A joyous, somber occasion

This weekend, we mourned the passing of my friend and roomate's youth as she laid to rest forever her 20s. Welcome to your (gasp!) 30's, Red!

The guests showed funeral style, wearing all black. I'd post my picture, but I was so tired of being called "goth Barbie" that I decided not to post that shot. (Beauty tip for all the girlies out there: If you happen to be a smiley-faced blondie such as myself and wear all black with goth make up, don't expect to be taken seriously. That look just doesn't work for us. I will totally be wearing a black wig for Halloween.)

Here's a look at some of our morbid decor. Notice the vulture on the shelf staring down the food table. Actually, I think he was staring down all of us old people.

I've heard that the mind and eye sight are the first thing to go with old age. Who would expect to find them in the bloody punch bowl, though?

The cake was awesomely designed by Ash. I can't tell you how refreshing I find it to see zombies and cemeteries outside of Halloween.

Here's a close up of the tombstone which reads, Here Lies Red's Youth. I think the zombie breaking out of the grave accurately represents her unwillingness to let go of her youth without a fight.

She wanted a cake that read, "Return of the Living 29". But that was just way too long.

This party was all in good fun. Some of us have a hard time dealing with hitting the big 3-0, but Red was mostly in good spirits and making jokes about her trip down hill to eventually meet the Grim Reaper with the rest of us. My friend, Sexy Suburbanite, also hit this milestone over the weekend and she is celebrating entering this decade of her life. I think we should all view the different phases of life this way.

Looking back, my 30th birthday was not a happy occasion. I did not handle it well at all. I didn't want to talk to anyone, see anyone, or be even in the same vicinity as anyone. The problem with that was that I turned 30 on Thanksgiving Day. It was impossible to avoid people on this stinking holiday so I choked back tears most of the day. I didn't feel old. I felt the same way I did the night before when it was 11:45 and I was still technically 29 and closing my eyes tight so that I would not see the clock strike midnight. It wasn't the growing older aspect that bothered me, but the lack of accomplished goals that I had set to reach by this age. Clearly, I couldn't live up to my own standards. My Thanksgiving prayers sounded something much like this: "Dear God, on this Thanksgiving Day, I have no family of my own and no real career. I don't want to see anyone today, but since you made my birthday fall on Thanksgiving, I have to see EVERYBODY. So uh, yeah, thanks for nothing."

Let me just say that I am SO happy that I don't feel that way any more. My time after hitting thirty has been nothing but fun. If I had it to do all over again, I would hit the big 3-0 with a smile on my face just the way Red and Sexy Suburbanite did.