Recently a sweet friend of mine died suddenly and totally unexpectedly. She was only a few years older than me and had no signs of health problems. I have so many thoughts and feelings about her death but cannot properly articulate them, so I’ll just say she was an amazing woman and I will miss her.
What I can articulate is the need to enjoy life NOW. We cannot wait until next year to do things we have been wanting to do for years. Live like you are dying because you do not know if you will see tomorrow’s sunrise. AND, enjoy each birthday as they come, regardless of the number attached to it.
Yesterday I turned 41. Last year I struggled with the fact I was turning 40. Honestly, the anticipation of it was worse than the actual event. Now I’m 41 but that is just a number; every age we get to is a gift.
All that said, I want to throw a little Celebrate Life party with a giveaway and a special discount. I am total introvert so having a real-life party would be an agonizing experience. Virtual parties are perfect for me!
FOUR $25 AMAZON GIFT CARDS
GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED. Winning comment numbers were 98, 7, 50, 78. Thank you to all who participated!
I am giving away FOUR Amazon gift cards worth $25 each! To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment telling me your favorite cake/dessert to have on your birthday. (My favorite is carrot cake with cream cheese icing).
- One entry per person
- Comments must be left on the blog post, not on Facebook or as an email reply
- Giveaway ends 11:00 PM EST, Thursday, November 15th
- Four winning comment numbers identified via Random.org
- Winners have 7 days to respond to my email, after which alternate winner(s) will be selected
LIMITED TIME DISCOUNT
You can save 30% on all action sets and video workshops offered at Everyday Elements between now and Thursday, November 15th. Use the coupon code life30 at checkout.
All video workshops will be removed from the site by December 1, so now is a good time to grab them up.
About Amanda
So sorry to hear about your friend’s passing.
For my birthday, I love pie instead of cake. Blackberry is my favorite.
Happy birthday!
I don’t really have a favorite desert for my birthday. I am partial to pumpkin pie, but my birthday is in June so it is weird to have pumpkin pie then. My friend of 35 years just passed away a month ago. We met when we were 7. She was 42. I tell everyone it is a privilege to get older.
I’m sorry to hear about your friend.
Each year for the past 25 years, my good friend has made me my favourite pie for my birthday – a deep dish strawberry rhubarb pie. Happy birthday!
My favorite birthday desert is good old fashioned chocolate cake with chocolate frosting like my mother used to make!
i’m very sorry to hear about your friend’s loss. life is definitely so precious.
my favorite dessert is tiramisu.
I am really sorry to hear about your friend. I just lost a friend this week. It is very sad, but you have to remember the great memories you have had together.
My brithday cake every year is a strawberry short cake with fresh whipping cream. YUM!!!
Happy Birthday Amanda!
My favorite cake growing up was my Grandma’s chocolate cake.
My mother’s mandarin orange cake!
Sorry to hear about your friend.
My favourite cake is a mud cake from our local supermarket. They are just SO moist and VERY yummy 🙂
I am sorry for the loss of your friend. What a gift you have been given to desire to live life well now.
I love cheesecake . . . and I get spoiled with it on my birthday.
White cake with white (non-whipped!) frosting. Yum!!
Happy birthday!
You can never go wrong with cheesecake.
Hope you had a happy birthday.
I love peach pie on my birthday!
It’s a toss up between chocolate cake and banana cream pie!
So sorry to hear about your friend!
On a positive note, Happy Birthday to you.
My favorite dessert to have is actually just the ice cream. I will take the cake, preferrably chocolate and a little warm, but ice cream is my first choice 🙂
Happy Birthday Amanda! My favorite dessert to have on my birthday is an Atomic Cake. It has all of my favorites, strawberries, bananas and of course chocolate!
I’m so sorry to hear about the passing of your friend. Life is so short. Enjoy it to your fullest.
Sorry to hear about your friend. Life IS short. My best friend just had an aggressive brain tumour removed. I just don’t know how much time is left. Scared that it will grow back.
My favourite birthday cake is Angel Food Cake with the coloured flecks in it. I turn 50 next year. I have a hard time accepting that number.
Lisa F
Happy Birthday! My favorite birthday cake/dessert changes just about every year. Lucky for me, there are that many options! Recent favorites have been fresh strawberry pie and white cake with raspberry filling.
Happy Birthday! I love white cake with raspberry filling and vanilla buttercream….made fresh at the local cakery.
Oh yum! Just once a year on my birthday I get a white cake with buttercream frosting that has raspberries puree in the frosting, so sweet!
I am so sorry to hear about your friend. We were just talking about how people our age (in their 40’s) seem to be getting illnesses and dying, like never before. It is really scary. I feel that we just need to live every day to the fullest as if the next may not be there. Life is so much shorter then we think. On to a happy note – cake! I love just about any cake made with chocolate and ganache!!
I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your friend!
Happy Birthday!
Growing up, my favorite cake to have on my birthday was an ice cream cake. I don’t really have a particular favorite now. It depends on what mood I’m in. I do like chocolate cherry cake with chocolate fudge frosting.
Happy Birthday Amanda!! So sorry about your friend.
Grasshopper ice cream pie is my favorite!!!
Pumpkin Cheesecake!
Thank you for a reminder about perspective, although I am sorry for your loss. May God bless your new year abundantly! I love pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting. 🙂
So very sorry to read about the loss of your friend. Thoughts and prayers are with you….
I have taken some of your webinars and also purchased your workbook. I have learned so much from a great teacher.
My favorite birthday cake is chocolate with whipped cream frosting…making me hungry!
So sorry to hear about your friend. My heart and prayers go out to you.
My favorite type of cake is the box cakes and icing that you prepare on your own! I personally like any of the flavors. I think its the icing I prefer the most.
Tiffany
After my parents died I quit complaining about aging and saw what a true gift aging was. That was over 3 years ago and I haven’t forgotten that lesson.
My favorite birthday cake is anything with real buttercream frosting on it. Not that bland whipped cream stuff, but the sugar laden variety that makes you feel like you need to go out and run a couple of miles after you eat it.
It is tough to lose a friend so young.
We have a tradition in my family of having a big double-stuffed decorated cookie for birthdays. They are the bomb!
So sorry for the loss of your girlfriend!
I totally agree with you. I’m a 5 year survivor of breast cancer. I turned 40 that June, found out I was pregnant with my 6th baby that August and found the lump in my breast that October. I had surgery and chemo all while pregnant. God is SO good, we are both doing great, she went into kindergarten this fall 🙂
I have a sign that my hubby gave me that year that say’s “Every Day is a Gift” SO SO true!
So for my birthday Can I pick 2? I like either french silk pie or red velvet cake!
Thanks for the giveaway!!
My favorite for my birthday is a jell-o cake with no cool whip!
I. Love. Carrot. Cake. And as a fellow introvert, I love the idea of a virtual party! Plus, at a cirtual party you dont have to share the cake :).
I am so sorry to hear of your friend’s passing. I bet she would be pleased to know that it has given you cause to celebrate your life. Best wishes for comfort and healing.
My favorite cake is a chocolate cake with chocolate fudge icing . I always add those sugary letters to spell out Happy Birthday!
I’m very sorry to hear about your friend.
I love yellow cake with chocolate icing.
My favorite is german chocolate cake!
So sorry for your loss. I like that you are celebrating her life. 🙂 My favorite is cheesecake!
Life passes too quickly for some. Hope you had a happy birthday despite your recent loss!
My all time favorite birthday dessert is fried ice cream!
Red velvet cheesecake is my favorite birthday treat!
Happy birthday to you!!!! Today is mine!!! birthdays are soo fun… except getting older!! hehehe!!!
My favorite dessert by far is mud pie.. coffee ice cream/ brownie and oreos!!!! 🙂
My fav is angel food confetti cake with cool whip frosting!! Happy Birthday!
My fave is red velvet with butter cream icing……with a nice tall simple glass of milk….yum!!!!
My favorite cake for my birthday is sour cream chocolate cake with caramel frosting. This frosting is made from equal parts cream and sugar cooked until it’s “right”– my aunt’s cooking term. I am new to your blog, but have it book marked for reference.
My favorite cake is the Chocolate Praline cake from Southern Living Magazine. I have it every year on my birthday. Then I freeze individual slices and enjoy it my entire “birthday month!” My kids know it is mom’s cake!
http://www.southernliving.com/food/entertaining/luscious-layer-cake-recipes-00417000076857/page6.html
My favorite is a cookie cake – with lots of icing!! I hope you had a wonderful birthday!
First, my condolences to you, and everyone close to your dear friend. Secondly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You’re so right – every year is a gift we should celebrate, regardless of the number. 41 is BEAUTIFUL on you, so wear it proudly!
As for my birthday cake – that would have to be strawberry shortcake, which actually, was a yellow cake with fresh strawberries and Cool Whip in the middle, then Cool Whip for icing. It’s what my grandma made for my birthday every single year until I got into my late teens. I haven’t had it since, but it is yummy! Yours actually sounds quite delicious!
I like to pig out on white cake with white icing on my birthday, just like I did when I was teeny tiny. Happy birthday and enjoy!
Hi, I’m very sorry to hear about your friend. I lost my best friend to breast cancer 3 years ago. It still hurts and I miss her daily. It does get a little easier but it takes a lot of time.. My favorite birthday cake is anything with caramel and chocolate in it, topped with some vanilla ice cream. We only live once. Enjoy those birthdays no matter what the number.
I’m sorry to hear about your friend and completely agree. Age is a number and we should enjoy the beauty of our life right now.
I love whipping up a couple of small chocolate molten cakes for just me and my husband to enjoy after the kids go to bed. That way there isn’t a whole bunch of extras the rest of the week.
Life is certainly a gift.
Favorite cake is carrot cake, homemade of course!
I am sincerely sorry to hear about your friend. Life is so precious and so fragile. We do have to embrace and appreciate it. Thanks for sharing your story to help me do so. Caramel cake is my favorite birthday treat – scrumptious!