My 30th Birthday: A Mystery

Last night, I had dinner with a close friend, Carly. She is leaving for Germany this weekend. Her birthday is in five days. AND, we won't see each other for almost a month. I envisioned in my mind a quiet evening out with dinner, desserts, and a glass of champagne. Shortly upon arriving at the restaurant, we were seated at a table next to two reserved tables, which we learned were for "Ryan's 30th birthday party." 

As the night progressed, Carly and I vacillated between enjoying the chaos of a birthday party enclosing upon our quiet dinner and being annoyed at having to scream above the party our research ideas. (Ha, right!). While we were having dinner, my-ex Tim caught sight of us and came to join us for dessert. The three of us laughed about the sheer number of people at this Ryan's birthday party. Man, this guy Ryan must REALLY be an awesome guy. It didn't stop there. Trust me. I've now posted a "Missed Connections" for the birthday party. Carly and I stopped on our way home to tell a confused (and, obviously drunk) dog directions to the party, "Hey Dog! You are going the wrong way, Ryan's birthday party is back that way!" We even fabricated an after-after party for Ryan's birthday. Yes, the end of the semester can be rough...and we all need to exercise our creative imagination at times. 

Regardless, the REAL reason for the post is that...I joked with Tim about what we did for my 30th birthday. I mean, right, it had to have been some big hoopla like Ryan's 30th birthday, right??? As far as we can remember, we were dating when I turned 30. I would have been writing my thesis on skateboarding at that time. But we couldn't remember. And still 12 hours later, I remain stumped, What did I do to celebrate my 30th birthday??? After some investigation through old blogs and pictures, I'm still at a loss. Here is what I know: I saw Sparklehorse play in February that year. Tim and I went to spring training in March. But what did we do in April? How did I ring in the big 3-0? (Incidentally, if you remember, I'd be much obliged to find out). 

And then it hit me, there are all these huge milestones and celebratory dates. New Years. Anniversaries. Our 30th birthday. We spend an incredible amount of time planning and hoping that these events and dates will be absolutely legendary. One for the books. But here's the thing, merely 6 years later....I don't have the slightest clue as to what I did to celebrate my 30th birthday. With that, I suppose, I must be getting old.