Basking In My Birthday Glow

Here's a tip. Instead of celebrating your birthday just once, on the actual day, I HIGHLY recommend spreading the festivities out. Preferably, for as long as you can. Without it starting to feel obnoxious. (You know who I'm talking about.)

Example: My "pre-birthday" festivities began this past Friday night. It just so happened that my brother Reggie and his partner Farm Boy were in from Minneapolis for a conference. And since my birthday was just a few days away, the Frederick side of the family decided to make it a party.

And party, we did. My Dad and I broke out the Irish Whiskey. And we're not even Irish! PB cooked a delectable dinner that we ate around the fireplace then we feasted on the BEST chocolate cake I have ever had in my life. And, believe you me, I KNOW chocolate cake.

My mother bought this cake came from a little bakery in my hometown of Hawthorne, New Jersey, called Just Desserts. Now, Hawthorne sits in the shadow of the big city (as in New York City). It has one main street that is barely a main street with a move theater, pizzeria, stationary, liquor store and, what the hell, throw in a laundromat for good measure.

But this cake from humble Hawthorne, New Jersey? The "Chocolate Silk Cake" to be exact? Can stand up to any fancy New York City cake. In a heartbeat. The inside is moist with just the right touch of denseness. The icing is chocolaty and rich but not too sweet.

This cake is so good that I would just like to say, for the record, I will never again consume a cake that doesn't come from Just Desserts! I repeat, I will ONLY eat cakes from this bakery, god dammit!

In addition to my IV infusion of silky chocolate, Friday night included a guest appearance from my vivacious and beautiful friend Lila who always manages to be the life of the party.

Then, my sister Ginger, never to be outdone, ended the evening by demonstrating some pole-dancing moves she picked up from a bachelorette party she recently attended.

But wait. That's not all. Because today, on my actual birthday day, I woke up to find Big Man and Little Man in the kitchen cooking me up an egg- white omelet (Ah ha! That's why Big Man asked me yesterday what my favorite breakfast food was!).

And because it's my special day, I got all daring and poured my daily shot of orange juice, not into my regular juice glass, but into a stemless Riedel wine goblet. It's my party and I'll have my O.J. in a stemless Riedel wine goblet if I want to!

Aside from the morning presents and cards from the boys, today is going to be pretty low-key. PB's in California on a shoot. I might brave the frigid February air and take a walk down by the Sound. Then there will be the usual after-school flurry of homework and hockey practice.

But I'm fine with that. Because my birthday ain't over yet. I have this Friday to look forward to. I'm having lunch with my "yoga girls" --a group of us that met in yoga class and have been celebrating birthdays together since our kids were in elementary school (some of which are now in college!).

Plus, I definitely have enough leftover chocolate cake to see me through to the end of my birthday week.