23rd Birthday Celebrations

My 23rd birthday was both one of the best and one of the worst birthdays I've had. My grandma died on my birthday. When I woke up on August 2, my plans were to go to work, talk with my co-workers and friends, and go to dinner with my parents that night, then get ready for my party on Saturday. Instead, I spent two hours in the afternoon driving faster than I probably ever have before to get home and say goodbye to my grandma. I didn't want others to feel bad or to seem ungrateful for all the birthday wishes I was receiving throughout the day, so I didn't tell anyone except a handful of my closest friends until the next day. However, it was ironic to continually get "Happy birthday!" and "have a great day!" messages throughout the evening.

My parents and I still went out for dinner that night, though it was not the great celebration in Boston that had been planned. They gave me the presents they had bought. They also gave me my birthday card and check from my grandma. Sometime the week before she had made sure my dad picked up a card from her and wrote me a birthday check. The next week when I returned to Boston I used the money from her to buy a necklace charm in the form of an angel to remind myself that she's now my guardian angel and will always watch over me and continue to take care of me. Over the past few weeks, it's been more comforting than I could have imagined to be reminded of that.

I still managed to have somewhat of a birthday celebration the next weekend although it was not the 100 friend party and club outing I had planned (ok, maybe 20 people would have actually come out, but I had still been looking forward to it for months). My parents and Camilo took me out to an amazing French restaurant overlooking Boston Common called Troquet. It has been rated as one of the best restaurants in Boston, and comes with a price tag to match its luxury rating. Every sip and bite was worth what we paid, and all four of us left feeling as though we had just finished one of the best meals of our lives.