Unbirthday Girl


The girl looks so much like Alice, it's rather fitting that this year, Kasey's birthday mirrored a chapter from Lewis Carroll's fantastical tale. To start, the fact she was born near midnight in the states, and currently resides in the UK, means that the actual anniversary of her birth comes a day later here than it would at home. It's like a variation on that Chicago song "Does anyone really know what time it is?" "Does anyone really know what day Kasey's birthday is when she's in England?" To address this conundrum, we dubbed both the 19th and 20th days of celebration. But frankly, neither one felt quite right. I can only imagine what it's like for those poor souls born on the last day of February in a leap year.

Rather unwittingly, the theme chosen for her birthday soiree was "Mad Tea," with a color scheme befitting none of than the Red Queen. Tea-lights dotted the room and a teatime banquet was tiered on the table. Tiny curried chicken and egg salad sandwiches were cut into stars and other whimsical shapes. Bowls proffered strawberries, pink and white marshmallows, and, mostly as a question mark, gummy bananas and shrimp, a uniquely British (and utterly odd) candy combo.



Of course at the heart of every proper tea, and certainly every birthday, is a bit of cake. We made ours the crowning point. Kasey and I spent the afternoon creating two delightful confections; a dense, fudgy, chocolate-morsel-spiked cupcake, doubled in weight by a thick swirl of peanut butter frosting, and a buttery white sponge, fragrant with vanilla, fancifully frosted with a sweet buttercream. It was remarked that we'd outdone even the esteemed Hummingbird bakery.





But no birthday claiming parallels with Wonderland could rightfully do so without a bevy of outlandish characters, and (for better or worse) there wasn't an ordinary pawn among us.

The larger-than-life personalities who made up the guest list all attend fashion school with Kasey. Each girl hails from a different country, and it's quite apparent they're all accustomed to being queen. Put all of these abnormally pretty, unusually outspoken, and maniacally styled individuals in the same room and you have a curiously mad birthday tea party indeed.







"Make a wish!" (followed by an abundance of suggestions).








Kasey looking like her sexy Alice self, and me, chiming in as something of the Door Mouse, as we dance to Gnarls Barkley.





Maybe I'm crazy
Maybe you're crazy
Maybe we're crazy
Probably!















"Off with your heads!" No, actually the giant Alice is just insisting that everyone get up and dance!







"K" is for Kasey and for Kiehl's products proclaiming "WEAR ME!"
She's thrilled to oblige.

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