Birthday Girl 💕

I left the house and actually did something for my birthday this year. Are you proud of me? Because you should be. I’ve been struggling to do anything “fun” for months now since my life was altered. But this year, I really wanted to celebrate and get out and do something. I don’t want to keep stopping myself from living because of my depression. And I don’t think Austin would want me to either. So I worked up the courage and told myself that this year, I was going to celebrate. I treated myself to a cute black dress, jewelry from Pandora and Regalrose (including two rings I’d been eyeing for a while from Danny), and black Tim Burton–esque winter nails to bring the whole look together.

I chose the Edge because I thought photos of the NYC skyline would be cute and iconic for the birthday vibes. What I didn’t plan for was the polar plunge and temperatures dropping to 10°. As a winter baby, I’m used to it being either below 20° or full-on blizzard conditions during my birthday weekend, and somehow, both happened this year. LOL. I don’t know what it is about the 23rd, but January birthdays are truly not for the faint of heart.

Ironically, it didn’t feel as cold as I expected 100 floors up. It was actually colder and windier at ground level. I still don’t understand the science behind that. And here I was thinking I was unhinged for choosing the Edge, especially when they were running a two-for-one deal to lure tourists up in this ridiculous cold. Surprisingly, there were still a good number of people up there, maybe just not normal Saturday levels.

They also had a Museum of Ice Cream exhibit, which was adorable. It’s been so long since I visited the SoHo location. There were cute photo ops everywhere, the iconic banana jungle, pink trees, a snow globe, and a giant pint of ice cream. It felt like a pink winter wonderland.

After that, we headed to Miss Nellie’s and made it just in time for brunch, chicken and waffles, obviously. I love the decor there… it’s fun and full of personality, and they even had a photo booth! I’ll always love a photo booth moment. It felt good to laugh and just be with friends. I also had the most beautiful birthday cake straight out of my winter vampire dreams. Dark, dramatic, and perfect. The staff was just as obsessed with it as we were and probably took just as many photos as we did lol.

I’m feeling incredibly grateful for the people in my life who showed up, made time, and reminded me that I don’t have to do life alone. Brunch, gifts, adorable cards, flowers, donuts, and other treats… I felt so loved this weekend! Their love, patience, and willingness to celebrate me, even when things haven’t been easy, meant more than I can put into words. I’m truly blessed with beautiful people in my life, and I’m grateful for all that they do for me. This birthday wasn’t just about going out and taking pictures, it was also about letting joy exist again, even if just for a little while.