I’m taking poll on how people feel about birthdays. The topic has come to my mind because this week (July 28–to be exact) I’m celebrating one of those milestone ones –the kind with a 0 or a 5 involved. They hit me a bit harder lately and make me think a bit more. They also make me very happy that I’ve lived to reach another one.
As I look back on all of my birthdays, I’ve started to think about the different ways I’ve celebrated them. When I was a kid (except when we were traveling to or from a cottage my family used to rent in Northern Michigan), I got to choose my favorite dinner. And I always chose the same thing–turkey salad from Sanders, a famous restaurant and ice cream parlor in Detroit, Michigan. My mom always had the turkey salad delivered to the house, packed in dry ice, along with Sanders’ famous ice cream and birthday cake. Heavenly! As long as my three sons were all living at home and unmarried, I used to let them choose their birthday dinners, too.
I also vividly remember my fifth birthday because my Mom threw a huge party for me. I can picture myself playing in the back yard with friends and each of us received a special paper doll with a complete wardrobe that could be attached with magnets. Funny that I remember the magnetic paper doll more than any of the presents I received that day. And I still have images in my mind of running on the lawn in my party dress. It’s been a long time since I’ve worn a party dress on my brithday! I think I’m going to revive the tradition this time.
Another memorable birthday was also one of those milestone ones. This time my editor Brenda Chin (who is the best editor in the world) invited her authors to go white water kayaking. What fun! We were all in individual kayaks and I eventually flipped out of mine and had to cling to a big rock until I was rescued by our guide. And he was the epitome of a Blaze hero! High quality eye candy. I eventually put him in one of my books.
Another birthday that stands out in my mind was the one when my oldest son took me to my favorite local restaurant, Rosalie’s, in Skaneateles, NY. I was going through a divorce at the time, and I was so moved by his thoughtfulness. He didn’t want me to be alone. But he didn’t just take me to any restaurant. He took me to my favorite even though it was an hour’s drive away. Kevin has also inspired many of my heroes. He has a lot more than eye candy going on.
I could go on and on. Believe me, I have quite a few birthdays to remember here. Recently, I’ve been celebrating a lot of them during RWA’s National Conferences. And that’s what I’ll be doing this year. On July 28, I’ll be signing books at the Literacy Signing in the Dolphin Hotel in Orlando, and then my roommate is treating me to dinner. I’ll be wearing my party dress to both events.
And I’m going to do something different this year. Instead of confining my celebration to just one day, I’m going to continue to celebrate all year. Another author and I are already planning a trip to Spain next March, and I have a list of new things that I’m going to try. Not a bucket list. I’m not quite ready for that yet. But birthdays are too marvelous to celebrate them on only one day.
How do you feel about birthdays and what special ones do you remember? Please share. And I’ll send either my new August release, “Twice the Temptation,” or any book from my backlist to the top five stories.
Happy Birthday to all of you!
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Hi, Cara! I had to stop by and say “HAPPY BIRTHDAY”! I just turned 52 on July 24th, but inside I still feel like I am 22 : ) I you have an extended birthday celebration and give yourself a wonderful present! It’s not the years in your, but the life in your years that counts. May you have many more happy birthdays! (^)
Normally I live in my home state of VA, but my family was living in Nevada when I had my 6th birthday. There was a local TV station where we lived, and there was a program called “Birthday With Cinderella”. I had my 6th birthday party with “Cinderella” on live TV. She was a very nice, very pretty lady and her dressing room was filled with racks of beautiful, long, full-skirted gowns in wonderful shades of the rainbow.
In my little home town, we had a legendary “cake lady”. It was a sort of status symbol if this lady made your birthday cake. She made many cakes for me during my childhood, and the cakes were delicious and had keepsake decorations. My favorite is a young girl talking on the phone with her records and record player by her side. Cute as a bug’s ear!
The Traditional American Thanksgiving Dinner, with all the trimmings, is my favorite meal, and I prepare it at random times throughout the year to give myself a treat. My birthday is in July, and years ago a family friend surprised me with a complete, “pull out all the stops” Birthday Thanksgiving Dinner. It is my all-time favorite birthday dinner ever! Quite a feat in the intense Summer heat!
Virginia,
Great stories! Happy belated birthday!
Send your mailing address to csummers@twcny.rr,com
and let met know which book you would like.
Thanks for sharing!
Cara
Thank you! I sent my email : )
I am celebrating my 40th next month and I am really excited. I was happy to turn 30, too. I think I am weird.
You aren’t weird.
Most of my friends are older than me, some by quite a few years. When I “finally” turned 30, it was with great relief and excitement. At least I would be in the same decade as them for a few years and they would stop picking me. (For that, anyway.) 
Hi Cathy,
Congratulations on turning 30!
If you would like a book, let me know which one.
csummers@twcny.rr.com
Best,
Cara
Thanks, Cara! LOL – and 30 was a few years ago now. But while, I’m still closer to 30 than to 40, the friends are steadily moving into their 40s. I’m sure the teasing will commence again. I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Katie,
You’re about to enter a great decade! I think it’s terrific that you’re excited about it.
If you would like a book, let me know which one.
csummers@twcny.rr.com
Best,
Cara
Happy Birthday Cara! I hope you had a wonderful day! As for me I have a love hate relationship with birthdays these days. I love my kids birthdays. I make them a special cake to match their party theme. This year I made 2 How To Train Your Dragon cakes 2 weeks apart for my boys. I also love making my hubby’s cake. Last year I made him an IPod cake. Not sure what I will do this year. But when it comes to my birthday, I dreaded this years. I turned 30. Which may still be young. But I really dreaded it. I wanted to skip it all together. but my hubby being the wonderful man that he is brought home Olive Garden and an ice cream cake. It wasnt so bad after all.
As a kid I have a few favorites. When I was younger, 6 and under, we use to go to Club 33 at Disneyland and have lunch with Mickey and Minnie, then we would spend the day in the park. As I got older I loved having big slumber parties. We would play ballon volleyball, twister and silly games like light as a feather stiff as a board, lol! They are all good memories. Even the time I almost broke my finger playing ballon volleyball, lol!
Have fun at RWA! (*)
Alina,
Club 33 at Disney?!!! It sounds wonderful. Thirty was a kind of tough one for me. Then I went to a meeting at work when I was 35 and learned that I was officially middle aged! I think that was even worse.
But the milestone birthdays just kept getting better and better after that!
Let me know which book you want. I think I have your address.
Thanks so much for sharing!
Cara
Happy Birthday Cara! I am turning 40 in a couple of weeks. My most memorable birthday was 7 years ago. My husband and I had just returned from our honeymoon and he threw a surprise party for me at my mom’s house. It was so wonderful.
Crystal,
That’s a wonderful story!
Send me your address: csummers@twny.rr.com
And let me know which book you would like.
Thanks for sharing!
Cara
I have a lot of memorable birthdays, mostly good ones! I think the one that most sticks out in my mind, though, is the April I turned 6. I received a brand new, 2 wheel bicycle!! I was so excited. One of my uncles even brought over training wheels so I could learn to ride right away. The next day, it snowed 26 inches. Even as a kid I loved the snow, but that was one year when I was not happy about more snow in mid-April!
Hi Cathy,
What a bummer! Where do you live? I live in Syracuse, NY where we once had eight inches of snow on Mother’s Day!
If you would like a book, send me your address: csummers@twcny.rr.com
Thank you for sharing your story!
Cara
Back then, I lived in St. Paul, MN. Some years we had snow (not usually that much) and some years it was in the 90s! Keeps things interesting.
i remeber my 13 th birthday where all my friends came from the neighbood an dwe had a barbucue with all my favoirtes foods and i got lots of brand name clothes so that was exciting and i think the first time i got flowers. so that was a big party for me anyways and i was teh oldest and only girl made me feel speical.
happy birthday to you and live it up
(Y) (W) (D) (^) (^) (L) (F) (F)
Kim,
Thanks for the good wishes! And thanks for sharing a great story!
If you would like a book, let me know which one: csummers@twcny.rr.com
Best,
Cara
Happy Belated Birthday, Cara. We always celebrate birthdays in my family, not necessarily with a party, but we always have a cake. One of the most memorable is when I turned 21 because it meant I could drink alcohol and we had champagne.
Jane,
Thanks for sharing a birthday memory. My sister and brother sent me champage yesterday–delivered to my hotel room where I’m staying for a conferecne.
I think I like champagne even better than cake…but cake is good too.
If you would like a book, let me know which one and send me your address.
csummers@twcny.rr.com
Best,
Cara
My fav b-day memory was when I was turning eleven. My family went on a Disney cruise/ Disney park vacation. It was my first cruise ever… everyone was sick except for my father and me… it was during a hurricane… it was a terrific adventure and the memories will always stay with me!
Hi Colleen,
Thanks for sharing a birthday memory. A Disney cruise! And during a hurricane!
If you would like a book, let me know which one: csummers@twcny.rr.com
Best,
Cara
Oooh many many thanks Cara!
Cara-
I love my birthday. As far as I can remember I have loved it and still do. I look forward to it and count the days down till it. I can remmeber my great birthday parties with the homemade cakes my mom would make. I use to look forward to how she would spelll my name on the cake with(i.e Aiphabets, chocolate chips) No real birthday stands out, but something she did everyday morning of our birthday, that I know continue with my own. She would come in our room and be the first to wish us a happy birthday and sing to us, She would have a donut, muffin or something with a candle in it to sing to us and have for a special treat that morning. I loved it and look forward to it. Now I do it with my children and I see the same glee in their eyes that I had when I was little. They even do it to me on my birthday stll too!! I hope this excitment never goes away for my birthday, no matter how old I get!! Happy Birthday and enjoy your year!!!:)
Nowadays Birthdays are days when I get all my favourites for dinner. The ones I remember are 13, 16, 19, 21 and 25. They were all milestones I’d been waiting for.
Our family exchanges cards and small gifts for birthdays. We try to party every ten years. When I turned 40 and my husband turned 50, we had a “90th birthday dance” for our friends and family halfway between our birthday months. We rented a hall and hired a DJ. Our family provided snacks for the tables and food for later as their gifts to us. Everybody was told to dress comfortably, and that their “presence was their gift” with no exceptions! It was fantastic!
This year we celebrated our “112th birthday” because we weren’t able to celebrate our “110th” last year. We had a potluck barbecue so my husband wouldn’t have to barbecue all day and I wouldn’t have to store all those buns and meat. It was perfect too, despite the thunderstorm right after supper. It just meant we got “cozy” in our carport and garage — close to the food, and then when the weather let up temporarily, a bunch went home, allowing the remainder to fit in the carport. When the mosquitoes hit around 9:30 pm, the party moved indoors (as we didn’t have enough room in our house at the beginning of the party for everyone).
When we hopefully have our “130th”, I’m hoping we’re still in good health and in this house (as we’ve owned it for 28 years now). I know older people’s anniversaries and birthdays are often celebrated as “open houses”, but I’m hoping we can still have the get-together here, with many of our friends and family still able to attend. Hope springs eternal….
I just got ramblin’ on and on there and forgot the most important thing, Cara: Happy Belated Birthday! I hope you had a wonderful time and continue to have a wonderful time throughout the year. Great idea!
Cara, just wanted to pop on and wish you a Happy Belated Birthday!! Hope you’re having an amazing week and continue to enjoy your celebrations!! Especially your planned trip to Spain … exciting!!
It’s funny to read your blog, just yesterday I was talking to an old friend about birthdays. In my opinion age is just a number, but society puts too much emphasis on what exactly we should have accomplished at what age. Which is why, I think, so many women panic if they’re not married with kids by the time they turn 30.
I love birthdays in general, and never dread whatever age might be rapidly approaching …
Hi Cara
Happy Belated. Leos rock!! LOL Mine was yesterday & it was also our anniversary as we got marrried on my birthday. I love birthdays & love to help people celebrate. The number doesn’t matter much. Most memorable scary birthday was my 20th. I wasn’t a teenager anymore. That one bothered me. The rest have been a breeze.
thank you
(F) (H)