30 DAYS OF NYC MEMORIES – DAY 8: ROCKIN ROLLER SK8N 30th BDAY PARTY

Today is my Birthday and I am 31 years old. You heard that right! THIRTY-FREAKING-ONE!

I always say that I am looking forward to being 35. I’m in no rush to get there of course, but I just feel that’s when I will look and feel my best. I’m not a big fan of throwing big events to celebrate the day of my birth, and I feel that my parents should be the ones celebrated since they did all the work! I much prefer to casually meet with different friends throughout the weekend/week/month/year/etc than have some big brouhaha where I barely get to speak to anyone. I love to reflect on the years that have passed and where this life journey has brought me so far.

This years birthday is particularly special as this upcoming year is going to bring about lots of change. Moving to a new city and getting married are of course at the top of the list when it comes to major changes, but I’m also excited for the little and subtle changes: From meeting new friends and exploring what Charlotte has to offer to driving through the smokey mountains and visiting one of my favorite places on earth, Dollywood. It will all be a new adventure and I couldn’t be more excited!

So now, enough of the present and lets get to the past! Last year, for the big 3-0, Tommy managed to throw me a surprise party like nothing I could have ever expected. Under the guise of dinner with our friend Carrie at the restaurant owned by “Big Ang” (of Mob Wives fame) I gave up control and allowed them to transport me to…..wait for it………Staten Island. As we pulled through what looked like the sketchiest place in America, we turned a corner and I saw no restaurant, but a large glowing sign that said “ROLLER SKATING RINK”.

Now, this should have been something that thrilled me. SHOULD have been. But I was not pleased.

I should first explain myself: I was a competitive roller skater for 10 years. I have been talking about going skating for probably the last 4 and still have my skates from when I competing. We are FINALLY at a roller rink and Tommy couldn’t even tell me so I could bring my professional skates and is going to make me WEAR RENTALS?! AHHHH! Not to mention I was in completely the wrong outfit. So. Gay.

Ok ok, I’m a liiiiittle dramatic sometimes! Sue me. No, wait, don’t.

So I enter the rink with Tommy and Carrie and our friend Lindsey telling myself “Matt, get over it and make the best of it”. I get my (sigh) rentals and immediately miss the ankle support. I get up, embarrassingly a little shaky at first for a 4 time national champion (blame the skates), and I start to skate towards the main rink area. As I glide forward, I notice a party set up to the left in the corner. “Wow, that’s cool that you can get food and rent this place for parties” I thought to myself, which is funny because growing up at the skating rink, there were always parties going down.

I glance over at the lucky party goers and realize that I know some of those people. WAIT, I KNOW ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE! WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON?!

And then I got what was really going on and any sort of ego concerns about wearing rentals went right out of my head. Tommy then tells me “We have food and there is a full bar”. Oh damn, he really is the man of my freaking dreams.

The evening was full of skating, food, and friends, and I was overwhelmed by fact that people trekked all the way out to Staten Island to be there. At the head of this amazing event, was my soon to be Husband Tommy, who knows me so well he knew the perfect party to throw me and made it a surprised because he also knew me well enough to know I would think it was too much. It’s a memory, and a birthday, I will never forget.