Last Thursday: Aging a Quarter-Century in the company of Dinosaurs

So, it happened. I turned 25.

I had been dreading the occasion for no particular reason, but it's been a week now and 25 has been nothing short of DELIGHTFUL.

On the day itself I arrived at work to discover a lovely (and scrumptious) box of Jacques Torres chocolates sitting on my chair, courtesy of two co-workers:

Later in the day I grabbed some yummy Shake Shack and my co-workers and I held a little picnic in Central Park. The weather was PERFECT:


When I returned from lunch, a pretty package was sitting on my desk, containing
SUGAR SWEET SUNSHINE cupcakes!

Remember my friend, MBS?
Well, all those nice things I said about her in a previous post weren't merely lip service.
She took it upon herself to make my day EXTRA special by calling up--from her far away home in Kansas City--my favorite cupcakery in NYC and having a half-dozen bits of baked euphoria delivered to me. Talk about the PERFECT surprise. I am still in (sugar) shock.


After scarfing down burgers and cupcakes, I had to make my lardy-self presentable for the American Museum of Natural History's Spring Safari.
The vintage rental I was hoping for fell through in the end, but it allowed me to slip into one of my favorite Lilly pieces in my collection: The lobster bubble dress!


Turning 25 in a room with a 65-million-year-old dinosaur puts things into perspective...



As you can imagine, everything was swathed in Lilly fabric: tablecloths, pillows on seats, and the handsome attendees.


Somewhat against his will, I photographed this fine gentleman in his PANDAMONIUM trousers!

(I love a man who isn't afraid of pattern.
Full Disclosure: I own the shift in this print.)

Speaking of Pandamonium, the print made it easy to spot Janie, Lilly's Design Director, in her customized gown. For all of you who voted for this gown on the Lilly blog, you made the right choice! She looked fantastic:


Celeb DJs Harley Viera-Newton (in green) and Cassie Coane (in black) provided the beats in the Hall of Mammals and had everyone dancing:


Adding to the energetic and colorful ambience was the Lilly print team, who painted several pieces over the course of the evening:


Since I had some birthday money burning a hole in my clutch, I gave into the temptation I resisted on Tuesday at Christie's, and bid on a 3.1 Phillip Lim bag in the silent auction...and won!




I also took home another bag that night:


My gorgeous date, EJS, doesn't often pose for photos but made an exception for my birthday. Good karmic acts pay off! I ADORE this photo:


Thanks to EVERYONE who made April 15, 2010 a magical day for me from start to finish and then some.
Cxx.