Enter the Glam Auntie Era: On Evolving Friendships and a Super Mario Birthday Bash
There’s a beautiful, unannounced shift that happens in your late twenties and early thirties.
The wild nights out begin to share the calendar with baby showers, and brunch conversations start to include teething and first steps. For me, 2025 has been the year I’ve lovingly stepped into what I can only describe as my Glam Auntie Era—and I am absolutely here for it.
My calendar has been joyfully dotted with these new, heartwarming adventures. This year, I’ve celebrated my nephew’s 100-day milestone, and I’ve had the sweetest, most fun-filled adventures / glamventures with Ashlyn (@thehassard) and Mike's precious baby, Crew, discovering the world again through his wide, curious eyes!
And last week, I dove headfirst down a green pipe into the world of Super Mario for a very special 5th birthday party.
Image was created by me with AI! This year I have been loving playing around with AI for photoediting / content creation
And last week, I dove headfirst down a green pipe into the world of Super Mario for a very special 5th birthday party.
The celebration was for Romario, the adorable son of my dear friend, Johanna. After two years of living in different countries, being able to finally wrap my arms around Johanna was a moment I had been looking forward to for so long. Meeting her beautiful family for the first time felt like closing a loop, connecting the friend I’ve known for years with the incredible life she has built. It’s a profound experience to witness your friends step into motherhood, and seeing Johanna in her element was nothing short of magical.
As someone who is still relatively new to the kids' birthday party circuit, I’ve found that our friend group, the @glamfriends.to squad, is embracing our new roles with open arms and, of course, a touch of glamour.
This isn't about leaving our old selves behind; it's about expanding our capacity for joy.
Little Romario was the absolute star of the show, and you know I had to embrace the theme with my whole heart! My interpretation? A modern-day Princess Peach, complete with a crown and a few props of my own. The day was a whirlwind of pure, chaotic joy. We spent the afternoon watching the kids' faces light up, and I can confirm that the bouncy castle was the main event. Princess Peach (yours truly) and my friend Ashlyn were heroically under attack by a very energetic army of five-year-olds—a battle we happily lost. The Super Mario-themed photobooth captured all the silly, candid moments in between.
But the real beauty of these gatherings is how they seamlessly blend two worlds. As evening fell and the little ones began to wind down, the party transitioned.
We played a hilariously competitive round of adult musical chairs, took a nighttime swim, and dared each other to try the infamous Beanboozle jelly beans (I was unlucky enough to get a shockingly realistic bandaid-flavored one!). We ended the night with sauna sessions and a super-intense game of Party Uno that brought out everyone's competitive side.
It was a perfect reminder that growing up doesn't mean the fun stops—it just means you add bouncy castles, musical chairs, and high-stakes Uno games to the mix. I’m so grateful for these reconnections that feel like no time has passed, and for the profound joy of watching our lives and our friendships evolve in ways we never could have expected.
JOJO, I know what it takes to put on a day like that, and you did it with so much grace!
Seeing you as a mom, so full of love and strength, is the most beautiful thing. So much love to you, little RoRo, and your entire fam jam.
With Love & Style,
Betty Lam