Today's my birthday, my favorite day of the year.

And it is such a good moment to ponder about life.

My 37th year was great.

Covid slowed down my portrait business but I used my time to study and learn new things. I added branding photography and product photography to my services and it has been very rewarding. My dream is to help small businesses thrive.

I met, and photographed, so many great people!

I can honestly say that I feel so blessed in my life! I have the greatest friends and the most supportive family.

Definitely feeling all the blessings in my life.

38 is looking promising!

and well, here you have, 38 birthday photos of yours truly.

With love,

Odette

1. What is my fondest childhood memory? I was ten years old the day my sister was born. I remember going to school and, around noon, her father went to pick me up. I was so excited to get to the hospital to meet her. And there she was: a tiny baby. Twenty-seven years later and she is my best friend and we are twins at heart.
2. What’s my favorite way to exercise? I like to do yoga, with Yoga with Adriene... and my daily run/jog/walk.
3. Am I a morning person or a night owl? Night owl 300%. I have tried the early bird thing... nope, never worked for me.
4. If I could have any superpower, what would it be? I will borrow Chadwick Boseman's words. I would love to freeze time... and I do it, in a way, by freezing moments through my photography.
5. Am I an introvert or an extrovert? I am definitely an ambivert, meaning that I am both.
6. What is my favorite season of the year? Winter. I like the cold, and my dream is to have a white Christmas.
7. What are my favorite TV series? Friends (duh), The Big Bang Theory, Sex and the City, and Schitt's Creek.
8. Am I a tidy person or a messy one? Tidy. I have some OCD traits so I love everything in its place.
9. Am I more of a coffee person or a tea person? Coffee. I drink 2-3 cups per day.
10. Do I like school? I do like school because I love learning. I believe in the power of self education: it is a never-ending process. I like to study something new every day and honor my Grandpa's words: "knowledge takes no space".
11. Have I ever met one of my heroes? Evan Carmichael. Thanks to him, "Inspire' is my one word (and my last tattoo). I met him a year ago at an entrepreneur meetup and I got to photograph him! He is as inspiring in person as in his Youtube channel.
12. Do I speak any other languages? I speak my native Spanish. I also speak English and a bit of French.
13. When I was a kid, what did I want to be when I grew up? An actress or a writer.
14. Do I prefer dogs or cats? Dogs.
15. Do I have any tattoos? Five, but they are very minimalistic.
16. Do I have kids? No, but so far, I am a professional tia. I have Ilen Maria and a whole army of "adopted" nieces and nephews.
17. Do I have siblings? Yes, two siblings. A sister and a brother.
18. What do I do on a typical Friday night? You will probably find me working on my laptop with my latest gallery or project, and playing a movie for background noise.
19. What do I do to relax? I like to light a candle and drink some wine while watching a movie.
20. Am I a collector of anything? Memories. I have more than 500k photos and counting.
21. Would movie genre would I rather watch? Romcoms and comedies
22. If I could live anywhere for a month, where would that be? Hekelingen, visiting my friend Didem, but we would travel to nearby places.
23. What’s the last song I listened to? Tonight, by John Legend.
24. What’s a favorite book of mine? Cuore, by Edmondo De Amicis. The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
25. What’s my spirit animal? The Owl. Duh.
26. What’s my favorite movie? Pride and Prejudice. The Devil Wears Prada.
27. What’s a favorite hobby of mine? Photography. Love it so much that it turned into my profession.
28. What are the must-haves in the home of my dreams? Lots of light, for photography purposes.
29. What’s my favorite kind of dinner? Thai and Mediterranean food... and sushi!
30. What is my star sign? Virgo.
31. If I had to move to a different state, where would I rather go? Somewhere where I can experience the four seasons.
32. Whom do I miss right now? My family.
33. As desserts go, would I rather have ice cream or cheesecake? Both?!
34. What is one big goal that I want to accomplish this year? A brand new home portrait studio!
35. What is one item on my bucket list, and what made me choose it? I want to go to Europe. My dream is to travel the world and experience different cultures.
36. If I could master one highly-valued skill in one day, what would I choose? SEO and Coding.
37. Do I prefer beer, wine, or spirits? Wine.
38. If I could do anything today, what would I do? Be with my family in Cuba. I miss them!