The Start Of A New Decade

Today is the beginning of a new decade for me.  I put out a list of 39 things I wanted to accomplish on my 39th year on this earth and I am proud to say that I completed most of them over the year.  Now on to a new decade of my life and more adventures to come.

Thank you to everyone who followed me on my crazy "driving around the USA in my tent adventures" for the past year, and the year before that.  It was an incredible few years and I hope to experience many more things to come.  As I did before, I will compile a list and share that with you.

As I mentioned, the past three years I have been wandering around the country with my dog, camera and tent.  I made the decision to go back to school for a year to see where that takes me.  I am always up for learning and it will keep me in the same place for a while.  This doesn't mean that I won't take a break for adventures here and there.  I plan to continue this roller coaster ride called life.

I look forward to more and sharing it here with you.

How To Pull Off A Surprise Party

My good friend Jamie turned 30 the other day and Traci thought it would be a good idea to throw a surprise party for her at my home.  Well, I suggested to have it at my house.  It's been a few years since I've had a get together here since I've been traveling most of the year in my tent while the house is rented to vacationers.

We started planning this party about a month in advance and I don't know how she pulled it off.  Each time I would see Jamie, I wanted to talk about the party or tell her who was coming.  There were several moments where I almost blew it or freaked out that someone might blow it by accident in her presence.  Each time someone would bring it up around me I would say, "shhhhhhhh!!!!!"  People looked around and thought I was crazy.  That's not unusual but I just didn't want to talk about it out loud just in case Jamie was standing near by.

Durning the last few days of coordinating, I seriously don't know how Traci was able to pull it off.  Jamie would call when we were setting up or the taco man would call while Jamie was in the room and panic would settle in on whether or not Traci should pick up the call.  Then it was time to get her to the house.  That was another roll play on why I would want to bother them before dinner to drive all the way to my house when the restaurant they were supposed to eat at was in the opposite direction.

Everyone got to the house, Jamie walked in thinking I was going to give her a gift and as she walked in the door..."SURPRISE!!!!!" She was surprised...and very touched I might add.  Seeing her expression that moment was worth the month of stress and lies.

No slip ups. No, "I'll see you at your party" mistakes.  As soon as she was surprised and I snapped some photographs, it was time to relax.

This was Max's first party and he stayed put under the taco man all night and then coming in the house to beg for cup cakes for a while.

So, how do you pull off a surprise party?  A little mix of luck, faith and hope.

It's My Birthday!

It's my birthday today so I thought I would share some facts about myself that you may or may not know about me.  Since I am on a 39 goals on my 39th year kick, I put a list of 39 little tidbits about myself.  Can you relate to any of these?  I mean...haven't you sat in your trash can filled with cold water on a hot summer day?  Was I the only one?

Here are a few other fun facts about yours truly.

1. I used to be a synchronized swimmer
2. I love old school rap music
3. My dream is to own an airstream and put it on a piece of land and live off grid
4. I am horrible at math
5. I was an assistant basketball coach for a college team
6. I sold girl scout cookies
7. I have the entire star wars figure collection
8. My all time favorite musician is Elvis Costello and met him once.
9. I’ve never broken a bone
10. I don’t have tonsils
11. I had stitches between my toes
12. I slept as my neighbors house burned down
13. I was a lifeguard
14. I won an apple peeling contest
15. Public speaking is my worst fear
16. I don’t have a tattoo
17. I bite my nails
18. I don’t like crowds
19. I haven’t used a blow dryer in years
20. I don’t iron
21. I dread shopping
22. Coconut is my favorite scent
23. I drink coffee everyday
24. I grew up camping under the Hollywood sign
25. I’ve never traveled to Europe
26. I want to adopt every dog I see at the shelter
27. I played college basketball
28. I was a fencer
29. I haven’t eaten a mammal in over 15 years
30. I would rather text than talk on the phone
31. 32 is my favorite number
32. I am allergic to eggplant
33. My first job was to tell people not to touch the plants at a county fair
34. Since I didn’t have a pool growing up, I filled our trash cans and sat in them during  summer months
35. I love all things weird
36. In 5 days It will mark one year without alcohol
37. King Crab legs are my favorite meal
38. I like to take pictures (can you tell?)
39. I love brussel sprouts