(anne marie and me on our fiftieth birthday! )

today is my FIFTY-FIFTH birthday! i am stunned and quite horrified to be associated with this GIANT number that is odd to boot (i really prefer even ones.) i am not sure how to process this milestone and realize i need to start thinking of myself as ONE HUNDRED YEARS OLD because that’s what happens when you round up and time seems to be moving at warp speed (theo is GRADUATING this spring and going to college in the fall [ROLL WAVE T!] - HOW did that happen??) so i need to be prepared.

there are so many celebrities who claim they are “embracing” and even ENJOYING their age… they are letting their hair go gray (which i do NOT agree with - i will go to my grave with brown hair!) and refusing to fill their faces with fillers and injections (which i DO agree with as some of them don’t even remotely resemble their younger selves with their inflated cheeks and weird eyes.) i canNOT say that i appreciate this number, let alone enjoy it. the only thing i like about my birthday is celebrating it with my dearest, darling friend, anne marie, who was also born on december 12, 1968.

i met anne marie in college and even though we share our birthday, she always seemed older and more glamorous (in the way that only holds true when you are actually very young and WANT to be older.) anne marie already knew how to cook properly at twenty (when the rest of us were only capable of top ramen) and gave a gang of us monthly lessons… we learned from AM how to make pesto from scratch, a classic vinaigrette, a baked chicken… simple, yummy things that feel like home. after university anne marie moved back to LA and i went to NY. we lost track of each other until i moved to boulder fourteen years ago.

our first reunion was at a local park because we both had preschoolers. i also had baby lu. we were all so excited to meet up that theo and i took off at a run as soon as we got out of the car. theo made it safely to anne marie’s son and the slide but i hit a bump in the sidewalk with lucy’s stroller and the two of us went rolling down the pavement like a big, cartoon snowball. thankfully lu was strapped in because when we came to a stop the buggy was on its side and her little legs and arms were dangling down. i was also on the ground with bruises up and down my shins but so HAPPY to be reunited with my anne marie. it was quite a dramatic start to the boulder era of our friendship.

since that time we have shared a bazillion holidays (shabbats, roshes, break fasts, hanukkahs, seders, easters, children’s parties), attended the performances of each other’s kids, played endless rounds of mahj jong (of course anne marie taught us all the ins and outs of this complicated game!) grieved family losses, had many more cooking lessons (with AM reprising her role as the teacher), celebrated accomplishments and collaborated on several work projects (she is a super talented architect!) but my favorite activity with anne marie is spending our birthday together. every year we plan something fun (a museum visit, a spa day - this year we are getting sugar scrubs at the julien) followed by a delicious lunch somewhere. i couldn’t be more GRATEFUL for this special time with my most wonderful friend that always takes the sting out of getting older. HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY my lovely birthday twin! x0x0x

to read about my fiftieth birthday click here