What commenced this past week has made my 23rd birthday unforgettable.

On Thursday, the ladies in my small group and I went out to dinner at Kiki Japanese Restaurant (right around the corner from SIP!), where I chowed down on sushi and was given the ol’ restaurant birthday sing-along.

We then went to the Academy of Sciences, where a space-themed event was taking place! We saw a show in the planetarium and, before I left, ran into a celebrity.

You can totally tell I kept my cool.

All of these ladies are so inviting and engaging in nature. Mere months of knowing one another means nothing when we start conversing about the Lord and our personal struggles. They’re just that open and real.

After work Friday, I began my trip to Los Angeles. I had to fight my GPS to take the Highway One route, which traces all the way down the California coastline. By the time I got on it, then realized it was going to add a lot of time onto my trek, I had gained another hour and 45 minutes onto my ETA. I finally pulled into my Airbnb at 1:30 in the morning and safely arrived in the City of Angels.

Saturday was my experience day. I started out by learning about Foley (essentially, everyday sound effects added into movies/TV) from the Foley Artist who has 25 years worth of experience! In fact, he is the Foley Artist for Orange is the New Black! Adam was so informative and knowledgeable, it didn’t take me long to be enraptured with his career.

As part of the experience, we got to film a short video, then made the Foley for it (the video below shows me creating the sound of me thrusting a sword into/out of one of the other group members). While the rest of the day was fun, this was easily my favorite thing I did Saturday.

What happened afterwards was one of those instances where plans go awry, but end up working out anyways.

It all started with Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. After finishing my Foley experience, I had two hours to eat before my next experience: a tour of the Hollywood sign! I made my way to where I was meeting the hosts and searched for places near me to eat. When I saw Bubba Gump pop up, I didn’t hesitate to make my way there (I mean, who doesn’t love Forrest Gump?!).

Well, little did I know that the restaurant was in Universal Studios.

Once I discovered this, I decided to bite the bullet and pay for the overpriced parking. As I found my way to the restaurant, I saw the rooftops of Hogwarts and remembered that the Wizarding World Of Harry Potter was in Universal. How my heart broke at the thought of not being able to wander through Diagon Alley, peer into the windows of Ollivander’s, or taste my first butterbeer!

That was when things started to change. I was at the restaurant long enough that by the time I got my food, I would have no time to enjoy it, little time to get to where I parked Big Booty Judy, and only by a miracle make it to the tour’s meeting place in time.

A decision had to be made. After running the numbers, I concluded that I would skip the Hollywood sign tour, enjoy my seafood, and buy a ticket to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

I felt as if I was in a dream the entire time. Surrounded by people in robes, children swish-and-flicking wands, and being able to tread into the stores I had only seen in the films and my own imagination.

In fact, at one point, I crossed paths with an employee who said I looked as if I was “so ready” for the day. After I explained that my visit was completely spontaneous, he said that he was glad I was here and to see the big grin I was wearing.

That evening, I took a tour of the Hollywood area. We started at the Capitol Records building and ended on Hollywood Boulevard. We saw several pieces of history and places of notoriety due to celebrities frequenting then.

I didn’t personally see any celebs, which was probably for the best. In a baseball cap and tennis shoes, my chances of “being discovered” were about as slim as they come.

The tour group was so diverse, compiled of people from all different cities and nations: Sweden, London, New Zealand, Peru, Germany, and yes, a few Americans were thrown into the mix! How crazy, right?

On Sunday, I got to meet my nutritionist for the first time face-to-face! Noah was great to hang out with and the perfect workout partner: spurring me on while encouraging along the way. The fact he got me doughnuts for my birthday didn’t hurt my first impression of him either.

We murdered the Santa Monica stairs (or did they murder me?) and afterwards, walked along Venice Beach. We talked some shop, but mostly just shared our stories and enjoyed the good company in the sunshine.

Besides experiences, the people I meet and engage with are my favorite part of traveling. Every time, I always feel the boundaries of my worldview and comfort zone stretch out a little farther, making room for more memories and more people to treasure.

Louis Armstrong said it best. Oh, what a wonderful world.

Life is so funny, isn’t it? If you told me a year ago that I’d be spending my 23rd birthday in Los Angeles, I’d have said that sounded like a dream. Yet, here I am. Living the dream.

As time goes on, I’m learning more and more that God knows exactly what He’s doing, when He’s doing it. I have tried to rush Him, slow Him down, and/or change His mind on multiple occasions. Yet, when I trust and depend on Him, no matter what happens, He has shown time and time again that He can perfectly provide.

I am so thankful for the gift that was this birthday and for everyone who played a part in it.