Birthday Boy

Kurt turned the ripe old age of 29 this past weekend (September 5th if you are curious or just want to mark the big 3-0 on your calendar for next year). The proximity to Labor Day lends itself to a nice long weekend but generally means many people will be out of town, so Kurt just wanted to have a low key party on his rooftop in the evening.

He requested we go for a bike ride during the day. We talked about going on a long ride, but since I had dubbed myself party planner extraordinaire, I didn't think we would have time. Instead, we rode up to the northern tip of Greenpoint in Brooklyn.

Luckily, we found some delicious ice cream half way through the ride. We also called my friend Christian who has recently moved to the city and found an apartment nearby. We stopped to see his new studio apartment. He was utterly embarrassed by the mess of his place but I was so jealous! I can't wait to have a tiny little place to call my own. Anyway, back to the birthday boy.

After grabbing some supplies, we headed back to Kurt's apartment to get ready for the party where I gave him (one of) his present(s). I like getting him books for special occasions and gave him this one. We both read it earlier this year and found it incredibly interesting. I definitely recommend it. It's very science-y but also steeped in everyday logic, so it is easy to follow.

Kurt normally has parties in his backyard, but he always gets roped into manning the grill all night long. He wanted to relax on his birthday, so we called it a potluck and had it on the roof. Everyone brought beer and some food and we hung out for a while. Luckily, it was a small gathering so there were just enough chairs.

(See all those trees in the background? Yeah, that's a cemetery. Kurt enjoys having quiet neighbors.)

I thought I was going to Martha Stewart Jr. for this party. Sadly, I've got nothing on Martha.

I had a whole lighting scheme worked out with plastic cups and tealights. But it was too windy and they kept blowing out. So we decided to use mason jars instead. It was actually a nicer look and more effective but also blew out often and weren't quite as numerous as I would have liked. And now the Martigs have a bunch of waxy mason jars. Whoops....sorry!

Also, Kurt didn't want a cake. I can make cakes and make them look pretty! But no, he wanted a pie. I don't know the first thing about pies! I procrastinated so much that it came down to the day of the party. As a last ditch effort, I made two blobs of whipped cream I called cream pies--one lemon and the other chocolate. They both used Jell-o pudding and a store bought graham cracker crust. Martha would be so disappointed in me. I'm hoping to make up for it next year. Party planning for his 30th birthday has already begun.

Oh, this was too gross to leave out. As Jenn's contribution to the potluck, she ran down to KFC and got a bucket of chicken and sides. (I'll admit it, I had some and it was delicious) Her boytoy friend Scott (a story in itself) insisted that as a birthday present we needed to also get Kurt a Double Down. Its a sandwich without bread. It is bacon, cheese, and a mayonnaise sauce in between two fried chicken pieces. Disgusting. The sodium content is enough to give you high blood pressure on the spot. We're convinced it contributed to a next day hangover, but Kurt was a champ and ate the entire thing!

The party ended up being too chilly on the roof and eventually moved inside where the boys took part in a thrilling foos ball tournament.

The next day, Kurt, Erik and I walked to T-Mobile and replaced Kurt's former phone with this shiny new one. He's thrilled. Between college football and this new toy, I barely get any attention...but I'm not jealous or anything. I hope Kurt had a great weekend! Happy 29!!