My Birthday Weekend!

 

It was my birthday weekend, but I'll probably extend it to the rest of the month! Because, why not? It'll be Valentine's Day (which we don't celebrate) but I'll include it just because. Lunar New Year is in 8 days, which I do celebrate and I'm definitely taking off work as a personal day.  

Some of you may know I am a big Harry Potter fan and every year the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) will play a Harry Potter movie. It's almost always around my birthday. This has been a yearly tradition for us since 2018 which was when we saw the very first Harry Potter movie with the ASO. We have gone every year since and this year was the final movie of the series, The Deathly Hallows Part 2. It took us 9 years instead of 8 because of Covid in 2020. Everything was cancelled that year. I hope they restart the series next year. I will totally do it all over again! It was so much fun. 

I would see this lovely couple at the show every time. Mad Eye Moody and Professor McGonagall! 

Before the show, we had dinner at Boqueria, and they have the best churros I've ever had in my life.

When I got home from the show, a very special package was left at the doorstep. Some of you may know I am also a die hard Cure fan. I've been a Cure fan since 1994, and I had such a crush on Robert Smith back in the day, I still kinda do! I got to meet him once at Tower Records (I miss that place and the 90s so much it's not even funny) on Halloween in 1997, which is so fitting and he signed a photo and a CD for me. This was when Galore was released. My memory is pretty much shot, but I remember all things when it comes to The Cure and Robert Smith. Anyhow, a few weeks ago, I bought two raffle tickets that went to Heart Research UK (a non-profit charity in the UK that funds medical research to cure heart disease) for a chance to win a signed print by Robert Smith. 

The Cure released their latest album in 2024 called Songs of A Lost World (SOALW) and it was their first album in 16 years. My grandma had passed away in the summer of 2024 and SOALW dropped November 1st. It couldn't have happened at a more ideal time. The new album gave me the distraction I needed, but it also helped me grieve. I'm not even kidding that The Cure has been the perfect soundtrack to my entire life. SOALW deals with death, grief, and facing your mortality. I won't bore you with all the details that no one asked for, but Alone and Endsong are the two songs that spoke to me the most. The first time I listened to Alone I cried from the lyrics (they also won a grammy for Alone - Best Alternative Music Performance). They also won Best Alternative Music Album for SOALW. 

Endsong is by far my favorite song on the album and Robert Smith also created artwork for each song. Endsong is the one shown below. He's been donating his signed prints to Heart Research UK for a while now. I am not 100% sure why he does this, but my guess is that one of his family members, likely his brother passed away from heart disease. For this print to arrive on my birthday, really made it extra special. I've ordered a frame and can't wait to hang this up in my studio. 

Jared took me to Aria for my birthday (the very first photo in this post) and it was soooo good. We've gone to Aria about 8 or 9 times now and every time has been amazing. It's definitely one of our favorite restaurants in Atlanta. I know you're wondering, what did Jared get me for my birthday? He actually hasn't yet! He's waiting for me to decide if I want this chair from Crate and Barrel or a purse. The purse has to be equivalent to the same price as this chair. It's actually a nursing chair, but honestly one of the most comfortable chairs I have ever sat in. I could fall asleep in it, it's that comfy. 

Crate and Barrel Chair

So, a new bag or this chair? I'm not gonna lie, I'm leaning towards this chair! What would you pick? And if anyone was wondering, I am going to return the Banana Republic suede jacket. My purchases for clothing this year is back to zero. That's it for me, hope you all have a wonderful start to a brand new week!