Oh hello everyone! Do I look any different? In case you didn’t notice, I am now officially a 30 year old woman.
When I snap my fingers, you will magically turn…OLD.
I was very pleased to see that a wrinkle did not appear the moment I turned 30, nor did my joints begin to give out. I don’t feel a day over 29. Phew.
Anyway, I’ve only got a few more days in O-Town to catch up with my friends, so I need to make this birthday recap post short and sweet (seriously, I’m really going to do it this time. Shorter is one of my renewed goals for the blog after all!)
Last time I recapped a B-day on the SHLB, I did a birthday recap, by the numbers (along with the stages of Sometimes Healthy Hangover, which of course, I experienced again), and the post was one of my most popular!
Here comes the birthday recap!
So, if it ‘aint broke, don’t fix it.
Before I get into the recap, I just want to mention how blessed and lucky I felt to be surrounded by all of my close family and friends on Saturday night. It was the perfect way to enter into a new decade, and I couldn’t imagine a better night. So, thanks to all of you special people!
Without further ado, here’s the Dirty Thirty Birthday Recap by the Numbers:
1: The number of giant cupcake birthday cakes that I ate on my birthday.
Making a wish…that I could eat a giant cupcake every day for the rest of my life.
This chocolate cupcake birthday cake was some of the best chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted in my life. It was rich, decadent and definitely the perfect cake for a chocolate lovin’ Sometimes Healthy Girl. My friends clearly know me well – because nothing suits me better than a giant cupcake birthday cake :-).
2: The number of shots I took.
Thirty and classy.
The last time I took a shot, I was 28. Quite honestly, my old “mature” self cannot handle concentrated amounts of hard liquor like college Jamie. However, on the eve of my 30th, it felt appropriate. I definitely paid for it on Sunday.
This is one of those “It seemed like a good idea at the time” pictures.
3: The number of my favorite kinds of candies that were at the table
Tootsie rolls, swedish fish, M&Ms and guacamole…Now, that’s a fiesta!
No birthday party is complete without Swedish Fish, Tootsie Rolls and M&M’s right? And, as a bonus, the M&M’s said “Happy 30th” and “Jamie.” Now, that’s my kind of party!
PARTY
4: The number of times I ran around the tiny man-made lake by my house a few hours before my birthday.
The cheesy “Yay, I’m getting older” smile!
Russ and Michelle also accompanied me on part of the run, and were super excited to pose for this attractive picture. My goal was to run 13.3 miles in honor of 30. However, I had plans to meet Emily’s child for a play date and didn’t want to delay her nap, so I went with 11.
Now, that’s one cool baby.
It was worth sacrificing the two miles to see this little girl in shades. Have you ever seen anything cuter?
7: The number of amazing friends that helped plan my party (plus the BF and my parents!).
Dear Amazing Friends: Sorry for not fixing the red eye in these pictures. It got late!
I’ve always known how lucky I am to have such special friends. With each of these girls, I know that no matter how long passes, whenever we pick up the phone, it will be like we just spoke yesterday. I may be biased, but I don’t think it is possible to have better friends than these.
10: The number of wines I tasted at the wine bar.
The hot spot in Omaha (literally, it was hot in front of the fire)
As another testament that my friends and family know me very well, they picked the coolest wine bar that I have ever seen to go out after our Mexican Food fiesta, Brix. If you ever find yourself in Omaha (and why wouldn’t you?), I would definitely recommend this place.
Not only did this bar have cool tables with fake fires, but also, they had wine tasting machines. Never in my life have I seen these machines. It was like being a kid, getting tokens and going to Chuckie Cheeses to OD on skeeball, but the adult version. I got a little card, put money on it and walked around the big store, tasting any wine I wanted with the press of a button!
Best.machine.ever. (Thanks for posting for the picture, Becca!)
I have never heard of this idea before, but I am certain it is genius. Granted, I was mixing tequila (from margaritas), beer, champagne (from the BF), wine and shots together, but hey, who cares? You only turn 30 once, ya’ll!
17: The number of times I said “I Love You” to various people throughout the evening.
Ruh, oh. Somebody’s tipsy!
A long-running joke with my friends is how alcohol tends to bring out my “loving” side. Apparently, the first time I ever drank one beer, I was running around the entire night asking for a hug. As we got older, I would always use a night drinking with my friends as a good excuse to remind them of how much I loved them. They joke that my lower lip will start to curl, and this means that I’m about to launch into my “I love you speech.”
My birthday night, it definitely happened many times! I was truly touched by all the hard work my friends, BF and family put into ensuring that I had a special and (mostly, thanks to the booze) memorable night!
If there were a million ways to say thank you, I’d certainly do it! I couldn’t have asked for a better way to officially turn OLD (as some would say)!
Now, I’m just trying to soak up my remaining days in O-Town. Tomorrow will include a day of shopping with my mother AND cooking my parents dinner.
This is a huge deal, because my mother has a very nice kitchen and rarely likes to see it a mess. Still trying to figure out the menu, but thinking mediterranean. Feel free to give me some ideas – I’d really like to impress them with my newfound cooking skills. Wish me luck!
PS – Today, Becca’s inventive child served me his signature dish, M&M Soup, from his fake kitchen. My first thought was to be impressed with his creativity. My second thought was, “Hmmm, I wonder if I can actually make this dish…”
Culinary genius on our hands, my friends!
YOUR TURN:
Tell me about your most memorable birthday 🙂
Happy 30th! It looks like it was such an amazing one :). Nothing better than good food and friends! That cupcake cake looks FANTASTIC!
Thanks for the bday love – it couldn’t have been better! If you ever go to Omaha, I’ll tell you where to find this cake 🙂
Happy 30th! It looks like you had a great one! 🙂 Your chocolate cupcake birthday cake looked DELICIOUS!!!
It tasted every bit as delicious as it looks. Thanks for the bday love!
What a fun weekend! I’m so happy we got to spend so much time together. I can say yesterday was one of my best Monday’s I’ve ever had. P.S.- I am one very sore girl this morning thanks to your amazing 15 minute workout. I love this feeling. Thanks for sharing it with me!
Aww, this comment made my heart soar! First, because you said Monday with me was one of your best Mondays in a long time. And, secondly, because you loved the workout! Plenty more where that came from!!
I am so glad I made the trip to Omaha to share such a great birthday. Can’t believe you kept me going through half that run! While my 30th was definitely an awesome birthday, between Miami, the big NYC dinner and drinks and my trip with Rory…. 28 was one of my most fun too, complete with all my fave foods, homemade sometimes healthy cake and my top 3 favorite people in the Village Tavern. xo
Thanks sis! I’ll never forget that birthday either. The fact that you loved it so much is why we’re such good friends 🙂 That cake was fabulous, btw!
Sounds like you went big for 30!!!
The bigger the cupcake – the better 😉 Happy belated birthday girl
Looks like you have a great birthday! My friends threw me a surprise party on my 29th rather than my 30th because they knew I wouldn’t be expecting that! I was blown away when a limo driver knocked on my door with 10 people waiting in it to pick me up!
That giant cupcake is awesome!! I think that everyone should have a cupcake like that for EVERY birthday! 😉
love the giant cupcake and LOL at the loving side of you coming out when you’re drunk, hah! sounds like so much fun. happy belated 🙂