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My birthday began gathered with my dearest Brooklyn family, during the final bits of a Passsover Sedar. All four cups of wine finished (plus more of course!!), a delightful meal savored, the Afikoman found and nibbled to fill the tiniest remaining spot in our tums... we read Song of Songs aloud. I spent the first few minutes of my birthday reciting verses that illuminate the LOVE story between a man and woman, between God and and tells the story of how we all came to be free.... all of this which brought me into being.

As I get older I begin to expect less and less of my birthday and yet it always amazes me. My Mom wrote on her birthday card that she could only remember three of her own birthdays!!!! All I can say is that I'm sorry for not giving you more memorable birthdays Mom and that I feel truly lucky to remember so many wonderful ones!! At my Mom's suggestion, I will end this post with a list of my favorites!

Because the simple pleasures are what make my birthday, here's how the rest of my day went down...

After my first Sedar, the day continued with a late, spring night walk home with a great chat, a little sleep, waking up to a morning of beautiful sun and left over charoset balls for breakfast. I actually went to work watching my three year old pal Eleanor. We had a tea party, blew bubbles, swang on the swings together and enjoyed the sunshine (my favorite spring time activities!!!) I picked up a package sent from mom, opened it with Eleanor and shared some chocolatty treats with her. We also had fun stomping on the bubble wrap! Then I met a friend in the city for a lovely lunch of sunny side up eggs on toast with truffle oil and asparagus. Let's not forget the beautiful large latte! No matter how many I drink a day... always a pleasure. We looked around at pretty things, I got a pair of Marc Jacobs rain boots for $17 and then we shared a slice of cake with pink frosting before I headed out to Sedar #2 at Eleanor's house. My day ended in much the same way it began.

Now I'm jammin (my language for being dressed in pajamas) listening to an "Angry teenager 90's mix" cd, which was a birthday gift from a friend. It's all the music I never owned!! Now I finally feel cool! And writing a list of my favorite birthdays.

*********************BIRTHDAY LIST******************

Age 3: My first birthday in my house. I don't remember the apartment we lived in before this house and we never moved again. My friends came over and I remember organizing a music parade down the long hallway. I always think of this as my 2nd birthday though, my Mom says #3. Either way, it's the first one I remember and we ate cake at my tiny, pussy willow table.

Age 7: My birthday was on Easter. I had my first suprise birthday party. I'm pretty sure I was dressed as a bunny and it was at my Grandpas house. I didn't suspect a thing and it felt pretty great. Easter has always been my favorite. This might have bee the year of the bike... I kept pretty regular journals from this time on, maybe I got a diary too? I described my bike as "prepole and pink" in the first pages. That means purple and pink....

Age 13: I got a charm bracelet with a lucky 13 charm. I still have it. It has my Jr. High class ring on it and the moose charm my friend Abbie gave me that same year. She gave me a bracelet too, because they were really cool to us then. I traded the bracelet in for another charm I think, but Abbie didn't mind. She would have done the same.

Age 16: I threw a big party for this one, but only a few people came. I had hoped it to be an awesome boy/girl rockin thing. I decorated my basement by hanging all this funky cloth and old sheets along the walls and filling the floor with pillows. I was utterly crushed at the lack of peeps that showed up, even though the gals who did were true, true buds. You know how you are at this age... the boys, the boys.... why don't they like me??????

Age 17: My mom rented a hotel room in Portland, the BIG city, so my friends and I could go out dancing. This was a pretty cool gift.

Age 19: First college birthday. My friends commissioned the college cafe make me a carrot cake and we all ate it together. My roommate made a magnet of a model she found in a magazine who looked like me and happened to be reading a Martha Stewart cookbook. She pasted my face over hers.... this was totally impressive in the time before digital photo and all that print it yourself crap was as readily available. My mom has the magnet on her fridge, it's so wierd looking! This was also the first birthday I really felt the comradery of true friends gathering to celebrate you. Most of the gals there that night are still dear, kindered spirits.

Age 20: Smoothie party #1. I began hosting a series of smoothie parties with unique recipies and other yummy treats. Several boys entered the picture here... My then boyfriend Jesse, Hans and Garth (all solid dudes and practically brothers now) along with several other star appearences....Liza Stillhard anyone? My friends chipped in to buy me a sewing machine... my first appliance. The night ended in Meredith and Wolfie wrestling.

Age 21: Smoothie Party #2- the apartment. We were all excited because our 'rival' heckling dining hall table (they were our buddies) attended this party, which was a first social mixing outside the dining hall. Um, and then there was this boy visiting who I met in South Carolina, I was kinda stressed this day and fainted for the first time. My friends gave me a blender this year, which I still have!!! Appliance #2.

Age 22: The final college smoothie party! Even more guests this year. We wrote each other fortunes and made magnets.

Age 23: NEW YORK! well, Brooklyn style! Anne, my roommate at the time, gave me an entire jar of fortune cookies! Rick, was my roommate then too and Garth came over for brunch. I think this is when I got my camper boots, a memorable big ny purchase.

Age 24: I don't remember 24, but it was in brooklyn.

Age 25: another bklyn bday. 25 gifts from mom, 25 cards made by the kids in Mom's classroom and more than 25 cards fromf friends an family that my mom had asked to send me something.

Age 26: I had an Easter egg decorating party!!! I also was taken out to dinner at Lulu in Brooklyn.

Age 27: A pear cocktail party.... soon so get ready!