Birthday Girl

I started a new birthday tradition this year. Instead of celebrating my birthday, on my birthday (which is tomorrow, by the way), I decided to celebrate slowly, elaborately, painstakingly over three weeks.

I started two weekends ago with a houseful of guests to watch the Florida v LSU game (remember that I live in a shoebox, so it doesn’t take much to constitute a “houseful”). I went to dinner at this swanky Greek place down the street with a table-ful of friends – my nearest and dearest even down to my very first friend in Florida, who drove two hours to eat with me. I drank some enormous, vertigo-inducing shot from the server and shouted “Opa!” as waiters around the place lit things on fire.

Last weekend, I went to dinner then a play with a friend and his parents (you know I love parents). We saw Dracula which is very appropriate for my Halloween birthday. (Did I mention that my birthday is tomorrow?) I spent the morning shopping for discount books at the Friends of the Library Book Sale. You can’t ask for more than that – books and the theater – all in one day.

This weekend, Mom and I went to Savannah (aka – my new love). We had fantastic weather and an amazing time. I can see myself going back there again and again. I want to know that city like the back of my hand. I want to name the squares and have a favorite. I want to sit on park benches there reading a book or sketching (poorly, since I’m not an artist) on a pad. I want that to be my place.

Tomorrow, I’m going to the Melting Pot with another handful of friends. We’ll eat some cheese and chocolate and have a grand time. It’ll wrap up a nice three-week birthday celebration. Thank you to everyone that has made this birthday really wonderful.

I may have to organize some post-birthday events just so that I can let myself down easy after all this merry making.