I recently celebrated an extended birthday weekend in two locations. First, with Florida friends showering me with gifts and presents before I headed to Colorado to see friends and family who showered me with events and experiences. It’s a good life.

As many of you can attest, different birthdays likely stand out in your mind for different reasons. For me, a few arise within my memory more than others … .

When I was in the first grade, my mom hosted a Strawberry Shortcake-themed birthday party, complete with a dozen screaming little girls and party hats worth photographing. It’s the first time I remember having that many friends in my house, and I thoroughly enjoyed being celebrated on my big day.

In high school, my cousin and I decided to celebrate my birthday by driving 30 minutes to the movie theater to see Arachnophobia. As we drove, a bug started to quickly cruise across the inside of my windshield, and my cousin screamed, “Spider!” while thrusting the palm of his hand into the crawling creature, shattering my windshield with his unexpected fervor. Explaining that one to my parents was a birthday surprise for sure.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I’ve seen a number of baseball games on my birthday. Sometimes I’d take myself out to the ballgame and, sometimes, friends/family joined in on the fun. During one birthday in college, my dad drove four hours to catch a game at the school I was attending when I asked only the day before. Impressively, he and my sister threw together an impromptu party at the ballpark, complete with baseball presents and a cookie cake.

This year, I believe I experienced the best birthday Benedict I’ve ever had while staying at The Jacquard Autograph Collection in Cherry Creek, Colorado. I flew into Colorado the night before my birthday, and a friend picked me up at the airport, driving us to the hotel she had carefully selected. Although it was a super-short overnight stay, my birthday felt special thanks to the quirky décor and our “hidden gem” room with a private-access hallway and 30-foot ceilings inside.

Breakfast from the hotel restaurant, Narrative, was the perfect birthday morning kick-off and, yes, the best birthday Benedict I’d ever had. To my taste buds’ great delight, I thoroughly enjoyed my eggs Benedict with savory rosemary ham and roasted tomato hollandaise atop a cheddar biscuit. Green tea and crispy potatoes rounded out my meal. With each bite, I mused a bit more about how wonderful the flavors worked together — and how it might be the best birthday breakfast I’d ever tasted.

I spent the rest of my birthday weekend watching my son run at two different track meets, along with watching yet another baseball game (Colorado Rockies vs. Kansas City Royals) before heading back home to Florida. I’m a lucky girl to have so many different people in various locations appreciate me. However, nothing could top the birthday breakfast Benedict as my ideal meal for the day. It was, most certainly, a celebration worth remembering.

— Carrie Cox, account executive