When I was little, being a summer baby wasn’t as awesome as people thought. Sure, I was guaranteed a school-free birthday, and it was usually perfect pool weather, but my friends were almost always on vacation with their families. Maybe that’s why as an adult, whenever June rolls around, my favorite way to celebrate my birthday is a get-together with my squad. (They know better than to schedule a vacation when a Sarah soiree is inevitable.)
And this year definitely required some quality time with my faves, seeing how it was my last twenty-something milestone. People say 30 is the new 20, but that doesn’t make embracing a new decade any easier. You know what does? A cute new dress from BCBGMAXAZRIA, a gorgeous macaron-topped cake from the Gallery Pastry Shop and a crazy cat-shaped balloon, for starters.
SARAH’S TIP: If you’re looking for a Pinterest-worthy custom cake, talk to Anya at the Gallery Pastry Shop. In 20 minutes, we went from “I have no idea what I want” to “All right, I’ll order a coral-to-white ombre chocolate cake with a white-chocolate ganache center, gold foil and edible rose gold-splattered macarons on top.” This cake was amazing, as were the savory and sweet dishes we ordered to kick off our brunch. Pictured below: my made-to-order custom omelette with tomatoes, cheddar, spinach, onion and breakfast sausage.
SARAH’S TIP: See that cinnamon twist near the bottom-right corner of the above photo? It’s so addictive, it might as well be illegal. The cinnamon twists are not on the menu but are served on the weekends, and you can pick a few up if there are any left. (Hint: They’re still delicious the next day, so you might want to grab some extras.)
The beautiful flowers above are from
Harvest Moon Flower Farm in Bloomington, Indiana, bought from their stand at the Broad Ripple Farmers Market.
In lieu of gifts (because let’s be honest, there’s no room in my apartment for much else), I asked my friends to share some of their advice: What should I do before I turn 30? What books should be on my Summer 2017 reading list? And what songs should be on my “Family Road Trip 2017” playlist to stave off boredom?
I honestly can’t say enough about the Gallery Pastry Shop. The food was as delicious as it looked–which means a lot when an omelette is photogenic–and the staff were patient with us, even when other patrons kept getting “attacked” by my birthday balloons whenever the wind blew. No worries, though: The balloons got a taste of their own medicine when a random kid walked by our table and used my cat balloon as a punching bag.
