling, Elizabeth said, "I noticed and I don't mind." So then we went to American Apparel and EJ bought herself a birthday scarf. But mostly we made fun of outfits such as this:

Cause that is clearly a dress and NOT pajamas.

It was pretty magical.

On my next birthday I turn 30. Which will be strange. My whole life I've been saying 30 is the very best age (clearly I like to talk about things about which I have no idea) but I suppose we shall see. I am hoping to have a big 30th birthday party where I will wear a dress that looks like this...

Gross. 

My apologies if anyone out there in the blog-o-sphere owns this dress.

But if someone does, can I borrow it? I have a figure skating competition coming up and am low on funds.

The. End.