The Birthday Weekend I Didn’t Know I Needed

Some weekends are just really good for your soul.

This weekend was one of those.

I packed up, headed to New Jersey, and got to spend my birthday surrounded by so many of the people I love most. My mom and stepdad D were there, my son made the trip to celebrate with me, and Jet and my Sugar Bear got to come along for the adventure too.

I also got to spend time with Paige and meet her mama, which made the weekend even more special.

Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my birthday.

There is something about being in New Jersey with my mom that just feels right. Maybe it's the food. Okay… it's definitely the food. But it's also sitting around talking about everything and nothing, laughing with D, looking through old pictures, and just enjoying the comfort of being together.

Having my son there for my birthday meant so much to me.

I am so incredibly proud of the man he has become. He looks amazing, he's doing amazing, and there is nothing quite like looking at your son and thinking, damn, I'm really proud of you.

Getting to spend time with him, laugh with him, and just enjoy being together was something I truly treasured.

And then there's Paige.

I absolutely adore this girl. It makes me happy seeing my son happy, and I genuinely love getting to know her. She's beautiful, sweet, and just someone I'm really happy to have in our lives. Getting to meet her mama was such a great bonus, too.

And apparently, meeting her mama meant we had to immediately find out just how questionable everyone's morals were.

Because what better way to bring two families together than Cards Against Humanity? 

Now, let me just say… it takes a special kind of family gathering to have my mom, D, my son, Paige, Paige's mom, Jet, and me all sitting around the same table playing this game.

There were some answers that made the entire table go silent.

Some that had everyone absolutely losing it.

And some that made you look at the person who played the card and think, “I did not know this side of you existed.”

There were definitely some awkward moments.

Okay… a LOT of awkward moments.

But somehow, that's what made it so much fun.

There is something pretty awesome about being able to sit around a table with people who are getting to know each other, laugh at completely inappropriate things, and immediately discover that apparently none of us have the moral high ground. 

It was ridiculous.

It was inappropriate.

It was awkward.

And it was absolutely perfect.

Outside of our questionable card choices, we ate some seriously amazing food, went thrifting, looked through old pictures, laughed a lot, and just enjoyed being together.

And having Jet and Sugar Bear there made it even better. Sugar Bear was perfectly content being surrounded by her people, getting attention, and probably keeping a close eye on everyone's food. And Jet somehow survived an entire weekend with this group, including the Cards Against Humanity chaos, so I think he deserves a trophy.

Somewhere in all of it—the food, the old pictures, the thrift stores, the laughter, the ridiculous conversations, and the people around that table—I realized I didn't need anything more for my birthday.

This was enough.

Actually, it was more than enough.

I got time with my mom and D. I got to celebrate with my son. I got to spend time with Paige and meet her mama. I had Jet and my Sugar Bear beside me. I got to eat incredible food, thrift, laugh until my face hurt, look through memories from years ago, and make new ones that I'll remember for a long time.

Most importantly, I slowed down.

I wasn't thinking about work or everything waiting for me at home. I wasn't worrying about what came next.

I was just there.

In the moment.

And sometimes that's the best gift of all.

Life gets busy. We get caught up in schedules, responsibilities, work, and everything else that constantly demands our attention. It's easy to forget to stop and appreciate what's happening right in front of you.

This weekend reminded me to do exactly that.

To laugh a little longer.

To take the picture.

To eat the food.

To look through the old memories.

To make new ones.

To appreciate the people who show up.

Because someday, these ordinary weekends will be the memories we wish we could go back to.

And this one?

This one was pretty damn special.

My heart is full.

My stomach is still recovering.

My camera roll is packed with memories.

And my family has officially proven that we should probably never be trusted with another deck of Cards Against Humanity.

What a weekend.

What a birthday.

What a lucky girl I am.