Turning 31...

I turned 31 years old on Friday, February 13, 2009. It was a birthday I'll never forget, which got me thinking...

My family knows how to celebrate. It started with my parents who, shortly after they were married, began throwing annual "half yard parties" at their home in Tallmadge, Ohio. Together they had built the perfect party house, and these yearly traditions were the best way to celebrate their new life together with close friends. These parties were a bit crazy. Everyone dressed in costume and prizes were awarded throughout the evening based on game room skills and the ability to chug a half yard of beer. Unfortunately, these celebrations stopped shortly after I was born. I never attended one, but I was conceived just hours before one of these parties began. Does that count?

Fortunately, I grew up in that same house and was able to have some impressive parties of my own. I had a "sweet sixteen" birthday party where everyone wore poodle skirts and tight jeans. We had a rootbeer chugging contest, bubble gum blowing contest, twist and handjive content. It was a blast. When I turned 21, I had an Oscar-themed party and all my best friends came dressed as their favorite actor or character from a movie. We had a talent show and gave out little Oscar statuettes for the best performances. Last year, shortly after turning 30, I met those same best friends in New York City and we celebrated our birthdays together. It was great. But I must admit, celebrating our birthday as adults, wasn't quite the same.

As most of you already know, I'm not a shy person, especially when it comes to the spotlight. I really enjoy feeling special and feeling that way on your birthday is the absolute best! But, for some reason, I never really embraced my birthday as an adult. Most of the time, I was either working or away from home, unable to celebrate with the people who mattered most in my life. Every year, I would get really excited as the day drew near. But when it finally arrived, I would rarely tell people it was my birthday. So, I was usually disappointed. I guess I felt like exploiting my birthday was selfish. It's like a little child screaming "pay attention to me because I'm special!" After all, I'm not the only person in the world born on that day.

Ryan and I enjoying a morning beverage in Ensenada, MexicoBut this year was different. This year, I unintentionally had a birthday that was all mine, and I loved every minute of it. It was my husband's idea, and it was a surprise. He bought us tickets for a four day cruise on board the Carnival Elation. It was perfect. It began with an international phone call to my mom. I call her every year at my exact birth time, 11:02am eastern. We then spent our day touring the streets of Ensenada, Mexico. We ate authentic fish tacos, bartered for beautiful jewelry and ordered beer by the bucket. Man, I love Mexico! It's the only place in the world where you actually feel a sense of accomplishment after asking where the bathroom is, "Donde esta el bano?" A mariachi band even sang to me! Actually, the "Happy Birthday" song was sung to me FIVE times this year! How crazy is that? I guess they were making up for lost time...

Turning 31 has taught me some important life lessons. First and foremost, birthdays are a celebration of life. Don't ignore them. Millions of other people may share that day, but no one has lived your life, so embrace it. Second, it's ok to be a little selfish on your special day. Actually the thought of screaming "pay attention to me because I'm special" is now quite appealing, even therapeutic. The older I get, the less I care about what people think anyway.

So, next time you have a birthday, enjoy yourself. Forget about the number.
It's what you do with your time that's most important.