The Wrap Up Vol 4

Oh, S#@t!  I'm 40!

Arc de triomphe paris france www.thisismeldrake.com #paris #france #bucketlist

Thoughts on turning 40, 2 things I hate, taking the "kids" to Paris and my new obsession in this month's the Wrap Up Vol 4

Wow!  And just like that, I'm 40.  It's been couple weeks now and I still can't believe I am the BIG 4-0. What the hell?  And seriously, how in the HELLLLLLLLL did this happen?

It seems like just yesterday I was in high school turning 16 and couldn't wait to take my driver's license picture.  And it feels like the day after yesterday, I was just 18, graduating from high school, ready to take the world on and I was super overly confident in how I thought the everything was and should be (but I had no clue).   And I could've sworn turning 21 and was just last week.  And I'm pretty sure that turning 30 and traveling to London to celebrate was a couple days ago.  Oh how time flies, regardless if you are having fun or not.  You look up and well . . . you are 40.

Am I sad?

Hell, no.  In fact I'm quite content and happy.

Why?

Because every year you are alive is a blessing.

So how does it feel to to be 40?

Truthfully, I'm not sure.  I  don't feel any different than I did at 21, 30 or 39.  I just hope that I'm a little wiser and I still stay adventurous.

Which brings me too . . .

Ups, Downs & All Arounds

Ups

I took the kids to Paris and we survived . . . and by "the kids" I'm lovingly referring to my mommy and daddy.  Thanks to a rather AWESOME mistake airfare price (less than $220 RT to fly to Paris), a coinciding birthday and the kids willingness to travel, the Drakes were off to Paris.  At 70 and 67 years old, this was my parents 1st time out of the country.  And seeing the happiness and excitement in their faces at every turn in the trip (first passport stamps, converting money, boarding a long flight and etc) meant absolutely everything to me.  It was the perfect 40th birthday gift.

Downs

I got HACKED!

Yes, it happened.  And because of this, I was "offline" for a few days, which felt like an eternity.  Sorry, if you visited www.resplendentlyliving.com and were redirected to some crazy spammy website.  Good thing is, I'm back with upgraded security.

So what did I learn?

Hacking can happen to anyone but there are ways of preventing possible attacks.  And in my case, keeping your plugins and https certificate up-to-date is super important.    (Hard) lesson learned.

& All Arounds

I bought a new car.  UGGGGGGGGH!  

*I'm sure you could hear that groan from where ever in the world you are.  

Why the groan??? Because I'm an adult.

Simply put, I HATE spending money on (1) something I already have (think duplicates) or (2) something I'm not ready to give up.

Annnnnnd I wasn't ready to give up my previous car.  "She" (because all cars are practically girls)  and I had been through so much.  I mean, we had almost 9 years of fun and exploration together.  We were family.  When my baby started to become pretty costly to repair outside of her normally scheduled maintenance, I realized that all things must come to an end.  

It's been a month since we've parted ways and so far so good with my new car.  Honestly, it's nice to have blindspot detection annnnnnnd to be able to bluetooth my Spotify music in car.  Y'all, I was seriously missing out on sooooooo much technology over the last 9 years.  Did you know that cars start now with a push button??!!!  #mindblown  LOL

ICYMI:  On ThisIsMelDrake.com

The Ultimate Guide:  Driving Maui's Road to Hana  Y'all this guide is so comprehensive.  Oooooh, there's even an interactive driving map and a packing list too!

The Essential Guide to Planning a Trip to Maui- This guide is like an American Express, "don't leave home with out it."   It's just about EVERYTHING you need to know before you go.  Even how we saved over $700 on our Jeep rental.  Say what??!!

Where I've Been

***Check out all the other places I've traveled to here***

Auckland, New Zealand - beautiful country, volunteered for breast cancer, made a friend and I can't wait to tell you guys all about it.

Paris, France - Have you been?  I highly recommend it.  My suggestion:  There's so much to see and do so rest up before traveling to the City of Lights and 6 days in the city goes quick!!!!

Helsinki, Finland - does a 15 hour layover count?  I got a stamp but I'm pretty sure I'll have to travel back to truly check it off the list.

On the Internet

Now that The Masked Singer is over, my addiction to reality-like tv continues with RuPaul's Drag Race.  Do you watch?  Please, please, please say you do.  Live Tweeting has never been this fun.  #obsessed

Paris or China:  Can you tell the real thing from replica?  You really need to see this.  No, really.

Bravery or Adventure? Could you live in 4 different countries in 4 months? 

7 Coolest Hotels in UAE

It's going down (or up) in the Golden Globes' elevator - turn your sound on and prepare to laugh

LA's best kept secret:  The secret swing at Elysian Park

And that my friends is a wrap!

-XOXO Melissa

maui hawaii banyan tree lahaina www.thisismeldrake.com #maui #hawaii #bucketlist #hawaiivacation

Photos by:  Dad & Jake Palenske
Photo Editing by:  Yours Truly (Melissa Drake)