Flirty 30 – Birthday Post

My close friends and family know that I love birthdays!!  I believe birthdays are to be celebrated!  It’s different for everyone, but for me that entails not stepping foot near a “9 to 5” and going on a vacation.  Last year, I went to Grenada to ring in 29.  This year, I decided to remain local to allocate more funds towards my real estate goals.  But that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to celebrate!!

Since last year, I told my friend, Damion of DRoye Photography that I wanted to do a photo shoot, and not just any shoot – I wanted to do a cake smash shoot!  A classy cake smash though!  If I was getting my make-up done, there was no way on earth I would be putting cake all over my face!  

Because I went to Greenz for my birthday last year, I didn’t do the shoot, and I figured I’d rather do it for a milestone birthday anyway.  I don’t know if he believed me or not, but he quickly realized I was serious when I mentioned it again for my upcoming birthday.

I was super excited to do this shoot, and it was one of the main reasons I was so focused on sticking to my exercise/food regimen.  I didn’t reach my goals persay, but I felt good with what I accomplished, and that’s all that matters!  I’ve never been in front of a professional camera before, as I prefer to remain behind the scenes.  So I was a tad nervous, but down for the challenge.  I pictured balloons, cake, wine, a “Things I Love” board, and a dope crown for my crown of locs.  What I didn’t anticipate was the amount of WORK it would take to bring this vision to fruition because I absolutely LOVE to overanalyze (but I’m working on that).

As I went through the process of preparing for the shoot, it took me weeks to figure out an outfit only to realize that nothing I came across gave me that YASSSS feeling.  After some time, I recalled a conversation I had with Damion, when he said he wanted to take me out of my comfort zone, and suggested that I wear a tutu. 

Immediately, I said “Excuse me?? SIKE – not me!”  

LOL, but then as push came to shove, time was getting closer, and I continued to look to my Pinterest board for inspo, I realized the tutu idea wouldn’t be tooooo bad.  But, it would have to be to my liking.  Thus, I decided to make it myself.  And I am HELLA PROUD of my tutu!  💁🏿I surprised myself – it came out better than I thought it would!  I haven’t found an occasion where I can throw it on again, but it’s been a nice “wear around the house” skirt for now.

I thoroughly enjoyed my 30th birthday – from beginning to end.

I can’t say that I feel much different.  I, like most people, had some grand plan laid out for my life starting from the time I turned 18. It’s always been more business-related than marriage/baby/family-related for me though.  I’ve never put an age on when I should be married or have a baby, as I believe there is more to life than that.  But life doesn’t always go according to OUR plan, and I’ve learned to be content with that and go according to God’s plan.  With 30 approaching, I felt a bit of urgency kick in regarding my business plans, and I’ve taken time to really reflect upon what I’ve accomplished and what I’ve also slacked on (thus the creation of this blog). 

Maybe I’m still in shock that I’ve survived THREE whole decades and am still in good health, have all my senses, basic necessities, and have always been shielded throughout my daily commute.  Overall, I’m beyond grateful to God for keeping me this long, as I’ve seen that you can be here one day and gone tomorrow.  It’s one of the reasons I strongly believe that people should do what makes THEM happy. 

Why live for others or in fear of what others will think??  What people think of me is absolutely none of my business!

I live for myself and my family, ensure that my life is pleasing to God and that I have fun in the process.  I will always help/serve others where I can, but I’ve learned and still am learning to use wisdom and gain insight not only from my past experiences, but observe and learn from the experiences of others as well.  Over the past year, I’ve become more aware of my mental health.  Ensuring that I have peace of mind has become more important to me.  Life is simply too short to stress anyone who isn’t paying my bills (and no one is…) 🙃

Shoutout to my Yardie for dealing with me throughout the process of this shoot and helping me bring it to life.  Please check him out if you need photography for any of your events.  Shoutout to my friend Tanica from Tanica Davis Artistry for enhancing my already gorgeous melanin!!  Visit her if you are looking for some lovely clean beauty!  Trust me when I tell you I would’ve stared at myself in the mirror ALL DAY LONG if you let me.  And special thanks to my sister for helping me while on set of the shoot.  

In honor of this 30th year of life, here are 30 random facts about me:

1. One of my pet peeves is when people spell my name wrong.

2. I love love LOVEEEE to travel!!

3. Video production is my passion.  I often find myself telling the person next to me (who doesn’t really care) about how much I like a certain angle or shot.

4. I became an aunt in 2017 (Heyyyy Daniel & David).

5. I love guacamole, mushrooms, and mangos (not necessarily together).

6. If you sneeze/cough within 10 feet of me without covering your mouth properly, I will most definitely look at you like you’re crazy.  (I’ll still say “Bless You” though).

7. I can build/do anything I put my mind to…from building a photo stand from scratch out of PVC pipe to making a tutu to building a bookshelf from leftover wood.

8. If I miss the first 2.5 minutes of a show, I can no longer watch it.  I have to watch it in its entirety on a different day.

9. I am obsessed with soca and love dancing to it by myself in my house.

10. I will NEVER get tired of seeing Machel Montano in concert.

11. I LOVE Chick-Fil-A and if they ever put a location in Brooklyn, please pray for my bank account.

12. My favorite R&B artist is Brandy, but I never saw her perform live until May 2017.

13. I must start every day with gospel music.

14. I know how to float, but I don’t know how to swim.

15. I was on my high school and college step teams.

16. I love making people look good on camera, and get a high from being on any video set.

17. I won’t go very far into any open body of water unless my mother is nearby.

18. Nothing terrifies me more than knowing I’ll have to give birth and push a child out of MY body one day (probably why having a baby has never been too high a priority for me – I’ll honestly probably cry EVERY SINGLE DAY until the day I give birth because I know what is to come).

19. Learning to play the piano, learning how to whistle, and becoming fluent in Spanish are a few items on my bucket list.

20. I hate cheese, but eat cheeseburgers and always need a sprinkle of goat cheese in my salads.

21. I’ve never been in a physical fight.

22. My parents put my siblings and I in karate when we were younger.  I hated it, but now wished I stayed in it simply for the discipline factor.

23. I will ALWAYS look to support a Black business before I look elsewhere.

24. If you don’t say “Thank You” when I’m leaving your business establishment that I spent my hard-earned coins in, I’m never stepping foot in it again.

25. I took trumpet lessons as a child.

26. Many people think I’m rude at first glance.

27. I was a baton twirler for the Girl Scouts and performed in several NYC parades.

28. I never had a job in my field after college, thus my video production company, Chantal Jones Productions, was born.

29. I’m highly annoyed when someone asks for a ride, and I end up having to wait 4+ minutes for them to come out.

30. I don’t like to retwist my hair myself because it takes me a minimum of 3 hours to do it.