Joyeux Anniversaire!

Tomorrow is my birthday.

I'm not one of those people who necessarily dreads their birthday. I actually enjoy celebrating. However, I do kind of cringe at the idea of getting older.

Not because it's scary.

Or because I haven't accomplished everything that I wanted to by this time.

Or because I'm afraid of aging.

But simply because I can't believe that hitting the age that I only ever imagined being.

I can still remember my favorite birthday celebration. It was my twenty first birthday that was celebrated in Lyon, France while I was studying abroad. My wonderful posse of friends planned an amazing surprise scavenger hunt that involved bar hopping. And when you turn twenty-one in a country with a drinking age of eighteen, and grew up in a country with a drinking age of twenty-one, it was a treat to ring in the milestone birthday!

And it wasn't because I got to drink all night. Because quite frankly, that night I spent hugging la toilette.

It was the thought and the care put into the evening. It was all the careful and meticulous planning by my friends. It was the amazing surprise and that everyone was able to keep secret. It was spending a wonderful evening with wonderful people, eating yummy food and getting adventurous with different kinds of drinks. It was about having fun with people I loved being with. It was the celebration. The jubilation. The feeling.

For the longest time, I had always dreamed of having a surprise birthday party. And for my milestone birthday, I received my wish!

I hope that I can bring that kind of celebration to my loved ones for years to come. Make it special. Make it memorable. Make it fun. It's part of my joie de vivre. Celebrating and expressing love to everyone who is meaningful in my life.

And tomorrow is my birthday.

I can't believe that epic anniversaire in France was six years ago. Sometimes I can remember it like it was just weeks ago.

And now I'm an adult. With a husband. And a house. And a fledgling small business. And a passion for helping others live the life they were meant to live. Little by little, inspiring others to discover what they love, and how they can make it happen.

I wouldn't have it any other way.


Joie de vivre. The joy of living.


This is my joy.


Merci a tous,
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