On Friday, May 8, 2020, I turned 25 years old. This year we were sheltering in place, so we weren’t leaving our house much. On the morning of my birthday, my sister Shannon (who was sheltering in Tacoma, Washington with her boyfriend) surprised me with a Starbucks delivery! She got me a salted caramel mocha, one of my favorite hot drinks, a spinach feta wrap which is so yummy and my go-to, and an adorable birthday-cake flavored cake pop. The cake pop was pink which is my favorite color! It was so nice of her and the perfect way to start my birthday. Later that afternoon, my mom came home from work and spent some time with me (by the way she works at a hospital and is kinda on the front lines organizing COVID testing, so she is my hero at this time). After she got home, I also got a surprise birthday visit from my dad and my dog. I spent some time talking to my dad and petting my dog which added to my special day. After they left, Shannon FaceTimed me to just catch-up on my birthday until I had to get ready to go to my Aunt’s house for dinner.

Before everything happened with COVID-19, my mom and I were supposed to be in New York City visiting Shannon and celebrating my birthday. I was sad not to be there, but happy to be celebrating at my aunt and uncle’s, outdoors, in a small group, of course and 6 feet apart. We ate delicious Rib-Eye steaks perfectly cooked by my cousin with blue cheese butter melted on top. This recipe was from the Bobby Flay Home Cookbook. We also had scrumptious grilled veggies with an incredible grilled avocado-yogurt dip from Valerie Bertinelli. My mom surprised me with my absolute favorite wine which we enjoyed with this amazing meal: Coppola Sofia Brut Rosé.

My mom and aunt did the dishes after dinner, while my uncle and I played 500 Rummy (he creamed me). After the long card game, it was finally time for dessert! After I blew out the candles, we ate our homemade version of a special Hula pie from the Duke’s Restaurant menu in Waikiki, Hawaii.  This dessert is a coffee ice cream mud pie with an Oreo crust, topped with warm caramel and fudge sauce, and of course, whipped cream. It was super tasty and refreshing. After I ate the pie, I had lots of presents to open from very thoughtful people and I felt so lucky.

The next evening, we played Scattergories over Zoom to continue my birthday celebration! My mom and I played with my aunt and uncle, two of my cousins (one who lives in Long Beach, CA),  Shannon, and her boyfriend, my brother, Zack, and his girlfriend. Zack and his girlfriend made cupcakes to celebrate my birthday which he ate over Zoom and told me how delicious they were. Playing Scattergories has been a really fun way to enjoy time with others while we are all safe in our homes. We are always laughing and trying to convince everyone to accept crazy answers. Usually, with this game, I am just ok at it but don’t win. That day, my mom and I tied with my uncle who usually creams everyone! So I will call that a win! Even though we were sheltering in place, my birthday was very special this year, and one I will never forget.