The Head and The Heart Vol. 12

Birthdays + Sequin Pants + Champagne

Celebrating All Month Long

I’m a big believer in celebrating birthdays all month long! Typically I pack my January calendar with happy hours and lunches and friend meet ups to celebrate…me! It’s also a welcome bright spot in the winter, as the hangover from the holidays can easily lull me into a SAD state.

This year, my birthday month was still full of celebration but it looked more like friends picking me up for lunch and sitting in a dark, quiet corner of a restaurant. Or having friends over for an afternoon coffee or tea so I would have time for my scheduled afternoon brain rest.

To kick off my birthday week, I had a doctor appointment. This appointment was with my physician who will help guide me through the laundry list of next steps following my ICU stay. I was hooked up to machines 24/7 and getting bloodwork drawn around the clock to manage my current state, but also inform future state and understand past state.

Next steps included some testing with a rheumatologist (which I’ve learned is nearly impossible to get into) and monitoring my heart for a few weeks. There were a couple of times during my ICU stay where I’d roll over in bed and wake up to all the heart monitors beeping, followed by a crew of nurses and doctors running into my room. Confused why they looked so concerned, I learned that I occasionally have an irregular heart rhythm. An echocardiogram would later detail that everything appears to be normal, but erring on the side of caution, a heart monitor was recommended.

In the spirit of celebrating every win, we stopped for our first happy hour at my friend’s bar, A Bar Of Their Own, Minnesota’s first sports bar dedicated exclusively to women’s sports!

The birthday celebrations continued while my mom and sister were in town (and were able to watch Raine). After Hans wrapped up a Timberwolves game, I caught a cab and met him at our favorite restaurant, Fhima’s (for a 5pm dinner reservation), and ordered my favorite meal. We stumbled across Fhima’s during one of our first datenights out post 2020 and it’s been our best kept secret. We’ve become frequent flyers as we love to stop in for dinner or drinks before a Timberwolves game.*

We’ve gotten to know some of the staff who welcome us (and I’m sure, every other patron alike) with open arms, especially after my eventful few months. They also gave me a special birthday treat! The perfect way to kick off my birthday week.

Sequin Pants + Rest as Celebration

On my actual birthday, Raine took me to lunch at a diner down the street. Next we ventured downtown for a staycation at our favorite hotel. Dinner + Brunch + Sauna was the perfect relaxing combo.

While this celebration was focused on rest, I still felt exhausted the rest of the weekend. A fellow TBI (traumatic brain injury) friend recently reminded me that even though I have days where I feel fully energized, excited, engaged, and awake, the following day could bring a rise of recovery symptoms. This rhythm is frustrating but expected and a good reminder that my body and brain still need continued and additional rest.

Maybe it’s my age or perhaps it’s surviving a brain aneurysm, but whatever it is, I’ve decided I’m wearing sequin pants any chance I can.

The rest of the weekend was slow and restful. We went for a few family walks, ordered pizza, and had a family movie night watching Frozen (for the first time)!

My favorite scene, for obvious reasons!

To wrap up the celebrations, my Nestingen family treated me to a day full of my favorite things: cheesecake and champagne.

The dress code (per my request) was dress to impress!

Here’s to a new year of good and full things! And wearing sequin pants any chance I get.

Thanks for your continued love and support.

XO,

R

*If you were surprised to see me mention sports TWICE in this post, I don’t blame you. I surprised myself. Over the years, Hans has leaned into going musicals with me and I’ve leaned into (and genuinely love) going to basketball games with him!