My 40th birthday is looming in the very near future. So, it's making me think not only about past birthday experiences, but about getting old.
So... maybe you can help me feel better about birthdays by sharing your most memorable birthday experience. (If it's a bad experience, at least I can feel in good company!) If you have a picture to go along with it -- even better!
I remember my 30th birthday. Two of my friends were also celebrating their birthdays at the same time. The wives put the whole thing together. We had plenty of beer to go around, and belly dancers for entertainment. After everyone got sh.t-faced, we ended up stuffing a couple of dozen people into a 4-person hot tub. Some women, normally prudish, were flashing everyone, or going topless. There wasn't much water left by the time everyone got out. :-)
I still have the same hottub around. It's got a lot of memories attached to it, heh, heh.
jbravo
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It must be my most memorable because it's what came to mind when I saw your submission. *s*
Sunday was spent with about half the crew finishing all remaining alcohol in the house, and smoking sheeshah until i had a nicotine hangover from hell.
Bloody brilliant weekend!
i've also managed to coincide my birthday with the Big Day Out (all day rock concert) for the last 9 or so years, and two friends have delightfully had their weddings on my birthday (2001 and 2007), so they've paid for the whole party!
BDO is either the day, or day before / after my birthday, wicked!
Love them rare steaks, too -- ummm, um.
Cool party, dude!
My bro is in KSA and brought back all manner of things arabic, although i did not appreciate the arabic singing "call to prayer" alarm clock he set outside my bedroom door one morning at 6am for another birthday . . . . . . .
But sadly my most memorable birthday was in 2001 when two planes crashed into skyscrapers in New York. Yes, my birthdate is September 11th.
That is sooo sweet what your hubby and kids did for you!
It's so true that the things we treasure most have absolutely nothing to do with money, or "stuff" of any sort. It's always about friends, family, relationships, being with people you love and can have a good time with. Also, as in other posts, it can be about your "neighbor" -- in other words, anyone you come into contact with -- directly or indirectly -- whose life you may affect. We're all connected in deep and meaningful ways. That's what life is all about!
'Bout the second item -- sorry that your birthday got connected to such a tragic event.
In elementary school, I had a creepy gym teacher who always insisted on giving kids spankings when their birthdays were near. Desperate not to be touched by him, I kept my birthday a secret, even from my friends.
Didn't really matter, though, since being born right after Christmas, most people forget my birthday anyway -- even my own family.
I've spent three birthdays in the emergency room. Once with a dangerously high fever as a baby, later from food poisoning, and another time from asthma.
My mother's only boyfriend after my father died turned out to be an ex-con. When he got busted for probably the umpteenth time, I was happy to see him gone, but guess which day he got out of prison? Yep. He showed up at the door drunk, with a mostly empty bottle of vodka and an unopened box of Twinkies. He said, "I was thinking to myself, 'There's something special about today... and then I remembered, hey, it's Mike's birthday! Here you go, bud!" (Handing me the Twinkies, not the vodka.) Figures that HE'D have to remember my birthday. I showed him right back out the door, keeping the Twinkies for fun experiments.
In college one year, a friend made me a really beautiful handmade present a week before my birthday, completely flooring me since up to that point no one outside my family had ever given me a birthday present of any kind. Plus, I was just impressed that she remembered I had a birthday coming up! I put it on the wall of my room where I could admire it every day, and it was my only decoration since I had never bothered making the room cozy. Then on my birthday, while I was away visiting Mom, a deer burst through my window and into my room, destroying not only the window but the lovely present from my friend. Or at least that was the story according to my landlord. I came back to a new window, a damaged window frame letting in the cold winter air, a broken present, a blood-stained floor, and shards of glass in the far corners of my room.
A couple years later I decided to get all my friends together (sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands!) to go out for dinner. As luck would have it, the psycho stalker ex-boyfriend of one of my friends crashed my little party, and the evening ended up with me being arrested after stopping her ex from hitting her. He had landed rather ungracefully when he met the floor and had to go to the hospital. Fortunately charges were dropped against me once the police, finally listening to what everyone was telling them, understood that I wasn't the crazy ex and that the guy in the hospital was the one who should be in custody.
One birthday I spent 6 hours stuck in an elevator gone bonkers. It kept going up and down to random floors but wouldn't open the doors at any of them, and the emergency call button didn't work.
Yet another year, my car was stolen on my birthday and found wrecked a few days later. Actually, that may be the best candidate for a happy birthday yet... as I got a nice replacement once all the insurance was sorted out! :D
I should revise that since, technically, my mom's ex did give me a present. :-/
I have had some good ones though. I once had a boyfriend plan a really special evening for my birthday....low key but really well thought out and planned. I've also had my kids do birthday breakfast in bed. It's amazing how good burnt toast, overflowing orange juice, and a banana can be! :D
But the best birthday I've ever get to have are always the ones I plan for others. Making my kids/family members have happy birthdays is the best in my opinion!
Every time! Well, nearly. I didn't mind too much since I knew it was hard for my mom to make ends meet after my dad was gone. But one year I did ask if we could celebrate my birthday in the spring or summer so that we might have enough money to go to Chuck E. Cheese's. Bless my mom for agreeing, but sure enough my birthday luck came with me. When I went to the bathroom, I got to witness Chuck E., in costume but with his mouse head off, barfing his guts out in an open stall.
Oh well. At least all of my birthdays are memorable. :D
But the best birthday I've ever get to have are always the ones I plan for others. Making my kids/family members have happy birthdays is the best in my opinion!
Have to wholeheartedly agree with you on that! I really enjoy making birthdays special for the people I love. :-)
They had hired the car for the weekend , which was a strange thing to do for me as I wasnot a petrolhead and drove a volvo estate!
I took each of the kids for a spin around the block and then my wife presented me with packed bags and we went off to Penny Hill Park for a most fantastic weekend. On the drive to Bagshot , i became seduced by this car , the staring by passers by , at the car , somehow meant I was a superior human being and the car corrupted my soul , in an enjoyable but disconcerting way.
A romantic surprise weekend away was my best birthday ever.
My favourite birthday was my 30th. I really thought hard about what I wanted to do, and arranged a huge dinner at my favourite Japanese restaurant. It was a Teppenyaki restaurant where they cook the food in front of you and throw it and you have to catch it. Its hysterical!
I also websearched like mad and created these invitations that had famous people born on my birthday, important events, things like the price of milk, bread and petrol the day I was born, who was the Prime Minister etc etc., top movies , the top songs in the charts etc.
All the best - I'll be 40 next year too *chuckle*
I always hated the spotlight as a kid but for my 12th birthday my mom planned a Halloween/G's Birthday party (mine's Oct 19). She decorated the whole house like a haunted mansion, black drapes everywhere, bubbling cauldrons, big goodie bags for the guests, she even made my aunt dress up convincingly as a fortune teller and had the guests round her crystal ball reading their palms. It was the most fun party ever because all my friends came, like 20 girls from my school! Boys were still yuck then *L* I think at one point it got too overwhelming in my 12 year old existence to have all these friends giving me the attention, and I almost ran away to my room for a couple minutes, but I made it through. What drama! Everyone had cool costumes, they looked great, and they went home with loads of candy... what else could you ask for!
Oh, I don't feel let down by others at all. From an early age I expected life to be an adventure, and so far it's never let me down. I've had many extraordinarily happy and wonderful experiences, though for some reason I can never coordinate them with my birthday. :D In fact, one of the best was the subject of a book I wrote a few years ago, which unfortunately lost its American publisher shortly before going to print. A Chinese translation enjoyed a brief run in Taiwan, however! If I ever get around to it, I've had some thoughts about releasing the English version for free here on Woyano, bits and pieces at a time.
I always hated the spotlight as a kid but for my 12th birthday my mom planned a Halloween/G's Birthday party
Wow, that sounds awesome! What better way to celebrate a kids birthday than dressing up in costumes!
My second best birthday was also someone else's. We couldn't get to Glastonbury (despite having tickets) so for her birthday I created Glastonbury-in-the-Garden, with balloons, streamers, windmills, music, a bbq - and surprise guests from all over the country - friends, family, people with whom she'd lost touch.
Two (of several) fantastic other people's birthdays. My own generally don't rate much, although a surprise week's holiday for my 50th was good. The best I've had. Spent the week mountain biking. I'm no longer a great drinker and I've left recreational chemicals far behind so my birthdays tend to be somewhat non-events.
When I was thirteen my mum organised for me and several of my friends to have a day of fun - we went to the cinema, ice skating, bowling & then for burgers - good day!!
Unfortunately quite a few of my birthdays as an adult were tainted because of my ex partner and the way he acted etc..........
But I'm hoping that this years birthday will be the best - my boyfriend (*wonderful guy*) is taking me to Paris for my 30th - he tried to keep it a surprise but couldn't contain his excitement either (bless)!!
18th - hospital visit, stitches in head,concussion, broken glasses and nose. My friends challenged me to a shot drinking contest in a pub that sadly is now trendy down by the river in York. After loosing said contest (i had 7 friends with me) they waited until the vodka and a pint I had drunk already had kicked in, announced *right because you lost we're gonna throw you in the river with no trousers*, needless to say I got up and lurched speedily out of the door to the pub, ran outside with them in close pursuit, I turned to check how close they were, looked back and ran straight into a lampost.- next thing I knew I was in the girls toilet with paper towls on my face and someone asking *we did call an ambulance right?*
27th Birthday, went to London and took girlfriend to see Riverdance(package deal thingy)- transport ran late - got to hotel with enough time to check in and leave luggage at concierge before we had to catch a bus to the theatre, I was mortified I was wearing a bikers leather jacket and scruffy jeans, not good to go to the theatre in. Saw stageshow, awesome the tickets I had upgraded to were in the middle about 4 rows back. Anyway we got back to the hotel at about midnight and picked up our stuff and headed off to the room. Me being me nosed around and looked under the bed,low and behold theres something under there- straps, a pair of handcuffs and a chainy thing all attatched to the bedframe, well I thought I ain't kipping on that lot. So I pottered of to the concierge desk and asked * can I have a pair of good scissors, a hacksaw and a pair of boltcroppers?* , he looked at me as if I was from mars then said *sir??* , I explain I have things attatched to my bed that I didn't want there and can I get rid of them. Well to cut a long story short the previous user had been a lady of the high end hooker variety, and we were upgraded to the last room in the hotel, the presidential suite!! - Awesome , four poster bed(and they are fun!),jaccuzi, shower from heaven, seperate sitting area with big tv etc. , I felt right at home in my old leathers - several cans of John Smiths(I had brought with me in a rucksack) and a beautiful redheaded girl.-one of the best nights of my life.
Ok -- I guess the sample here is too small to conclude anything. Plus, it sounds like there were some pretty damn GOOD experiences too!
These are great stories. Keep 'em coming!!!
But the best birthday I've ever get to have are always the ones I plan for others.
I love giving people presents!
jbravo I have lots of happy memories but almost no happy birthday memories! (I also have only a few unhappy birthday memories.) Perhaps we focus too much on certain days, pin too many hopes on them -- two of my three best New Years were spent with people who were running away from New Years, of course I suppose we were celebrating not celebrating it, so, we were cheating!
Oh, my birthdays were never unhappy for lack of presents. Must've been since I grew up in the country, too. :-) In fact, I was embarrassed by how many toys I had, not realizing that other kids had many more, and that theirs were made recently rather than handed down from others.
If I really think back, I'd have to say that the only reason my childhood birthdays were unhappy was for missing my father. Later birthdays are a different beast altogether. D
My mom was 39 for a good 10 years, then she finally embraced 41, skipping 40 entirely. :D
Hey you know AdGuy always gets the last word! ;)