Celebrating 50: Creating An Experience Fit For A Queen
I recently celebrated a very special birthday—my 50th!
I knew I wanted to do something different this year. Fifty felt like a milestone that deserved more than just dinner or a traditional birthday celebration. At the same time, I didn't want to spend an outrageous amount of money. I wanted something memorable. Something different. Something that felt like an experience.
After searching for things to do, I came across Spill the Tea Charlotte, and I decided this would be part of my 50th birthday celebration.
And it was absolutely wonderful.
A Birthday Surprise My Guests Didn't Expect
One of my favorite parts of the entire celebration was that my guests didn't know exactly what I had planned.
They knew we were celebrating my birthday, but they didn't know what they were about to experience. I had carefully planned everything ahead of time because I wanted the day to feel special from beginning to end.
Sometimes creating an unforgettable experience isn't about spending the most money. It's about paying attention to the details.
And this experience was full of them.
Tea, Charlotte and a Little Royal Treatment
Spill the Tea Charlotte is a two-hour bus tour through downtown Charlotte. But calling it simply a "bus tour" doesn't really capture the experience.
While riding through the city, we enjoyed appetizers and tea as Queen Charlotte herself narrated the tour.
The entire experience was designed to make you feel like royalty—and for my 50th birthday, that was perfect.
One of my favorite touches was the live solo violinist. There was something beautiful about sitting back, enjoying the atmosphere, listening to live music and realizing, This is how I'm celebrating 50.
It felt elegant.
It felt different.
Most importantly, it felt intentional.
Dinner at Amina
After our royal experience, the celebration continued with dinner at Amina.
The Mediterranean and African-inspired food was delicious, and the atmosphere made the evening even more special. Then came another moment I wasn't expecting.
The live saxophonist played "Happy Birthday" for me.
It was one of those moments when you simply smile and take everything in.
Once again, the experience was wonderful.
The Part No One Saw
What my guests experienced that day was the finished product.
What they didn't see was the planning behind it.
Before we ever arrived in Charlotte, I had spent time researching, comparing options, thinking about the budget and deciding how I wanted the day to feel.
I wasn't simply planning somewhere to go.
I was creating an experience.
That's something I have come to appreciate even more as I've gotten older. Some of our best memories don't just happen. Sometimes we have to be intentional about creating them.
My guests didn't know what was coming, and I loved watching them experience each part of the celebration along with me.
What Turning 50 Reminded Me
Turning 50 didn't make me feel like I needed to have the biggest celebration.
It made me want a meaningful one.
I wanted to laugh.
I wanted to enjoy good food.
I wanted to try something I'd never done before.
I wanted to be surrounded by people who wanted to celebrate with me.
And apparently, I wanted to be treated like royalty for a few hours!
Mission accomplished.
This birthday reminded me that celebrating yourself doesn't always have to mean spending a lot of money or doing what everyone else does. You can create something that reflects you.
Research it. Plan it. Budget for it. Add the little details. And don't be afraid to do something completely different.
Life gets busy. We spend so much time working, taking care of responsibilities, showing up for other people and preparing for what's next that we can forget to stop and celebrate how far we've already come.
Fifty years deserved a pause.
It deserved an experience.
And this one gave me memories I'll carry with me long after the birthday decorations are gone.
Here's to 50, new experiences, beautiful memories and giving ourselves permission to celebrate the journey.