Beautiful Birthday Blessings

September 17, 2013 | Los Angeles, CA – :”Life Is Not About Counting The Years… It’s About Making The Years Count”. This birthday year, just like every year, I had a lot to be thankful for. Among my blessings are all the beautiful friends, family, and loved ones I have in my circle… I look forward to continuing to grow it in the years to come.

This day last year I hit the ground running on my birthday by officially launching my company, J. S. BULLOCK & ASSOCIATES, LLC, after finishing my postdoc in Washington, DC. Some other highlights I am proud to share is that I then moved back across the country from DC to CA… took a cross country roadtrip with my mom over the holidays… flew back east to run the inaugural DC Nike Women’s Marathon after raising funds for cancer research with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS)…. won some new business contracts… delivered some inspirational keynote speeches across the country… was awarded a Visiting Scholar appointment at University of California at Berkeley to start my new international study and book… spent part of my summer in France and the French Riviera for business and pleasure (I even went paragliding over the Pyrennes Mountains!)… finished my children’s book, Am I Half Giraffe?, and found an illustrator to take it to the next level (book launch coming soon!)…plus so much in between.. I have literally been counting my blessings ever since, WHEW!

So this year, I decided to pre-celebrate my birthday a day early before heading out to Bay City, Michigan at NOLA’s – A Taste of New Orleans, a restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. NOLA’s was gracious to accommodate me and 20 of my girlfriends for brunch. The live music was wonderful, the food was equally amazing, and I even got serenaded by the lead singer in the band — a rather dapper 85+ year old jazz musician, ha!

Following this get together, I got on a plane and headed straight for Bay City, Michigan, where I relaxed and enjoyed doing everything my heart’s content. I thoroughly enjoyed taking a 12 mile run along the Riverwalk (though I believe this is where I eventually sprained my ankle, ouch!). All in all, I took the much needed time to think about what I had accomplished thus far, and all that I have ahead of me in the years to come.

For starters, I’ll be running a few more marathons, including the 2013 New York City Marathon and the 2014 Los Angeles Marathon in the coming months, including NYC and LA. My children’s book will finally be published and on the market. My company will be taking leaps and bounds, while simultaneously my academic and professional goals will be met, including chapters of my book written and published, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

So on that note, live it up people… life is way too short to wait passively on the sidelines. Onward!