Belated Birthday Blogging

Sooo. Long overdue blogpost here.

Let me first starting by saying that I'm 97% certain that I'm getting sick. Kevin's health has been slowly declining in the last week or so and it all culminated with him finally crashing yesterday. We've been going nonstop for a solid two weeks now. And yesterday we took a nice long 45 minute walk through the park, during which he seemed fine and said he felt good, but then we got on the subway (final destination was to be Ikea to look for new beds) and he looked at me with these big puppy dogs eyes and said that he felt really drained and yucky all of a sudden. The poor guy. We got off the train, got him some lunch, and turned right back around to go home. No need to put him through a full day of shopping and walking around.

He spent the rest of the day on the pull-out couch (we've been sleeping in the living room because there's a serious draft in our bedroom that we haven't had a chance to mend yet), watching TV, resting, sipping tea, and eating soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.

I woke up at 3am to him coughing like crazy, which broke my heart. I got up and fixed him some theraflu, but I noticed that I suddenly also didn't feel 100%. My ears were feeling cloggy, my throat was hurting, my sinuses all felt sore and I had a killer headache. I'm sure it didn't help that I, as a final birthday weekend hurrah, had two margaritas and a cupcake last night. But after getting a full 8 hours of sleep and plenty of water, I still feel pretty lethargic, achey, and generally not 100% today. Alas, all good things do come to an end, don't they.

Good things: I had a wonderful birthday! :) My actual birthday was on Friday.

Rewind to two Fridays ago, Halloween, which is also my good friend Faryn's birthday. She had a party at a bar downtown. We all dressed up in costumes (I was a Kid on Christmas Morning) and we got pretty drunk. It was the first time in a long time that I've gone out full tilt like that. It was fun for a little while but after a few drinks I was pretty miserable and ready to get the hell out of there. It was hot, dark, and very very crowded. So that was big party night Number One.

Then, Tuesday was Election Day, as you're all well aware. I had a party at my apartment that night. Kevin couldn't be there because he was hosting a political type comedy show at the PIT (the theater we're involved in). I was bummed we didn't get to be together on election night but he got home in time to watch Obama's speech, so that was nice. That was another alcohol-infused, food-infused event. We had a great time. My neighborhood went absolutely insane when it was announced that Obama won. It was easily one of the best, most memorable nights of my life. But in terms of healthy living, I ate a lot and drank a lot that night. More than I intended to. And my stomach certainly paid for it for the next few days. So that was another big party night, only a few days after the one prior.

Two days later, Thursday, was my birthday eve. I worked during the day on Thursday, had to do a quick 10-minute sketch comedy set around 7:30pm and then began my Birthday Weekend. :)I took Friday off work (which was a brilliant move that I now plan to execute every year for my birthday) so Thursday night was a small birthday party at a bar in the East Village. I met up with Kevin before the pary, who looked adorable and was obviously very excited to shower me with birthday love for a few days. We grabbed a quick sandwich at this falafel place (best chicken shwarma I've ever had) and then headed to the bar.

It ended up being a really nice night. We didn't stay too late, which was lovely, and I only had a couple beers and did a shot of some yummy blueberry vodka. Then! At midnight! Kevin surprised me, with the help of a few of our friends, with 28 gourmet cupcakes! (28th birthday.) Everyone sang to me, then I blew out the candles and enjoyed a most-delicious cupcake. We left shortly after that, with our friends Faryn and David, who live near us. Before we got in the cab, we got some pizza (I split a slice with Faryn), which was also delicious. So it was a fun party, all my dearest friends showed up, and I didn't get too drunk or too full on cupcakes, which was ideal. (We had plenty of leftover cupcakes, though. I made Faryn take a whole tray of them home with her. Thank god.)

When we got home that night, it was probably around 1:30am (so, officially my birthday), and I got another wonderful surprise. Kevin, who is honestly the best guy I've ever known :), had cleaned the entire apartment INCLUDING reorganizing a messy closet that had been stressing me out. AND he set up big balloons and a stunning boquet of roses in the kitchen, which were waiting for me when I walked in. I almost cried. It was the sweetest, most perfect surprise. I love flowers, especially roses, especially yellow roses, I love surprises, I haven't gotten balloons on a birthday in AGES, and I felt so special. And it never left my mind that I was also carting around a big bag of delicious CUPCAKES. What girl would not be thrilled? Balloons, roses, cupcakes, a CLEAN APARTMENT, and surprises! I was in heaven. I could not stop thanking him and smooching him. It was awesome.

There were also a couple gifts and cards on the table, but I decided to wait until the morning to open them. I'm pretty strict like that about birthday presents, and Christmas presents for that matter.

We woke up around 10:45 on my birthday. And I was pleased as can be to be alive. I'd had a really fun party and if my birthday had ended right when I walked in the door the night before, I would have been happy. But there was more in store! Yessss.

I was so glad I took the day off work. We decided to just relax and do whatever we pleased all day. It was so lovely. We sat at the kitchen table in the morning and opened my presents in our pajamas, while my phone buzzed nonstop with text messages, emails, and phone calls. It was so nice. I think I had a perma-grin on my face all day long on Friday. I got lots of lovely presents from my mom, cards from family, another awesome gift from Kevin (wonderful slippers called Hot Sox that you can heat in the microwave to keep your feet toasty in the winter), and a card from my cats. ;)

After present-opening, we decided to take a nice long walk through the park. The fall colors in Prospect Park are absolutely breathtaking right now. We were pretty hungry when we left the house but we wanted to wait to eat, because we'd planned to make a big breakfast after our long walk. But birthday excitement and hunger got the best of me and I did something I've been daydreaming of doing for probably a year now. I went to McDonalds.

We decided to split a quarter pounder and a small fry. That was more than enough food - so ridiculous to think there was a time years ago when I could have eaten the entire meal and then some, but half of the sandwich a few fries was more than enough. Let me just say: Yum. It's certainly not something I could eat everyday or even every week, and I did feel a little odd/gross after I finished eating, but it was delicious (in that fake kinda way) and definitely satisfied a craving.

We set off on our walk right away, which easily burned off everything we ate at McDonalds. It was a nice long walk, about an hour and a half, and I got to chat with my mom on the phone at one point, which was also nice. I love taking walks with Kevin. It's very peaceful.

Once home, we showered and got ready to head into the city. He had a show at 7, I had one at 11, and I wanted to stop by DSW to look for boots AND get a massage beforehand. DSW yielded nothing, but the massage, 60 full minutes, was very nice. I watched Kevin's show at 7, and then he took me out to a fancy dinner at a place called The House.

It was a FANCY place so I felt a little out of my element, but it was deeeelicious food and a very enjoyable experience overall. Great atmosphere, good wine, good service. I really enjoyed it. Kev told me over dinner that he had one more surprise for me: he's taking me to see one of our favorite stand-up comedians at the end of the month! Awwww. Great present.

After dinner, including delicious dessert of which I only had a few bites, we decided to walk off our meal once again by heading back to the theater on foot. Only about a 20 minute walk, but good for calorie-burning.

I did my show at 11, which was fun, and then Kevin and I headed home. I didn't think my stomach could handle another night of drinking, so I opted out of the bar scene, even though it was technically still my birthday. We just went home instead. Where I had a cupcake. ;)

The next day, Saturday, which I decided was still my birthday, sorta, was a lovely day. It rained like crazy for most of the day, but I didn't mind. I woke up around 11, Kevin made us a big delicious breakfast, then I fell back to sleep! I woke up momentarily when Kevin kissed me goodbye (he had to go into the city for a meeting for most of the day and was then doing a show at night) and I proceeded to fall right back to sleep. FOR THREE HOURS! Amazing.

Of course I woke up around 4pm in a fit of "What the fuck just happened?!" and I had a little bit of guilt that I'd wasted the day. But it seems I really needed that sleep. I haven't had a good midday nap like that in a long time. I felt awesome when I woke up. Since it was raining all day long, the cats slept with me the entire time. Lovely.

After that, I got my act together, enjoying the solitude in every respect, and headed to Target. I had a gift certificate to spend and some birthday money to spend. It was great - I let myself get a bunch of new stuff that I wouldn't normally spring for (new winter boots, some new sweaters and tops, new finger bowls for smaller portions) and had a great time doing it. Then I went to the new Trader Joe's in Brooklyn, which was also delightful. I had a bit of a train nightmare trying to get there, but I didn't mind. Once I arrived, I enjoyed another great shopping trip. This location is bigger and less hectic than the one in Union Square. I got lots of great stuff. And then took a cab home. I was feeling very content.

Once home, I noticed that the rain had cleared and we were enjoying a beautiful night. Even though it was lateish, I had a ton of energy (from my huge nap), so I set out on a long run. It was so wonderful. There were lots of people out running around the park or walking their dogs, and the leaves on the ground were crunching beneath my feet. I hadn't gone on a long outdoor run in quite some time and it was easy and awesome. I felt fantastic. An hour later, a little sore and definitely hungry, I headed home.

I stretched, made a great big meal (chicken sausage with peppers and onions, butternut squash soup, a big spinach salad, and a piece of focaccia bread) since I hadn't eaten since breakfast, and settled in for some TV. Alllll alone. :) :)

I haven't spent an almost-entire-day alone in a long time. I love to spend time by myself. I was an only child so I'm sure that has something to do with it. I love hanging out with Kevin, but there's something equally as delightful in being able to be completely by myself. I spent the day exactly as I wanted to: I got to exercise, got to shop at my own pace, got to watch whatever I wanted on tv - it was just a great day. A second birthday, if you will. ;)

Yesterday, Sunday, was a gorgeous, sunny, warm day. I went out for coffee and then made a big breakfast while Kevin slept in (his sickness was creeping in) and woke him up to eat. Then we took our walk, enjoying the weather, the beautiful leaves, the people watching, and the delightful Brooklyn Sunday.

After Kevin's sickness kicked in and we cut our trip short to head home so he could rest, I forced myself to go for another outdoor run. I didn't necessarily want to, and I'd already gone on a long walk earlier in the day. But I had plans to go out for Tex Mex dinner at my favorite restaurant with Daniel. Last birthday hurrah. (Daniel hadn't been able to come to my party on Thursday.) So I decided that if I had the time to kill and knew I was going out for a big meal, a run was probably the responsible move. It ended up being another great one, though, so I'm glad I went. I stretched and did some abs when I got home. Then I showered, made Kevin some get-well dinner, and headed back out to meet up with Daniel.

A big meal of fajitas and two strong margaritas later, Daniel came back to the apartment with me to watch some TV and have one of those fancy cupcakes.

I was stuffed (and still tipsy) when I got into bed. I had snacked on a couple more items after Daniel left, which was totally unnecessary and made me feel sick with fullness. But I vowed that that would be the end of the celebrating for a while and made my peace with it all before falling asleep.

A great birthday, a great birthday weekend, and I'm now glad to return to some normalcy.

I do 'feel' 28, whatever that means. Most importantly, I know it's going to be another really good year.

I've got nothing to celebrate in the next few weeks, no big parties, no birthdays, no elections, no reason to overeat or overdrink. And that's fine by me. I need a little detox after this week and a half of indulgence.

I will say that in terms of the potential for damage, I did very little. And I wrote down every morsel, for accountability, and (generally) stopped when I was full. I only had bites of things that seemed to be too rich or filling for me to eat in their entirety, I drank lots of water, kept the alcohol consumption relatively low for the most part, and the best best part is that despite being busy every night, and despite being in celebration mode half the time, I didn't let exercise fall by the wayside once.

This past week was another week of 6 workouts. And it felt really good. I know that my exercise has been instrumental in my not gaining 5 pounds or feeling like a big donut after all these festivities. Again, I was pretty good and never stuffed my face (except for maybe a little on election night - yikes), but the exercise is key. I've been enjoying the hell out of working up a sweat every day. And I don't see that changing any time soon. Even when I'm not able to get a formal heart-pumping session in, I've been choosing to go for long walks to get from point A to B, rather than taking the subway. The key this upcoming week is to a.) accept the inevitable gain I will see on the scale tomorrow, b.) keep exercising, and c.) return to a healthy, diverse diet with plenty of fruits and greens, and WITHOUT rich desserts every night. I know I can do it. I know I will see a birthday gain on the scale tomorrow, but I know I can return to normalcy without much fuss. The ability to do that, which I've honed over the years, is a blessing. (The book I'm reading "Fit From Within," is really interesting and has allowed me to shift perspective recently on what role food plays in my life. Good stuff there.)

Hopefully, mostly for myself more than anything, I will post some thoughts soon on turning 28 and what I hope for out of the next year (just like I did last year - and a lot of those hopes became reality!) because I think it really helps me to reframe and refocus. But for now, I had a really nice, really lovely, really thoughtful-thanks-to-my-wonderful-boyfriend birthday that made me feel really special and loved. It was a perfect few days, spent exactly as I hoped they'd be spent - enjoying myself and my friends. :) I can't say I'm not bummed that it's over. Returning to work this morning was not fun. But with Thanksgiving vacation only 2.5 weeks away, I think I'll be okay.