I have this great idea for a birthday party, but timing is tricky now that the world has opened up again and everyone has so many plans to make up for the last couple of years. I want to summon The Council of Women. It’s basically a girls night with an agenda, because what girls’ night doesn’t benefit from an agenda. I want to know if we’re getting botox and where from, where are we buying bras from, what podcasts am I missing out on, etc. An in-person version of what I look to tik tok for these days.

In general any activity I do in the month of September is automatically classified a birthday event. Seeing a movie? Birthday date! Dinner with friends is birthday dinner! The few years before Covid were some great community events – adult prom fundraiser and themed nights at the Franklin Park Conservatory were my birthday parties. We’d take silly group photos and those became my Christmas cards.

Last year I was recovering from foot surgery during a pandemic surge.

So, this year, there are some plans. Birthday dinner next Tuesday with Jenna at a new to both of us restaurant with half price wine bottles on Tuesday. A larger birthday dinner on my actual birthday in Boston where I’ll be for work / the start of our vacation. Rich and I are taking his parents, my mom and grandma on a New England fall foliage cruise. But first, a day in Boston and dinner at a fun modern Mexican restaurant with my oldest friend from high school, my husband and the parents.