27

12 days prior to my own, I helped celebrate Alex's 27 birthday at Hill Country with a group of his friends. It was a lot of fun - yummy barbeque, live band country karaoke, and southern style drinks served in mason jars.

Now it was time to celebrate my 27th birthday. Each year I plan a night of drinking with a group of my friends here in NYC. This year, I decided that since my birthday falls on a Sunday, it's the perfect excuse to get my closest friends together for a traditional NYC brunch.

Brunch is such a staple of Manhattan culture. On any given Sunday (or Saturday), you will find tons of groups, young and old, planted at restaurants ordering eggs and drinking mimosas or bloody Mary's for hours. It's relaxing and fun and delicious.

At 2:30 on April 15th I gathered a group of friends at Philip Marie in the West Village and we had a lovely brunch.

We followed it up with some espresso and delicious sweets at Milk and Cookies


Monday at work, I celebrated my birthday (again) with my coworkers complete with 3 flower deliveries and delicious cupcakes.

I felt very loved at my office. That last arrangement from my boss smells so beautiful - it's wonderful to go into my little grey cubicle, close my eyes, and feel like I'm in a garden.

Growing up is scary and I'm happy to be where I am at 27. 27 just sounds so much older than 26. In addition to adding another year to my life, do I really have to add another syllable to my age? Slowly, I'm coming to terms with the fact that I am growing up. I no longer resemble that baby face in my college ID picture. In fact, in a month, I'll be going to my 5 year college reunion (has it really been 5 years since I was at the University of Delaware having the time of my life?). I've lived alone in the city for (gulp) 4 years now. I spend too much on rent and clothes and I never have cash in my very fashionable wallet. I couldn't be happier. I wouldn't trade my life for another.