Staff Favorites: Birthday Memories

As our niece’s stuffed corgi’s grandpa’s dogwalker’s roommate always said: not every day is your birthday. (So true.) But one day a year, it IS your birthday, and that often ends up being a pretty memorable event! We asked our staffers to tell us about some of their favorite birthday memories, and got some pretty incredible—we love it—answers. From a pirate party to a giant Build-a-Bear cake to a 150 mile-an-hour birthday treat, we’ve got enough seriously fun stories to have you thinking it’s YOUR birthday, so keep reading! 

“For my 7th birthday, we took all my friends to Build-a-Bear—iconic to say the least. That was already awesome because those stuffed animals WERE the moment. But the surprise came when we walked to the table in the back room (party room vibes) and there was a WHOLE Build-a-Bear cake—like the SIZE (if not larger?) of a stuffed bear. We were all thrilled because that is a COOL bday cake. But then we did fight over who got the slice of cake that was the bear’s face because I was distraught to cut into him like that. Animal lover slay!” —Miranda ‘Treats’ Simiyu, Shores Associate Director

“I’ve never had to go to school or work on my birthday.*” —Craig ‘Dutch’ Langemeier, President
*December 24th 

“We never had elaborate birthday celebrations as a kid growing up in the 70s and 80s, but one of my favorite memories of my mother was when she made me a Barbie princess birthday cake. The barbie stood vertical on the cake plate (stage) and her dress was entirely made from cake and icing. The cake portion looked like a big hoop skirt which was intricately decorated. They were a lot of work, and my mom only made them a few times that I can remember, but I loved them! Best birthday memory!” —Susan ‘Singing TeddyGram’ Andreone, Chief Communication Officer

“I had a pirate-themed birthday party in my backyard when I was probably either 5 or 6. We turned my backyard swing set/fort complex into a pirate ship, with the coolest part being the crow’s nest in the top floor of the fort. I just remember there being lots of treasure to be found, and I’m pretty sure people wore those really cool fake parrots on their shoulders. There will never be another party like it in the history of parties.” —Conor ‘Flow’ Barry, Ridge Camp Director

“I had a skating birthday party between 3rd and 4th grade (summer girly). We rented out the whole skating rink and skated around to turn-of-the-century music—it was literally the year 2000. My outfit was key. I was wearing a navy blue tank top with a white star in the middle from Old Navy, of course, and denim overalls, AND I fixed my own hair, i.e. a slicked-back ponytail that I hairsprayed to ensure that skating wouldn’t frizz it up. To top it off, one of my gifts was my first (and only) bean bag chair that was lime green.” —Kristen ‘Good Sherpa’ Ray, Forge Administrative Assistant

“Probably the best birthday I had growing up was when my grandpa took me to an Arizona Cardinals game for my 13th birthday! They have been my favorite football team since I started watching sports, and he flew us from Houston to Phoenix for a game that year! The day before, we went by the practice facility and happened to run into the wife of one of the coaches. She let us in and gave us a private tour of the building. It was so random but made a great weekend even better! I felt very important telling my 7th grade friends about that when I got back to school the next week!” —Colin ‘Sneaky Pete’ Post, Ridge Men’s Director

“The summer I turned 11, one of the most iconic movies of all time was released: ‘The Baby-Sitter’s Club.’ My birthday treat was getting to go see it with my older sister, and I was in heaven! Until she started kicking the seats of the girls sitting in front of us during the previews. She even started flicking their ponytails and tapping their shoulders! I was mortified, and leaned forward to apologize on her behalf. That’s when I got one of the biggest surprises of my life: all of the girls in front of us turned around, and I saw that they were three of my best friends! They were there to see the movie with us—I was over the moon! Afterwards, we went back to my house for a sleepover where we jumped on the trampoline and decided which babysitter we each were. (If you’re reading this, Melanie, I’m sorry we made you be Mallory just because you had red hair.) It’s still one of my favorite birthdays ever!” —Valerie ‘Ouch Potato’ Morby, Social Media and Copy Manager

“My favorite birthday was a NASCAR driving experience at Texas Motor Speedway! 150mph and they let you pass other cars! It was an unforgettable experience!” —Rob ‘Change Up’ Harris, Senior Director of Finance & Accounting

“In college for my birthday, a couple of guys that were in my fraternity found cheap, roundtrip tickets to New York. So we flew to New York on Friday and flew back Monday because we had school off that day. In that time we got seven free tickets to go watch Saturday Night Live, I went to the top of the Empire State Building, visited the MOMA and Times Square, and got lost in the subway. It was a good birthday.” —Lance ‘Socks’ Gilliland, City Site Director