A decade of birthday parties

In one week I turn 30. This may be a narcissistic exercise, recalling what I've done each year for the past 10, but then so is keeping a blog. So while you’re here…

2002, #20 – Excused from Cary Balzer’s Bible Doctrines course at John Brown University to ride home to Wyoming with Uncle Carl in his 18-wheeler for the weekend. Ate at Outback Steakhouse* in Cheyenne with my family where we bumped into Kelton Lorenzen, someone I’d grown up with since first grade whose birthday is two days before mine. I haven’t seen him since.

2003, #21 – Given JBU’s “Lifestyle Covenant,” this birthday did not involve alcohol and is unmemorable (as in, I don’t remember what I did).

2004, #22 – Abby was a freshman at JBU, so I'm thinking there was a celebration in Fayetteville. There is also a picture of a surprise party in my Assistant Residence Director apartment in the dorm, attended by the girls who’d been on my hall the year before. 3/4/12 correction: I think this was the year I won tickets to The Marriage of Figaro on NPR, and it was performed on my birthday.

2005, #23 – I was in a particularly cool house with particularly cool housemates in Arkansas. Along with Abby, they threw me a book shower and Abby and Ben cooked crepes. Ali Arant gave me a William Faulkner anthology that unfortunately burned. We finished the night watching Osama, about an Afghan girl, one of the most utterly depressing movies ever made (that was a mistake, watching it at my birthday party).

2006, #24 – Having finished grad school a month before, I was staying with my parents and brother Charlie. As the guest of my parents, I attended the party declaring intent (?) for Republican gubernatorial candidate, Ray Hunkins. The Democrat incumbent Dave Freudenthal was eventually reelected. Rita Meyers and Max Maxfield were also in attendance.

2007, #25 – I’m sure I had MILO for breakfast. Climbed Mt. Heiban with Kari and Jason Herrman in Heiban, Sudan at my request. We did not make it to the top because we ran into a wall of really high rocks that we couldn’t pass. I remember thinking on the way down, walking at a steep incline on the long, dry, slippery grass, that only one person could get me down that hill and it was me.

2008, #26 – Back in Wyoming, I had a birthday weekend with Tara, Jeremy, Charlie, and parents. We watched the Wyoming Cowgirls play the CSU Lady Rams (?!) in Ft. Collins, and Tara and Mother made me an amazing chocolate meringue cake, and we had darts and ping pong tournament in the basement.

2009, #27 – Fay made me an omelet for breakfast and a banoffee pie for lunch. I made Snickers cookies for my language school, as one does to recognize something their thankful for in Afghanistan. Went for Mexican food in Kabul with about 10 friends for dinner. Fay very graciously amused us all by sincerely saying Mexican food words with British English pronunciation. Also in attendance: Tom K., who was put off any thought of pursuit by my relative youth.

A lot of amazing people, including Tom, center
2010, #28 – Fifty minutes late to my own party in Faizabad, where Mexican food was again on the menu, this time homemade potluck. Finnish-style cake with cream and fruit as filing/icing.

2011, #29 – Spent the night at Abby and Bens’ house in Denver where the big surprise was cousin Anduin flying in from Oklahoma. The next day, a big family rally for Cirque du Soleil in Colorado with fine dining afterwards.

2012, #30 – Now married to said Tom, who miraculously has two days off in a row on my birthday in Michigan, we will stay in a funky loft in Detroit procured through the same website as our December Denver apartment. I had planned to throw myself a big party, but I don’t know anyone in Detroit, and we just had a big party three months ago.

*It has been noted that my sister and I remember events by what we ate. I believe this will be apparent in my reverie.