Birthday Bash!
Welcome to my virtual birthday party!
Are you all settled in? Cupcakes, champagne, caramel latte? I wish I could offer an actual cupcake, but I imagine it would squish in the electro-transference process, so, until the Star Trek guys perfect the whole “beam up the pastries, Scotty!” thing, we’re stuck with the nursery school tea party variety of imaginary comestibles.
It has been, believe it or not, eight birthdays since the Pink series first made its way into stores. In that time, a lot of things have happened. I’ve moved cities, changed jobs…. But one thing has remained the same: through it all, I wrote more Pink.
Every good party needs party favors! So, in honor of eight years of Pink birthdays, I’m going to be giving away eight copies of The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
Winners will be announced on Saturday, once I have fully recovered from my cupcake coma.
Here’s the question: what was your best– or your worst– birthday experience?
Welcome to the party! And feel free to invite some friends along– the more the merrier!
Happy birthday, Lauren!
Worst birthday – I had to go to an all-day CLE… that ran over… and we wouldn’t get credit if we left early… then I had to do homework for it.
Best birthday – my birthday this year was my first with my son. He was only about a month old at the time so we couldn’t go out, but it was magnificent.
For my 25th birthday, my boyfriend took me to dinner and a play (Doubt), which we had planned, and then he asked me to marry him. Best birthday ever.
This year I turned 30 … earlier this month to be more precise. For my birthday, we put an offer in (and had it accepted! … Please, all fingers crossed for inspections, etc) on our first house.
… not sure if that qualifies for best, or most terrifying …
🙂
Happy Birthday!
My best birthday was the year I turned 19. It was my first time home from college in awhile during my freshman year and it was the first time I had actually gotten to see my best friends since we had all left for college in August!(My birthday is in January) We went out to dinner and then we went back to my house and just talked until after midnight. It was so great just getting to see them and catch up-I loved it!
I think the best birthday present I received was three years ago, when my little sister gave birth three weeks before my birthday to two adorable babies that have brought so much joy into my life ever since!
Happy birthday to you Lauren!!!
Happy birthday Lauren! I hope you have a wonderful day!
I have two worst birthday stories –
1) My 18th birthday. It’s a big thing in Australia as it makes you officially legal to buy alcohol. Mine occured during mid-week during my first week of university. I had an 8am class that day and an 8am class the next day – so no hitting the nightclubs that night for me! The week before I’d moved from a small town to a big city 6 hours away from home. I was living in a dorm where I knew noone. I’m a triplet, and this was the first birthday I’d spent away from both my brothers (and my family in general). I was ok until late afternoon, when the flowers my mother sent arrived… I spent the rest of the day crying, I terribly homesick.
2) My 25th birthday. I realised that I hadn’t had a proper b’day party since high school, so I arranged a night out at the Moonlight Cinema they were running in the Melbourne Botanical Gardens. Movies, moonlight, picnic dinner, a whole group of friends… what could go wrong? It started raining at 1pm (the first rain we’d had for months) and by 4pm it was hailing – my garage leaked, millions of dollars damage done around the city. I’d pre-booked my movie ticket, so the next week (the last week of the season) I went to use my ticket. Just before the movie started, an announcement was made saying that some of the reels of film had been left behind. I obviously wasn’t meant to go to the Moonlight Cinema that year!
Oh and last year’s birthday cinema resulted in one of my friends losing his job and I also inadvertantly introduced the guy I was interested in at the time to his now-fiancee…
I think I have a bad-birthday curse!
Happy birthday Lauren! I hope you have a wonderful day!
I have two worst birthday stories –
1) My 18th birthday. It’s a big thing in Australia as it makes you officially legal to buy alcohol. Mine occured during mid-week during my first week of university. I had an 8am class that day and an 8am class the next day – so no hitting the nightclubs that night for me! The week before I’d moved from a small town to a big city 6 hours away from home. I was living in a dorm where I knew noone. I’m a triplet, and this was the first birthday I’d spent away from both my brothers (and my family in general). I was ok until late afternoon, when the flowers my mother sent arrived… I spent the rest of the day crying, I terribly homesick.
2) My 25th birthday. I realised that I hadn’t had a proper b’day party since high school, so I arranged a night out at the Moonlight Cinema they were running in the Melbourne Botanical Gardens. Movies, moonlight, picnic dinner, a whole group of friends… what could go wrong? It started raining at 1pm (the first rain we’d had for months) and by 4pm it was hailing – my garage leaked, millions of dollars damage done around the city. I’d pre-booked my movie ticket, so the next week (the last week of the season) I went to use my ticket. Just before the movie started, an announcement was made saying that some of the reels of film had been left behind. I obviously wasn’t meant to go to the Moonlight Cinema that year!
Oh and last year’s birthday cinema resulted in one of my friends losing his job and I also inadvertantly introduced the guy I was interested in at the time to his now-fiancee…
My best birthday was my “golden birthday” ( I turned 30 on the 30th of the month.) My husband took me on a surprise train trip from Topeka to Chicago. We stayed at the Hilton Chicago and went and saw Wicked. So fun!
Last year, for my 34th, I was reading AP exams (and I’ll be doing that again this year to usher in 35). That was not disastrous but not at all a fun birthday. Probably my worst, though, if I had to pick.
My best was my 31st. My husband and I went to Chicago overnight, wandered around the city, had a fabulous dinner, and saw one of my favorite groups, The Swell Season, in concert. And then…we hung around the stage door to meet them.
Happy Birthday Lauren!
My worst birthday was my 18th- I was at a family reunion and all my family forgot it was my birthday!
My best (so far)- my 17th- I thought all my friends had forgotten my birthday (it was the day before a youth congress), but then they surprised my with a party!
My birthday is tomorrow but six years ago TODAY I had my first beautiful baby girl! Even though I spent MY birthday in the hospital, that was my best birthday so far. Happy birthday, Lauren! 🙂
Best Birthday: When I turned 12 and the neighbors had a surprise party for me.
Worst Birthday: When I turned 21. I was newly married and we were staying with my in-laws. No one wished me happy birthday, gave me a card or a gift or in any way acknowledged that it was my birthday–even my husband. I cried when I went to bed that night because I kept waiting for the big “surprise” and it never happened. FYI: He still isn’t very good at birthdays after 24 years of marriage. This past year he gave me 2 pairs of flip flops. I guess it’s true love that I stick with him 🙂
Hope you’re having a great birthday Lauren!
Happy Birthday Lauren!
My best birthday was my 21st which I spent abroad in a small town in England. I spent it with my best friend at a little pub called the Ducking Stool. It was awesome 🙂
Hope you have an amazing birthday day 🙂
Happy Birthday, Lauren!
Best birthday experience was Birthday #23- staying at the Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta. That hotel is something straight out of a fairy tale! Brad and I went hiking in the mountain lakes, and he asked me to marry him 🙂
Hope today is a great day for you, and we will all send cupcakes when Scotty gets his act together!
My best birthday was my 21st and i was in Barcelona Spain. I was on the last week of a grand tour and i spent the day eating churos(sp?) and hot chocolate.
Happy Birthday! In honor of it, I’m re-listening to the audio version of “Mischief in the Mistletoe.” I just love this audio with Turnip and Arabella. Turnip brought to life is even more Turnippy. LOL
My worst birthday has to be my ninety birthday. My mom got into a car accident and had a broken collar bone. Birthdays aren’t much fun when your mom can’t get off the couch. Since then we’ve joked that my birthday is cursed. It has rained, snowed, been 80 degrees. Then in 2010 my mom fell 3 days before my birthday and dislocated her ankle. It was my ninety birthday all over again. My birthday is December 7th, the day that will live in infamy.
Happy birthday!
I think my best birthday was this last year. Gma took the baby for the day, and Noel and I had an all-day date. Awesome!
Worst? The one where I was 8 or 9…blew the candles out on my cake in TX, then jumped in the car to go to Gma’s house in AZ. Cake had molded by the time we got there, I didn’t get to eat any. Tragedy for a small child!
Happy Birthday!
For my 17th birthday the entire Northeast turned out the lights! My boyfriend and I drove around town and then down to the shore where normally you could see the lights from Long Island and Manhattan, and there was only darkness and the stars. It was magical and I’ve always been convinced it was my birthday present!
Worst: When I was 25, I threw a huge birthday party for myself, joint with my roommate. The party was ice-cream-sundae themed, so I bought a ton of ice cream (including some vegan ones I didn’t like myself) and prepped over a dozen toppings. About 30 ppl showed up for him. I got 2, and they both had to leave right away! When the third friend showed up 2 hours later, I ended up fleeing the party to go watch TV at his house. My cake didn’t even get cut, and the ice cream lingered in the freezer for months. I haven’t got up the nerve to throw myself a birthday party since!
Oh, and happy birthday!!!!!! <3
Happy Birthday! I’ve had 3 humdingers. The short versions: My 9th birthday, where the freezer died and my orange sherbert melted, my 30th, eating a cheese sandwich from a gas station for my birthday meal, and my 40th, sitting next to my son in intensive care. My definition of bad birthday has clearly changed dramatically over the years, LOL. But everything worked out in the end.
My best birthday was the year I turned 19 – which makes you legal in Canada (I am from the U.S. but live 3 hours from the border; it’s a rite of passage in my town). I had just returned from my freshman year of college and all of my friends from school made the trek for a weekend of fun, gambling and legal drinks in Niagara Falls.
My worst birthday was when I turned 16. There was a bonfire for my high school but it was raining. I was in the band, but my instrument couldn’t get wet so I just had to stand the whole time.
After the bonfire I went home and was yelled at (no reason as to why) and then receeded to cry. The only good part was I got chinese food for dinner but that wasn’t until 9 at night.
No fond memories of my supposed Sweet 16.
Best Birthday was my 16th. I had a surprise party and it really was a surprise. I was flabbergasted. My boyfriend at the time took me to lunch with my mom, then we drove home in a hurry(he actually got a speeding ticket!) I didn’t think about why he was speeding, apparently we were running behind. When we got to my Dad’s house there were cars everywhere! I had a wonderful day!
Happy Birthday!!!
p.s. have you read either the Lymond Chronicles (by Dorothy Dunnet) or the Kate Ross mysteries? If you have, are they good, and do they have alot of romance in them?
Have a fabulous day and I hope you get lots of presents and good food!
My 30th birthday… we went to the family beach house and spent the day on the beach and took a boat ride out to Cape Lookout Lighthouse and saw dolphins on the way back to the mainland.
Was a great birthday weekend!
Hope you have a great one Lauren!
Tiffany, both are fabulous! The Ross books don’t have any romance in them, per se. Julian Kestrel, while he may have affairs of the heart, remains very much a bachelor. But they are wonderful and very well worth reading.
Worst birthday: in the wee hours of my 22nd birthday I had to take myself to the ER (nothing too serious, but all the clinics were closed)- while all my friends were at the opening festivities of Senior Week on campus.
Best birthday: last year I threw a Pirate themed Murder Mystery party! Even though I “died”, it was so much fun to see everyone taking to their roles!
ALSO, a very happy birthday to you! Enjoy your champagne and cupcake filled day 🙂
This may seem weird, but I don’t really like the attention of birthday celebrations. So, one of the best birthdays I have had was last year when my niece graduated from high school on my birthday. My birthday was briefly acknowledged, but I more enjoyed celebrating her special day. I do love cake however, so will eat a birthday cupcake in honor of you today, Lauren. Happy Birthday!!
Happy birthday Lauren!!!
My best birthday was my 16th birthday. I wanted it to be special (what girl doesn’t?) but it was the same day as Prom at my high school and I was only a sophomore, and no juniors or seniors asked me to go. I had a lot of junior and senior friends, though, so most of them were at prom. I just had some cake with my family and my best friend Kim and tried to tell myself it would be alright.
Little did I know… the very next Saturday, I came home from the library to find that over twenty of my friends had planned a surprise party for me to make up for the fact that prom had been on my 16th birthday! It had a medieval theme and everyone was in little costumes. Some of the guys wouldn’t wear tights, but they wore capes and toy swords and the whole thing was hilarious. They built me a castle out of miniature Reese’s cups and served grape juice in goblets and called me Queen Monica all day.
I had great friends. 🙂
Happy Birthday Lauren!!!
My best birthday was my 16th birthday, although it didn’t seem so at first.
My 16th birthday fell on the same day as prom that year, and I was only a sophomore so I couldn’t go without a junior or senior for a date. I had several friends that were juniors or seniors though, so it didn’t make any sense to have a party, either, since they would all be at prom. I ended up having cake with my family and my best friend Kim and otherwise sulking.
But, little did I know that all my friends had been planning a huge surprise party for me! The next Saturday, I came home from the library and found about 20 friends at my house, all dressed up in medieval-esque costumes, ready to throw me a giant medieval themed 16th birthday party. The girls were all wearing dresses and most of the guys were wearing capes and carrying toy swords. They served grape juice out of goblets and made me a castle out of miniature Reese’s cups. They gave me a crown and called me Queen Monica all day!
I haven’t thought about that in ages. What a great memory! I had some really wonderful friends. <3
Happy birthday!
I think my best birthday was when I was 19 and in Florence. Hard to beat Italy…
Happy Birthday, Lauren!
My 30th birthday was wonderful. To take the curse off reaching the age where I could no longer be trusted, we had a big party. Everyone wore black. A friend made me a coffin-shaped red velvet cake with a marzipan lily on top.
No, really, it was wonderful and not at all morbid! I don’t know why the neighbors who dropped by never set foot in my house again.
Happy Birthday Lauren!
Best Birthday (so far!) – 21st. Perfect sunny Saturday – played vollyball all day, then went out on the town for my 21-run. Even tried to get one of the bouncers to card my Mom 🙂
But I’m most looking forward to this year’s birthday – my first baby is due two months before my 35th birthday!
Happy birthday, Lauren!! Wishing you chocolate and a good book!
My best birthday…I’m not sure. 18 was relatively calm but fun.
19 was terrible – it was right at the end of the school year and I was terrified of losing touch with all my new college friends (and this one guy in particular), so I was depressed a lot.
Worst B-day, I was about 8 and being a summer baby you send out invitation on the last day of school (pre-internet time). Come the day of the party no-one showed up. 🙁
Best B-day: 22 and my friend takes me out to lunch and then we were going to her brother house to lounge by the pool. By the time we got there my brother (who would have guess younger brother would think of it) had gathered all my friends and had a huge birthday blow-out.
Happiest of birthdays! 😀 I’m not sure about best birthday, but this last one was amazing! A group of my friends took me out to the botanical gardens, which also houses a tea room–buffet style. \o/ Then we went to watch a Cirque du Soleil show, which was mind-blowing (as they usually are). Thanks for sharing your birthday with us!
Best–My 25th, June in Paris with my darling husband. A bit triste, because I thought at 25 I should probably be a real grown-up (au revoir youth!), but a beautiful day, and the picture of me with my big sunglasses and hair in pony-tails is still one of my favorites.
The worst–1984 in Montreal. The now not-so darling husband somehow didn’t think we would need a hotel reservation for Quebec’s 300 whateverth celebration, with 35 tall ships from around the world. Slept in our rental car, with two small children, in a restaurant parking lot. Needless to say, a never to be forgotten birthday, and he made up for it the next night with a suite in a Hilton !
Have a fabulous day Lauren, and I hope you and your husband will share many many birthday stories in the future.
Worst birthday — somewhere in my mid-20s. My boyfriend gave me a salad spinner. Woo Hoo!
Happy Birthday Lauren!!
My worst birthday experience was when, on my birthday, I was to fly out of Central America…delayed due to winds from a hurricane in the Caribbean and then missed every connecting flight in Texas due to huge storms (tornadoes really scare me and so do cockroaches!!!) and then the worst turbulence I have ever experienced (made my peace with God that day :-)….) it was an inauspicious start to my 28th year and I was really happy to turn 29.
My best birthday: when I turned 21. I was able to go to the beach with my (then) boyfriend (now husband) and a couple other friends, and he proposed the second day we were there. On the beach. With dead fish all around. But it was still perfect and the best birthday gift 🙂
I don’t know if I’ve ever really had a bad birthday. As long as there’s cake, it’s a hit to me!
Happy Birthday!!
Happy Birthday Lauren!!!
Does experiencing a friend’s best birthday count? haha 🙂 One of my best friends and I actually got to go to New York City for her 21st and I’m pretty sure it was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives and to top it all off we got to meet the lovely Lauren Willig in person at an awesomely huge Borders (sad face that its now gone) and got copies of our books signed 🙂
But as far as my own birthdays go I think my 22nd would have to be my best because I got to celebrate with all of my close friends. Although I’m hoping that my 23rd this year will top them all!
Best Birthday: The year I turned 30. My 2 best friends were in town. We went out for dinner and craziness and then back to my place for an old fashioned slumber party in my living room. We played board games and watched movies all night. Best way to ring in the 30’s. 🙂
Worst Birthday is a tie: It’s either my 29th birthday in which I realized we were at the 365-day countdown to 30 and I cried all through my birthday martinis. OR it was my 33rd birthday in which I had a severe bronchial infection and spent the entire day and night on my couch wanting to die. Can’t decide which was worse. 🙁
When I was little, I totally bought into that whole “golden birthday” idea–you know, when the age you’re turning is the day you’re turning it on and all. Well, I was turning 11 on the 11th and I was prepared for it to be just fantastic. Then the typewriter my parents got me didn’t work, half of my cake deflated when we took it out of the oven, and the only candles my dad could find in the grocery store were trick candles…only no one realised it until we tried to get them to go out! So that was, at the time, my worst birthday. Looking back on it, I find it hysterical, but I definitely thought differently at the time!
Happy Birthday To You, Happy Birthday To You…!!!
Best BDay- last year my husband threw a party for me with a ton of friends! First party I have had since I was a little girl! It’s was awesome!
The worst- my 19th, me and my boyfriend, my now husband, went to huge bonfire at a local party spot. We were having a blast until he was stoking the fire and fell in! Oh yeah not good! Severe burns on both his hands. So my night ended in the ER. 🙁 but he was ok, that was all that mattered.
Worst birthday ever – taking Civ Pro 1 final on my 23rd birthday.
My worst birthday experience was the one when I met my now EX-husband. It was my 23rd; a friend had brought him along to my party because the “ex” had just arrived from out-of-town and, I suspect, she didn’t know quite what else to do with him. He walked in and I extended my hand for a shake, introducing myself as “Kay”. He thought “K”, as in the Kafka character in, is it “The Trial”??? He gifted me with a copy of A. S. Byatt’s POSSESSION and things went downhill from there …
My worst birthday was when I turned 17 in high school. All of my friends thought my birthday was the next day and my whole family forgot. So, I spent the entire day trying not to be upset that no one knew it was my birthday.
But that didn’t happen to you! Happy Birthday!!
I love birthdays!!! Happy Birthday Lauren and Pink!! My birthday is in November and I came home from the hospital on Thanksgiving. When I was little I got to see a lot of my extended family on Thanksgiving so it was almost like a second birthday. I would have to say one of my best birthdays would have to be back when I was 5 or 6. My parents had a family party and a lot of my family members that have since passed away were all together.
My best birthday was my 30th. My husband and I went to the famly beach house and I got to spend a relaxing weekend on the beach,with a boat ride to Cape Lookout Lighthouse and a chance to see dolphins on the way back to the mainland.
Hope you have a great day! Happy Birthday!
My best birthday would have to have been three years ago, when I had a small party with about 20 friends. I cooked, and we all just watched movies and talked until about 6 in the morning. It reminded me that I am grateful to have such amazing friends and family in my life.
Happy Birthday Lauren! My best birthday was when my teenage girls and hubby took me to a local Great Grape Wine Festival on a beautiful day– Blue skies, outdoor music, wine, fresh cheese spread on pretzels, laughter and no electronics.
My worst was the first without my Mother so many years ago.
Have some fun! What would Augustus say on such an occasion? Well, we may not have time for all that…
Owner of all the books, recent winner of Garden Intrigue~
My best would have to be 3 years ago, I had been home from the hospital for 1 week with our new twin girls after spending 11 days with them in the NICU. I was exhausted beyond belief and barely remembered it was my birthday, but my (non-cooking) husband and then 5 year old daughter made a lovely meal complete with cake. A wonderful surprise!
Happy Happy Birthday! I hope it is a wonder.
I’ve been very fortunate that most of my birthdays have been nice but my two worst birthday are 1) the first once celebrated without my twin sister when we were in college and 2) my 13th which fell on MLK Day and my dad, who also had the day off, thought it was a perfect day to do chores and clean the two story home top to bottom.
Happy birthday!
Happy Birthday! I’m a bit late but just ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you that I tend to run a bit behind. The doctor told Mom to expect me mid-January and I waited until mid-February!
My worst birthday was my 16th when I had the flu. The only time I’ve ever had the flu.
I became engaged on my 18th birthday. My family threw a big Party for the eoccasion.
My best birthday was three years ago. I had been home for just 1 week with our preemie twin girls after spending 11 days in the NICU with them. I was beyond exhausted to the point that I didn’t even remember it was my 30th birthday. My (non-cooking) husband and then 5 year old daughter made a wonderful surprise dinner, cake and all. It was just what I needed!
Oops! Didn’t mean to post twice, I received an error last night trying to post with my phone and didn’t think it went through!
I know it is a day late, but I want to share anyway. I had to think hard about the best birthday ever (even tho I really havent had many) and it was my 20th birthday–
I was studying abroad in London and “Wicked Day” fell on my bday, where the cast of Wicked put on a small concert and signed autographs, etc. It was amazing!!!
Happy Birthday! I know it sounds cliche, but my favorite birthday so far was 21. I got all of my friends together, even the ones that lived out of town, and we spent the weekend only doing things we enjoyed (read: no college homework, no frenemies, etc.). We had a new experiences and made memories I’ll never forget!
Oooh, cupcake coma, that sounds divine.
Happy birthday! I look forward to more birthdays and more Pink Carnation books. 🙂
I guess my favorite birthday memory is my 30th. My friends threw a party at their house, with my favorite drinks and food. Not glamorous, but comfortable and wonderful.
Hmm–I’ve got 3.
Kennedy was assassinated on my birthday. It’s one of my most vivid childhood memories (along with the funeral).
I also had 2 Sixteen Candles-type birthdays when my family forgot about it altogether. In fairness, for one of them there was a bunch of drama going on at the time.
We share the same birthday!
Hmm my best birthday was probably my 21st, my sister came to stay and we had a whole day of fun with some of my friends, a picnic, a lovely dinner and 21 challenges to complete before midnight including prank calls, getting a guys number and asking for directions in another language (to name but a few) plus, not to suck up or anything, but I go a response email from Lauren which I was pretty chuffed about! Good times 🙂
My wife threw me a surprise party after work at our house for my 40th birthday. Everyone parked their cars in an adjacent cul de sac so it was a complete surprise. What a house full! One of my work buddies got me forty ice cream sandwiches! I never forgot that.