Bucket List - The Officially, Official List. Starting: Now.

Although it has taken longer than planned to get “The List” up and posted, it is ready for the public to be witness to. I will be looking for assistance with many of these items – but now that it’s out for everyone to see, I can’t wait to get started.

On the original “list” there were a lot of VERY specific activities to complete. I broadened those horizons a bit to make them a little more generic to maximize the benefit I would receive while finishing these tasks. I have chosen 50 different activities, jobs, ideas, etc. to complete by the end of 2013. I will be starting them IMMEDIATELY.  Many of these will be ongoing as previously stated, and a lot of them will be repeated even if they weren’t originally intended to be. But it may be something where I loved it so much the first time that I continue.

So – I know you’ve all been waiting so very patiently for the officially, OFFICIAL list… here goes!

1)      Get my spin certification (finally)

2)      Carve a pumpkin

3)      Build a snowman

4)      Go ice skating

5)      Read 40 books in a year (start there and read more if I can)

6)      Do a wine tasting – or five

7)      Start a new tradition

8)      Learn to play tennis

9)      Learn to golf

10)   Skydive

11)   Send out birthday and Christmas cards

12)   Send out handwritten “thank you” cards

13)   Become a yoga enthusiast

14)   Shop local

15)   Take a cooking class

16)   Learn to bake. Period. Cookies, cakes, pies, etc.

17)   Cook a Thanksgiving meal – turkey and all

18)   Attend a book banning rally/meeting and voice my opinion

19)   Do the splits

20)   Find my favorites – food, song, artist, restaurant

21)   Attend an art exhibit

22)   Go camping and hiking

23)   Learn how to sew

24)   Get a tattoo

25)   Road trip to see friends

26)   Write fan mail

27)   Learn how to grill more than hotdogs

28)   Reconnect with old friends

29)   See Chelsea Handler

30)   Assist in the adoption process at the ARL

31)   Complete DIY projects

32)   Daily random acts of kindness

33)   Smile, laugh and learn something new everyday

34)   Become a cook

35)   Go to the State Fair

36)   Participate in Norwegian baking traditions during the holidays

37)   Volunteer

38)   Make my bed every day

39)   Do 12 races

40)   Buy a car

41)   Enjoy a spa day

42)   Get organized (in all aspects of life)

43)   Buy myself something sparkly

44)   Read and watch the classics (list to come)

45)   Host a dinner party or two

46)   Attend showers, weddings, parties for my friends

47)   Keep a plant alive

48)   Be spontaneous

49)   Go to shows and sporting events – locally famous or a little more famous

50)   Go to the Fleur Cinema by myself – with wine, cheesecake, and an Indie film

Well – there’s the list. What do you think? Think I can complete all these by the end of 2013? I suppose I should also add to my list “photograph and log EVERYTHING” so it doesn’t take me weeks to put up a new post. Better sync up that iCloud so I’ve got back up to prove that I’ve actually done all these things.

While making this list and thinking of all the things I want to do in the upcoming year, I have been and will continue to do a lot of research. I need to figure out when and how I’m going to do everything on this list. Like I said before, I may need many of your help – and this is where I need it. If any of you devoted readers (there may be a couple of you floating around… J) have any suggestions for these, they would be GREATLY appreciated. For example – books to read, races to run, shows to see, recipes to try… I am ALL ears. Or eyes in this case as this is a blog and not an open forum to speak. I suppose if I get REALLY creative I could come up with a vlog… but that seems like a lot of work. And perhaps I should get through 25 of these 50 before I get too crazy.

By posting my completions of items on “the list,” I will be holding myself accountable for anything I do. That way I won’t just pull my usual “I should try this…” and then never follow through. So… here goes nothing… wish me luck! Words of wisdom and encouragement are highly encouraged… can’t wait to get started!

Deep breaths – here we go! Thank you all for joining me on this “adventure” on finding myself J

Sara

Cold Meds

Sunday nights are always a night for thinking - to prepare yourself for the upcoming week as well as reminiscing about the past weekend. I've got plenty on my mind this evening as the day comes to a close. Yes - I do realize that it's just after 8 pm so I've actually got a solid 4 hours before tomorrow, but I'm completely wiped. As excited as I was for my new activities on Friday morning, I missed out on both of them. I have finally caught the sick bug that has been floating around my office for at least the last month - and waking up Friday morning to go workout just wasn't going to happen as I couldn't breathe out of my nose and my throat was so dry. So I missed out on trying not to die in Farrell's as well as my chance to have a pretty sure shot at seeing a shooting star. So I'm a little crabby about that - but everything happens for a reason, right? I'll just keep telling myself that. And keep my eyes and ears open for new information on another meteor shower so I won't have to wait several thousand years to catch another one.

This weekend ended up being much more eventful than planned - which always has it's pros and cons. I got an email Friday afternoon from the volunteer coordinator at the ARL to let me know that they had an opening for dog companion training for Saturday morning! I was so excited to get it made up - I'm definitely ready to go in and play with all the puppies! The training lasted about 2.5 hours, and it wasn't until the last 30 minutes when we actually got to interract with the dogs. Which surprisingly, there were only about 12 of them in the shelter. It was disappointing for me since I didn't get to see as many dogs as I had planned on, yet it's also a great thing for all the dogs who were getting adopted out. I obviously found a couple that I wanted to take home with me, but I don't think Toby would appreciate me bringing home a stranger that he didn't approve of. Again with his possessiveness. It's becoming a real issue in our relationship. I'll bring it up in our next therapy session. He needs to chill.

Saturday night was a little out of my comfort zone as well - I had been invited to an Ugly Sweater party that night. It was very last minute, so I rummaged around my mom's closet and came up with some sweet Santa Converse sneaks, a reindeer necklace made out of clothespins, and some jingle bell earrings - one of which was broken, so halfway through the night I had to switch ears so I didn't end up with ringing in one ear all night. As I'm preparing for this party, I'm thinking it's going to be EVERYONE at the bar dressed as ridiculous as possible. Little did I know, this wasn't an Ugly Sweater Party. This was a small gathering of people (5 to be exact) who just wanted to wear ugly Christmas sweaters out to the bar. So. I had anticipated on a large group of us looking ridiculous. Wrong. Just five of us. FIVE OF US. Don't get me wrong - it was so fun, just a nice little surprise. So I rocked those Santa Chucks like it was my JOB and danced like a fool. Never a dull moment while you're dressed in what could only be explained as though an elf vomitted Christmas cheer all over me and sent me out in public. Hooray for holiday shenanigans!

Today was one of the best days I've had in a while - my sister came home from Dubai! I've chatted with her on Skype and via text/KIK but I haven't SEEN her in person since mid-August. It was so great to see my baby sister back from such an amazing experience with all the new knowledge she aquired while there for the last 4 months. As she came down the escalator at the airport with one of the people she student taught with, they were both wearing traditional Arabic outfits. Outfits...? Is that what I'm looking for? Possibly - anyway... they certainly surprised us. I'm so glad she's back, even if it's just for a few weeks before she heads out for another semester in Cedar Falls. However, two hours away is much better than where she's been the last four  months. I could drive up to see her for lunch some day, rather than strategically plan our schedules around a skype date.

The upcoming week is a busy one for me - and I'm excited about each night evening. I do need to get my ass to the gym in the mornings for the rest of the week though as my exciting-ness all happens after work. Anyway - plus I need to get my ass to the gym anyway if I am planning on continuing to bake cookies and cakes and pies - OH MY! Can't be skipping the gym to make a pie. That's just not how these things work. Maybe baking will be a reward for working out... or vice versa? Sometimes I'm not sure which would be the reward and which would be the punishment. Perhaps I'll do a small study... let me consult Dr Sheldon Cooper on his thoughts and get back to you.

I am currently updating my official "to do list" to add a few things and edit others. That should be coming out later this week, so stay tuned! I'm always open to suggestions on new things to do or try, so I'd love your input.

And on that note... I'm going to keep you all waiting for another day or two for some of the good stuff. I can feel my cold meds starting to kick in, so before I write something completely ridiculous I should probably log off and hit the sack. Have a great beginning to your week - and hopefully by Hump Day I'll be able to give you a little break for some much needed laughs and insights to get you over that mid-week hump and into the downhill trip to the weekend!

I would like to leave you with this in your mind as I head to bed for the night - anytime I hear some One Direction, I can't help but dance and sing all of the lyrics. Whether it be on the radio, coming from my computer, or an earlier episode of Glee where the Warblers cover one of their songs, I can't help it. It's just so damn catchy. So now - as my cold meds are REALLY kicking in, I'm sure I'll have a mini dance party in my room before shutting off the lights. Please - no autographs please. I'm just that awesome at performing to boy band music. Watch out if it's some old school NSYNC... you won't know what hit you.

Hugs and Kisses...
Sara

Something Borrowed...

As I was reading the paper earlier this week - yes the actual NEWSPAPER, not just the online version - I came across an article for blogger in the Des Moines area. I thought I was being so creative - but Laura definitely beat me to the punch. And I LOVE her blog. "A Love Letter to a New Year" has some amazing ideas - by starting the first month of your "new year" with a list of things to get done within that month. I definitely love her idea of listing her goals for the year, rather than just spontaneously blogging about them as I have done thus far. I am currently compiling a legit "to-do list" for you all to check out so I am doing on my list. I will continue with spontaneous "to-do's" because, let's be real - those are sometimes the most fun - but I will also have my ongoing list of things to complete over the next year.

I apologize for this being short and sweet, but I'm watching Glee and am having a hard time concentrating. I can't get enough of this damn show! However I do have a little sneak peak at a couple of the new things I will be doing within the next 24 hours...

First of all, I am currently a student at Kosama. A student... is that what I am? I'm enrolled there? I'm paying sixty bucks a month to get my ass kicked on a weekly basis? Anyway - whatever the correct terminology is - I go there. Prior to beginning there in September, I'd always wanted to try something like Kosama or Farrell's, but didn't want to spend the money on it since I worked at a gym and got a free membership that way. So when a Groupon came out for a one month trial at Kosama, I took it. Those 6 am workouts were TERRIBLE, but I went to work feeling great. Sore, yet great since I'd already gotten my workout in for the day and was free to do whatever else I wanted until I went to bed. Which during that time, was about 8 pm because I was completely exhausted. As my month progressed, I couldn't see weight coming off, but I could tell my shape was changing - which was awesome. After my initial month, I signed my life away for another year. So - now that I've finished the back story, I'll get back to my "new" thing. Tomorrow at 5:30 am, I will be attending my first Farrell's class. I'm fairly positive I will die - or at least regret it the rest of the day and weekend, seeing as my instructor tomorrow is also a good friend of mine. So. No matter how bad I want to quit, cry, or vomit, I can't because then she will make fun of me for-e-ver. And I don't really want that to happen. So. Perhaps this will be my last entry - I'm not positive - but I just know that there will be no crying. Other than that, vomitting is allowed.

Second and last of all, on the way to work this morning, I heard a lot of talk regarding the Geminid Meteor Shower. Now I'm not too into space or anything in the cosmos - except for the fact that I am a HUGE fan of the Big Bang Theory so any knowledge I have on the subject is most likely from that show - but I'm still someone who wants to wish on a shooting star. And that is something that I have NEVER done. So - while I'm out of bed at the awful time of night/morning while I'm on my way to Farrell's, I plan on taking a little extra time to watch for a falling star. And if - hopefully WHEN - I see one, I will make a wish on it. This may seem a little adolescent, but I'm actually REALLY excited about it. My fingers are crossed and my alarm is set so I can get up early and hopefully experience two new things so I can put a big X through something new that I've done.

Well that's all for tonight kids - fingers crossed for some great new ideas to come this weekend! And let's hope for some shooting stars so I can finally get my little kid wish!

Early to bed, early to rise - looks like I should already be in bed... woops. How about, the early bird gets the worm? I don't want any worms - just a shooting star and the will to hold back from vomitting in the middle of my workout.

XOXO...
Sara

PS this wasn't as short and sweet as I had anticipated. My apologies. Sweet dreams kids :)

Results Reveal...

I know you've all been patiently waiting for the results of the Rumchata cupcakes... and I must say - they were DELICIOUS! Extremely sweet - because of all the sugar and booze - and not very pretty, but they were yummy! Pretty proud of myself - for as well as they turned out. I'm taking a break from the baking - mostly because it was EXHAUSTING and you can only bake so many cupcakes before never wanting to touch another one again. I have seen some yummy cookie and pie recipes... but those may need to wait a bit. Although when I make my first pie - yes, FIRST pie... I'm going to have to do multiple pies because I don't think I could just throw myself into that one. Pies are terrifying. I mean if you think about it - REAL bakers make their own crust and that in itself makes me want to cuddle up with a bottle of wine and a Gossip Girl marathon and cry myself to sleep. However... that sounds like a fantastic idea anyway - sans the crying, of course. Perhaps if I watch enough of the Food Network then I will somehow absorb all the cooking talent through osmosis. Perhaps? That would be great... but I won't hold my breath.

Anyway - back to the results. As my lunch meal for the week - I made crockpot pulled buffalo chicken. Also - a DELICIOUS meal. And probably one of the easiest things EVER to cook. A 3lb bag of frozen chicken breasts, a bottle of Frank's Hot Sauce, and a packet of ranch seasoning. Leave it in the crockpot for the day and BOOM - delicious. It did have a nice kick to it - I'll definitely be sure to always keep some Ranch dressing on hand... yowsa. I've got plenty of leftovers, which I'm pretty pumped about, because now for the next two weeks I can eat it as many ways possible. In a wrap, as a sandwich, on a salad... I'm sure I could come up with more. I mean, buffalo chicken is buffalo chicken. Ooh I could put it on pizza! And now I'm sidetracked with food - weird.

One little piece of helpful information though - when using a crockpot, make sure that the outlet you plug it into actually works. Your food cooks faster that way. Just a minor snafu (snafoo? snafuu? I don't know how to spell that) on Saturday - but once I figured it out and got it really heating up, we were golden. So just make sure to check your outlets before you do anything major so you don't come home and have your food not cooked. I would cry. And then order a pizza and drink some wine and think about how Giada would NEVER let that happen in her kitchen. How embarrassing.

On a sad note though - my dog training was cancelled for Sunday so I didn't get a chance to play with the puppies! I'll have to reschedule that so I can get some volunteer hours in. I just need to keep my distance at least a little while so I don't end up with 20 cats and 8 dogs. I am not ready to be on that episode of Hoarders yet. Give me 30 years or so and things may change. If you're all lucky you can tune into TLC or A&E and just happen to be flipping through and see Dr Robin Zasio coming into my house full of animals and other shenanigans and think, "SARA! I KNOW HER!"

I haven't decided any specific recipes that I'll be making the rest of the week, or the new things I'll be trying. Looks like I need to spend some more time on Pinterest to figure out what's next. But until then, I'll be busy this week with work, cleaning, attempting Farrell's without dying, and getting everything ready for my baby sister to come home! These 4 months took FOREVER and I can't wait for her to head back. I'm so proud of her for stepping so far out of her comfort zone and grabbing this opportunity. But mostly I'm excited for her to be back!!

And real fast - some of you know how much of a Scrooge I can be during Christmas... but I am currently sitting and watching Michael Buble's Christmas Special and I haven't turned it off. He must be an exception to the rule. But the first Christmas song I hear tomorrow will be followed by a "GAH! TURN IT OFF!" and then me punching the buttons in my car to change the station to something to wake me up for the day.

And on that note - my violent tendancies now off the back burner - it's time for me to retire to bed. Actually I'm going to do some stretching because I thought I was the Karate Kid tonight in kickboxing - I'm not. And my 26 year old body knows that, however my mind thinks I'm in much better shape than what is reality. I should probably pop a few Ibuprofen, chug some water, and bust out the Icy/Hot before hauling myself into bed. Tomorrow will be rough. But worth it.

Peace out homies... catch ya on the flipside
Sara

Cat Lady Training and Baking Lesson Number One

Today was a day of lessons.

I learned how to "take care" of a cat today during my training to be a cat companion. This is basically a nice way of saying "you're a cat lady - let me show you exactly how much of a cat lady you are." When I received the email to remind me of my training, it was also addressed to 5 other people. All female. Which leads me to believe that every other female in this training group of mine either has a cat at home already, or is in the process of picking one out during their volunteering time there. Which is fine - I have nothing against cat ladies. Especially since after tonight - I have decided that I really am one. I think I knew that all along - but never wanted to admit it. The first step is admitting you have a problem, after all. My name is Sara - and I am a closet cat lady. Much like I am a closet mean girl - but that's for a different day. Anyway - back to cat lady training. We had a solid group of 6 people - one actually ended up being male, however his wife or girlfriend came with so clearly it was her idea to volunteer together to "build their relationship." Whatever. We received a tour of the facility and got to go back to the "private" areas of the shelter. Smelled a lot like bleach and heard a lot of dogs barking. Then we get to the cat rooms. Yes - rooms. There are THREE different areas for cats, seeing as there are so many of them. Our instructor - who was very awkward, and also seemed to have issues speaking to a large group, also chose the worst cat in the bunch to demonstrate with. "Now make sure you take them under their chest, and if they start biting or fighting with you, leave them alone." He's saying this as the cat is attacking his hand. Then he kept repeating "well you have lots of energy today don't you?" Once he finally put Guard Cat back in his kennel, he said "well that probably wasn't the best one to use as an example." Duh. We knew that as it started meowing and sticking his paws out of the cage. Again - back to what the real issue is here. Me - being a cat lady. Now those of you who know Toby - the lion cub - knows that he doesn't play well with others. Therefore it seemed like a terrible idea for me to be picking up and holding and cuddling multiple cats while I was there. But they were so cute and I wanted to take them all home! I made friends with a ginger girl - not positive of her name, I'm sure I'll learn it at some point - and we kept talking about how our respective cats (she must also be a cat lady) would be so upset if we brought another one home as they both like being "only children." We'll get along great. I'm REALLY excited to continue to volunteer - and on Sunday I have my dog companion training. Then I'll fall in love with even more animals that Toby won't like. He's so jealous and possessive - I think he and I need to have a little sit down chat and discuss this.

Although he probably isn't speaking to me anymore after the Santa suit I purchased for him and put him in tonight. He'll forget by tomorrow. I saw it while I was picking up stuff for Rumchata Cupcakes that I just HAD to get it.

So - Rumchata Cupcakes. Let's first point out that I do NOT bake. There's far too many rules involved and I usually end up having anything I bake be overcooked. There are just so many rules and EXACT measurements  needed that I have a really hard time following directions. I would much rather just throw a bunch of stuff together in the cupboards than follow the exact measurements. Don't get me wrong, I passed Home Ec in 7th grade - an entire quarter of cooking, so I should basically have my own cooking show on the Food Network. However we didn't spend much time on baking and the rules that go along with it. My idea of "baking" is getting a tub of premade cookie dough, putting it on a cookie sheet, and baking them a few minutes too long so it's mandatory to drink milk with them. Or those cut and bake sugar cookies which have the respective holiday on the middle. Again - a little overdone. But I continue to bake them because I think that's really "baking." So when I saw this recipe for Rumchata Cupcakes on Pinterest (most of the recipes, DIY ideas, etc. will probably come from Pinterest - at some point I will probably link these two so you can see the recipes and such that I use) I knew I had to make them. I mean they are made with RUMCHATA. Booze in cupcakes - it's two of the best things in America, as one! Well this is a real life cupcake recipe. Not just "empty contents of box into mixer, add eggs, mix, put in pan, bam - done." This is full of measurements. I had 4 bowls going at once, checking back at the recipe to make sure I didn't mess anything up, and a glass of wine steadily decreasing in volume as I continued baking. I got the cupcakes into the oven - 350 degrees for 20 minutes, easy enough - and started on the frosting. Yes - there was a separate frosting for these things - not just a container of frosting that you spread on. Well I could eat that frosting all day - it's got cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and Rumchata in it. I could make a pudding out of that. Maybe next time.................... but that's beside the point. The cookies looked totally deflated when I pulled them out of the oven - they are currently sitting in the fridge while they cool down before I put the frosting on so the frosting doesn't melt off them. In case you were curious - I did not know that all on my own. It said so on the recipe - I would have slapped the frosting on as soon as I pulled them out of the oven and that would have been a DISASTER.

I'm on my way to check on the cupcakes... I'm actually pretty terrified at what they will taste like. I mean I followed the directions so they should be perfect... just not very pretty. But this is my first baking experience (other than the premade cookies - those won't count anymore) since probably 7th grade so I'm giving myself a little credit. I stepped out of my comfort zone by baking these ridiculous cupcakes - I suppose I could have started out a little easier with something from a box. Nothing like throwing yourself to the wolves in the kitchen! It was pretty great getting critiqued by my mom at least 5 times during the baking process - let me bake my cupcakes and drink my wine, woman! Then you can tell me later how terrible they are. But please don't - please fake it and say they at least taste decent... pretty please!

But that's all for tonight - I'm going to finish my wine, frost these bad boys, and head to bed. After my slow cooker pulled buffalo chicken lunch tomorrow - I'll also go over how good/bad/ugly these cupcakes turned out. I don't think I can handle rejection tonight.

Happy Friday - and I hope you're enjoying these shenanigans that I will be creating for you.

Xoxo... Gossip Girl. Er... Sara

Once Upon a Time...

On the eve of my 26^th birthday, I find it fitting to start this new blog. I’m starting another chapter in my life – a 26^th chapter if you will – and on that note, I still don’t know exactly who I am. I’ve toyed with the idea of starting a blog for a long time, and I never buckled down enough to do it. I always had something else to do, somewhere else to go, or there was a Bridezillas marathon on that I just couldn’t miss – even though I’d seen every episode at least 9 times. So now – after much thought – I am finally beginning this blog. I’m borrowing an idea from a couple different books – not the exact idea, but with similarities pertaining to my life. This will be a cross between Julie and Julia – where Julie (a writer) takes a “trip” through Julia Childs’ cookbook and uses a recipe each night for an entire year and then blogs about it (among other things – somewhat of a self discovery trip); and Eat, Pray, Love – another search for self discovery through food, prayer, and love. Surprisingly – I haven’t read either of these books completely – I’ve tried, I just couldn’t get past the “eat” portion of Eat, Pray, Love and I saw the movie before I read the book for Julie and Julia – but I know the basic premise for each book. And that’s what I intend to do in this blog. This will be my own journey to self discovery.

I tend to be one of those people who always talks about “doing” something – but then never following through with it. I talk a big game, but when it comes down to it – I’m not a big “do-er.” So with that said – I will begin to be a “do-er.” I’ve already began a list of things that I’ve said I wanted to do, but have never done, and I will write about each new thing I try. It may be something as simple as trying a new food, baking something (I’m terrible at baking – too many rules, as I’m sure you will find out later) or something as momentous as skydiving or starting a new tradition. I’m always looking for suggestions and will do my best to try something new every day. We’re all busy – so something new every day may be a little bit of an undertaking – especially with the holidays coming up.

Some of these may be ongoing – there are a few on my list I already know I can’t get done in one day – and there are others where I could be done in an hour. I’m really looking forward to doing this – and I know that in the long run, it really will help me figure out who I really am. I’m hoping to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, where I want to be in five years (that dreaded question in an interview that you never know how to answer), and what REALLY makes me happy. This blog will be a bucket list of sorts – however “travel to Europe” will probably not make this year of doing… need to save a little cash money before that trip happens. Unless I win the lottery… then that will be happening FOR SURE. Good bye student loans and HELLO EUROPE!! But until then – I’ll stick with things within my reach, or a little outside my comfort zone. Who knows – maybe I’ll find something I really enjoy and love, more than I ever thought. Fingers crossed!

So as my first order of business – I would like to check “start a blog” off my mental bucket list. Here begins my “to-do” list for the next year. I’d love to hear comments, suggestions, etc. from those of you who follow my blog. Even if no one reads this – it will be nice to have somewhere to “talk” about what I’ve been up to. Any new revelation will absolutely be discussed – it will be nice to talk things through – OUTSIDE my head rather than in my own thoughts. Gets crazy and jumbled in there sometimes. And as I go back and read those last few sentences – I sound like I have conversations with myself in my head. Sometimes it happens – but you’ll have that.

So here we have it – day one of my “year of doing.” Let’s hope I can stick with this and it doesn’t get added on to my list of “I should do this… but probably won’t.” That list isn’t fun.

Peace, love, dove.

Sara