Birthdays: Enjoy As Directed

This is a little late, but my boss is on vacation this week and I got caught up in doing non-work related things at work (e.g. checking Facebook, cringing over Fantasy Football results, chatting, etc.). I was going to write this long blog about how much I do not like celebrating my birthday and why, but it was getting pathetic and I sounded like a whiny, pessimistic little kid. Instead, I wanted to write this particular blog as a small token of thanks for those who thought it was important for me to celebrate my birthday, even when I did not.
The following is what I learned during the week of my 28th birthday. They're not ranked in any particular order and serve more as a reminder for me not to be such a curmudgeon about becoming a year older - hopefully this will come in handy and I can get my attitude in check for next year. 
* Don't resist presents from your mom- there's no point. Ever since I moved out for college, my mom has made it a point to have flowers delivered to me. Every year I tell her to save her money because flowers will die and every year I get a beautiful vase full of flowers. This year I tried especially hard to stop her from sending flowers so that she can use the money toward necessities. I thought I had finally reasoned with her and won the argument. Instead, my mom decided to have flowers sent to me during an event for work. Only your mom can make your day, guilt you into feeling bad about telling her to save her money, and remind you that no one knows you better than she does all in one simple gesture.  
* Cake and ice cream always brightens everyone's mood, so have some! Our office is really short-staffed right now and we're helping each other get things done. One particular task included picking up 60 vans last week. There are only 8 of us in the office so you can imagine how many trips we've had to take to get these vans and how stress levels were bound to soar. I was no different, in fact I was getting ready to write up one of my newer colleagues for being an idiot, but I decided to go to my desk and take a breather. As I walked over to my area, I saw that my boss had decorated my desk with a banner and balloons, which no other boss in our office has done. After that, she called me into the kitchen and all my coworkers were there waiting with cake, ice cream, poppers, and party blowers. What a difference that made in my mood! What a difference it made in everyone's mood. The rest of the afternoon was still spent picking up vans, but we were so sugared up that we were actually enjoying each other's company. The idiot coworker was saved by cake and ice cream...for now. 
* Do something for you. With so many important people in your life, it's inevitable for your plans to be compromised. You want things to go one way, someone wants something else, you figure out a happy medium. However, since it is YOUR birthday, you deserve something all for yourself. For me, it was keeping my Twilight addiction at full force. I decided to bring my copy of "New Moon" with me everywhere I went and squeeze in some reading wherever I could. Sounds simple enough, but I was in Las Vegas...who the hell reads in Vegas?! Apparently, I do. On top of that, my friends agreed to take pictures of me with every person that was dressed up as Edward Cullen.  Something as little as reading a favorite book or indulging in a guilty pleasure was what I was all I wanted it and I gave it to myself :) 
* Savor the quiet moments. One of my most favorite memories about this birthday will be when Victor, April, Phil, Albert, and I all ended up in the same bed on Saturday morning. We weren't doing anything in particular except laying there, hungover, and talking about what had happened the night before (as is usually the case after a drunken night in Vegas). In that moment, I felt that I had everything I needed in life and I couldn't ask for anything more than what I already had. Then Albert says, "I like that my I'm in between two sets of boobs right now." (he was lying between me and April).  That made me smile even more. 
* Being original can be sexier than being sexy. In recent years, I usually picked up a packaged costume from any of the Halloween shops that popped up. I've been a sexy devil, a sexy taxi driver, a sexy lion tamer...you get the idea. I wanted to do something different this year, something a little more creative. Albert and I decided to put together our own costumes instead of buying packaged ones. He was set on being Alan from The Hangover and I had my heart set on being Lady Gaga. Luckily most of our friends decided to do characters too: Phil = Miles from the Dharma Initiative, April = Dora the Explorer, Victor = 80's PE Teacher, Jello = guy from Jabbawockeez. I might be a little biased, but we all pulled off our looks really well. Albert was seriously the best Alan that I saw all night. And, even though I was walking around in my underwear, I felt confident and silly (in a good way), which always translates into sexy. No more packaged costumes from now on. 
*It's a Celebration- don't spend it in line! Vegas in Halloween attracts A LOT of people, which means there are going to be loooong lines to get in any of the clubs. Unfortuately, I'm not famous and I'm not filthy rich so I have no way of getting into clubs without waiting in line for hours and shelling out some cash. We were in line for Tao, but when we saw it was going to be a bust, we looked elswhere for fun. We ended up at Carnival Court near Harrah's, got in after waiting around 20 minutes, paid $10 and made a night out of it! Sometimes it's good to get down with your ghetto self and opt out of the fancier, more expensive option. 
* Try something new. This year I wanted to go to Hofbrauhaus. It was the first time I've ever had Bavarian food and drank (what seemed like) a gallon of beer. It was good times and worth going back, especailly since Phil didn't get to do the stein holding contest. Is it better than Tokyo Delves...not really, but I love me some Japanese food so I'm probably not being fair :P 
* When you want to have a good time, surround yourself with happy people. It's pretty self-explanatory, but I learned this one the hard way and figure I should write it down as a reminder to myself. 
* Let your loved ones love you and don't forget to say thank you. I used to think birthdays are about what I wanted to do and how I wanted to celebrate. If it were up to me, I would run and hide and wait until November 1st was here. That way of thinking, as it turns out, is pretty selfish. People in our lives see birthdays as a time of celebrating you and showing they care. Friends and family get to show me some love and I get to be gracious and thank them. Everyone wins. I need to grow up and stop being selfish about it. 
* Albert won't let you down. There's a story here, but it's more for me and Albert to remember. Chalk it up to it being a couple thing. Just know that Albert has to deal with my craziness as my birthday nears and when he says he won't let me down, he won't let me down. That's more important to me than infinity birthday presents. I love him more than Kobe Bryant, Tom Brady, Justin Timberlake, and Edward Cullen/Rob Pattinson put together.