Can you believe we’re almost one month into the new year already?! So far, my 2020 is pretty awesome. And I know this is going to be an overall amazing year.

First up, my birthday.

Yep, January is my birthday month. Garnet birthstone, carnation flower, and Capricorn star sign.

I try to celebrate as much as possible. I am not one of those people who try to downplay or forget my birthday. I’m proud of my journey this far and I want to celebrate it.

So bring on the cake!

As I usually do, I celebrate my birthday by hosting a fundraiser for an organization. This year I once again chose St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. St. Jude is an amazing organization that does wonderful work.

If you’d like to help me celebrate by donating, you can find my fundraising page here.

In continuation of my birthday festivities, my office had a mini-celebration on January 9 with a delicious fruit tart. (I sadly didn’t get a photo of it before we devoured it.)

January 10 saw the Wolf moon along with a penumbral lunar eclipse (although we didn’t get to see it here). And while not falling exactly on my birthday, the full moon was still pretty darn cool.

On my special day, I received loads of well wishes and birthday cheers from friends around the world. I really felt all the love sent to me through cards and messages. And I hope to keep spreading that joy by sending it out throughout the rest of the year.

Next up was my epic birthday holiday.

Last year on my birthday, I sat at home stress eating because of the furlough. This year I opted to make up for that. So last week, I went with one of my dearest friends to the UK to visit some lovely friends. That’s right, we went to

My trans-Atlantic birthday trip was epic! We had a ton of fun in London. Such an awesome city (and a city that can be classified as a forest.) Check back this weekend when I post my “must-see in London” suggestions.

But this year is just getting started. There are still 11 more months to go!

February will see more local adventures (plans so far are to go to the Seattle Aquarium and Victoria, British Columbia to see Butchart Gardens).

Then my next big adventure will be my move to Japan!

Yes, sometime this spring, I’m packing my house and moving across the Pacific Ocean to Okinawa, Japan.

To prepare, one of my tasks is to learn Japanese. This in itself is an adventure since it involves learning an entirely new alphabet system.

I’m also plotting out potential adventures once I’m in Okinawa. The only Asian country I’ve ever traveled to is the Philippines. My Pacific-travel wish list is fairly long and even includes Tahiti, Australia, and New Zealand. So much to see!

As for my 2020 book goal, I’ve started off strong. I’ve already read 13 books this year (4 of those were audiobooks). My fave so far is Leia: Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray. You can see my full review here on Goodreads.

2020 has started out super positive and upbeat. I will carry all this positivity from one month to the next in order to make 2020 the best year yet. Here’s to having an awesome new year!