40 Days of Fabulous - A Final Gift From Me to Me (and a look ahead)

As some of you may know - I have a bit of a problem.  It's not necessarily an addiction per se, but I have been known to get a little out of control from time to time.  Now in recent years I've tried to contain my urges - to try and show restraint.  But when I see them...well....my heart starts to race, my breath gets short, I pace back and forth, and the need to own starts to set in.  The smell of leather permeates my nose, the shiny hardware glimmers in my eye; I run my hands along their shape, eyeing the detail and admiring the craftsmanship.

My name is Gina and I am a handbag-a-holic.

Kate, Kors, Coach - I don't discriminate.  I love the colors, the styles, the way they hang off my shoulder or drape over my arm.  I love bags that can hold only a phone or half of everything I own.  So it should come as no surprise that the pinnacle of my mini-bucket list is a shopping experience at one of the crown jewels of the handbag world...Louis Vuitton.  It's a splurge....a BIG one...but how could I go without one final gift (with a justification of saying I only turn 40 once, right)?

  

And thus the 40 Days of Fabulous comes to a close.  I know the last few weeks haven't included items that one would expect from a "traditional" bucket list - but looking back, I realize there are a lot of things I've been fortunate to have already done.  I've gone to college, dropped out of college, went back to school and became an EMT.  I've run a 5k, half marathon and full marathon.  I've gone skydiving (indoors), learned to fly (briefly), and been for a ride in a blimp.  I've been to London, New York, Paris and LA (I've also been to Needles, Blythe, Truth or Consequences and a few select Springfield's).  I've been flush and bankrupt, married and divorced.  But most importantly, I've been blessed with some pretty fabulous jobs, met some really awesome people, have the love of a wonderful guy and am part of a great family.  These last few weeks were really just about completing a few things here and there that I simply never made the time accomplish.  Which is also something for me to remember going into the next 40 years - that there may not always be the perfect time to do the things you want - you have to find the time to make it happen or it's just another item on a list collecting dust.

I have to admit that the idea of turning 40 has freaked me out from time to time in the last 12 months...but now that it's upon me I truly realize that it's just another number on a timeline; and that it's not the number of years you have behind you but what you've done with them that really matters in the end.  And with any luck, I have at least 40 more fun-filled and fabulous years ahead .

I wonder if Hermès will still be in business?