Yes, I’m a mom and a doting wife of over a decade. I’m also a full person outside of those roles and my gift to myself was to fulfill a long-time dream (swim in a cenote) and SLEEP BY MYSELF.
They brought us both sombreros to wear while they sang me happy birthday!
This was the first time I spent any serious amount of time away from my child for a fun reason. I left for almost two weeks last May for my biggest modeling job and recently due to my dad’s failing medical condition, but this time, it was different. Last year, I booked a hotel room just across the Bay Bridge in San Francisco for my birthday and that was nice. This year was even better, though.
Okay, the top 3 reasons I took this trip:
We did a one day excursion that started in Tulum where we learned about the Mayan village and saw some of the amazing history that still stands. Then we went to a cenote in Riviera Maya! And we ended the day here in Akumal to snorkel with sea turtles.
Not only did I sleep in but I also slept by the pool. We stayed at the Thompson in Playa del Carmen but the Main House, which is a bit tucked away. They also have a beach house right on the water! Here I am in a poolside cabana after taking a dip in the ocean.
Sunshine. Seriously. I can’t tell you the last time more parts of my body were tan, other than my hands and feet. I live in gorgeous Berkeley, California so it’s almost always sandals and light jacket weather. One of my main goals was to stock up on vitamin D. Truly thankful because I got back last night to cold, rainy weather and woke up to it, too.
Did I mention sleeping by myself? My kiddo is a biggish 4 year old and he’s still in our bed. Our bed is queen-sized. I am a tall plus-sized individual and my spouse is 6’2”. This is kinda rough? There’s nothing as luxurious to me in this stage of life than SLEEPING IN TBH.
3. When I did a reading with my friend and psychic earlier in the year, I had a vision of traveling and swimming in nature. It had been so long since I went anywhere warm and when I mentioned it, she said that fastest way to quantum shift our reality is to spend our birthdays somewhere we don’t live.
It was really fun to get dressed just because.
And you know what? I went and did another reading with another friend in November. I thought I was doing her a favor as she was going through a hard time and found that doing readings brought her some joy and peace. I didn’t know what to expect and she asked if I had a question before we began. I asked if it was a good idea to still go on a birthday trip and the cards were all practically screaming for me to go!
To be honest, things were really hard in 2023. I didn’t even know how I was going to afford a trip but like a week after my friend pulled a card that said something to the effect of I will have everything I need, I got an email that a modeling job client wanted to extend usage for 2 years, so I’m waiting on a pretty big, guaranteed paycheck!
I’m so thankful that I was able to ring in my 40th year this way. It almost didn’t happen also because I foolishly took my passport to get renewed in November without calculating the estimated 7 weeks it would take to get it back (it would’ve been past my birthday). Guess what? That shit came back in just 2!
Ashleigh and I had a lot of fun with fashion!
Let this be a sign to go on a trip just for you. Take a friend if you’d like but focus on yourself. My friend is one of the best people I’ve ever met, a professional traveler, and just the absolute coolest, most fun, and incredibly awesome (I can’t even count how many times I’ve farted in front of her.) She’s also super go with the flow and was committed to making sure I did everything I wanted. I am wealthy in love and friendship and definitely wept about it a little.
This was a really chill day spent mostly at the pool at our hotel with my current book in hand (yes, I read it in the pool and it was glorious).
Have you been on a solo trip lately? Ever? Would you? I can’t wait to make this a tradition.