The birthday that stands out the most is my 18th birthday! I got married!! lol

Next would be last years birthday! My best friend threw me a big SURPRISE party..at Jefferson's Hot Wings! I don't know how long she planned it..or how she managed to keep it a secret..but she did!!

The most recent one was festive. A week ago, my younger son engineered a surprise 70th birthday party for me. He flew into LAX from JFK, and his sister picked him up and took him to her house in LA. The next morning, they drove down with the two little grandsons to surprise me at 9am in my robe and slippers. I had just settled down with an iced coffee and a book.

He spent the weekend, and DD returned home with the grandsons for the night. The next day, as planned, she came with her family in time for lunch and spent the night. We visited and ran errands, and then son and daughter started cooking a nice dinner for me--burgers, gazpacho, corn on the cob, salad, wine and champagne and birthday cake. As the dinner hour approached, my sister and her DH showed up and shortly thereafter my brother and his family. We had a loud, chatty birthday dinner and commented we should get together more often.

My older son was away on vacation, or we would have had even more at the table with him and his fiancee. I think it is time for me to invest in a folding table from Costco for our growing family's gatherings.

When I was a kid, birthday parties were all pretty much the same--a bunch of friends over to the house, playing games, cake and ice cream.

For my DD, we did a lot of fun parties. A bugs Bunny one when she was pretty little. When she was 10, we had her party at a salon--all the girls got their hair, nails and make-up done. It was a lot of fun, and I did 'before and after' photos to include with her thank you cards. Favorite b'day I gave her, though? Was just a month ago. She was turning 30. We ordered her a cake from a wedding cake designer she loves. Had just a half dozen of her closest friends, and I decorated the house in a tropical 'flip flops and flamingoes' them (sounds odd, but it turned out really cute). We had a lovely lunch and it was so much fun spending time with her special friends. The cake was amazing--moist pumpkin cake covered with white chocolate buttercream. Then coated with a marbled peach/hot pink fondant and topped with a pink pineapple and assorted bright tropical flowers.

My best birthday? Was also my worst. I was turning 42. My husband totally ignored my birthday. I was very hurt. No gift, card, special dinner--nothing. His birthday is the week after mine and I honestly considered doing the same, but I didn't. I made my usual fuss over him on his special day. Then, about a week after that, one evening, out of the blue, he suggested, "Want to go look at Himalayan kittens"? He knew I'd wanted one for years, had been looking for someone with a litter, but couldn't find one until then. I got the best birthday present ever that evening!!! My precious little Alexa Selene. She's a tiny little cat (only 6 pounds), and is still gracing us with her company--even though that was over 19 years ago! She's such a little love. But such a bittersweet memory I have of that particular b'day.

Over 30 yrs ago some of my girl friends took me out for dinner, then to see the show at a fancy hotel in MPLS. Robert Goulet (sp?) was headlining. One of my friends sent a note to him about it being my birthday. He called me on stage, danced with me and sang a song. I don't know the real title of the song, but the line I remember was, Where have you been all of my life. I told hubs about it when I got home. I got the impression he wasn't thrilled about it. LOL Don't get me wrong, he's a good man, just not a birthday (Valentines day, Christmas) gift buying sort of person. So secretly, I always remember my "encounter" with Robert, on my birthday.

My 21st birthday was a pain and a special blessing as I gave birth to my son, he is 47 now.

Thank you for sharing.

Maybe it's cause of me no one wants to post.

My birthday was always when school was out. I dont remembera party when I was a kid except for family.I remember two birthday cakes I got for my mom. (best memories) Had the bakery put '88 Ain't she great" on one and the next year "Eighty nine Ain't she fine"

my best was my 60th. my ddil drove 6 hours through the night to here from memphis and convinced the lexus dealer to open early for her to sign paperwork to borrow a lexus for the day. she had warned me to be home at 9:00 am which i was, of course. at 9 sharp i heard a horn blowing outside and look out to see a new, shiny white, 2006 lexus gs300, a copy of a '99 model that i had once owned and regretted getting rid of. she told me to get in the driver's seat and follow her directions. we ended up at a spa where i was treated to an all day spoiling of a full massage, a facial, a steam bath, a manicure, pedicure, haircut and style, and makeup. she arrived about 4:30 with a change of clothes and we left, minus the lexus, and drove to a restaurant where my younger son, his wife and my grand daughter joined us for dinner. after dinner, we all came back to my house for cake and ice cream and a room filled with 60 helium balloons, 60 roses and a huge banner stretched across the room with greetings from the son and 3 grandsons who weren't able to make the trip with her! i truly felt like cinderella.....
and for "the rest of the story"....she got the lexus by telling them that i was a valued lexus customer (although neither of my previous 2 had been bought from them) and that i just might be talked into buying it if i got to drive it for a while. and yes, i did go in a few weeks later and treated myself to it!

I've never paid much attention to my birthdays, but I do remember my 6th birthday.

I remember I was supposed to take cookies for the class (we did that on our birthdays), and my older sister had burned the cookies that she had made for me to take to school.

When my girlfriend knocked on the door that morning to walk to school with me, my mom told her I was sick that day and wouldn't be going to school. Then Mom handed her the burned cookies to take to school. My friend made such a funny face when she saw the burned cookies, I was glad I was sick and didn't have to take them to school myself. LOL

Curious--what is lo country shrimp boil? Sounds good--hope GS and family enjoy the cookout. We get fresh shrimp (large) from the Texas gulf. They fly it to Minn, then bring it to ND on crushed ice. Oh so good. I freeze it in osimos water and we the tempura coating.

Growing up we were really poor and car licenses were always due on my birthday so there was never much of a celebration.
My Mom always made me a cake and made something for me, which was always special.
One year a friend of my parents brought over a brand new tricycle....I wasn't very old, maybe 5 or so, and I just felt so bad because my Mom was feeling awful because she and my Dad never had enough money to buy me anything.
The best birthday was in 2006......my DS called and said he had a birthday present for me but it wouldn't arrive until August......then he told me my DDIL was pregnant.
I was so awestruck I told him thank you for calling and hung up. As soon as I hung up I realized what I had done and called him back to tell he and Tomomi who truly happy I was. All I ever wanted was to be a grandma.

marie-ndcal, I'll share my recipe and what I do for the lo boil on recipes, tomorrow.

Mine is TODAY! My husband surprised me tonight with a trip to Vegas tomorrow for my 60th Birthday (which is tomorrow...Saturday). He had to tell me tonight so I could pack, etc. Kids came by this evening with gifts as they knew about this plan. :) Can't wait...Vegas Baby! :):)

I don't remember any special birthdays growing up. Never had a birthday party until I was 50. Neighbors had a luncheon for me and gave me a combination birthday present going away present because on my 50th birthday the moving van arrived! We stayed overnight at a friends house and she had a lovely dinner and birthday party for me also. I guess because I never had a party, I made sure my kids always did. When my son was visiting a couple of weeks ago he was telling me about reconnecting with childhood friends on facebook and one of them said he always remembers JT had the best birthday parties. While all the other kids were going to Chuckie Cheese, I believed in the good old fashion at home parties. We'd play games and the boys would make a fire ring, build a fire and roast hot dogs in the back yard and toast marshmallows. It was nice to hear that some fond memories were made. Now, like you, Glenda, I just keep on celebrating. DH always takes me to dinner and some friends and I have a birthday group and we all go out to lunch.

I guess mine would be the year I turned 15. We never got presents as children (not enough money), and never had parties. Mom still made us feel special by fixing us our favorite meal and favorite cake. I never felt deprived.

But on my 15th birthday, Mom told me to invite my best friend for supper. Then this friend wanted to go here, there, and yonder, and I was getting very upset as Mom wouldn't like us to be late. Here it was all a plan to give me a surprise party. It was the worst snow storm of the year so no one else showed up. But I still have some of the 'pop beads' from that party. I still don't know why she decided to do this for me.

Shirley

For my sixth or seventh birthday, my parents gave me a real Disney Cinderella watch. I could tell time and was so happy and proud. . I wore it every day till my sister stole it.She wore it to school and another girls stole it from her during gym class. Several years ago I bought another one on Ebay, complete with a glass slipper. It wasn't running (the kind you wind ) so I took it to a watch repair and had it fixed.

We didn't have big birthdays either. But one stands out in my mind and still makes me tear up. I must have been 8 that year and my birthday gift was a new pair of school shoes. My mother picked out the most godawful blood red oxfords with argyle plaid laces. Man, those were ugly shoes. I wanted saddle oxfords like my older sisters had.

My father's birthday was the day before mine so I never had my own cake. Every year mother made an angel food cake with white icing and that was the cake for both of us. I did get to pick the menu and it was always fried chicken. Sometimes I asked for fried chicken AND chicken and noodles. Now that meal would still make me forget I never had my own cake.

Anyway, the year of the shoes, we were watching TV--a new novelty in our home. Back then we watched TV with all the lights off. Don't know if that was the norm, but that's what we did. I kept seeing those ugly shoes in the TV light and I just started crying. Very softly so nobody'd see me. But my dad did. He sat me on his lap and started telling me how neat me new shoes were. Well, I gave it my best try of acting happy about them. Then he got up, went out in the kitchen and was gone for a while. I was beginning to feel better about the shoes when he came in the living room with a bag from the drug store. He'd gone out, walked the 5 blocks downtown and to the only store open and bought me two new sets of paper dolls and a few other little things.

I felt so guilty for being a baby about the shoes and somehow I just knew that was probably his lunch money for the week.

It's not a happy memory, but that's how much daddy loved us. And that part is a happy memory.

Patti, I always wanted the ballet slippers which were big in my day. I can still hear my mother say "you need something serviceable". When I grew up, that word was not part of my vocabulary! LOL

Don't remember many birthdays until my 16th. Mother made a cake and invited 2 of my friends over. That is only pictures of any birthday I have had. We all looked so proper and prim. No games, just cake and ice cream Kept in touch with one, but not the other. I am so glad that my kids celebrate birthdays along with my GK's. So many good memories and pictures.