On my 22nd birthday … my dad died.
Apart from that, nothing really memorable.
My 50th was pretty great. My husband threw a party for me at our favorite watering hole, and there were balloons with the obligatory “over the hill” printed on them. Our friends were all there, and I got lots of presents and cake and hugs and I felt very loved. 
A more recent one was when my son worked at a high end restaurant. I was treated to a tasting menu. I don’t remember all the dishes, but there was escargot, and beef cheeks, and truffled potatoes, and some fancy dessert. It was fabulous! 
On one of my adult birthdays ending in 0, we threw a party in an arboretum with excellent catering. On another, we surprised our guests by buying everyone’s restaurant dinners. One of my birthdays included dinner in Astorga, Spain while walking the Camino de Santiago.
So basically, dinners, I guess.
Same here! I had literally not had a birthday party since I was 4 years old-- my parents had a party for me then, which was kind of out of character for them, because for the most part they were not party people, birthday or otherwise. I grew up thinking birthday parties were kind of silly things that other people had.
Then Mrs. solost threw a 50th for me, and I was a little embarrassed at the attention, but the love and appreciation sent my way by friends and family was very touching. I was thinking “they like me! They like me!”
My birthday in 2000 was very memorable. I had gone to Seattle with some friends from the Pearl Jam message board to see PJ’s guitarist Mike McCready play the first show with his side band, The Rockfords. The show was in a small club and it was awesome. (If you’ve never heard of them, you should check them out. The Rockfords - The Rockfords - YouTube)
The next day was my birthday. That night we went to a bar where The Rockfords’ bass player Rick was playing with his band. My friends and I knew Rick from The Rockfords message board. He posted there a lot and Mike even posted occasionally. We were hanging out between sets. Then Mike showed up to play with the band. Then we got to hang out with Mike. He found out it was my birthday, came over to sit with me and we talked a bit. He was really just the nicest guy. Around 3 a.m. the bar kicked us out and we talked on the sidewalk a little longer. So I got kicked out of a bar with a rockstar on my birthday. Pretty memorable.
OMG! I just remembered the best birthday EVER! I’m embarrassed I forgot it. I posted about it at the time in 2003. 
My birthday was Sunday, the 26th.
My birthday weekend started out Friday night when my boyfriend Tom came over, with a spray of tiny roses and a bag of groceries in hand. He cooked giant hamburgers with swiss cheese and sauteed mushrooms. Mmmm…mushrooms… We had had a long week and went to bed early.
We awoke early Saturday morning to rain. Oh no! We were supposed to be going to the Texas Renaissance Festival! We drank coffee and watched the weather reports. We decided the rain would be over by the time we got there, so we dressed and hit the road. We stopped at a couple of garage sales on the way. I found a couple of tiny baskets for a dime apiece. I’m a sucker for tiny baskets.
We arrived at the RenFest, go through the gates, and were greeted by a giant crack of thunder and a huge downpour! We intelligently had only brought one umbrella. We made it to an overhang, thankfully by the turkey legs. Mmmm…turkey legs… So we stood there and ate turkey legs. We eventually scooted down through the people and found the beer. Breakfast of champions! But by then, the coffee and the beer have made their way to my bladder. We ran out, through a small river, and found the bathrooms.
Eventually the rain stopped, and a most joyous time was had by all! Or at least, by we two. It was great fun! The crowds were thin, and the shows were funny, and the food was pretty good. Tom had never been, and it was fun to watch him looking at all the costumes! We saw jousting, juggling, two bawdy women singing bawdy songs, knights, Scotsmen, fairies, and The Village Idiot. He bought me a beatiful hand made windchime, made of hand blown glass and driftwood. AND he sang Happy Birthday to me, very loudly, VERY offkey, at odd times during the day. It was great!
At dusk, we slowly made our way to the car, arm in arm, and drove towards home. We stopped for dinner at The Original Pasta Co, and ate a fabulous meal. I had Shrimp Alfredo, and he had Chicken Parmigiano. Much staring into each others eyes and smiling.
Then onto a tiny little club with a live band. They played stuff like Van Morrison and ZZ Top. Tom asked me when I wanted to receive my present. I told him Sunday was fine, but whenever he wanted to! I was grinning of course. He said that I shouldn’t expect too much! That’s when I figured I wouldn’t be getting the bracelet I had asked for. I tried to keep smiling. He excused himself to go the the bathroom. When he came back he set a little white box in front of me. OMG!
I opened it, and inside was the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen. I looked at him and he said, “You make me so happy. I love you very much. Will you marry me?” I was almost speechless, but I squeaked out a yes, and held him, and cried a little.
On Sunday morning, we woke up, drank coffee, and read the paper. Midmorning, he took me out for breakfast. We went window shopping, then to the grocery store, then to Best Buy where he proceeded to buy a new freezer for us! Then back home, unloaded everything, and I started a chicken on to boil for chicken and dumplings while he set up the freezer. Then we went to our favorite little bar, and watched some football! Then back home again, finished up the chicken and dumplings, and ate.
We watched a little TV, then Tom went home to his apartment. But he’ll be moving in soon. His lease is up Dec 1.
I had the best birthday weekend EVER!
What a great way to say that. What else needs to be said?
I’ve had many very pleasant birthdays, but these two stand out in my memory:
On my 55th birthday, my mother-in-law died as I held her hand in the hospital.
On my 61st birthday, Trump was elected president.
My thirtieth birthday. My parents had put together a party and invited several friends of mine from the theater I volunteered at - including this really cool girl I was hanging out with. I believe it was then that our friends informed us that we were dating, and had been for about six months.
After twenty-three years, I’m beginning to believe them.
Haha, been there. It seems like everyone knew we were in love before we did.