I am still riding the high of turning TWENTY-FIVE. I celebrated my birthday for an entire week, and I am in such awe of all the love I felt, and what an amazing time I had.
My birthday falls on January 24, and the funny thing is that I share my birthday with a handful of friends. My absolute best friend, right hand woman, soul sister (and future cousin-in-law), Helena and I have the same birthday. So I love that we get to at least share a birthday dinner together every year with my family. However I also share my birthday with two of my other closest friends, Ashley and Elyse (also with Elyse’s twin brother, and my friend Zach). It can sometimes be difficult and irritating to plan a birthday celebration because even though it’s everyone’s birthday, not everyone wants to celebrate in the same way or together. There are often times in which I’ve been annoyed with sharing my birthday because the time and money spent in the same group of friends gets compromised. But this year was different, and amazing in almost every way possible.
Saturday 1/20: I went out with my group of friends from my hometown and I had such a great time. Rarely do all of us get to be together. Usually it’s just a fraction of the group. I think the last time all nine of us were somewhere together was at Diana’s wedding. 
Additionally, it was really nice to be with Ashley, Elyse, and John on a day we could all collectively celebrate our birthday. Usually if we do something for one of our birthdays, it’s mainly what that single person wants to do, but this time it felt much more communal. We went for dinner at a hibachi restaurant, and then to Toby Keith’s bar. I’m not much of a country fan, nor did I drink much, but I love live music and being with people I love. I was riding a true happiness high that night. And I was really ~feeling myself~ I loved the way I looked, and loved being with my friends.
Sunday 1/21: This is the night the Patriots became AFC champs. Super Bowl #6, where we come! After the game I had drinks and sang karaoke with my friend Zach, and it was so nice to see him, and celebrate his birthday too. He is one of the funniest and most fabulous guys I know, and am really happy I met him through mutual friends and school.
Wednesday 1/24: THE DAY! I took this day off work and had a full blown ME day.
I had gotten a mani/pedi the day before, and treated myself to a massage and a trip to the mall. I also drove out of the way to grab coffee from one of my favorite chains (Sip n Dip), and ordered my favorite appetizer from the Cheesecake Factory for lunch (I have to figure out a copy cat recipe for those avocado egg rolls!!). It’s crazy how quickly a day can pass. I had dinner at Cafe Nuovo for Restaurant Week with my family group to celebrate Helena and I.
I am so lucky to have that support group. Also, Helena and I are both really into outfits and style, so it was really great to have someone to take pictures of and with in the lobby 😉 The food was good, and my sister made an AMAZING oatmeal cookie sandwich cake, topped with macarons, chocolate covered strawberries, and fake cherry blossoms (all my favorites!).
Thursday 1/25: This morning I went to get my aura photo taken with Nicole, which is something we’ve wanted to do for so long. It’s often overpriced but luckily the place we went to in Wickford, Grateful Heart was only $20. (Honestly, when it comes to spiritual-type stuff like this, I don’t understand why things get so expensive. The best tarot card reader I’ve ever gone to only charges about $20 too!) We also stopped by one of my absolute favorite coffee/bagel places, the Coffee and Bagel Connection in South County, RI. I’m only in the area for the beaches in the summer time, so it was a nice winter treat too.
Friday 1/26: I got my hair done this day, I put in some brown shades to add texture and depth. It’s something I’ve talked about for months, and finally did it. It’s a little bit lighter than I would like (I think it’s gotten lighter as the days have passed), but I might be overreacting because it feels like a really big change for me because I am so used to have jet-black straight hair. For lunch, my friend Renz took me out to Zooma for Restaurant Week, and it was very good. Although we don’t work together anymore, I’m glad we’re maintaining our friendship. Then for dinner, my friend Camilla took me to a place I’ve had on my list for a long time, Cook and Dagger. Their bone marrow appetizer was delicious! I’m so glad Camilla and I are on a similar page when it comes to food (and a lot of things in general). We love trying new things, and I think it’s because we are familiar with “weird” or “exotic” foods due to our respective cultures that I never felt judged or ‘othered’ when I am with her.
Saturday-Sunday 1/27-1/28: New York bound! I headed to NYC with Nicole, and three Danielles. We had a five course afternoon tea at Lady Mendl’s and it was amazing. I was a little worried at first because it was kind of pricey ($60/person + tax and tip) and I was afraid it wouldn’t be worth it. 
But in the end I was really happy because everyone else enjoyed it and had a good time too. We were getting full by the third course! The place was super cute, and definitely made me feel like I could be having lunch on the steps of the MET with Blair and Serena (and I’m pretty sure I looked the part too). As a picky eater I was afraid I wouldn’t like some of the courses, but everything was delicious!
We also made stops at Glossier, and The Ordinary for makeup and skin products, and made it to Laduree for my favorite macarons. For dinner we had Ramen, which will always be a favorite of mine. I am a sucker for pork belly and soft boiled eggs.
When we arrived back at the airbnb I was pleasantly surprised to see it decorate with tons of gold garlands, and a back drop, and huge 25 number balloons.
They are things I definitely wanted, but really didn’t expect it. My friends were already spending money and time with my in NYC that I didn’t expect them to do even more for me.We quickly started drinking and getting ready, made time for a photo shoot (can’t celebrate without outfit pictures first!) and head to the club. We went to Avenue, hoping we’d be able to get into 1OAK later, where Nick Jonas was hosting. We didn’t get to see him, but we had a great time anyway. Our club promoter was cool, Jason Derulo was at Avenue, we got handed free shots, and several bottles of champagne. It was a good drunk night. No drama, just good times with great people.
The car ride home the next morning was a bit torturous because people were tired, hung over, and nauseous, but we made it back in a one piece, with stories to tell.
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I just feel so lucky to have spent time with all my friends and my family too. Nobody had to go the extra mile for me. I got to celebrate with all my birthday twins together with our entire group of friends. I had friends spend money and time with me in New York. My sister made an amazing cake for me. My family took my best friend and I out to an expensive dinner. I had two friends take me out separately for my birthday just as a sign of friendship. I had friends give me presents when I didn’t need or want anything other than their presence.
That week made me feel genuinely blessed and happy about my life and the people in it.