When the clock hit midnight on January 1st, 2021, I set out to make this year “golden”. What I meant by that is I wanted the year 2021 to be filled with happiness, adventures, and unforgettable memories.
You may be asking, “Why “golden”? Well, in the year 2021, I just so happened to be celebrating my golden birthday. For those who have never heard of a “golden birthday”, let me get you in the loop.
A golden birthday is when you turn the age of the day you were born. For example, in my case, I turned twenty-one on May 21st. And because I’m a 2000’s baby, it made this year even more special. I turned twenty-one on May 21st in the year 2021.
Little did I know, my birthday was even more significant than I thought. I got a message from a friend who let me know that my birthday was actually on the 21st day, in the 21st week, of the 21st year, of the 21st century! Plus, add turning 21 on this day! Isn’t that insane?!
Well, call me psycho, but I was so excited about my birthday that I bought a golden dress and pair of shoes in December and a more casual yellow top to wear in April that had been tucked in the back of my closet just for this specific day.
So it’s fair to say that I have been looking forward to my golden birthday for what seems like forever! And when Harry Styles came out with his single “Golden,” I knew it was going to be my anthem for this year.
But to get down into the nitty-gritty, I’ll explain what I did to celebrate the day.
It all started at 4 a.m. when my best friend Grace and I woke up to catch a flight to Utah at 7 a.m. One of my favorite influencers, Indy Blue Severe, opened a store in Utah, and for years, I have been dying to visit. That Friday, I had no class, and Indy’s brand, Lonely Ghost, happened to be launching some limited items that you can only get in-stores. So it was the perfect reason to go!
We landed in Utah around 10 a.m., rented a car, and headed straight to the store, “Ghost Grocery”. This was my first time in Utah, and I can now officially say I’ve traveled to 26/50 states.
Anyways, on our way to the store, we had a not-so-lucky incident happen…we got a crack in the windshield of our rental car. Like seriously, what are the odds of that happening? I was pretty bummed out, but I didn’t want this to ruin my special day.
When we got to the store, we snagged some one-of-a-kind pieces, took some cute photos, and met some of the sweetest employees. I had only seen the store through social media, so seeing it in person was incredible.
After shopping, I discovered that Utah had several In-N-Out’s, which happens to be my favorite restaurant. So, of course, we stopped there for lunch. One burger, fries, and vanilla milkshake later, we decided to stop by Utah’s famous restaurant called “Sodalicious” for some yummy cookies.
Then, we drove to Salt Lake City and rode scooters for about five minutes until we headed back to the rental car place to face the employees and let them know what happened. Honestly, Grace and I didn’t even know what to say, other than it was seriously an unfortunate event.
Just to get the story straight, Grace and I were driving on a highway when a truck passed us. They just so happened to drive over a little rock on the road, which landed right on our windshield. And you know what happens next…
Afterward, we caught our flight back to Seattle and landed in Washington around six in the evening. My roommate, Anna, picked us up from the airport and took us back to our apartment. I was told to get ready for the surprise event they had planned. Cue, the gold dress and shoes I bought months ago.
I hopped in the car, and my friends took me to Golden Gardens Park where they had a beautiful picnic ready for me at the beach. We got to watch the sunset, eat cake, devour our Charcuterie board, and of course, take some cute photos. Let me just acknowledge the significance of going to Golden Gardens on my golden birthday…they did good!
We wrapped up at the beach and headed to Art Marble, which is a restaurant and bar about a five-minute drive from campus. It ended up being super crowded, so we stopped at 7 Eleven to buy me a lottery ticket. Luckily for me, I won $5, which ended up being the amount I paid for the ticket in the first place.
Then, we headed back home, and some of my roommates had put together a gold-themed balloon arch so that we could, yet again, take cute pictures and show off our outfits. Notice a common theme?
And to wrap up the night, we danced to Pitbull, sang “Driver’s License” at the top of our lungs, and did nothing illegal (wink, wink).
So, if you have a golden birthday coming up, I recommend going all out! Get a cute outfit, treat yourself to a manicure, plan an adventure, and surround yourself with some of your favorite people. Or whatever it is, make the most of it!
But, if you’re someone whose birthday falls at the beginning of the month, and you’ve already missed your golden birthday, don’t worry! You can still celebrate your double golden birthday, which is when you turn double the age of the day you were born.