It will come as no surprise to you that I LOVE to celebrate my birthday.  And I do mean LOVE!  It might be my most favorite day of the year, in fact.  

It wasn’t always that way.  I remember very clearly a conversation I had with a very good friend and mentor of mine, Carolyn.  I’ve mentioned her before…she impacted my life in so many ways and here’s another example…  


We were working together and I was complaining how the guy I was dating at the time wasn’t planning the birthday (or type of birthday celebration) that I wanted.  And she stopped me almost mid sentence…(Carolyn never allowed for crap like that to come out of my mouth.)

“First of all, he’s not a mind reader and you need to tell him what you want when you do want something.  But more importantly this is YOUR birthday and the fact is, you plan exactly what you want for your birthday…you plan the celebration exactly as you envision it and invite those you want to celebrate with.  And those who love and care for you and want to celebrate with you will show and those who don’t, won’t.  And it’s not about analyzing who shows up and who doesn’t because the celebration is exactly what you want.  All you do is plan and invite and prepare to enjoy the celebration no matter what because that is all you can control.”

And from that day on, that’s exactly what I did.  I planned the celebration I wanted.  I invited whomever I wanted.  And I had fun no matter what.  

And if you knew me when I turned 40 (yes, I pretty much thought it was the end of the world), I had a celebration every single month.  I planned something BIG whether it was a trip or a suite at a baseball game….it didn’t matter what it was, I planned out all of the details, sent out the invites and had a blast no matter who showed up.  

And now this year.  Now this year, my birthday falls while we are on this Shelter in Place order…not what I planned on at all.  But quite frankly, I hadn’t made any firm plans yet, so I can hardly be disappointed.  But I do now….and that involves YOU!

National Deep Dish Pizza Day!

Now coincidently enough, my birthday falls on National Deep Dish Pizza day.  And being from Chicago, you know we know exactly how to do deep dish!  And if you have never been here or tried out deep dish, let me break it down for you.

Chicago’s Top 3

There are three main places where this is their claim to fame:

And boy, ask any Chicagoan their favorite and you will get a pretty passionate response for sure!

Now I am not crazed on my most favorite, but my least favorite….oh that’s easy!  Gino’s East is my least favorite deep dish pizza.  In high school, you went to Gino’s East because you can write on the walls of their restaurant so you know, we all had to go and write the token, “Vicki was here” on the wall or “Class of ’93”…you know all the important things!  LOL. But really, since high school, I have never gone back because it really is not very yummy.

Giordanos Pizza

Which brings me to the other two:  Lous and Giordanos.  Now there are times I truly crave one over the other.  But in reality, I don’t know that I have a true favorite between these two. Unless, of course, I know I am going to want dessert in which case, you have to have Lous because they have a deep dish chocolate chip cookie served with ice cream that is too good to pass up!  

Lou Malnatis Pizza

So, if you plan on visiting, then you need to find the closest Lous or Giordanos and try some delicious deep dish.  And if you are thinking no one is traveling in the near future, you’re in luck…both deliver frozen pizzas.  Now I will admit, not the same at all, but not bad either.  When I lived out west I was always happy when I received a frozen one.  

Birthday Party

Ok…so now that you are craving some Deep Dish Pizza….who wants to celebrate my birthday AND National Deep Dish Pizza day?  How fun is that!?

You’re officially invited. 

And what would my virtual birthday party be without any BUBBLY?!  We have teamed up with Kaiy from Stems in CA to host a virtual Bubbly and Pizza pairing party! Be sure to check them out and give them a follow on Instagram…I know I can’t wait to get the Bubbly Side team together and do one of these events in person.

Bubbly + Pizza Pairing

As you’re thinking about what to order or what to buy, here’s a great pairing guide for pizza.

  • Brut Sparkling – White Pizza 
  • Rosé Sparkling- BBQ Chicken or Pepperoni 
  • Semi Seco Sparkling -Margherita or Cheese Pizza

Bubbly + Cake Pairing

And what would a birthday party be without cake?  Here’s an awesome pairing guide for that.

  • Brut Sparkling – Red Velvet or Carrot Cake – something with cream cheese frosting 
  • Rosé Sparkling- Chocolate Cake or Dark Chocolate 
  • Semi Seco Sparkling – Vanilla/Vanilla Bean 

Here is the bubbly I will be tasting during the virtual party.


I can’t wait to celebrate my birthday with you! Pizza, bubbly, and virtual cheers…what more could a girl want?!

{Pizza pics taken from respective Instagram accounts, but go give them all a follow and you’ll always be craving pizza!}