One Year Of Living Without Alcohol

A year ago today I woke up exhausted. I spent the weekend with some friends in Palm Springs and the moment I woke up that morning, I knew that I couldn't live this way anymore.

I was tired of the party. Tired of being tired.  Tired of having a great time, only to feel horrible the day after.  It was time to do something about it.  I decided to live my life without alcohol.  Most of my social interactions with friends involved having glass of wine or a meet up with a cocktail.  It's the stress reliever for the end of a hard day, a toast to celebrate an achievement, the relaxer curled up with a book or bath, a compliment to a nice meal, and the list can go on and on.  Have a bad day? Let's go out for a drink! Did you do something you are proud of? It's celebration time with some champagne!  You get the idea.

When I decided that I had enough, there were always doubts in my head and I am sure there were doubts with some friends that thought I couldn't do it.  The thing I had going for me is that I am pretty competitive so I wanted to "win," so to speak.  I didn't want the doubts to win or the doubters to give me a, "I didn't think you could do it" thought.

As far as roads go, this wasn't an easy one to take.  However, over time it's the best decision I have made.  I've learned a lot over the past year.  I don't talk about it much here since I don't want to bore you with the details and there are much more interesting things to blog about, but I did write about my experience for the first 150 days HERE.

I would have to say that one of the hardest parts about this decision is the social aspect.  People like to come together as a group and have a glass of wine and that is perfectly normal.  I have been the odd one out on many occasions and it's difficult for me because I want everyone to feel comfortable around me and at the same time, I don't want to be a bore to be around.  At first I received a lot of questions and drilling on my decision not to drink.  All I wanted to do was fit in and not be noticed.  This wasn't the case.  At the beginning I drank a lot of sugar free red bull and everyone loved telling me how that was going to kill me, as they sipped their cocktail.

What a difference a year makes.  I am thankful for the opportunity to live this life and feel everything there is to feel. It truly is a wonderful life.

In case you on the fence, here are 11 Benefits of not drinking:
1.) You remember conversations from the night before
2.) Savings of about $5,000 a year or more (alcohol, bar food, aspirin, etc.)
3.) I lost 35 pounds (say good bye to your booze boobs)
4.) You will strengthen your relationship with the people that mean the most to you
5.) You get to go anywhere you want at anytime without thinking, "who's going to drive?"
6.) You will gain a sense of freedom that you never had before
7.) The possibilities in life are endless
8.) You will have meaningful conversations with people and attract the good ones into your life
9.) No regrets and no apologies from when you did something or said something while intoxicated
10.) You will do things you didn't think about doing before
11.) You won't be so tired all of the time

So, it's just me.  The same me. I am still plugging along here in this life and soaking up all of the moments and sharing them here with you.  I look forward to the next adventure.  Thank you for all of your support during my continued journey.  Oh yeah, I picked up my little point and shoot camera and took some pictures in the last few months.  You can see some pictures HERE. I hope you become a fan.

A big thank you for all of my family and friends that supported me on this decision.  Now it's back to dreaming of an airstream life. I look forward to sharing more soon.

My First Portrait Session Behind The Lens

I've known Vanessa since she was a child and now she is about to graduate college with not one, but two majors (Human Resource Management and Human Development)!

There's nothing like kids graduating college to make you feel old...sigh.  She asked me to take her picture for the ceremony invitations and at first I declined since I usually take pictures of dogs, trees, bird feet and the only people shots are random people living their life and not needing to send the photograph to their entire extended family of 10,000...well, almost.

I said no because I know that there are professionals out there that specialize in this type of photograph and I didn't want to mess it up for her.  I can see it now.  Her family opening up the invitation and saying, "Vanessa is so beautiful!  Who took this horrible picture of her? Let's get them!"  Then at that moment, I imagine an entire town running out of their homes with sticks on fire marching down the street looking for me.

I snapped out of my wild fantasy fear and told her I would do it.  I made sure to give her all of the disclamers in advance.  "I don't know what I am doing," "I don't really take serious people shots." "You and your family might hate me forever if they don't turn out."  You know, rational thinking disclaimers.

I have a new appreciation for wedding and portrait photographers.  I know how picky I am about a picture of myself so I can imagine what a photographer has to go through to make the bride happy.  Not that brides aren't happy, but I am sure there is a lot of pressure for the "perfect wedding day photograph."

Taking pictures of Vanessa was easy.  She didn't care that I had a point and shoot camera.  She didn't mind standing next to the tree (even though she didn't want bugs in her hair), getting in a water fountain, standing next to a shiny sculpture, laying in the grass, sitting on the sand or posing with a bunch of what seemed to be railroad ties.  We laughed the entire time.  I laughed at myself pretending to be a serious fashion photographer giving her words of encouragement like, "mmm humm, work it, yeah...that's it...riiiight...yes, good...beautiful."

In the end, it was a fun day.  It was easy to take Vanessa's picture because she's so beautiful and photogenic.  It doesn't hurt that she has a wonderful smile and an infectious laugh.  Congratulations Vanessa!  I am glad that you were able to see the beach for the first time even though you are graduating at Long Beach State.

11 FREE Things To Do That Will Make You Feel Good

My favorite word.  FREE!  It's not that I don't like the word PAY, but FREE gives you a warm feeling inside.

Like this FREE glass of ice water from Wall Drug! What a treat!

Even though there is little risk, you will receive great rewards by doing things that are FREE.  I like to seek out free activities, especially when traveling since just stepping into your car is like setting the pay meter down in a taxi.  It's going to cost you.  You don't have to travel to get the same rewards and benefits that you will get on the road by doing free things in your local area.

Yesterday, I started chipping away at my garage to complete my goal of selling or donating everything inside of it.  I sorted through most of my clothes in bins and got rid of 90% of them.  I packed them up and donated them yesterday.  What a great feeling that was!  I am going to do this little by little this month in order to achieve my goal of living with a lot less.  It feels so much better.

On that note, I started thinking of other things that are free that can give you a good feeling.  Here are a few you might want to try out this weekend:

1.) Give it to a new home.
You know that you are not going to wear that tshirt or pair of jeans that are in the back of your closet or stuffed in the back on your drawer.  Pack it up and donate it.  Thinking that someday you might be able to fit in it again is only taxing on the brain that you are not good enough as you are...right this moment.  Just ditch it.  By the time you fit into them again, you will want a new pair, or someone else's old pair. The same idea goes for furniture, cars, "treasures," and your general "stuff" you have that takes up your life space. Or, have a clothes swap party with your friends!  You will end up with FREE clothes.

2.) Get some culture
Most museums have a free day during the month.  At our local Long Beach Museum of Art, Fridays are FREE.  You can find free days in your area by clicking on the city.  There are free museums in Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco,  New York City, and other cities that you can search from HERE.

3.) Go Camping
Camping seems like a cheap way to travel, but there are costs associated with it.  You can find free places to camp if you own an RV by clicking here, or if you have a tent, you can find free sites here.  Get away from your home base for a while to clear your head.

4.) Help save a marriage
Offer to help out for a night with your friends kiddos so they can go out alone together. If you don't have kids, you might have a new appreciation for why you don't see them as often.

5.) See a concert
Summer time screams free concerts!  There are musicians everywhere wanting to perform for you.  Concerts in the park, musicians on the streets, performances at coffee shops.  They are everywhere.

6.) Get outside
It's wildflower time!  They are popping out all over the place!  Time to get out of your house to go see them.  It's like a free garden for you to admire without all of the work. Go to the beach, visit a free park, look at some trees, breathe the fresh air.

7.) Learn something new
Libraries are FREE.  You can sign up and check out as many books as you want.  Learn something new.  Have you always wondered about the history of your city or why people thought it was cool to wear neon colors in the 80's?  Ditch the computer and do it the old fashioned way, walk or ride your bike to the library to see for yourself.

8.) Become the CEO of your life
Write down your personal mission statement.  Goals are best achieved when you take the time to organize your thoughts and write down what you really want to accomplish in life.

9.) Get Creative
There are free art classes out there.  Learn how to paint, draw, or sculpt. Not sure where to start?  Take a stroll at a local art fair or art walk that happens most every week in your town.  See what others are doing and if something looks interesting to you, talk to the artist.  You might just meet a new friend in the meantime.

10.) Take Pictures
If you own any type of digital camera, taking pictures is FREE.  Get out and explore your neighborhood looking for things that seem interesting to you.  You will see everything in an entirely new light.  It will get you outside and force you to see things in a way that you didn't before.  Get close, look at new textures, look at the ground you are walking on, look up at the sky. Once you are done, send a few pictures to friends to let them know you were thinking of them. Or get silly and set the camera on a timer and jump around in the shot to see what happens?  It's a guaranteed smile, especially if you do this in a crowd. Want to learn from a professional? Get inspired and attend a FREE smug mug meeting in your area to listen to a professional speak.

11.) Volunteer
Clean up the beach, feed those in need, or help homeless animals.  Use your time to help others in need.

I hope this list sparked up some ideas in your head to get out and enjoy something free.  What do you like to do that's free?

Manifesting Dreams In Joshua Tree National Park

There is something about an idea in your head.  The more you think about the idea, the more you see it right in front of you.  I think this assumption has  always been there, but recently with "The Secret" phenomenon, we can learn that we have the power within ourselves to manifest anything in our lives once we put our mind to something.  Sometimes the whole idea sounds far fetched, but you never know. You may or may not believe it's true, but it "sorta" happened to my twice over the weekend.

As you know, it's a dream of mine to own an airstream and perhaps get a fancy camera (don't read this post my little trusty point and click!), specifically the Canon 5D Mark II.

When I was touring Salvation Mountain, I was snapping away when a young woman in her early 20's asked me to take a picture of her and her friends.  Of course I said yes!  Then it happened.  She handed me her Canon 5D Mark II and asked me to snap away.  I had to get a picture of the group with my camera as well so I had my point and click in one hand and her...sigh...Canon 5D Mark II in the other.  I told her how much I wanted that camera and she said it was the most expensive thing she owns.  She lives in a house with nine other kids her age in order to afford it.  Wow, did I just say "kids?"  Whew...getting old already. The same night I logged on the computer and 2 people wrote status updates that their new 5D came in the mail.

The following day, I headed to Joshua Tree and look what appears out of nowhere, a piece of land with a vintage airstream just sitting there, looking pretty.  I took pictures of it and stood there for a moment to day dream.  Sigh.

I visited Joshua Tree for the first time last Thanksgiving and my second time last weekend.  It really is a beautiful place.  If you are into rock climbing (I know I'm not!), this is the place for you.  If you would rather stay low to the ground (I know I would!) there are miles and miles of desert to walk on and hundreds of cactus...all with seemingly different personalities.

I have found that you really can't beat our beautiful National Parks.  I ranked my favorites here and I look forward to visiting more this year.

Of course this morning I woke up to the today show talking about airstreams and how celebrities are "downsizing" their life to have one of these trailers (click here to view).  Anytime they get bored of theirs and want to get rid of it as a charitable donation, I would gladly take it off of their hands.

Specifically, the Ocean Breeze International 16 model. Ahhhh, she's the one.

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

The Salton Sea Revisited

Every now and then I visit a place that stays with me enough that I feel the need to explore it again.  This was the case of the Salton Sea.  I've always wanted to go to this "sea" in the middle of the desert but didn't really have a reason to.  It's out in the middle of nowhere, but has a rich history that you wouldn't know about unless you sought it out.

It's beautiful and a bit sad at the same time.  Bombay Beach is one of my favorite places since it looks like it stands in time.  There are wrecked buildings everywhere that stay put from where they were built, old chairs, computers, water towers...all in their place among the wreckage.

Nearby is a town called Nyland where you can find Salvation Mountain and Slab City.  Slab City is a not really a city at all but a small community of drifters living on the land together.  I would describe it as a mini burning man that stays there year round.

I loved it.

If you are thinking about touring a place that you won't soon forget, visit the Salton Sea.  You can see more pictures from my visit HERE.

Salvation Mountain "God Is Love"

Over the weekend, I took another tour of the Salton Sea and surrounding cities.  This time, the tour took me to Niland to visit Slab City and Salvation Mountain.  What a sight to see!  You will know you have arrived when you see an entire mountain covered in paint with "God is Love" etched everywhere. The artist is Leonard Knight and I was lucky enough to meet him and get a personal guided tour of his creation.  Right when you walk up to the mountain, you will be greeted by a gentleman saying, "Hello, make yourself at home."  That gentleman would be Leonard Knight.

Please take a visit if you are in the area.  Leonard will greet you and make you feel at home.


This was truly a sight to see.  For more pictures of my visit, click
HERE.