Last year one of my friends told me it's 'pathetic' to throw a birthday party for yourself. This was news to me! Anyone who knows me well (or, let's face it, at all) knows that (1) I am a BIG fan of birthdays, and (2) I love throwing parties for myself. Going away parties, welcome home parties, graduation parties--any excuse for a party--but especially BIRTHDAY PARTIES!! :-)
When I turned 20, I fell prey to this ridiculous idea about throwing parties for yourself being pathetic. I decided I was a little old to be having birthday parties, so I didn't have one. And, well, it was one of my most unspectacular birthdays ever. After that I decided that birthdays are about ME and if I want to throw myself a party, I'll throw myself a party! So with my 29th birthday coming up in 2 days, I thought this would be a good chance to remember some quite excellent--if I do say so myself--birthday parties. If only I had digital pics from all of them!
21: Progressive, Mexican-themed, Fake Alcohol, Dance Party
I will admit I had some help with this one. My mom and Vickie helped me plan a party that involved sombreros, virgin margaritas, sparkling cider, root beer (it was definitely not your typical 21st birthday party), driving across town for different meal courses, and (since this was in my hip hop dancing phase, inspired by the movie Save the Last Dance) ending with my friend Alisa teaching us all a choreographed hip hop dance at Sunnyside Park. To those of you who were there and are still my friends, thank you! ;-)
22: Applebee's and Games at Jesse's House; Quincineta
I think this was the year for games at Jesse's house, so it's quite apropos. Again, I have to thank Liz Gonzales (now Garvin) for taking the lead on planning this one. Although it wasn't themed, I do remember me, Kristen, Liz, and Leslie all showing up in black shirts, completely unplanned. Then the next day, Jesse and I were in a Quincineta for our Campus Life girls. Definitely memorable!
**BEST PARTY TO DATE**
23: World Conquest & RISK Party
This one should really make the history books. What did Alexander the Great, Ghengis Khan, and Hitler all have in common? They all had a 23rd birthday, of course! Oh, and they all tried to conquer the world. This was the party I made each of my friends come dressed as a different world conquerer. The costumes were AMAZING! We had Augustus Caesar, Pinky (from Pinky and the Brain), Alexander the Great, Sauron (Lord of the Rings), Cleopatra, Ghengis Khan, Otto von Bismark, Satan, Jesus, Hitler, Stalin, Veruca Salt (Charlie & the Chocolate Factory), Darth Vader, and more!
24: Night at the Oscars Party
Another one where I made people come dressed up, but this time in formal attire. I decorated the house with stars (my favorite!) and we even played Celebrity Jeopardy (all about me, of course!)
25: Leaving on a Jet Plane...
On my actual 25th birthday, I was crying on an airplane, beginning my Peace Corps adventure. So my party that year was combined with my goodbye party, the first of many parties held at Kristen & Joel's house! Between the note-making table, the Italian soda bar, the skits people made up about me, and the video I made of me (as several different 'reporters') interviewing myself about the Peace Corps & Kyrgyzstan, it was definitely a bash. I was so blessed by everyone who came!
26: Kyrgyz-Style
Turning 26 in Kyrgyzstan meant I had to have a real 'toy' (Kyrgyz for party, or feast). So I pulled out all the stops, set my dostorkon (table), invited my guests, and celebrated Kyrgyz style (which basically means working and cooking all day long to prepare!). My host mom made my favorite--perojkies--and I made pizza and set the table with the traditional Kyrgyz party fare: borsook, bread, cheese and sausage, cookies, candy, cake, soda, tea, etc. It was exhausting, but fun!
27: Simplicity
27 was probably one of my most low-key birthdays of the 20s. My students brought me a cake and gifts, but mostly, I celebrated in peace. The highlight was the food. I had planned the menu ahead of time and indulged in the more expensive items I couldn't afford to have on a normal basis: Chicken, roasted vegetables, potato chips & onion dip, Coca-cola, and 'roulette'--a tasty cake treat kind of like something you'd find by Hostess :-). It was a sign of the times that these simple things delighted me so much.
27.5: The Half-Assed Half Birthday Party
Most people know that I am also kind of fanatical about celebrating fraction birthdays. It's not uncommon for me to announce, on November 13th, that it is my 1/6 birthday, or on July 13 that it is my 3/4 birthday. So HALF birthdays are actually a pretty big deal! But the idea behind this one is that I'd missed my last 3 birthdays in Fresno and my 28th would be in DC, so it was a way to celebrate my birthday one last time with my California friends. And it was, well, kind of half-assed :-) But it was still tons of fun, and I think the highlight (aside from dancing to the first half of several songs with Derek and Becky) had to be the half-cake Kristen and I auspiciously found at the grocery store! They were really selling, pre-packaged HALF of a cake! Awesome!
28: Gloria, New Friends & Ethiopian Birthday
My first birthday in DC was spectacular, most notably because Gloria came to visit! We had a blast staying up late (2am was the earliest we went to bed any night of her trip), doing the Adams-Morgan Night Crawl, and dancing. On my actual birthday, I invited everyone I knew in DC out for Ethiopian food and was blessed to actually have about 15 people show up, when I had only been in the city for about 3 weeks!
AND FINALLY... DRUMROLL PLEASE...
29: The Roaring 20s Birthday Soiree
This could very well be my best theme party yet! In honor of the LAST birthday of my magnificent 20s (and my roommate Arnila's 26th birthday, which was on the 8th), we are having a 1920s Flapper party on the 18th, during which our house will be turned into a speakeasy of the good ol' Prohibition days! Everyone is coming dressed up in 1920s attire, and we're serving cocktails and appetizers (complete with 1920s novelties such as Baby Ruth candy bars, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and Hostess Cupcakes), and we'll be playing some great 20s music! I can't wait to kick of the 30th year of my life with a fantastic party that Arnila & I are THROWING FOR OURSELVES! :-)
As I see it, birthdays are NOT the time for humility. Celebrate yourself! I know I do :-)
2 comments:
I just want to say this blog made me smile. It was good to think back over some of the parties I have been able to partake in with you. Maybe we are feeling a December party???
You know I won't turn down an opportunity to throw a party! December seems as good a time as any! ;-)
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