Birthday Fun

Well, the celebrating is done - that a nice weekend! I love being surrounded by friends & family and energized by their love. I'm so fortunate to have them all in my life! Friday started off calm, but ramped up in the late afternoon. I had to go to a lecture so I tempered my outfit somewhat with the Boyfriend Blazer with the sleeves turned up. Beneath is the antique gold sequin tank from 08, this year's black wool shorts I just picked up, my standby cheetah belt (even though I wished I had the new, slightly thicker studded belt) & reddish cashmere fringed scarf. Patterned tights & suede booties completed the look. After the lecture, I headed to grab a bite at my favorite restaurant, since the King & Prince were out shopping. I ran into lots of friends there, especially after the basketball game let out. Even 2 of my prom dates were there! Lots of good conversation was had. I grabbed a quick drink with another friend and headed home. Saturday morning after taking the Prince to swimming lessons, I came home to open eat cake & open presents to find.....my lusted after studded belt! I saw it a week or so ago in the store and really liked its texture and the brass studs, which vary between a bronze & gold color. Plus, they make a cool, quiet buzzing sound if you shake the belt!
I think I'm going to get a lot of mileage out of this accessory in the coming months. The King also added some JCrew socks, as I tend to wear them within a millimeter of their lives and the Prince 'bought' me a black Wii nunchuck controller (it's a long, odd story about the family obsession with Wii black accessories). We then went out to a celebratory dinner at a local seafood restaurant - yum! I had on my trusty pink toothpick cords, the grey constellation cardigan & white tank. Stuffed, I came home, had a power nap and met my bestie for drinks. We were both tired as she had just returned from Florida that afternoon, but managed to get re-energized with sushi & martinis. Then my other best friend showed up and a little later, more friends that had just seen 'Alice in Wonderland' (they said it was okay, not a home run, but classic cool Tim Burton imagery. We talked & talked & talked and basically closed down the place. Yesterday, I loped around, but took the Prince to a birthday party for a classmate and came home to settle in for the Academy Awards. I'm delighted that Kathryn Bigelow won best director for 'The Hurt Locker'. I've admired her for years and am proud she is the 1st female director to win an Academy Award. I really liked the movie for its intensity, acting & rich characters. Kudos also to Mo'Nique and Sandra Bullock for their wins. I loved Sandy's dress the best, with Vera Farmiga close behind. The ruffles were a bold choice, but I think she pulled it off. What, though, was up with JLo & Amanda Seyfried's Armani Prive bubble-wrap dresses? Both of them wore the women, not the other way around.
So all in all, lots of fun was had - a great way to kick off my 47th year!