One thing about me is that I absolutely love birthdays. My birthday, my friend’s birthday, my mom’s birthday, a complete stranger’s birthday, you get the picture. Your birthday is the one day that your friends, family, work, gather round and try to make your day special. Not because of anything you did or anything you accomplished. Just for being alive. You did not do anything to deserve that celebration. All you did was exist long enough so that you could make it to another year. As simple as that sounds, it is the truth, and it is beautiful.

Of course, you can’t talk about birthdays without talking about gifts. This year, I loved one of my gifts so much I had to post about it. After listening to me ramble for over a year, my boyfriend, Austin, came up with the perfect gift for me. This gift combines two of my favorite things: pictures and immediate gratification. If you follow my Instagram you have already known what it is, and if you don’t, *shameless plug to follow me here.* You guessed it! It’s a Fujifilm Instax camera aka a polaroid.

Some of you might laugh, because this gift has it’s fair share of impracticality. It is not exactly cheap; nor is the film. Plus, smartphones have become so sophisticated that something about hearkening back to the 90’s for a camera says backwards and silly.

Well, you’re right. However, I have always been an advocate for the silly. Trust me I love my iPhone, but watching your photos print right before your eyes is not only convenient, but let’s face it, it’s fun.

After I opened my gift, Austin and I asked our waiter to take a picture of us. Returning the favor, we took a picture of our waiter and the waitress at the table next to us. We watched as they watched in awe as the picture printed. 

“Why don’t you keep it?” Austin, always the charmer, suggested.

She responded, “Really? Wow I feel like it’s my birthday or something.”

Cheers to that.

Fujifilm Instax