the.birthday.weekend.

wheeee!
what a great birthday weekend...
the first in quite a few years...

friday night my friend amirah flew in to join me for the weekend and we met up with kristine for a few drinks at the WAB. The WAB was p-a-c-k-e-d so we headed across the street to the emory, which I'd never been in, but really liked... Around 1 we opted to hike up the street to go "dancing"... somehow we ended up selecting boogie fever, which i had never had any desire to go into before. On the bright side, it was free because it was my birthday, so that's all good. We head inside and the place is a mish mash of tacky 70s leopard print velvet, sequins and halloween decorations. it's insanity. amirah freaks half the club without them realizing she's even behind them... it's perfect.

saturday we get up and meet up with kristine to go to the mall... what is supposed to be an hour (or two at most) diversion before we head downtown to the "sex and so much more" expo at Cobo turns into a 3 or 4 hour stay at the salon getting my hair did. i got highlights and layers and all that good stuff (my gift from kristine). when we finally escaped we split up long enough to take quick cat naps and head out to meet everyone for thai food... when amirah and i rolled up, autumn and kamil and cimbery were already there... kristine, brandon, paul, michelle, matt and grace were soon to follow... we ate, i opened a slew of presents and then headed over to warrilows for birthday karaoke... i am so SO proud to be able to say that everyone got up to karaoke at least once... kristine and i got the ball rolling with "don't stop believing" by journey after a couple long islands and a shot of jagermeister... throughout the night i was treated to sweet caroline by brandon, brown eyed girl by matt, hit me with your best shot by cimbery (which was totally choreographed in advance)... i also sang "livin on a prayer" with cimbery, we are family with paul, michelle, kristine, brandon and matt, and love shack with autumn, amirah, cimbery and kristine... oh, the fun that was had... there's video of it all and i cannot wait to see it... and, even though i was sworn to secrecy, i have to say that autumn's husband doing welcome to the jungle was pretty much the show-stopper. he's a rock star inside, for sure...

afterwards half the group hit up the coney for late night fries and grilled cheese before crashing out in a drunken haze...

sunday was low-key with amirah and i getting up for coffee, then heading downtown to check out the heidelberg project, which had changed a lot since i'd last been there just a year or so ago, and to the old amtrak station, where they are apparently going to be filming part of the transformers movie, but which would make the most insanely gorgeous building for top notch lofts if someone would rebuild it...

all in all it was a fantastic birthday... it would have been even nicer had everyone been able to be there, but time and distance made it so it couldn't be... maybe next year...

the birthday haul: a magnet, a cinnamon candle and candle holder, 2 sets of shot glasses, a shaker, the postsecret book, a great book of aerial photos of ireland, tattoo money, a silver pnut "remember" ring, a silver pnut skeleton key pendant, an urban outfitters gift certificate, an itunes gift cert, a super cute gnome button that say friends forever, the hair cut, highlights & hair products, face masks, TWO birthday poems, dinner, with cake, and lots of drinks. and, of course, cash. cold hard cash.