As of 7:57pm this evening, I will have completed my 31st rotation around the sun.
Last year, I shared 30 things I’ve learned in 30 years. This year I’ve decided to share the birthday fun by hosting a celebratory book giveaway. I’m giving one winner a book they like & and book I like:
- one book of your choice (up to $18) from The Book Depository
- one of my very favorite books: The Principles of Uncertainty by Maira Kalman
You can enter via the Rafflecopter widget below: leave a comment telling me your favorite birthday memory. Share the giveaway and/or follow Books, the Universe and Everything on various platforms for extra entries. Thanks for helping me celebrate!
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In June, I visited The Morgan with my friend Emma. While wandering around through an exhibition, I saw a self portrait by Lovis Corinth, a German impressionist. The exhibition label next to it noted that he drew a self portrait of himself every year on his birthday. It got me thinking about what representations of myself I had that were taken on my birthdays (photographs, as I can’t draw or paint). I collected as many as I could find, and came up with the following assortment:
1984:
1985:
1986:
1990:
2005:
2007:
2011:
2012:
2013:
2014:
First, Happy Birthday! Second, I just celebrated #31 as well! Third, my favorite birthday memory is probably when I turned 27. It was my last birthday celebrated in Asheville, NC before moving to Lansing, MI and my husband (who was my boyfriend at the time) took me camping. I hadn’t been camping since college, and it was just so fun and relaxing.
(I’m a bit late to replying to comments, apologies!)
That sounds like a wonderful birthday!! I started camping in 2012, I hadn’t really ever been proper camping, other than a few nights under the stars at camp when I was young. It changed my world – I love it so much and go regularly now!
And PS Happy belated 31st to you as well!! :D
One of my favorite birthday memories is eating takeout sushi and watching the BBC adaptation of Lord Peter Wimsey … I think I was 22. Good times!
That sounds absolutely lovely! I have a few great birthday memories of just relaxing and hanging out with some of my best friends while we watch our favorite TV shows.
(I’m a bit late to replying to comments, apologies!)
Happy Birthday! Love your pictures!
I’d say my favorite birthday was one that matched up with my first Mother’s Day with my daughter.
Thank you and thank you!
That sounds like an extremely special and wonderful birthday, how wonderful! :D
Happy birthday! I like your collection of birthday photos. :) My favorite birthday memory is probably when I turned 21. My friends and I went out at midnight to try to get my first drink as soon as possible. Except it was Sunday night, and nowhere was open. We finally ended up at a 24-hour pizza place in Ann Arbor. :)
Thank you!
Hehe, that’s sounds like a night where things not going according to plan made for an even better night. I’d take the pizza any day. :D
Hope you had a great birthday! I’m an ’84 baby, too, so all of the toys and outfits in your pictures seem so familiar to me ;)
Thank you!
Yay to fellow ’84 babies! It was the best year. :D
Giveaways and birthdays – a heck of a combo. My favorite birthday was my 21st… but not for the drinking, more so for the all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, sledding with friends, and an NBA Slam Dunk Contest nightcap.
That sounds like an absolutely fantastic birthday. I’d like an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast right now!
(I’m a bit late to replying to comments, apologies!)
Happy bithday! my favorite birthday memorie was when I celebrate it with my grandmother, who has gone..
Thank you!
It sounds like your favorite birthday memory is bittersweet, but it’s wonderful to know that you got to spend a wonderful day with her and create a lasting good memory.
Happy Birthday! Your photos are so nice!
My favourite memory is my fifteen’s birthday, it was a big party with all my family and friends. It was so beautiful and fantastic.
Thank you!
That sounds like a wonderful time – my favorite birthdays are the ones where I was surrounded by family and friends too – that’s really what makes them so special. :D
Hi! Happy Birthday, I really like your photos, my favourite birthday was when I turned 18. I met the boy who is my boyfriend now there. ♥
Thank you!
That sounds like a wonderful birthday, and now a very special memory! How lovely! :D
Aw, happy birthday! A favorite birthday memory of mine is having a party with some friends (I was maybe thirteen? fourteen) at the city beach (such as it is), with water balloons and water guns. We all knew that we were reaching the end of the period of our lives where this would be a tenable birthday thing to do, but it was just pure fun.
Thank you!
That sounds like an absolutely wonderful memory – one of those bittersweet moments when we’re young but on the cusp of growing up.
Love the photo revisiting of birthdays past, so cute. Thank goodness I wished you a happy day on the day because I am woefully behind on my blog reading. This was one I didn’t want to miss. Hope you’re still celebrating!
Thank you! It was a very wonderful birthday, and there were indeed celebrations all week. :D
Happy birthday! My favorite birthday memory was when I celebrated my 18th birthday. It was so fun and i spent the day with my family and friends.
Thank you! :D
That sounds like a lovely day – as long as I’m with my family and friends, it’s always a good birthday. :)
Happy birthday! Love all these photos. My favorite birthday was 21–not just because I could drink legally (although my first stop was at PDT at 12:01am on my birthday, which was fairly awesome), but because I woke up after my midnight drinks that morning to a phone call from my boss from my internship offering me my first full-time post-college job. Definitely set the tone for a good day.
Thank you! That does sound like a wonderful birthday – isn’t it nice when something external & wonderful happens on our birthday to make it even better?
(apologies for my ridiculously late reply – I got very behind on life and am doing major comment catch up.)
Happy birthday! My most memorable birthday was when my family tried to surprise me on 00.00 but I woke up when did the prep and finally they asked me to prepar my birthday cake myself! Lol
Thank you! That sounds like a humorous and lovely birthday! :D
I’m late to the party but I hope you had a really happy birthday!
Thank you so much Stefanie! :D