Suzy Says

A very glamorous birthday girl

As the well-informed are well-aware, every April 15th is Jessica’s birthday, a day to be celebrated by all. The world would be a much less amusing and sparkly place without Miss J in it.

This year, she and her best friend Greta got their nails done:

and then had their hair curled. Jessica has not yet realized that her hair will never hold a curl. Having said that, it took me until I was nearly 30 to figure that one out. The last attempt I made was when attending a fancy wedding. I had my hair put in curlers, under the old school dryer and everything. The curls didn’t even make it to the reception.

They also had a streak of glittery ribbon and a streak of feathers sewn in their hair – you can just about see the pink feather strand in Jessica’s hair in the photo above – and I want to try that, too. Who needs curls when you can have glitter and feathers?

In keeping with the fancy theme, Erica took Jessica, Megan, Greta, Greta’s mother, and me to lunch at an elegant restaurant in the village. It is so fancy that I haven’t eaten there since my father took me to dinner more than a decade ago. I still remember that I had duck with huckleberry sauce and it was amazing. This time, I had crab cakes and Jessica had a quiche with wild mushrooms, bacon, and Gruyère. I toasted the birthday girl with a fabulous cocktail of Roederer sparkling wine, local peach syrup, and bitters. It was pink and fizzy, just like Jessica.

Erica made her own version of petits fours per Jessica’s request:

The bottom layer is chocolate génoise, the top vanilla génoise, and the filling is strawberry buttercream. The icing is vanilla buttercream, topped with sugar roses flavored with orange water and rose water. Erica put eight white candles on the cakes and lit them while we (quietly) sang the birthday song. Jessica closed her eyes tightly, and took so long deciding on a wish – you have to make it count – that Erica had to tell her to hurry up before the candles burned down. I hope it comes true.

I thanked Jessica for inviting me to her birthday lunch, and she said “I didn’t want a big party. Just a select group.”

I’ve finally made the A list. Though Jessica did confide in me during lunch, “Suzy, you are the silliest of all my aunties.” I don’t expect that to change anytime soon, if ever.

Happy birthday, princess. We love you!