Happy Birthday Me!

September 30th: Happy Birthday Me!

Today I celebrate, not only myself, but all September babies and all Libra babies. So big shout out to all of you!  <– You won’t regret clicking that link.

Imma be doing all kinds of dope shit today! I hope that you join me from afar by getting outside, using your bodies, and jumping into a body of water.

I spoke to my one of my BFF’s today, we have been BFF’s for 26 years now – and she told me that I started my run & swim birthday ritual back in 2012. That’s the first full year I had back in the bay area after being away for a decade. It’s the first blog that I started. I just dug up my really amazing blog post commemorating my first annual birthday run & swim: see here. <– You won’t regret clicking on that link either. =D

Which means that I have been doing an outside adventure involving cardio and a plunge for 6 years now! Wow! I have been telling everyone that I have only done it 2 or 3 times… Guess I AM getting old. Discovering that I have been dedicated to this new tradition for six years now is deeply satisfying to me. I am really proud that I have stuck with it.

SO. Tonight, I pick up the parental unit (WAHOO!) and bring them back to our new place. Then we hit the town and rock out at an Ozomatli concert. Tomorrow, we will have breakfast before heading out to Saint Mary’s glacier. The whole family will hike to our own version of the polar bear swim!

It’s gonna be an icy dip!

After our hair-raising, bone-chilling rebirth, we’ll return home for hot chocolate, cake, and maybe some presents? Definitely candles. Then it’s time for beer and appetizers while we wait for our late night dinner reservation at Annette!

Finally, we will enjoy a Sunday morning brunch before saying “Au Revoir! Auf Wiedersehen! Adios!” to my mom and dad (it’s a double date weekend!) ACTUALLY, it doesn’t end there. Once JAC and I put in some hard working hours, we are continuing the celebration with Mr. Mills at Rheinhaus! He too, is a Libra baby, and we will party in ze German Haus for a wunderbar Sunday late afternoon party. Jawohl, WIR FEIERN!! <– seriously, these links are gold.

The real icing on the cake is the another BFF is coming to town Sunday night. Continue celebrating you say?! Don’t mind if we do.

A LOVELY SEPTEMBER TO YOU ALL, WILKOMMEN OKTOBER!

Cake & lederhosen for everybody, XOXO ❤ LB

 

Party Like It’s Your Birthday

September 21: We’re gonna party like it’s your birthday! Why? Because it’s my birthday month!

Count nine to ten months backward, where were we? New Years Eve, dats right! When all these fine folks were gettin’ it on and makin’ babies! And now here we are, thirty-one years later, celebrating every damn year.

My family is big on birthdays. A lot of people I know are really NOT into celebrating birthdays. They don’t like making a big deal about it, what’s all the fuss? Who cares? I care. And I’m gonna tell you why.

The people who don’t like or don’t care to celebrate their birthdays have given me pause on several occasions. Why do I like to celebrate bdays? Why is it important to me? What’s the value in it? Is it too individualistic? Is it a western thing? Does that matter?

A birthday of a loved one is important to me because you are you and you are here for a limited time. The chance of you being born as you is actually really small. Something stupid small and incredibly unlikely. You are a unique god damn flower. I love that you came into being just as you are on a particular day and time. I love that it offers us an opportunity to honor your special-ness and celebrate how alive you are. You have done so much in your time here! You’ve shared yourself with others and ultimately, you’ve shifted the course of the lives of those around you… So in some way or another, you’ve altered the course of the world. That’s kind of a big deal in my book.

We don’t often take the time to really think about how unique it is to exist in this moment in time. In this place. With these other people. We don’t often take the time to truly celebrate how far we’ve come.

I don’t think that life needs to be sunshine and roses all the time, but because shit can get so rough, I really want to cherish what we have to celebrate. And I get a kick out of celebrating the people that I love! In all big and small ways.

Three very very very special shout outs to 3 awesome September babies who have had awesome impacts on my life: Happy Birthday to Doreen, James, and My Mom! You are all such insanely wunderbar creatures! I am so glad to know you and share moments with you. I am celebrating you all month.

Party On Babies! XOXO ❤ LB

The Bachelorette

September 20: Plan and thoroughly prep for the bachelorette party I am coordinating.

This party is too classified at this point in time to write a detailed post about it.

So let me turn to you, world. What’s the craziest party you’ve ever been to? Has anyone ever thrown you a surprise party or organized an event in your honor? What was the greatest thing about it? What totally sucked and should have been left out completely?

I am working towards an experience that fosters bonding through the gentle pushing of boundaries that make you feel just a wee-bit vulnerable. The guests don’t know this.

For me (because that what it’s about right? Hm, maybe I shouldn’t be the one planning this…), it all goes back to intentions. Rites of passage, such as a wedding or bachelorette party need ceremony and tradition to cement them in time. Ceremonies state intentions and purpose. These rites of passage remind us why we are here in the first place, what we are committed to, and what to do when shit hits the fan. What intentions can you bring to the table to cultivate intimacy?

What makes an event unforgettable? Here’s my answer in someone else’s words:

At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel. – Maya Angelou

With feelings in mind, I am brainstorming all the things that we can do to curate an emotional response. And of course, those that create one hell of a good party.

Party On Sucka’s! XOXO ❤ LB

A Month of Desire

September 5: A month of desire.

Originally, I wrote down “Birthday Desires.” This day will allow time and space for developing my ideas and wishes for September 30th, the day of my birthday. But I like this title and the energy behind a month of desire. Because what is this whole “a task a day” for September really about?

It’s about desire. Some of the items are things that need to get done and have a lot of obligation along side them. However, the real root of each action stems from wanting something. For example, “#18 hang art” feels more like a chore than something I’m looking forward to. But the truth is that I love love love having art nicely hung art on the wall where I can gaze, glance, or stare at it all day long if I want to. I desire having a house with interesting art on the walls.

I have a balanced list comprised of items that need doing (set up guest room) and activities consisting of pure pleasure (schedule a massage). By completing each action every day, September will be month long celebration!

For my birthday, specifically, I have a ritual to undertake. The ritual consists of a physical activity of my choosing (often a run or a hike), followed by getting into a body of water. This will be my 4th annual birthday ritual. If I remember correctly, I have been surfing two years, one of the years was a run along a beach on the Oregon coast followed by a very icy plunge into the Pacific ocean! This year, I hope to be hiking in the mountains and jumping (naked?) into an alpine lake.

I was just offered free tickets to an Ozomatli show on Friday night and I will have family visiting. So it sounds like it will be a weekend full of good music and general merriment . My desires further include eating delicious food, sleeping in, and enjoying excellent company. As all of those are highly attainable and already falling into place, I’m looking forward to a month well-lived.

Cheers party people! XOXO ❤ LB