Like with most school-related things, I was over this
semester’s finals before they even started. However, I had a good reason to be.
My birthday was this past Monday. It was the birthday of all birthdays – the
big two-one! To say it was perfect is an understatement and I wish more than
anything I could go back to it. My birthday was filled with lots of fun,
friends, and food…and cocktails, of course!
My birthday began like all birthdays should – with a shot of
tequila. Lucky for me, I live downtown at school and am surrounded by bars, so
at midnight my roommates, Cara and Steph, and my friend, Jami, walked down the
stairs of our apartment and across the road to the only bar that was open at
midnight on a Sunday. When the clock hit midnight, I handed my ID over to the
bartender who then proceeded to give me my “first” drink. How exciting! Once
happy birthdays were sung and screams of exuberance were made, we headed back
to my apartment where my roomies gave me the best gift of all time – a
bedazzled bottle of Patron! I was beside myself when I saw it and could not
help but to scream a little bit more. We all came to the conclusion that if I
were a bottle of alcohol, I would be this classy, magnificent, and
one-of-a-kind masterpiece.
My birthday continued the next day when I woke up at 6 AM
because naturally, I could not contain my excitement long enough to allow me to
sleep until a normal hour of the morning. To pass the time, I got in my car and
drove to the grocery store to pick up some orange juice for my morning mimosas
that I was planning on having. Once that was taken care of, I continued to just
drive around and jam to some music until it was finally light out. Then I went
back home and casually jumped on my bed until Steph woke up. As soon as her
eyes were finally open I insisted we leave right away for Five Points Bottle Shop because I knew they opened at 9. So we hopped in the car and headed that
way with me still in my pajamas because it isn’t a birthday unless you stay in
your PJs all day! Once I made a fuss about how it was my 21st
birthday and grabbed a sufficient amount of champagne, Steph and I drove home
where I immediately popped open a bottle and made myself what I thought to be a
mimosa, but if you asked my friends they would tell you it was just a big ol’
glass of champagne with a small splash of orange juice…but who are they to
judge?!
I sipped on my mimosas and indulged in my chocolate covered
strawberries made by Shari’s Berries that my grandparents sent me. These
berries are truly decadent and absolutely amazing! The sweetness of the
strawberries compliments the different chocolates perfectly. Between the dark
chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate, it is quite difficult to pick a
favorite. I enjoyed these treats until Britt came over to bring me a present—a
fabulous sweater that I had picked out the day before in the store where she
works, Flirt! The two of us then walked around downtown Athens to do a little
shopping. Britt couldn’t help but to laugh at my outfit as we walked into
different stores. My outfit consisted of my new birthday sweater, my red and
pink plaid pajama paints, a long pearl necklace, and my gold bedazzled Jack
Rogers sandals. I warned her I would be in my pajamas, but I don’t think she
was expecting me to look as fabulous as I did!
Before I knew it, my friends Elena and Jami stopped by to
take me to lunch at my favorite cupcake shop, Gigi’s Cupcakes! My favorite cake
flavor is carrot cake and it just so happened that their carrot cake cupcakes
are one of their featured flavors every Monday. How perfect! Elena also ordered
the carrot cake cupcake and you better believe we ate every last bite.
After Gigi’s, I went home, enjoyed some more champagne, and
jumped on my bed a little more. A few more visitors came by bringing me even
more delicious goodies! Ashley and Skye brought me some amazing treats from a
bakery in Athens called, Heirloom Café, including one of their famous moon pies,
a cheesecake brownie, and a couple of chocolate covered caramels. They were to
die for! My friend Sam also came by with an eggnog cupcake from another cupcake
bakery in Athens, Silver Lining Cupcake Co. Shortly thereafter, my mother and
Grace, my friend from home, finally made it! By the time they arrived I was
finally out of my pajamas, showered and prepared for the night ahead.
Fittingly, I had one more little glass of Champagne to prepare for my last
exam—French! Anyway, I quickly (but carefully, of course) took my final and got
the heck out of there! We all quickly got ready, shared a bottle of Veuve Clicquot
(Yellow Label—delicious!) Champagne that my mother bought for me, then headed
to my birthday party at The Capital Room, which is a restaurant and bar across
the street from my apartment.
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| Elena and I cheers-ing with our cupcakes at Gigi's! |
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| Carrot cake cupcake! |
A few days prior, Cara made a Facebook event for the big day
and called it “Ain’t NO Partay Like A GOODSTAT Partay,” because apparently
there really ain’t no party like a Goodstat party! We enjoyed delicious food,
including bottom-less spinach dip (YUM), numerous mojitos and laughs. I
received a few more presents including, a cookbook, a bouquet of mini-bottles, and
a few bottles of wine. But I think the winner was my mother’s gift. I tend to
be quite clumsy and tend to lose things too often when I’m out and about, so my
mother gave me something that would not only prevent me from hurting myself,
but would also help me keep track of my belongings. The gift box contained a
pink hardhat, a pink suede tool belt, pink safety glasses, and gloves! Once she
put all these pieces on me, I quickly felt like I was in a YMCA music video. Thanks
Mama!
Dinner came to an end and glasses began to empty, which
only meant one thing for me and my friends…time for a birthday bar crawl! I had
a list in my head of all my favorite bars that I wanted to visit that night.
Dances were danced, and songs were sung, as we made our way first to Moonshine,
then Bourbon Street, Silver Dollar, Sandbar, and last, but certainly not least,
Cloud, where I visited with my favorite bartender, Sean. Each stop was more fun
than the last, and just like one of my favorite artists, Corey Smith, sings in
one of his hit songs, “If I could do it again I'd do it the same, not one regret I wouldn't
change a thing!”
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| Yay birthday!! |
It was the perfect ending to a great semester and a great
way to start my Christmas break. Lookout Greensboro, here I come!
