Every since I turned 30 last year, I have begun celebrating my birthday aka born day aka butt naked day all month long. I’m not sure if it is because I feel like I’m getting older or because people are alive one moment and literally dead the next. Sounds somber but because I have only one life to live, I want to live life to the fullest extent. I originally planned to be falling asleep to the sounds of an ocean on Carnival Cruise but quickly had to change my birthday plans. Hop aboard as I tell you about the major cities I traveled to while celebrating my birthday month; Down Town Los Angeles, Tijuana Mexico, Hollywood, Mexico City, and Gardena.
First stop- Andra Day Concert-DTLA- ETA 8:00pm
Andra Day is a new artist. I first saw her perform at the 2015 Special Olympics at the Coliseum in Los Angeles. At this show, she performed her famous single “I Rise”. I fell in love with her voice and after leaving the event I immediately searched the internet to find out who she was. When I saw that she was playing at the Belasco Theatre in Down Town Los Angeles, I knew that I had to see her live. I usually don’t go to concerts but I am glad I went because she put on a excellent concert. I also appreciated her style of dress, she wore a red satin jumpsuit and flat cheetah print shoes. I mention this because most artists don’t wear many clothes when performing. Her choice of clothes makes me realize that she is more focused on her vocals as a performing artist than sex appeal which is most appreciated.
2nd Stop-Diner en Blanc- Los Angeles- ETA 6:45pm
This was my first time attending Diner en Blanc, I had a wonderful time getting dressed in all white, eating dinner in the open air, and meeting new and old friends. Check out the blog post about my evening at Diner En Blanc LA.
3rd Stop-Love Jones Musical-Hollywood- ETA 8:00pm
I went to see the Love Jones Musical in Hollywood, the musical is based on the 1997 film Love Jones. The show had musical guests such as Chrisette Michelle, Music Soul Child, Marsha Ambrosius, MC Lyte, Raheem DeVaughn, and Dave Hollister. Check your local city to see if they are still performing.
4th Stop-Tijuana, Mexico- ETA Canceled
On my actual birthday, I woke up early and grabbed my free Grand Slam breakfast at Denny’s. I then proceeded to drive to Long Beach to catch a ride headed to Tijuana Mexico. Unfortunately 20 minutes into the trip, I realized that I left my passport on the kitchen table. We had to turn around and due to already running late I was unable to go to Tijuana. I could have gone home, grabbed the passport and driven by myself but I had to drive to Palmdale the day before and was not up for the solo ride. I was super bummed as I was really looking forward to eating tacos and spending time with my travel family. Instead, I decided to spend my day at church, Thanking God for another year of being alive.
5th Stop- Mexico City-ETA-Midnight Rescheduled 8:00am
I was excited for my vacation to Mexico City because my other planned trips did not go as expected. I boarded the American Airlines plane ready for take off but 20 minutes later was told we had to deplane. China Western Airlines ran into something on the runway and as a result of it not being able to move, my plane was unable to fly out as scheduled at 11:30 pm.We were rescheduled to leave at 8 am the next morning. This put a damper on my spirit because I had less than 72 hours in the city. I eventually arrived into the city and stayed at Ranchos Las Cascadas. I had a great time riding horses, receiving a massage eating and seeing waterfalls. I also went to the Aztec Pyramids, I must return to actually hike to the top but of course, I ran out of time.
6th & Final Stop Stop-Gardena, Ca, ETA 11:30am
In order to have a private sip and paint party, I attempted to gather 15 family members/ friends for a small fee of $35. The fee would include paint materials and I would provide food, desserts, and beverages. I put down a deposit of a $100 but decided to cancel the party due to the lack of commitment from my friends and family to pay the fee. Although I didn’t have a private party, I decided to go with two of my friends. We went to Joyful Expressions in Gardena Ca. We paid a brunch fee of $45 which included 1 waffle, 2 chicken wings, bottomless mimosas (I don’t drink so I kept my glass full with orange juice) and painting supplies.
Don’t forget to sign up for freebirthdaystuff.com and restaurants for birthday freebies. I was able to go El Pollo Inca, an Peruvian restaurant where I received a coupon for a free meal and drink. All meals come with rolls and soup. I absolutely love this place.
Free Birthday Dessert from Elephant Bar- Macadamia Nut Cookie with Vanilla ice cream topped with caramel sauce.
My birthday goal for next year is to sign up for as many places as possible and see how many freebies I can get in one day(some companies only allow free items on your actual birthday).
As you can see this birthday month has been filled with high and lows but I must admit the high points were really awesome. Thanks for boarding Tiffany’s birthday express train.
What fun! I never think about signing up for free things for my birthday, but I will next year.
Definitely sign up, any treats I can get for free, I’m down to receive them.
Happy Birthday! Looks like you have been doing all sorts of things to celebrate. Love that painting idea. I think I want to try to make one!
Thank you! Yes you should try it, they always have deals on groupon. This is my 3rd time going.
Well happy birthday lady! You did everything. I missed Dinner en blanc here in Atlanta. But I did see Love Jones the Musical and thought it was very cute! Glad you enjoyed your bday!
Thank you for the birthday greetings, much appreciated. I wonder how Atlanta Diner en Blanc was. Somebody in my travel group went to 4 of them in different cities and said she had a different experience at each one. Yes i enjoyed the singing in the musical.
Look like you had a blast and happy belated birthday!
My mouth is watering at the sight of the ice cream , oh yum!!!
Yes that ice cream was delicious, the warmness of the cookie and and coldness of the ice cream paired well together. Thanks for the birthday wishes.
You really had a blast on your birthday! I really need to step my game up when planning my birthday celebrations!
Yes i had a really good time. Yes treat yourself all month long. Sometimes we focus so much on others we forget about ourselves.
The artwork class looks like it was loads of fun. I also wanted to say Happy belated birthday! I wish you all the best this year.
Thank you for the birthday greetings! I love the painting class because you feel like a real artist afterwards.
It seems like you had a fabulous birthday month. I need to copy your style of celebrating birthdays for myself (lol). I love Andra Day and her music and I have to experience ‘Dinner en Blanc’ at least once. Happy Belated Birthday!
Thank you for the birthday wishes! Lol, yes go ahead and copy, i give myself any excuse to celebrate. Yes i feel like everybody should check out Diner en Blanc at least once for the experience.
Your posts make me so happy. You make me want to run out and hit the road. I’m glad you had a great trip.
LOL, thank you, glad i could put a smile on your face! Yes I had some bump in the roads but overall it was great.
You are living your life wonderfully, girl. Happy Belated birthday. I would have loved to see Andra Day.
Thank you so much for the birthday wishes. Yes you have got to see her live in concert one day!
Birthday GOALS! Goodness girl, you lived it up! If you haven’t already, you should put together a Mexicobtravel guide for the places you went and experiences you and ☺️❤️
Old World New
#birthdaygoals I love your name, its my grandmothers name and you don’t hear it very often. Yes I’ve already posted one post about mexico and will write another next week.
I see you had a fun filled bday! Live that life and yessss to the drag show!!!
I love your posts! You really do live a full life – I hope your birthday was fantastic!
Thank you so much, appreciate it! I try to live fully because you only live once!
I see you really lived it up for your birthday! All of the food that you posted looks so good!
Yes I tried to live it up, life is too short not to.. the food was delicious
Happy Birthday, Wow, it looks like you had an amazing time can we all get an invite for the next trip?
Thanks for the birthday greetings! Yes I already told your wife she is welcome to travel along with me.
Well, happy belated, darling! I loved Mexico City and I have actually never been to LA. It’s on my list. You’ve gotta go back and hike the pyramids. It was a workout but totally worth it.
Thanks for the birthday wishes! Yes i def want to to return in the summer, so much i didn’t get to see or do. Let me know if you ever make it to LA.