When Shahdi was young, her birthday was the most important day of the year for her, even more so than Halloween or Christmas. I suppose one of the reasons she always so looked forward to her birthday was because it was the single day when she completely ruled our household! It was the one day out of the year when everything was catered to please her, and when most decisions were made by her on how to celebrate her special day. Sometimes, the planning for her next birthday party started the day after her birthday! Shahdi was always a very responsible person, and as a kid, was always on top of everything which was assigned to her or in which she had an interest.
She took her birthday celebrations very seriously and spent countless hours planning them. Of course, the first item on her list was to select the location where her next birthday would be held. Over the years, we had celebrated her parties at different places around town which catered to children. To end her birthday with a group of her close friends sleeping over at our house was also a given. Therefore, she not only had to select the location, activities, and food of her actual party but also had to choose the activities and food for the second part of her birthday celebration at home. As expected, she had to manage quite a bit of negotiations with us as well. She was indeed a master negotiator who knew how to achieve her goals simply by batting her long eyelashes or flashing a mesmerizing smile at me or her father! The combination of both was totally captivating and used to successfully wipe out any resistance we might have had to her ideas or schemes!
Deciding the theme to her birthday party and the subsequent selection of party decorations and cake were next on her list, which required several visits to different stores. As with most kids, to have an awe-inspiring cake was very crucial to the success of her entire celebration. She simply could not have a great party without an impressive cake to share with her friends! Back when Blockbuster was still in business, Shahdi used to go there with her dad to pick up movies, popcorn and candy for her birthday sleepover. And then, the morning after, she used to bat an eyelash and send her dad flying to Panera to pick up breakfast and drinks for herself and her guests.
While Shahdi was so engaged in her birthday planning, I had to think about the items which would go into the party-favor bags for her guests. I used to spend many hours searching for the perfect items, purchasing them, and ultimately hoping for Shahdi's approval.
Ah..the good old days...
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