photo by a life en route
Birthdays are sometimes a little weird, right? Like, the older you get, the more you want to channel that birthday enthusiasm of your youth, but the more difficult is can feel to actually do it. I'm not unhappy or ashamed to be growing older (as that adage says, “Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many."), but it just starts to feel strange to, like, celebrate your own mortality.
In that vein, I was admittedly a little unnecessarily mopey for much of my birthday weekend, going too deep into the mental rabbit hole with questions like, "Am I living it right?" (cue the John Mayer!), "Do my friends really like me?" (um, I hope so), & "What am I even doing with my life?" (answer: living it). Still, I managed to have a pretty darn great birthday weekend, in spite of myself - thanks mostly to my husband & my mom, who told me to suck it up & made me do a few things that were much more fun than having an existential crisis.
On Friday, I had a great birthday dinner at Fat Cats (their cashew-crusted tofu noodle bowl is divine) with Mike & my mom, then we headed downtown to see Hamilton at Playhouse Square. I hadn't listened to any of the music beforehand, & my God, yes, it totally lived up to the hype. I absolutely wept at the end. We're considering getting season tickets to the theater for next year.
On Saturday morning, I woke up early (for me) & headed back downtown for a collaborative event hosted by Harness Cycle & The Cleveland Flea, two of my favorite things about the city. My college roommate, Cortney, met me there for a morning ride, then we grabbed our boxed lunches from Byte Cafe (so tasty) & headed to Public Square for a picnic with a small group.
For about an hour, badass entrepreneurs Anne Hartnett (owner of Harness) & Stephanie Sheldon (founder of the Flea) chatted with us about life, business, & balance while the sun shined down & the Goodyear Blimp flew above us. We also went home with sweet swag bags full of Harness/Flea goodies.
On Saturday, I celebrated with a few close friends at Hi and Dry, one of my favorite spots in my neighborhood. I consumed a massive pulled pork sandwich because I am a shameless food-monster, & we spent the evening drinking on patios & even taking shots to toast birthday boy Barack Obama.
A lot of the people I invited on Saturday couldn't come - & many of them backed out the day or night of the event - which had me feeling really down until Mike pointed out that it's about quality, not quantity. The few friends who did show up are some of my favorite humans in the world, & it was a really fun night. I took almost zero photos, which should prove it!
On Sunday, the day of my actual birthday, I slept in, then Mike & I went to Brewnuts for birthday donuts. I housed a blueberry Trix donut & a rosé slushie (& said hi to fellow birthday girl Reena, who was celebrating there with her friends & a few fellow bloggers!) before we wandered Gordon Square a bit to check out some of the new murals on display.
We realized we'd only eaten donuts all day, so we stopped in XYZ the Tavern for a quick brunch. Look at that glorious breakfast burrito, wouldja? (And no, Mike & I took no photos together on my birthday, just photos of me consuming various treats. Whoops.)
We closed out the day with a viewing of Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire, a lot of cuddling of cats, & an flatbread from Town Hall delivered by Uber Eats.
Thank you to everyone who called, texted, social media messaged, & otherwise celebrated with me this weekend. There was a time when I didn’t expect to make it to 30; every year after is an incredible blessing, & I credit the amazing people in my life for making it so. I love you.
And as always, I end my birthday with a donation to the cause of suicide awareness & prevention, this year to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention - a symbol of my appreciation for this life I love. If you’re so inclined, I hope you’ll consider doing the same.
Here’s to 34!
Hurray for such a fabulous birthday! So glad you loved Hamilton, I saw it in October & would just LOVE to see it again. I also listen to it way more often than I should, ha.
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