A Birthday Post for Beanut

Good morning - hope everyone had a delightful weekend! Mine was lovely - filled with movies, which I shall recap for you tomorrow, so that’s something to look forward to :)

However, this weekend something far more momentous occurred - my darling little sister celebrated her birthday!

I cannot believe Bailey J is 24. Seems like only yesterday she was small enough for me to dress up in snazzy overalls and boss around. My, how time has flown!

In honor of Bay’s 24th birthday, I thought I’d dedicate a special post to her... so without further ado, please enjoy this list:

24 Things About Bailey!

1. Every single night since she was a toddler, Bailey sleeps with her pink teddy bear, Beary Bear.

2. From the ages of 14-18, Bailey refused to go to the doctor because she was “scared.” This may have had something to do with the fact that my mother once told us we were going to the mall, and after we eagerly hopped into the car, she drove us right to the pediatrician for shots. (Mind you, we were teenagers at the time.)

3. Bailey hates Las Vegas. The few times we’ve gone as a family, she takes the money my dad gives us for gambling and heads straight for the mall. She doesn’t understand how my mom and I can spend hours at the slot machines.

4. When she first moved to New York, it was to be an intern at Helmut Lang. She got promoted after SIX days!

5. Bailey doesn’t really eat carbs...

6. ...but bagels are her favorite food.

7. Her 2nd favorite food is spicy tuna. She eats it on everything - in salads, carpaccio, sushi, you name it.

8. From the ages of 3-5, Bailey would not leave the house unless she was wearing a pair of hot pink spandex shorts, which she called “Pink Pants.” We owned three pairs. She even wore them underneath dresses on Shabbat.

9. After standing in the sun for only minutes, Bailey gets freckles ALL over her face.

10. Whenever my sister sleeps in bed with me, she refuses to get up in the morning unless I scratch her back for a minimum of three minutes.

11. Bailey owns more sunglasses than anyone I know. She literally must have 100 pairs.

12. For months, Bailey could not decide whether or not to go to the University of Wisconsin or Boston University for college. She visited both and couldn’t make up her mind til a few weeks before the final deadline. She ended up a proud Badger!

13. As recently as a few years ago, Bailey was TERRIFIED of big dogs. She called them “horses” and would run away from them on the street. Now, however, she LOVES them and will go right up to one and pet it, no matter how big.

14. Speaking of dogs, Bailey and her boyfriend JM are planning on buying a bulldog in the next few months.

15. My sister is fond of “late-night eating.” When we go out (especially in New York!) she always convinces me to end the night with pizza, falafel, or in special cases, a Philly cheesesteak sandwich that she convinces a random guy to give her.

16. Bailey loves vintage clothing and jewelry and can find the best stuff in any secondhand clothing store of anyone I know, hands down.

17. I like to describe Bailey’s fashion as “designer hippie.” She will wake up and put on the strangest outfit in the world and make it look fabulous. She is also a big fan of the DIY look - and by that I mean she does not hesitate to cut or rip or shorten something in order to make her fashion vision come true. You will find literally dozens of things in Bailey’s closet with the hem torn or cut, or the sleeves ripped off, no matter how expensive or fancy the item of clothing.

18. Would you like a poached egg? Bailey can make you a perfect one!

19. Bailey spent the second semester of her junior year of college abroad in Australia. She came home with a great tan and a love for olives, which she had previously hated.

20. Speaking of Australia, while she was there, she BUNJEE JUMPED! To this day, I cannot watch the video without getting so anxious I nearly wet my pants. Can't believe she actually did it.)

21. Bailey spent every summer at Camp Ramah (while I stayed home and shopped with Mama) and came home every single year as an “uber-Jew”, meaning she would say the Shemah before bed and practice Israeli dancing with her friends. This always lasted about six weeks before she reverted back to normal (at least until the next summer).

22. Everyone in my family calls Bailey “Beanut the Peanut”, which is sometimes shortened to “Beanut” or “Beans.” This is because when she was little, she was the tiniest little thing who ran after me and copied me, no matter what I was doing. (This also led to her being nicknamed “Little Miss Me Too”, because no matter what I did, she would yell “ME TOO!”)

23. My sister HATES/DESPISES/ABHORS/SHUNS/DETESTS mushrooms of all kinds. If there is a mushroom on her plate, she will literally BURST into tears and cry until the offending fungus is removed. I have never met anyone who hates anything like she hates mushrooms.

24. Bailey has the best hair out of anyone I know!

Happy happy birthday to my little sister, my other half, my biggest fan, my fashion icon, and my best friend! I love you so much and hope you had an AMAZING birthday weekend!!!