Why My Maine 40th Birthday Party Was Perfectly Imperfect

Turning 40 is supposed to be one of those monumental, huge, birthdays, but mine went from monumental to catastrophic in about 4 seconds flat. My sneaky but beautiful wife, Nelly threw me a surprise party.

She gathered family, friends, twinkle lights, and carrot cake all for me. She told me to put on a dress and be ready.  

Because of my 8 year old, Bentley, I knew exactly what she was doing because he can’t keep any secrets. So I went up to my closet and knew exactly which dress to choose. The one that has been waiting for an occasion to be shown off.

It’s my sisters, vintage Betsey Johnson floral dress that she had collected many years ago. Sadly, Katie never got to wear it, so I had to for my 40th birthday party.   

I felt so lucky, my former co-host Matt James arrived, you know, the guy I made magic with at 92 Moose before coming to 949HOM?

He arrived and my wife said, “Elizabeth, look” I turned and there he was, my big guy.

See, Matt and I haven’t really seen each other since my job change and I basically short-circuited. I hugged him and felt like the universe put us back together. My best friend Katie was there, my wife's family, my family, and most importantly my son, Bentley.   

We drank, danced, laughed and celebrated. Honestly, the night was rolling along perfectly.   

Carrot Cake, Chaos, and Turning 40

Then came the cake and it was my favorite you know, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. My son, carried it proudly to the porch almost like he was handling the Olympic torch. His smile was huge and as he came towards me, he wobbled and almost dropped it.

He saved it, and then, wobbled again.. And I grabbed it. But in all my wisdom, turned around and fumbled, dropping the cake. Face planting it into the ground.

Cue the gasps, screams, and then laughter. Bentley literally toppled backward, Matt freaked out, I screamed uncontrollably, and my wife like a champ, scrambled to save any of it.   

But Bentley in all of his wisdom and ever the showman, saved the day when he came out with a cupcake and a candle, leading everyone to sing again so I could make my wish. It was the second round of the song and he kept yelling “AGAIN” like it was a remix.   

And this is when it all sank in. 40 isn’t about perfection, my life has never been that. It’s all about love and laughing and showing up as your true self, always.

So my wish and promise for this milestone year is simple: that everyone around me always feels free to be themselves, no matter how embarrassed they are when their cake falls to the ground.