My 25th birthday: friends and family by my side, Kate Spade in my lap

I'm now a quarter-century old, and so far it feels pretty great. My 25th birthday was probably one of the best of my young life.

I went home to Portland for a long week of no work, no emails (actually that's a lie), no subway, no mice, no roaches, and LOTS of food. It was sunny and perfectly warm during my birthday weekend, a nice change from my winter visits. My trek to Portland -- not so sunny. I took the subway (three trains plus airtrain) to JFK with a broken handle on my 50-pound suitcase. I left my apartment at 5:15 am and lugged that big thing up and down stairs, from train to train, and into the airport.

My mom picked me up from the airport and I was so delirious I failed to notice that she was carrying the exact Kate Spade purse I had specifically asked for. But when I got to her car and opened her trunk to put my suitcase in, there it was, right in the middle, staring back at me. I screamed and craddled it in my arms all the way home.

That week was also Portland Fashion Week, which my friend Christie Chanthakhoun was showing her collection in. I got my hands on a press pass and front row seat to see one of my friends accomplish her dreams. That was the main reason I booked my flight home -- but decided to extend my vacation to include my birthday.

Tuesday was the first day of PFW. Some of the collections definitely screamed Portland, then after intermission Christie started her show with a dance inspired by her country (she's from Laos) performed by her cousin. The audience applauded each of her outfits, modeled by local girls and her friends.



On Friday my mom took me flying in the little four-seater plane she's been practicing in. We flew up the gorge towards the Dalles. It was clear and sunny -- perfect for me to take a million plus photos of the landscape and mountains. While I'm in love with NYC, it's nice to see a change of scenery and smell fresh air. When she landed in the Dalles I said "nice landing, mom!" It's definitely something I'd never dream of doing; give me a boat instead.



That night I rounded up all my old friends for a night on the town. I scored a table at a club downtown and finished the night with breakfast at The Roxy. Thanks to all my friends for ensuring I was well hydrated with gin and tonic.

On Saturday night I went classy and sipped on martinis at the Portland City Grill with some friends, then later with my mom and Greg when they surprised us on the 30th floor. Sunday was the big party with family and friends in my mom's small condo. While we eventually ran out of food (shrimp ceviche, deviled eggs with smoked salmon, mac n cheese bites, barbecued chicken and pork loin, caviar, and more cheese) the wine was plentiful.


Now that I'm back in NYC I'm back on that grind and building up my writing profile. If you haven't checked it yet, I've begun writing for InStyle.com and will soon be seen on another site. Keep a look out!

Comments

Popular Posts