I’m big into birthdays.  Like, really big into them.  So big, that every year I throw a weekend-long fest crammed full of my favorite things around Los Angeles, which I call Hoffmas.  All I want every year is to be surrounded by my friends and have a great time.  I specifically plan the Hoffmas activities so there is a little something for everyone.  This year for my 31st, that weekend spilled into ten days that were crammed with food, friends and fun times.

Why do I make such a big deal over my birthday?  I had a horrible birthday nearly every year throughout my early adulthood.  It felt like the universe would go out of its way to make sure it would be a miserable day.  In early 2009, my life as I knew it was turned upside down.  Everything was changing around me.  It was a difficult time, but a beautiful time as well.  Instead of standing in the rubble and mourning what I lost I decided to rebuild every aspect of my life, including my outlook on life.  I viewed challenges as one more step toward the life I wanted and setbacks as another lesson learned.  My birthday approached, which I normally approached with indifference, at best.  Instead, I made a promise to myself that I would never have another bad birthday again.  I embraced the philosophy that everyone deserves to be the most important person of their universe for at least one day a year, and birthdays are a great way to do that.  For me, Hoffmas is more than a giant birthday party.  It’s a celebration of everything that I’m grateful for in my life.

My next few blog entries will be highlighting some of the great stuff I did for Hoffmas.  I will showcase some of my favorite restaurants, sights and activities around LA.  I hope you enjoy these great spots through these next few blog entries as much as I enjoyed having the experience.

Oh, and there was a really awesome full moon the primary weekend of Hoffmas too.