I’ve been teasing about this in my weekly updates for a while now, but it’s time to share all of the plans for my Celebrate 55 birthday week extravaganza! (Ok, extravaganza is a bit much, but it’s a vibe).

But first, some backstory:

I have always loved my birthday and wanted it to be special, but aside from two very specific adult birthdays, I’m the only one who has ever done anything for my birthday, usually a lunch out or a trip to the movies. I’ve secretly always wanted someone to throw me a surprise party, but at this point in my life, I don’t think that will ever happen. The last several years have been rough. My mental health has been really bad and I’ve had a lot of SI. It doesn’t help that I’ve been out of work for the last couple of years and am struggling to find a job. I had pretty much given up on life and have been holding on for mom.

But then, the dates were announced for this year’s Dewey’s 24-Hour Reverse Readathon, and it was a sign or a spark. The readathon is the weekend before my birthday, and I joked when I saw the date that it could be the kickoff for my birthday week. At the time, I didn’t really think I would do a birthday week. Or really anything for my birthday at all. But then I remembered that I’m turning 55, and I spent my 50th birthday taking my mom to appointments and not celebrating at all. So I impulsively decided to go all in and celebrate my birthday for the entire week with themed days, decorations, and fun food. And it’s made me feel energized and excited for the first time in a very long while. I’m actually thinking about the future, about what comes after. So while this whole thing feels a little silly, it’s really bigger than that.

So that brings me to the event itself! Obviously, I can’t do a big party or exciting day trips. I am still unemployed and have no income (or car for that matter). So everything is pretty much taking place at home, but that’s ok, I’m kind of a hermit anyway. I’ll share more details about the activities for each day and do a bunch of social media posts as we get closer, but I wanted to share my itinerary for the week.

July 11th- Readathon Day (the readathon actually starts on the 10th, but runs through 5pm on the 11th).

• Lots of reading
• Fun Snacks
• Dance Breaks
• Social Media blitz with bookish facts and photos

July 12th- Self-Love Day

• Relaxing
• Letters to my future self
• Plans for the next year
• Self-Care

July 13th- Heated Rivalry Day

• Rewatch of Season 1
• Themed menu (no tuna melts, but burgers and a smoothie are definitely included)
• Club-inspired Dance Party
• Virtual aquarium tour

July 14th- Taylor Swift Day

• Listen to all 12 albums (Taylor’s version where applicable)
• Rewatch The End of an Era series
• Rewatch Eras Concert
• Themed Menu (pop tarts, sourdough)
• Dancing and Singing a must!

July 15th- Zoo Day (and also my actual birthday)

There are two plans for this day, depending on whether or not I can get access to the car for the day

• Wildlife Safari Village OR Virtual zoo tours
• Picnic Lunch
• Watch We Bought a Zoo
• Watch animal videos
• Favorite Foods

July 16th- Spa Day (at home)

• Mani/Pedi
• Facial
• Hand, Foot & Hair Masks
• Cut and possibly color hair
• Themed Menu

July 17th- Bookstore Day

• Visit Local Bookstores (if car access)
• Update Wishlist on Bookshop.org
• Lots of Reading
• Explore Upcoming Releases

July 18th- Movie Marathon

• Watch Movies all day (still deciding what to watch)
• Movie Theater themed treats (popcorn, nachos, pizza, candy)

So far, in addition to the planning, I’ve bought some decorations for my room from the dollar store and I’ve made some signs to hang as well. I made a wish list on Amazon with a mix of fun gifty items (bookmarks, stuffies, trinkets) along with some things I need (pillows, spatulas). And I’ve created a couple of BINGO boards, one for the week and one for my birthday itself.

I still need to put together playlists and gather all of the various supplies I need for the activities (I have them, they’re just not all together). And I need to figure out which movies to watch (I’m leaning towards the Hunger Games series, it seems appropriate, or maybe a variety of  book adaptations). I have a countdown plan with everything I need to do already in place.