#35 Your birthday week

One day is not enough.

Seriously, the name birthday itself implies that annual celebrations of your life must be squeezed into twenty-four hours. Just one day? That’s not nearly enough time to celebrate good times, come on:

1. Besties dinner. It’s the intimate night with your closest pals — a quiet dinner in the corner of a classy restaurant, potluck at your girlfriend’s, or maybe your two oldest friends laughing over childhood memories at three in the morning.

2. The Wild Party. Midnight shots! Glittery plastic tiaras! Spin the bottle in the basement! Okay, maybe I’m outdated but the wild birthday party opens up your celebration to everyone you know, and everyone they know. Roc boys in the building tonight.

3. Fam Jam (Feat. Grandma). Sunday dinner with mom’s spaghetti, grandpa’s jokes, and beautifully wrapped presents from people who know you best. Try not to be hungover.

4. The Rogue 1 on 1. This is the birthday dinner with that one friend who for some reason isn’t friends with any of your other friends. They knew you from that high school you went to for one year, the office you don’t work at anymore, or maybe nobody gets them but you. For whatever reason, you guys have a great tradition during Birthday Week.

5. The Office Party. You don’t gotta be the raccoon on your birthday. Just enjoy your balloon covered cubicle and afternoon sugar rush in style.

Yes, life is short, life is fast, and the only birthdays we got have memories that last. So I say make your birthday a birthweek, throw three parties instead of one, and let’s have enough flaming cakes and paper hats for a lifetime of

AWESOME!

46 thoughts to “#35 Your birthday week”

  1. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this! My birthday is tomorrow (!) and I’ve been celebrating for a few days already and will be celebrating for a few days more. I was just telling all my college friends that I’ve gotten close to this year that I didn’t feel like a single day was enough to celebrate something as awesome as a birthday, and we needed something more like a birthWEEK! This has totally made my birthweek :D

    1. Happy birthday tomorrow!

      It’s not my birthday week, but it is my birthday month, which is also awesome. Mine is near the end of the month (the 25th), but as far as I’m concerned, the countdown begins on the first!

      1. We’re exactly 2 months apart~ Awesome:)
        Since no-where within and according to jdurley it’s not going to happen ever now…perhaps we should take this day and holla a BIG Happy Birthday for Neil…and MANY more!

  2. One of the most amazing girls I’ve ever known passed away four years ago. I just got of of facebook after reading all the sweetest birthday wishes to her. I came here to cheer me up after the tears only to read this awesome thing. It’s like the world knew her and was touched by her kindness. RIP Emily Johnson. Happy birthday.

    1. Sorry to hear of your loss, Ryan. She must have been an amazing person to have her loved ones leaving birthday messages for her four years later. xox

  3. It is my birthday week actually :) not a big celebrator, though, one day a year is more than enough for me.

  4. My husband started the tradition of calling our birthday weeks NAME-mas. So last month we celebrated Annie-mas. It was great!

  5. I don’t really celebrate my birthday, let alone an entire week!
    My daughter’s 7th birthday is coming up and I have a lot planned. Her party on the 17th, movie on the 18th, Wii party night on the 20th, dinner to her favorite place on the 21st, a balloon early in the morning on the 22nd (her bday) and a card in her lunchbox that she’ll find later in the day. (she loves it when I hide little notes in her lunchbox. On Valentines Day I put a card in there from her little brother and she was so excited, she was talking about it for days) She goes to her father’s on that day, so I won’t get to do much more. I’ll embarrass her when I drop her off in the morning to before school care, yelling happy birthday to her from the time we get in the door until I leave.

    1. Wow, what an Awesome mom you are, Bekah! She’s gonna have a heart full of great childhood memories!

      1. I have a plan. Add Bekah-mom celebrating how many years old she is days in a row this year! It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. (unless you want it to) First things first, cut a doll chain out of your fav color of construction paper, of all the years you are and have a day by day count up as you go along, so as not to miss a single b’day this time around and to diary the event on each day-birthday year:)
        1. Plant a seedling-baby tree somewhere near by so you can visit, have picnics and read stories under; nurture and watch it grow together.
        2. Play at the park on old dangerous playground equipment perhaps?
        3. Neverland day with dress ups, swords and news paper pirate ship hats.
        4. Make fun stuff with home-made playdough and plastercine.
        5. Time for Go-Go Boots. Crank the music and dance like wild things.
        6. Bring food and have a couch fort and table tent time of your life!
        7. Fill up at the candy shop for a long bicycle ride.
        8. Get a new pet~ you’re old enough to help care for one now.
        9. Glam girl dress-ups…Zowie-Wow!
        10. Double digit numbers, buys a new cd.
        11. Grab some friends and go to the movies!
        12. Good old fashioned board games, galore!
        13. Ruby red shoes, which you adore.
        14. Slumber party!!! (hubby has to sleep on the couch)
        15. Pierced ears…dangly or studded, you’re worth the ouch!
        16. You are kissed again, for the very first time!
        17. I think a neclace today would be fine.
        18. Pretty in Pink, Breakfast Club, St.Elmos Fire…a glue movie, pjs and popcorn day.
        19. Come on over to Canada, you can hit the bars, CELEBRATE YOU and *wear* a big Happy Face!
        20. I think you can take it from here. Remember how, very important this is! You are setting an AWESOME example. More importantly, you are worth it! I imagine you may even see a rainbow in there somewhere!
        I would have added all the books and calendar to your gifts but I’m certain you said you had them all. ttfn:)

        1. Apologize, my inner #3 year old was self-centered.
          YOUR inner 3 year old calls for a “Wonderful Wizard Of OZ day!” =D

  6. oh I love this post. I love my birthday week, and every one of those celebrations take place, and you are right trying not to be hungover at the fam jam is the hardest part!

  7. For everyone who’s celebrating their BirthWEEK, recreated a NameMas; don’t quite know how, or has someone in their heart who has passed… I just want to say I believe when we’re living gr-attitude, awareness, authenticity~ awesomeness…EVERYDAY of LIFE IS a GIFT and should be lived as such….CELEBRATE, celebrate, dance to the music…
    http://youtu.be/3Q5eRT669zE

  8. This is absolutely fantastic! Today’s my birthday, so when I checked the awesome thing of the day this morning, I got even more excited! Thanks for helping make this an awesome birthday(week)!

  9. How timely! My birthday was Tuesday, but I’ve only now got the chance to go out to dinner with some friends. Also, it was really awesome to see the Earth celebrated as awesome on my birthday.

  10. How awesome! Just as I was flipping up my laptop I was thinking of tonight’s upcoming Besties dinner, tomorrow’s breakfast Rogue 1 on 1, followed by the Wild Party (including members of the office, to roll the two together) and finally the Fam Jam on Sunday, my actually birthday. Happy Birthweek, fellow Pisces!

  11. I’m not a very big B-day celebrater myself.. I prefer to keep things pretty low key.. (maybe a small besties dinner, and a nice 1-on-1 dinner with the wife..)

    But I do love the idea of spreading fun occassions out over a longer span! I have a few traditions where I get together with my best friends, and love extending them as long as possible. We’ve turned the single days of Labor Day and Thanksgiving into week-long events, with traditions and activities that happen each day. When you’re with the people you love, it’s always great to expand that time and soak in as much as you can!

  12. omg, I SO missed the birthday boat on this one. I really am starting to loose it, and now I’m all confused. I wonder if there is such thing as a make up birthday week.

    1. When I was 14, a seer told me I was going to die at a certain age. Strangely, it wasn’t until the following year on my birthday, I realized I’d subconsciously skipped the number! Wonder if mind over matter really is true and I tricked myself! When I reflected, I saw some things did change in that year and a part of me had died, so I guess she was right in a way! And I’m here to tell you it’s never too late to celebrate…so why not celebrate today, because today is the first day of the rest of your life!
      http://youtu.be/yIfzIOPpKsI
      … Magda, and anyone else who may’ve been missed while visiting:)

  13. That’s so funny! I took this coming week off work because my birthday is monday. Have a family get together planned, a wild party with friends later in the week, and had lunch today with my one friend from out of town that doesn’t know any of my other friends. Lol it’s like he knows me…

  14. I’ve always been a big fan of the Birthday Week! Mine was yesterday, 3/6/12, but I started celebrating at 4:30 a.m. 3/3/12 and will continue through Friday, 3/9/12! There are so many awesome things that have been a part of this birthday week (skiing, snowshoeing, eating dinner in the city, rock climbing, dinner in the city again), but what’s topped it off is receiving THE BOOK OF AWESOME in the mail from my stepdad literally 10 minutes ago, then finding this post on your web site. My universe just completely collided so hard that I almost exploded.

  15. Our family graduated from Birthday week to Birthday MONTH!!!! My daughters both married men whose birthdays are in the same month as theirs. My grandson was born on my daughter’s birthday so their family has THREE birthdays in the same month. Why just celebrate a day here and a day there when they all fall in the same month? My philosophy: let the birthday joy last and last.. A month full of special treats, special dinners, and special activities is very festive indeed!!!

  16. I remember when I had a birthweek when I was younger. One day my immediate family made my favorite dinner, then I had my birthday party with extended family, then my birthday party with my friends, and finally my actual birthday!

  17. woa very awesome indeed. my birthday is this week and would like to invite you all. come share my joy for the month and a new me, old things are gone and new new things have come. haleluyah

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