​You know those stereotypes that say most kids don’t want to spend time with their mom, let alone go on vacation with them? That’s not my family. After partying it up Paris-style, I boarded a plane to Greece to meet up with my mom and sister, Lesley, who were celebrating 60th and 30th birthday respectively or, as the nerd in me would like to call it, the “half-life” birthday trip. When your family that has been 6,937 kilometers away is going to be on the same continent, of course you crash their vacation!

​My friend Debbie knows how to turn forty. She invited friends from around the world to descend on Paris for a birthday extravaganza in her honour. I mean who doesn’t want to hang out with a lady who is inspired enough to roll out the red carpet for herself and strut into her next decade with some sass.  Milestones deserve to be celebrated. I celebrated my 20th birthday in a hostel in Paris during my summer-long backpacking trip and I rang in my dirty thirties with a down-the-rabbit-hole themed Alice in Wonderland  party so I know a thing or two about kicking off new decades. But Debbie took it to another level and I've decided that instead of waiting for decade milestones, I think we need to enter every year with spirit and sass.  ​