33 and Thank You.

33 was one of the best birthdays ever.
It started with a simple intention to have a great time. God set the foundation with a beautiful day and Lawrence came out to help me celebrate.

We rented a car to get around the DMV. After breakfast at our favorite spot (where the waiter sang me happy birthday all by himself) we took a ride to Great Falls Park in Virginia. Talk about beautiful. The sites were magnificent. I hugged trees, and two elders named Trish and Patricia (pics to come), and said prayers of thanks to the waters.

It was the perfect place to reflect on gratitude. To think about all that God has allowed me to see and experience while here for the past 33 years. I'm grateful.

After taking that all in we took advantage of having the car and did some outlet shopping and ran local errands.

Later on that evening we headed to The National Harbor. There, I got to take a late night ride on a brightly lit Ferris wheel suspended over the water. That was a first for me. I got a chance to face and conquer some fears and to practice faith!

After coming down from the ride some friends joined us in celebration over dinner. The restaurant was a really nice place to bring the celebration to a close. We were surrounded by ornate life-sized statues of Buddha and beautiful Asian art in every corner of the place…including the bathrooms. The food was delightful, the conversation was fun, and I even got gifts to take home from the establishment.

Although I laid down at the end of the night all tuckered out from a full day of celebrating, to my surprise the birthday fun didn't stop there. It would actually last for a full week.

I traveled home on Friday to celebrate with my mom. Shortly after getting off the bus, my little sister surprised both of us with a date night. We got taken limo-style to the movies and to dinner and were even gifted again at Starbucks with free treats in honor of our birthdays.

The next few days I got to spend with my family. I took my baby niece to a play and got to hang out with my god-daughter and one of my best friends. On Sunday, I made it to church in the morning only to be welcomed home again with another celebratory dinner courtesy of my Mama. There was food and red velvet cupcakes and vegan chocolate bacon brownies. Talk about deelish…and talk about feeling special. I was truly surprised and really happy.

For the last leg of celebratory fun, I got to hang out with my college buddies and all the new babies and to attend the MAAFA with my older sister and mom.

As I recap these experiences on the morning of my return home to the DMV, I really give thanks. God blessed me and helped me make good on my intention to usher in 33 with joy.


A few weeks ago, I was challenged to take account of the things I'm grateful for. I'll end this post by sharing these things with you.

Thank You God for allowing/creating/gifting me with these:
Breath
Insight
Self-consciousness
Divine Grace
You
Humor, fun, laughter
Love
Being here on purpose
Family
friends
God working things out
Reality TV
Safety
Angels
Precious & Puma
Nieces
Inside jokes
Silence
Solitude
Company
Girlfriends
Being Me
Compassion
Family
My Mama & Siblings
Love
Clarity
Progress
God working things out for me in BIG ways ALL the time
Limbs to go out on
The opportunity to ask for help
Divinity
Grace
Peace in my spirit
Me
Release
Transformation
Courage
Moments to process and start over
Do overs
Unexpected Fun
Lawrence
Romantic partnership
Sleep
Noticeable improvements in my writing
Reclaiming my voice
Self-reflection
Birthday Plans
Companionship
Today