Here at Southgate Coins, the month of May is full of birthdays. We have celebrated Maya’s birthday, Rusty’s birthday, and now Nicole’s! We started this month off by heading up to South Lake Tahoe for an unforgettable birthday dinner for all three May babies at the 18th-floor steakhouse at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe—Friday’s Station. Now, we are finishing the month off with Nicole’s birthday celebration.
Being new here at Southgate Coins, I have helped to decorate for the other’s birthdays, but for Nicole’s, I was given the honor of picking out cutesy flowers and balloons to present to her on her birthday. I chose purple chrysanthemums and a purple and blue butterfly balloon. When Nicole received them the first thing she exclaimed to me was, “When I was little, I was determined to name my daughter Chrysanthemum!” I then knew that I had officially succeeded in my duties as flower-picker.
This time, the party kicked off with a birthday song by the Beatles, which I had never heard before. I came to find out that Rusty has a whole assortment of birthday songs for these events, and I was surprised that I’d never heard the Beatles’ birthday song—it was so cute!
Rusty and Marie always outdo themselves for any special occasion and this one proved to be no different. The cake they chose was incredible: from bottom to top, the first layer was graham-cracker crusted white cake with cheesecake ice cream, the second layer was raspberry-filled white cake with birthday cake ice cream (complete with confetti sprinkles inside), and the outside was frosted in white and decorated with delicious raspberries. Everyone practically licked their plates clean!
In addition to the cake, we presented Nicole with her fancy, decorated birthday card, complete with our heartfelt sentiments for her on this occasion. It had a pair of gorgeous “Nicole” eyes on the envelope, which Rusty picked out.
Overall, the four of us had a blast preparing this special celebration for Nicole and we wish her the absolute best in life. Happy 23rd birthday, Nicole! Here’s Maya with her take on the party.
Thanks, Emily.
It is very bittersweet that this will be the last birthday Nicole celebrates at Southgate Coins. I (Maya) have been here for all five of her birthdays at the store, and have watched Nicole grow from the bouncy blonde we hired, to the more mature, sophisticated (and still blonde) young woman I call my friend today. I remember talking with her about “when she turns 21,” and how big of a deal it was to hit some of the major milestones in her life—getting a new car, graduating from college, etc. Now, Nicole is opening another chapter in her life, and we at Southgate are left at the cliffhanger, wondering how she will grow and change from this moment on.
Southgate Coins employees take a break from buying and selling rare coins, currency, and bullion and eat birthday cake in honor of Nicole
I hope that you have a wonderful 23rd birthday, Nicole, and that everything works out for you and your upcoming, life-changing plans. I’m so happy I was able to share your birthday with you this year, and that we’ve been able to share the past four and a half years on the job together. And I know everyone else at Southgate feels the same.
We all love you and will miss you when you leave to Texas. But for now, we wish you the very best birthday possible!
Emily and Maya