Every few years, around my birthday, I have a meltdown. I had a meltdown at 24, 27 and 30. I think I have trouble with leaving certain ages (early twenties, mid twenties, late twenties). BUT this Birthday was exceptionally magical!Â
I forgot I was turning 30 until about May when I was like "Oh, my birthday is in a couple months," then I was like "Oh shit." Although I've heard nothing but good things about being 30, I knew this year was going to be a meltdown year. I cried about it, complained about, felt like I had nothing going for me. But after a while I finally started to accept it. I started to embrace it. Then came the time to think about what I wanted to do...this is a big birthday and I wanted to make it a big deal. CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME! I told Rob I wanted to spend it in my favorite place with some of my favorite people. He happily agreed and so did my sister! So we booked our flight and headed to the Golden State.Â
We spent the first day soaking up the ocean air at San Clemente beach. I love beach towns. The shops, the houses, the smell. They're such a great escape. San Clemente is located in South Orange County and it's a small, charming city. Everything you need is literally steps from the ocean. I very rarely make it to the beach because it's kind of a hassle to make happen, but I wanted to throw a little bit of all the best things that make California amazing into this trip so we made the trek!Â
After the beach, the shenanigans began! ​
Birthday dinner at Splitzville in Downtown Disney:
I partnered up with Splitsville to share the amazing bowling and bar atmosphere they offer! It was honestly SO much fun and everyone made it so magical! Splitsville is a newer bar/restaurant that opened up in Downtown Disney in March 2018. It offers live music, unique bowling experiences, a full bar and amazing food. It really was the perfect place to have a birthday party and a good time! They easily accommodated our party of 13 and even allowed us to have balloons. The manager and our server went above and beyond to make sure we had the best time ever. They were absolutely amazing! Definitely check out Splitsville if you ever get the chance!Â
Sunday, July 29th, MY BIRTHDAY!:
Of course I spent the day at the happiest place on earth, DISNEYLAND! I know, I know. There are so many other places for an adult to celebrate their 30th birthday...but I was already in California so I might as well make it more magical. And even better...my sister and husband were with me! I could not have been happier. My sister doesn't get to go to Disneyland as often as we do so this was a very big deal for me! We had SO much fun. I felt like the people in Disneyland commercials. Happy, free and ecstatic! We got Maxpass so we could get as much in as possible, and by the end of the night we were able to get every ride done and watch the fireworks!
AND that's not all, there was some unexpected extra magic thrown in there! Thanks to some very sweet friends who also went above and beyond to make my birthday a little more magical...We got to experience the lounge at Club 33 and it was AMAZING!
A day in LA:
If you have been following my adventures for a while you know my heart loves LA more than anything. It's where I'm from, so it's home! I definitely wanted to make sure I got to spend time in my favorite west coast city on this trip. I googled where to take photos and went to new places! First up was the Carrera Cafe. A darling cafe located in Beverly hills right off Melrose Ave. This cafe is unique because you can actually design your own latte art on hot or iced coffee! You can even upload photos of your self, dog, anything. I chose the classic 'I Heart LA'.Â
After we got coffee, we wandered to other parts of LA. I've been dying to the "Made in LA"Â wall and the Beverly Hills Hotel! And luckily they were within 15 minutes of each other! I was in love with how much street art is in this town. You can look in every direction and see something cool! I'm a huge sucker for fun walls, and LA is the place for all the wall photo ops, I was in heaven!Â
We tried to attempt Hollywood, but if you know California and its traffic and was damn near impossible for the time we went. Hubby and I are pass holders at Universal Studios, we actually ended up at City Walk (free parking with pass before 6pm), an outdoor shopping center with great dining places and entertainment! It's a great place to get a drink while waiting for the traffic to die out!
Our last day, we went to Downtown Disney and roamed Long beach until it was time to leave. I hate leaving so much!
I want to give a huge thank you to Motel 6 Anaheim Maingate for being so accommodating. They were able to give us a fridge last minute and even upgraded us to a room with a firework view! Watching Disneyland fireworks in your pajamas is definitely something you should do at least once. I'm so happy I was able to spend my 30th birthday in California and spend time with close family and friends. I'm hoping someday soon I will be back in CA as a local, but until then, lots of vacations and making memories will have to do!Â
