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Hi Reader, and happy Friday!

My birthday was yesterday! Even at 39, I remain one of those deeply committed people who believes birthdays deserve at least a week of celebration. Thankfully, AJ and the kids fully indulge me, and we love to make birthdays a big deal in our house!

I kicked things off earlier this week with some much-needed self-care: a massage followed by a blissful 30-minute sauna session where I read The Long Game. I’ve never experienced true nirvana, but I’m pretty sure sitting in a quiet sauna with a good book comes very close. I’m also stocked up on massage oil, candles, and more books on my Kindle for continuing the self care as we head into the weekend.

Last night, my mom and dad came over for my birthday tradition, lemon birthday cake. I’m not sure how it started, but I have incredibly fond memories of my grandmother, Baba, making me a homemade lemon cake every year. She’d travel with it like precious cargo, often cradling the cake stand in her lap on the Metro to make sure it arrived safely. We kept things simple and perfect: pizza from one of my favorite Charlotte spots, balloons, singing, and cake.

Tonight, I’m being treated to a night out at Customshop with a few friends, and tomorrow night it’s Mexican food and margaritas! AJ and I also celebrated just two of us a couple weeks ago with a delicious dinner at Rada, where we got to have some quiet, quality time which is rare for us in this season of life. (You can find many of these restaurants in my CLT restaurant guide!)

It probably comes as no surprise that I love centering my celebrations around food. I love food because it gives us flavor and nourishment, sure, but what I love most is the way food gathers people. Sharing meals, lingering at the table, celebrating milestones together. Food has always felt like one of the most natural expressions of community to me.

Aquarians (yep, I love astrology!) are often described as the ones with big ideas–restless, idealistic, who question systems and push back. We carry big thoughts, big feelings, and a stubborn belief that things could be better, even when the world insists otherwise.

I’m often labeled eccentric, strong, independent. What often gets overlooked, even by me, is how deeply I feel. I carry a tenderness that requires care, rest, and grace, especially now. I believe in community, collaboration and collective care. And in the quiet strength that can be found in the everyday acts of love: showing up, feeding people, getting out into my community, listening.

Another birthday feels less like a milestone and more like a quiet inventory — of what I’m holding, what I’m releasing, and who I’m becoming. Still unconventional. Still idealistic. But more grounded, more grateful, and more aware that love, especially the ordinary, everyday kind, is the most radical thing I’ve ever done.

This year, my intention is to offer myself the same care I give so freely to others: to rest without guilt, to ask for help without apology, and to trust that slowing down doesn’t mean I’ve stopped moving forward.

-Chrissie

PS: if you’re making food for the Bad Bunny concert this weekend (I hear there is a football game, too), this game day recipes guide will make you the hit of your watch party, I promise.

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