I know! I know! A business blog entry isn’t supposed to be about me. It’s supposed to be about helping, informing, and educating my target audience. Well, I’m informing you of my special day ideas, soooo, let’s get into it! 🙂
My Birthday Season
Many people celebrate their birthday on that day, that’s it, that’s all. Others celebrate for a week or a month. Not me. No way! My birthday is July 26th. During my birthday season, I become a social media posting pest, and I love it! 😀 Every July 1st, on my personal FB page, I inform my followers to hide, block, or delete me because MY BIRTHDAY SEASON is HERE! On my professional IG page, I’m a lot more subtle about putting the word out.
Since my teenage years, I’ve always loved MY BIRTHDAY! My parents didn’t shower me with gifts or anything. I was never a spoiled child. Yet, in my younger years, I saw a lot of death and attended many funerals of people I considered too young to die. Since then, my birthday has been my celebration of life. In my 30s, I kicked my celebration of life into high gear and, oh, the birthday season was born!
40 Items to Check Before 2026
On my 40th birthday, I created a list of 40 things to do and places to go before I turn 50. That was a personal, private list I never intended to share. Yet, because I try to outdo each year, why not!? Some of the items are checked off because, well, I’m not a boring person. 🙂
Since then, the list has been retitled, 40 Items to Check Before 2026. Why? Some of the items won’t be completed by my 50th birthday. I’m not short-changing or giving myself an out or an extension. I’m being realistic as I pay close attention to CA’s economy and the impact AI has and will have on my business. 😦 Also, some items will be completed in the post-birthday-season months of 2025.
Keep in mind, that I’m a simple person, so my list is simplistic. Thus, here we go.
Travel Plans
- Paris, France (check)
- London (check)
- Venice, Italy
- Rome
- Tuscany
- Almafi Coast
- Revisit Chicago (1st visit was before age 40)
- Revisit New York (1st visit was before age 40)
- Aruba (check)
- Jamaica (check)
- Amsterdam
- Singapore
- Dubai
- Aruba’s Soul Fest
- Toronto (going in 2024)
Food – I Love to Eat
- Octopus (check)
- Crossaint in Paris, France (missed opportunity 😦 )
- Squid ink pasta
- Handmade pasta by me
- Pepperoni pizza w/anchovies and pineapples
- Tomahawk steak by myself (the whole thing)
- Eat at every five-star steakhouse in Los Angeles County (I have a few more to go)
- Eat at every rooftop brunch in Los Angeles County (I have a few more to go)
Outings, Again, Not a Boring Person
- TMZ Tour of Hollywood (check)
- Celebrity Houses tour
- See a show at Moulin Rouge in France (check)
- Ride a gondola through the real Venice canals (not Venice, CA, or Las Vegas)
- Retry walking to the Hollywood sign (epic fail the first time before age 40)
- See the Barbie movie a second time (it was hilarious)
- See a Broadway show in New York
- Be in Times Square when the New Year ball drops
- Attend a tea in London (check)
- Interview Mary J. Blige with no restrictions
Personal Upgrades
- No car note
- Buy CA property
- Get married (this is a LONG SHOT 😀 )
- Grow my natural hair to the length of my bra strap (almost there!)
- Increase my business and revenue by 15%
- Learn to swim (back floating isn’t enough)
- Lose weight (another long shot because of food love)
Writing this out and posting it on my business website is a fun way to hold myself accountable. Now, it’s time to celebrate birthday 48th! I’ll be back on July 26, 2024, with a progress report. Wish me luck!
Writing Waves 