it was december and it was my 34th birthday. I am fortunate enough to say that I spent part of the day celebrating in a cramped booth at a fabulous old diner with the people I love. crown candy stands on the corner of an area of the city so desolate and desperate for rebirth that you'd never guess the goodness that exists on the inside. and then you step into warmth and music and booths crammed with people, tables and menus that feel one hundred years old. a friend took me to this place quite accurately predicting that I would fall in love with it. nancy took such great care of me on my birthday. she made sure I got to visit my favorite place ever, city museum -- a place I find so wonderful that it is nearly impossible to describe. it's this huge old building filled with beautiful oddball art (everywhere you look), two and three-story tube slides, a shoelace factory and a place where you can paint old hats. there are giant slinkies to climb in, an aquarium to visit and a circus to see. you can also view the world's largest pair of men's underwear and get your photo taken in an original old-school b&w photobooth (yes, we spent many hours and many dollars in that booth). also, there is a big yellow school bus precariously balanced on the roof of the museum and I don't know why and I love that I don't know why. I LOVE THIS PLACE. I think I would like to sneak in and live hobo-style inside one of the mosaic-covered hidden tunnels. anyway, my friend spoiled me that weekend, she took us to dinner, let us take over her home for the night, surprised me with a red velvet cake (my favorite), made me the biggest, most beautiful breakfast and then took me to crown candy. meridith, I'm with you. I'm all about birthdays, all about celebrating, all about going all out. you get ONE DAY A YEAR, people. I have never understood why you wouldn't want to go absolutely nuts. (by the way, happy birthday, dearest cousin kristy jo and miss meridith).
and this is the part where I talk about the most lovely ice cream sundae to come my way in all of my thirty-four years of living. it should be said that I love whipped cream much more than ice cream. I would have been pretty happy with a goblet full of hot fudge and whipped cream but the ice cream kind of balances everything out.
happy happy birthday!!! so glad you got to celebrate so well! that sundae looks fabulous and your weekend sounds like it was chock full of goodness.... yay!
ReplyDeletei just saw the photo on flickr where you said it was last dec... so happy belated birthday and happy birthday to come! :)
ReplyDeletelisa, thanks for the birthday wishes! (I just re-read it... it really does sound like it's my birthday...! I went back and re-worded it)...
ReplyDeletejoy, that color is my original color, though I think it looks particularly dark in this pic.
Man! That DOES sound like fun! Great picture... I'm jealous of the sundae. ;)
ReplyDeleteWhere were you? Is that Atlanta? Where in the world is this City Museum? Where is the little cafe? It sounds like it was a good time had by all.
ReplyDeleteslim, I really wish all those wonderful places were located in atlanta but alas, they are not. you can find them both in st. louis (where my best friend nancy lives)... click on the city museum link and check out the site... it has to be seen to be believed. forget disney world, this is the happiest place for me to be.
ReplyDeleteme myself and I are into POWERBITES. I have to get a little of everything on each spoonful ... a little icecream, syrup, whipped cream - and if i'm lucky - a cherry ... now that's a powerbite!
ReplyDeleteMMmmmm ... that sunday looks freakin' good!
oh YUMMY and you are 34 in this shot? wow! you are gorgeous! :O
ReplyDeletethanks for all of your kidn comments on my blog lately~im loving yours too!
(and im with you on celebrating BIG for bdays, i think everyone should have a birthday WEEK to hurrah!)
ew i want that cone! That picture of you and the ice cream is just delicious!
ReplyDeleteMan, hanging out with you at City Museum is so great! I could go on and on. How many times in one day did you go through that elevated tunnel you called a huge slinky? It was a great birthday celebration. You do birthdays right, girl. All those packages of chocolate and red treats I've gotten over the years...
ReplyDeleteYou look like you're having so much fun... can I come next time? I want to have fun too!
ReplyDeleteso sweet!!! :D
ReplyDeleteGirl, you're HOT!!!
ReplyDeletefirst of all thank you, thank you, thank you for the birthday shout out! i love this post! this is such a great photo and that ice cream sundae looks delish!! i want to go to that museum, it sounds fantastic!!!!! what a great day that sounds like!!
ReplyDeletei'm a bit late today for the party - but just want to say - your birthday celebrations sound like so much fun, you have to be a sagittarian! i've always felt that way about birthdays and it seems as i get older i feel guilty about how i think it should be celebrated, so i'm taking your advice and i'm going to go all out this year! that ice cream looks unbelievable and city museum sounds like such a blast! another great shot!
ReplyDeletelove this picture!!!
ReplyDeleteyes! I love it! I am all about birthdays...my family always made them a big deal: whatever you wanted for dinner, front seat of the VW bus all day, stay up as late as you want, family day trip to wherever (i always chose the nat'l aquarium and ben and jerry's)...now I'm training my husband about the responsibilities he has as a father/husband to carry on this tradition!
ReplyDeleteI love the dark hair, by the way...
GORGEOUS photo
ReplyDeletei wanted to let you know i have set up an SPT blog at selfportraittuesday.blogspot.com
Hi! I wanted to write you a small note. I came across your Flickr stream back in 2005 or something like that. I think it's very telling of how amazing your work is that after over 10 years, I still remember that there is this blog called hula seventy and let me google to find it again to see more of her stuff. I was 18 in 2005 and now I've just had my first child. Today I came to see your photos again. I love the colors and the warmth they have, but what really makes them stand apart is the level of meaningful detail. The seasons change, your children grow, and this blog is really a piece of art because of the continuity of your work. Each photo is beautiful in itself, and that's how I grew to like your Flickr page, but put together they form something even more beautiful. It's such a cliche in photography to try to capture the small things that go unnoticed by many, but you do it so well., I don't know if you will see this little, but I'll just post it anyway, because i think it's amazing you're inspired someone from the other side of the world for so many years. Greetings from Copenhagen, Denmark, and I wish you have a lovely spring!
ReplyDeleteHi! I found your Flickr stream back in 2005 or something like that. I like your work so much that even after 10 years, without having saved a bookmark or anything, I still remember that there is this blog called hula seventy and I should go and check it out again. Your photos are beautiful, they have such warmth and so much color, but what makes them stand apart is the level of meaningful detail. Seasons change, your children grow, and life just goes on as it does, but you show how to appreciate it. It's such a chiche in photography to try to capture the small things that go unnoticed by many, but you do it so well. I don't know if you will ever see this comment, but I'll post it anyway, because I think it's amazing you've inspired someone from the other side of the world for so many years. Greeting from Copenhagen, Denmark, and I wish you have a lovely spring!
ReplyDelete