On August 18th, I entered the 31st year of my life. My birthday party was held at the recently renovated beach house of mine in Marshfield. The guests for the day consisted of my brother Brian and his wife Amanda, Amanda’s best friend Meghan Mahoney-Baker and her husband Phil and Amanda’s parents Lisa and Jim. This would mark the first time that Meg, Phil, Lisa and Jim had been inside the new summer home in its completed form. They were all so awed by the architecture and design of the exterior and interior of the house, including the outdoor decks and the bedrooms.
During the afternoon, I went with Brian, Amanda, Mom and Dad, Meg and Phil went to the beach. The weather was cloudy that day, but we managed to entertain with interesting stories about our lives in recent times. We also took a walk towards Beetle Rock, which is in the Rexhame Beach section of Marshfield. During our walk, we saw many cute dogs, including a mostly golden looking goldendoodle named Emma. Emma was so friendly and cute that I felt compelled to play with her for a few minutes.
Unfortunately, not too long thereafter, it started to rain, so we all head up to the house for the day. Lisa and Jim arrived at the house during the mid-afternoon. They were so delighted to see me on my birthday party, as I did love to see them and their family. Lisa and Jim gave me a nice Vineyard Vines shirt as a gift since I am a frequent shopper to the famous clothing store. Some other gifts I received consisted of a brand new watch and 21st Amendment beers from Brian and Amanda, Cisco Brewers beers and movie gift cards from Meg and Phil, an Amazon gift card from Mom and Dad, and a signed autographed poster of saxophonist Tim Cappello, who sang “I Still Believe” from The Lost Boys, from Brian’s close friend Rich Kei, who is living in Santa Monica. I had also received gifts from my brother Keith and his girlfriend Malorie earlier in the week, and from Aunt Noreen and her family and Uncle Larry the following day.
It was then time for the guests to have supper and sing “Happy Birthday” to me. The main course meal consisted of New England clam chowder and steak kabob sticks with vegetables and French bread alongside the steak. The cake was a delicious chocolate mint chip cake from the great local bakery in Marshfield called Veronica’s Sweetcakes. Chocolate mint cakes are some of my favorite types of cakes and was quite happy to see this cake from Sweetcakes. After the singing of “Happy Birthday” ended, I attempted to blow out the candles, only to realize that the candles were relightable. This provided a moment of levity and humor for the birthday occasion. The cake was a hit with everyone in the room.
The following Saturday, August 25th, I had an additional birthday party in which more people came down to Marshfield. These guests included Aunt Sheila and Uncle Bob and their children Siobhan, Tim, Ryan, Tim’s girlfriend Emily, my Aunt Noreen and her husband Chuck, and two of their sons, Henry and Luke, my grandmother and Aunt Kathy and Siobhan’s dog, a chocolate lab mix named Dublin. That Saturday was a such a beautiful day at the beach that I dove in the water a couple of times for a refreshing feel. I also went on a nice long walk with my relatives on the beach and I even got to see my cousins and Uncle Bob try the paddle board that Siobhan brought down to the beach.
After spending several hours on the beach, I headed up to my grandmother’s beach house, which is two houses up from mine, for the “Happy Birthday” wishes. That evening’s cake was a Dairy Queen ice cream cake that consisted of vanilla and chocolate flavors. I received even more gifts soon afterwards, including an online Amazon gift card from Uncle Sean and his wife Lynne, a Cheesecake Factory gift card from Aunt Sheila and her family and checks from Nana and Aunt Kathy. It was another memorable birthday in my life, and I hope to have see more birthdays like this in subsequent years.
scottlentine 