30 for 30 days (a finale)

And just like that, my twenties -- and the first month of my thirties -- are over in the blink of an eye. I've waited a month to write this post because I wanted to think long and hard about what I was going to say. Turns out I have quite a lot to say, so it's been hard to pare things down and not write a novel about what it's like to turn 30.

In the last 30 days, I've done two important things. First and foremost, I've spent a lot of time going back and re-reading the entries in this blog. It has brought a smile to my face again and again as I re-lived each moment, and took time to think about each person that accompanied me on this journey. From riding in a hot air balloon with Betsy to running a half marathon with Kyle; "building" a home for Habitat with Anna or getting my fortune told by a psychic with Melissa; swimming with dolphins with Aynsley or going parasailing with Karen/Chad/Bryan/Christina/Anna/Kaitlyn; seeing an opera at the Met with Lauren/Christine/Tausha and going fake skydiving with Alex -- THANK YOU. Each of you have had an immense impact on my life.

The second, and I think more profound thing, is that I've taken the time to really reflect on my 20s and, although it's often uncomfortable to feel like you're tooting your own horn, I've forced myself to really focus on all that I've accomplished in the last ten years.

• I've graduated from college with a 4.0 GPA and as my school's valedictorian
• I worked for my dream company (Disney) in two dream jobs (PR/marketing) for more than 5 years
• I got accepted to, attended and successfully graduated from the Harvard Business School MBA program
• I went on a plane for the very first time in my adult life (at 20) and traveled to 6 countries and 16 states
• I've been on 3 cruises, eaten at every Walt Disney World restaurant and taken a magical work vacation to Las Vegas AND Hawaii for free
• I've reconnected with my father, who was absent from my life for 20 years
• I've had the chance to work with, and be mentored by, a handful of AMAZING bosses that taught me more than they'll ever understand (Belinda, Carrie, Bryan)
• I've built an independent financial life for myself -- purchased a car, furnished an apartment, and raised two little dogs
• I've risked it all, moving to Philadelphia without knowing a soul, forcing myself to tackle some tough inner demons that surfaced as I tried to figure out what it truly meant to start again
• I've gone to my first football game, seen snow for the first time, met countless celebrities, made new friends, kept old friends, been a bridesmaid 3 times, survived 4 surgeries, met a member of my UK family for the first time, lived in 6 different cities, worked for a non-profit, and even learned to love riding Tower of Terror.

It's funny. For quite a long time, I was dreading turning the big 3-0. In my mind, it represented the end of my youth, a time when I'd cross some scary chasm and really become an adult. But now that I'm here, I don't really understand why I was ever so afraid. Believe it or not, I DO feel like I crossed that scary chasm -- waking up on my birthday I really did feel different -- but being on the other side is great. For some reason, I have a new lease on life. I'm less concerned about doing things because they please others or contribute to the perception others have of me. I'm more sure of the things that I want in my life and am unafraid of taking risks to make sure I can make them realities. I still feel young -- but not too young -- and am thankful that I can leave those many pressures of my 20s in my past. And more than anything, I'm looking forward to another 10 years of life and all the wonderful things that will come along to surprise me. I'm excited to look back on my 40th birthday and craft a similar list for all that unfolded in my 30s. 

For now, it's all about getting out there and enjoying the present, and the people and things that are currently in my life. At least until I can craft my 40 things before 40 list and get cracking once more.

Defining "complete" - Less than a week to go

When I was making my list initially, there were several items that had a very clear start and end. Once you're in the water with a dolphin, you have officially swam with dolphins. Once you're up in the air with a balloon attached to your back, you have officially gone parasailing. But what happens when you've started working on an item that doesn't really ever have a defined end? What if you attempt to complete an item and it either gets foiled or isn't what you expected? Do these things count against my list? I haven't decided, but for the sake of it, I want to call these things out and report on the progress I did make (or tried to make).

#17: Learn to Ballroom Dance
If someone walked up to me and asked if I knew how to ballroom dance, I don't think I could say yes with a straight face, but I did take private and group lessons over a span of almost a year while I was still living in Orlando. I have a pair of Latin shoes, a series of DVDs and can perform the basic steps of things like the quickstep, tango and waltz, thanks to Mr. Mark Arnott. My original goal was to become good enough at ballroom dancing that I could go to a competition (and potentially win), but finances and moving just got in the way, and ballroom lessons are WAY too expensive up here in Philly for me to keep the learning going.

#21: Learn a Second Language
I'm a bit embarrassed on this one because I spent $500 on Rosetta Stone software and I have certainly not used it as much as I should have. Two years later and I speak a LITTLE French, but not nearly enough to have a sustainable conversation with a person who speaks fluent French. I think part of it is that I have to admit to myself that I just don't have a brain for languages. That's not to say that I can't or couldn't pick up a second language, but more that if I really want to learn one, I have to focus significant effort on it and practice over the long term. Right now there are so many competing priorities in life that this isn't one of them, but at least my Rosetta Stone license doesn't go away and so far what I have learned has stuck with me pretty well.

#1: Play a round of paintball, #3: Watch turtles hatch and #7: Be a member in the audience of a TV show
Two years ago, my friends Aynsley and Meredith gave me an "IOU" for a round of paintball as a group gift for my birthday, and the cosmos have just collided such that it's never happened. First Meredith got pregnant (which is great news, so I hope this isn't reading like I'm complaining!), then Aynsley moved much farther away. Then I left Florida and Aynsley got pregnant, and lo and behold, it may be several years yet before the three of us can actually get together to make this happen.

As far as the turtles go, I partly blame myself for having poor planning skills, but partly blame Mother nature, too. When my friends Kaitlyn, Anna and I booked a weekend beach vacation at Disney's Vero Beach Resort, we did it in June specifically because we knew that was the time of year when loggerhead sea turtle eggs typically hatched. Little did I know that you can't just walk around the beach on your own looking for these little guys, but you actually have to go with a guide, and clearly these nighttime beach walks were a heck of a lot more popular than I expected, because they had all been booked solid upon our arrival. Then Mother nature released storm after storm while we were there, which had we booked a walk, may have meant its cancellation regardless. Plan foiled.

Finally, I have been trying to get tickets to be in the audience of a TV show for THREE YEARS now. I applied for The View, Ellen DeGeneres, SNL, etc. and would have traveled to New York or LA or wherever had I gotten tickets for ANY month, but nothing. I probably could have made my NYC friends get up at the crack of dawn to stand at the Today Show courtyard, but felt too guilty making the request of them. And then when my friend Dana and I bought tickets for The Price is Right Live in Lakeland, we expected a close replica to our favorite game show and thought maybe that could suffice as my "TV show." But it was a cheesy, sort of scam-like experience that left us feeling pretty empty, so it was clear that night that I couldn't really check that item off my list either.

#10: Solve a Rubik's Cube
Before I left Florida, my friend Christina ever kindly donated her Rubik's Cube to me, and ever since then I have been trying my damned hardest to solve the thing. And no, I haven't been sitting around fiddling with it and hoping it would solve itself, I have been actively using tutorials, algorithms and so-called Rubik's Cube "hacks" to try and get this thing completed. But I am failing. I can get the first layer complete and then all the tutorials lose me and I wind up screwing up everything I accomplished and having to start from scratch. I knew from the start that my lack of spatial intelligence would probably make this one challenging, but I figured there had to be some sort of easy cheat I could use to be able to cross this one off the list. Not so. I'm not 100% giving up, but this "thing" sure as heck has become more frustrating than fun at this point!

So what do you think? Do we count these 6 as complete or incomplete? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

#19: Buy a pair of Manolo Blahnik heels

I credit my sorority little sister, Laura, for being the one to turn me on to the glorious world of Sex & the City. I never had HBO growing up, so while I had heard of the show, I hadn't actually seen an episode until I got to college. Laura, a super fan, had the entire collection, and I remember watching episodes with her and other Delta Z's -- I was hooked before long.

Having grown up in suburban Florida, I had big city dreams like a lot of girls. And Sex & the City just fed those dreams -- I saw before me a world of possibilities in NYC, with tons to explore, a set of great girlfriends and fabulous fashion to boot. Although I always related to Charlotte more than any of the other characters (and still envy her fashion sense and Park Avenue apartment), there was always something so fascinating about Carrie Bradshaw and those dang Manolo Blahnik shoes.

For Carrie, I think she put a lot of her hopes, dreams, and even lack of "true love" emotions into her shoe purchases. Every shoe she bought was a reflection of her personality, and to each shoe she tied a memory of a moment or an occasion. By no means am I as fanatical about shoes as Carrie, but I liked this idea of a physical representation of a moment or feeling. Not to mention, as I've previously expressed in earlier posts, I've had a somewhat embarrassing "challenge" with inadequacy in recent years after graduating from HBS, so having a pair of statement designer shoes that I could profess I was able to afford seemed to me as though it would announce "my arrival" as a real grown up. Hence, I added this item to my 30 before 30 list.

Originally, I had fully intended to completely splurge and spend upwards of $500 on a pair of totally hot Manolos, and hoped to make it a complete experience. I imagined waltzing into the NYC Manolo flagship store, browsing the expensive shoes as if dropping that much money on a single pair was a chunk of change. I imagined sitting in a plush leather chair with a salesperson sliding a glorious shoe onto my foot. I would casually profess that they were beautiful, hand over my credit card and drool as they wrapped the shoe into a dust bag and box, with me walking out with a Manolo Blahnik shopping bag that I'd probably keep for life.

However, as time passed and expenses piled up, I shamefully looked at my savings account and realized it was nearly empty. Suddenly this frivolous purchase started to bring up more feelings of guilt than excitement. If I had $500 at my disposal, did it make sense to buy ONE pair of shoes or an entire season's worth of winter clothes? One pair of shoes or another loan payment that could help me get out of student debt? One pair of shoes or flights to two of 4 weddings I've been invited to this year? The more I thought about it, the more I simply couldn't justify the purchase, 30 things list or not.

And then, a light bulb went off, and I remembered that I make the rules here. There's no 30 Things police that's going to come and scold me if I don't do exactly what I set out to do when I created this blog. With that in mind, I realized that I could still totally check this off my bucket list, feel the excited emotions that owning a pair of designer shoes would bring AND not break the bank. The answer? eBay.

For the last several months I've scoured the listings, looking for a gently used pair of shoes in my size, that appeared to be authentic and weren't awfully ugly (one thing I've learned is that the vast majority of Manolos actually look totally like old lady shoes, so the brand must have gone downhill since Carrie hung up her heels). About a month ago, I found a pair that called my name: bright pink, patent leather, 4 inch pumps. Gorgeous. And I snagged them for $130.

From what I can tell the shoes were originally $695, so at 1/6 of the price, I feel pretty good about the purchase. And they are beautiful. Sure they're a little bit worn in spots and sure there's a black mark through the name on the insole (showing that they were put on clearance before they got to me), but I don't care. They're classy, they're bold, and they're all mine. Every time I slip them on my feet the memories of those NYC dreams come flooding back, even if that lifestyle isn't what I'm searching for anymore. Now I just need a Mr. Big/Harry Goldenblatt/Steve Brady/Smith Jerrod to take me out on the town while I'm wearing them. And maybe I'll sip a Cosmo while I'm at it.

#29: See an opera at The Met

As I get ever closer to the "big birthday" that inspired this blog (only 4 months and 5 days to go, but who's counting), I've been doing a LOT of reflecting. It certainly helps that many of my friends are also on the cusp of turning 30 because it means that they too have been reflecting and therefore have posted many-an article on Facebook about "things I learned in my 20s" or "things to learn in my 30s," all of which further inspire me to be all philosophical and wax poetic about life. Alas, I'm not going to go there in detail today, but I do want to talk about one particular lesson that I've learned in the last few years and continue to learn today.

There are two kinds of things that we do in life: those that we do because other people/society have taught us to do them to maintain a certain "image" of who we are or want to be; and those that we do because they are a true reflection of us as an individual and bring us a sense of joy.

I've always had a certain picture in my mind of who I wanted to be in life or how I wanted to be perceived. The adjectives that come to mind? Smart -- VERY smart -- successful, rich, elegant, classy, kind, genuine, trustworthy, warm. I'm sure there are moments in my life that consciously or subconsciously helped shape why I chose these adjectives, but the point is that we develop this mental picture of what we are striving for and then use societal cues to determine the actions that we have to take to convince the world that we are such. "If I want people to think I'm VERY smart, I should go to Harvard." "If I want people to think I'm successful and rich, I need to drive a fancy car." "If I want people to think I'm elegant and classy, I better dress a certain way, act a certain way and like certain things." And where do smart, rich, successful, elegant and classy people go? Well, the opera.

So you see, when I was writing the list of 30 things to do before I turned 30, certainly I chose many of those things based on activities or adventures that really reflected me as an individual, but what I've realized is that I also chose some of those things because I wanted them to shape the perception that other people had of me. If I went to the opera and loved it, people would think I was so intellectual and refined! They'd admire how cultural I was! They'd say, "Wow, look at what a lovely woman she's become!"

But you know what? I hated it. And I don't care.

Because in the last few years I've learned that I'm not a hard case of black and white. Classy or class-less. Smart or stupid. Kind or mean. I'm shades of so many different personality traits. I can even be a contradiction. Can I be classy and love getting dolled up for a night out Friday and then get equally excited to dress up as a science fiction character and go cosplay at a con? Of course. Is it okay that I can claim I'm a total introvert whose focus is often too insular and still be lonely on a Saturday when I have no friends to be with? Absolutely. Will people think I am any less smart or successful if my personality doesn't necessarily align with the societal cues that tell us someone is smart and successful? If they truly know me and care about me, of course they won't, and otherwise, I have no reason to care what they think.

As I get older, and dare I say wiser, I am learning a lot about who I am and what things make me happy. I'm learning to give myself more grace and be accepting of the fact that I'm not perfect and I sure as heck don't have life figured out.

All in all, although the opera did not tickle my fancy, the experience was one worth having because of the people I experienced it with. Three great friends that have been by my side through good times and bad for the last 15 years. They are classy, smart, genuine, kind, successful, warm, trustworthy and elegant, too. And the fact that none of them liked the opera either doesn't change that one bit.

#4: Spend a day volunteering with Habitat for Humanity

Since high school, I've always enjoyed volunteering, and for some reason, building a house for someone through Habitat for Humanity seemed to be the pinnacle of volunteer experiences. Perhaps because building a house seems so hard and complicated, but also because of the underlying notion of how important a "home" is to a person's life, and here you are making that possible for them. Surprisingly, actual "build" experiences with Habitat seem to be harder to come by than you might imagine! I have been trolling their Web site at random intervals for a few years now, but every time I search for volunteer experiences, they are always at their "home office" doing who-knows-what. In my mind I wanted to get in on the actual physical labor, toiling away at the land, not sitting behind a desk, which I already do for 40+ hours a week.

A few weeks ago, just as I was starting to dive back into my 30 Things list, I got an e-mail from Disney VoluntEARS saying they were organizing a Habitat build day, and as you can imagine, I jumped at the chance to participate. I recruited my friend Anna from work to come along with me, and together we donned our white VoluntEARS t-shirts and headed over to Pine Hills to do some building.

Of course right off the bat, my sunny optimism about the day was shot down as we hit an atypical early morning Florida rain storm on our drive over to the build site. Any other Saturday, a morning shower would have made for a great excuse to stay in bed and read a book, but when you're en route to a construction site of sorts to do landscaping and yard work (in a white t-shirt nonetheless), this is not a welcome experience. Needless to say, we arrived at the site and were greeted by a very sandy (and ever-so-rapidly becoming very muddy) landscape in the middle of a semi-creepy part of town. Already I started to ask myself why I ever volunteered for this in the first place.

 

It was hot. It was raining. And the two together created my very favorite Florida weather condition -- steamy humid air -- the kind that creeps under your clothes and makes everything stick to you...the kind that your hair oh-so-quickly absorbs to create a frizzy mess. And here I was gathered under a very small car-port with 30 other sweaty people waiting to begin sloshing around in mud for 6 hours. What fun.

All this in mind, you can see why I very quickly volunteered to be a part of the crew that would do tasks other than lay sod and landscaping around the very large yard, thinking this would be a way to not get totally wet and utterly dirty (although I was warned to wear clothes I wouldn't mind getting dirty, it had become clear that if I took part in the yard work my clothes would go beyond dirty and reach into the range of becoming garbage, which I was not prepared for). So instead I was relegated to the task force of 6 women who would clean the inside of this new home to prepare it for the owners.

 

Let me back-track for a second and talk about Habitat for Humanity as an organization, as I learned some new things in this experience. Firstly, I never realized that Habitat was a religious organization. And even though they claimed to be "non-denominational" and supportive of all religions, they started the day off with a prayer in Jesus' name (and might I remind them that many religions, including mine, don't actually pray in Jesus' name, so if you want to be supportive of all religions, you might want to re-think that prayer). More importantly, I learned that there is actually a really rigorous application process to get a Habitat home and that the homes aren't given to the new owners scott-free. Rather, it's a loan like any mortgage, but Habitat sells it to the owner at-cost and interest free. They call it a hand-up rather than a hand-out, which aligns really nicely with my personal charitable beliefs, so I quite liked the sentiment.

 

Back to cleaning. This task seemed SO much better than the yard work, until we quickly realized that the home had no power. This meant no air conditioning, no fans, no lights, no nothing. And of top of that, the "cleaning supplies" we were given to clean an entire house included a couple very old, nearly broken vaccum cleaners (which we had to hook up to an external generator outside), some dirty mops, a couple of sponges and some rags. And this was a VERY dirty house. I'm talking sawdust everywhere, mud and grime tracked all over the floors and into the bathrooms, windows coated in fingerprints and cobwebs, etc.. This was a serious cleaning job that would have required a lot of new cleaning tools...and some air circulation.

 

We did the best we could. But when I realized that mopping the tile floors in the bathroom was actually making it dirtier than it was before, I sort of gave up. It wound up that Anna and I stood around feeling sort of awkward and useless for much of the time, although we did plenty of vaccuming, dusting, window cleaning and the like. By 11:30, I think both of us were over the experience and just ready to get cleaned up ourselves, eat something and sit in front of the blasting A/C for a long, long time.

So am I happy that I chose to volunteer with Habitat? Certainly! Do I ever feel the desire to do it again? Unless it's a freezing, sunny day in February where we're not tracking around in dirt? Probably not. Of course, I still believe Habitat for Humanity is doing great things for the community, so I'd encourage others to give them some of their time, but I warn you that the physical side of it may not be as glamorous as it appears when you're actually in the moment.

And with that, I can proudly say that I've reached the half-way point in my 30 Things list. It's honestly taken me longer to get here than I hoped, and with only 13 months remaining until I turn 30, it's going to be a bit of a challenge knocking through the second half of the list. But I remain determined, and even if it requires a little bit of altering to my items, I will get there! Until then...

#15: Go Parasailing

It's a bit shameful that it's been 8 months since I've updated this blog, although I like to think that I have good reason -- I started saving my money! I know it may seem weird for me to confess that previously I wasn't doing so, but the truth is that for the longest time I was literally living paycheck-to-paycheck, and while I was getting by and squeezing in a few extras along the way, I had a bit of an epiphany that a) if I ever want to buy a house b) if I want to be able to afford a new car when my lease expires and c) if God forbid I should ever get fired and need to support myself, I better start finding a way to save some money. Thus with the shift of a portion of my income to a savings account, much of the funds I was using to fulfill the tasks on my 30 things list went out the window. And let me tell you, I did not pick 30 cheap things!

Alas, I think it was my very dear friend Tausha that helped me have my second epiphany, as I was mentioning to her that money was holding me back and I wasn't sure if I'd get through my list. And if I've pegged her correctly, she swiftly replied that I shouldn't forget this is my blog and I make the rules! There's no one standing behind me punishing me for swapping out an item on the list or modifying it to make it more affordable. Once that clicked in my mind, I was re-inspired and ready to start checking off items again, even if it meant they'd be altered some from their original intention.

However, today's post really isn't meant to go into detail about how and when I'll be altering some of these items, but rather it's to get back on the bandwagon and share my story of conquering number 15: going parasailing!

 I have my good friends at Disney Vacation Club to thank for this one, as the admin on our team, Karen, who graces my pictures in this post, just happened to have the right connections and was able to secure a parasailing outing for our team for free (thanks Karen!)! So what started as just another day at work swiftly turned into the rare opportunity to check a normally very expensive item off my list without spending a dime. (I will say that my original intention was to go parasailing over the ocean somewhere, with the beautiful, crystal clear, blue water glistening beneath me, but settling for sky-high views of the Magic Kingdom, and even downtown Orlando just had to do!)

For those of you that haven't been parasailing before, I like to think of it as the perfect intersection between an adventure and relaxation. Obviously you've got the height factor -- which for us topped out at 600 feet -- but while you're in the air, it's as if you're the only person on the planet. The views are truly spectacular, and I was amazed at just how far I could see (it was a particularly clear morning). I think my biggest fear the entire time was that a nearby bird would fly into us/our parachute and wreak some havoc (which thankfully did not happen). I'll admit that I was death-gribbing the harness straps for the first five minutes or so, but once I realized I could relax my body and not fall to my death, it was a beautiful thing.

 

The flight in itself lasted for about 8-10 minutes and that's including the fairly slow ascent and descent (there's none of that stomach dropping feeling that most people hate). Unfortunately, there's not much opportunity to take pictures while you're in the air (unless you don't care about accidentally dropping your phone and/or camera into the water), so my photos are limited to before and afters. But once you're back in the boat, if you're with other folks going parasailing, you get to enjoy a nice 10-minute boat ride while you're friends are off floating through the sky - a really nice way to cap the experience.

I will say that now that I've done parasailing, I'm not sure I'd be willing to pay the typical $100 per person to do it again. But boy oh boy was it great to experience! And even better is that I've got another 30 things item on the schedule for just two weeks from now. I'll be heading to Disney's Vero Beach Resort for the weekend and it just so happens to be the very time of year that the loggerhead sea turtle eggs tend to start a'hatching. While there's no guarantee that it will happen the one night that I'm walking along that shoreline, I'm hoping that the 30 things gods bless me with a miracle! Speak to you then!

#26: Go to Comic-Con dressed as a superhero or other famous sci-fi character

I'll open this blog post with a disclaimer: I know that the real item on my "30 Things" list specifically says that I need to attend "Comic Con" and unfortunately no, I was not able to go back in time to attend this summer's actual event in San Diego, however, I hope that you will allow me this explanation. When I created my "30 Things" list, I did so with a blue sky in mind and didn't think at all about financial implications or the amount of time it would take to achieve these things, and looking back, I realize that I may have been a bit ambitious in adding too many items to my list that require some sort of traveling. Given the fact that I don't have as much discretionary income as I'd like, and that fact that the Celebration VI Star Wars convention was being held in Orlando this year, I did a little switcheroo. Now, I still hope to make it to the real Comic Con one day, but in the meanwhile, this was a great way for me to check an item off my list and have a really fun day doing it!


If you are surprised to hear that I'm a big enough Star Wars fan to attend a convention of this sort, it may just be because I fly my nerd flag selectively. Believe it or not, although waxing on for hours about different Harry Potter spells, Star Wars planets and other superhero storylines does indeed make me giddy, I do know how to suppress my nerdy tendencies and hold normal conversations too. So if you're not a nerd, which most of my friends are not, I've probably opted out of sharing this information with you so as not to bore you or cause you to run away screaming. Now, this is the opposite with my friend Kyle, who you might remember from my half marathon post. He is the King of the Nerds (and I don't think he'll mind me saying this, because he knows that this is a compliment) and we almost exclusively talk about nerdy things and/or do nerdy things together (he was also my partner in crime for the double-feature Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows midnight showing in which we also donned costumes). I knew immediately that he'd be the perfect person to join me at Celebration VI and would proudly come wearing his Jedi best.

In addition to buying my ticket (we opted to go on the last day of the convention to avoid the crazy crowds), I also had to determine which character to dress up as. Typically in the sci-fi/fantasy sphere, women don't get a whole lot of choice. Female superheroes tend to a) wear a skin-tight suit of spandex (a la Black Widow or Cat Woman) or b) run around practically naked like Slave Leia or Wonder Woman. Personally, I don't have the body or a great enough lack of inhibition to pull off either of these options. Plus, I knew that in addition to finding a costume I'd like to wear, I also had to figure out how I was going about finding that costume considering I don't sew a lick.

I wound up purchasing a custom-made gown on eBay for...I'm scared to admit it...$150. I know, it is entirely impractical to spend that much money on a costume that I will likely only wear a few times. But oh, it's so pretty! The gown is from the very last scene in A New Hope when Princess Leia is giving medals to Luke and Han, and it represents perhaps one of Leia's most elegant moments. In addition, I figured that it was a less "popular" scene in the films, so if I wore that gown I'd perhaps be only one in a handful to wear it to the convention (it's sort of like prom where you don't want to be seen in the same gown as another woman). And let me tell you, folks, that dress was MAGIC!

Okay, not real magic, but a sort of made-my-dreams-come-true-magic, if you will. Another perhaps little known secret about me is that I have always, always, always dreamed of being a Disney Princess and I am sincerely and thoroughly crushed that I am officially too old and too far down the professional pipeline to ever become one. If anybody ever wants to make my year, arrange for those costuming folks to dress me up as Belle or Cinderella and you will probably see me cry with joy. Tangent aside, I think wearing this costume may be as close as I will ever come to knowing what it feels like to walk through the Magic Kingdom wearing a princess costume. Everywhere I went, people were looking my way and TWELVE times I was asked by a complete stranger if they could take a picture of me. Granted I don't usually relish this kind of attention, but today I was soaking it in. Perhaps it's because I knew I was among my nerd bretheren who would appreciate my attire rather than judge it or think it weird! In addition to our own costumes, Kyle and I also saw some other greats, including Darth himself, Admiral Ackbar, Darth Maul, lots of Jedis and even a male version of Aura Singh.

In total, we wound up spending about 6 hours at the convention. We saw a great panel with Warwick Davis, ate a themed lunch, got Disney Star Wars name tags in Aurbesh, took lots of pictures and browsed through hundreds of exhibitors pawning their best merchandise. By the time we left, we were thoroughly exhausted and already brainstorming about our next nerd outing.

And with that, another item has been checked off my list. Only 17 to go! Until next time...

#2: Get an acupuncture treatment

Acupuncture, as well as other homeopathic and ancient healing methods, has always fascinated me, and that is originally why #2 made its way onto my 30 Things list. As of late, however, my interest has piqued significantly, going from "I'd like to try this so I can say I tried it" to actually hoping it could make a medical difference. Let me tell you a little story...

As many of you know, I suffer from Crohn's Disease, as well as other annoying ailments like allergies, headaches, acne, etc., all of which tend to result in me ingesting a far greater quantity of medication than I'd like. And as I've made certain changes in my life -- becoming a vegetarian, trying to eat mostly organic foods, using only organic and natural cosmetics -- I've started to see all of these medications in a different light. Sure, some medications and treatments are absolutely necessary (I am NOT one of those people that won't vaccinate my kids, or refuses to pop an Advil to cure a headache), but I've noticed more and more lately that doctors try to treat the symptoms of illness, rather than doing the necessary exploration to find and treat the cause of the symptom. Not to give too much information here, but I went to the dermatologist the other day because I've got some chest and back acne that's bugging me. I clearly stated to the doctor that I really didn't care to be on acne medication for the rest of my life so I was hoping to figure out what was causing the acne and treat that. Of course, she nodded along like she agreed at first, but then she hurried me out of the office with three prescriptions for various pills, creams and lotions that she even admitted wouldn't cure me, but would keep things in a controlled state. How's that for exactly the opposite of what I asked for?

At the end of the day, this is a very long-winded way of saying that my distaste for doctors' attitudes and prescription-writing frenzies has further increased my desire to pursue alternate courses of treatment for some of these less-critical and more annoying conditions. And therefore, conveniently having acupuncture on my list, and even more conveniently meeting a friend at work that is undergoing acupuncture, made my decision to schedule my first appointment simple.

Let me start by saying that there's no reason to hide the fact that actually making the appointment and driving myself to the office scared the crap out of me (ok, I was scared during the evaluation, too, and stayed scared until she put the first needle in my foot...but I'll get to that in a minute). I think it would be an outright lie if anyone who has never had acupuncture tried to sit here and say the thought of someone sticking multiple needles into various body parts wasn't a bit unnerving (unless maybe you've gotten a tattoo in which case you apparently have no aversion to unnecessarily sticking yourself with needles...next time, try acupuncture instead, it's way less permanent).

My appointment at Ling's Acupuncture was for 12noon on Saturday (part of the appeal of this place is the Saturday hours!) and after arriving I was promptly ushered into a small room that looked very much like a typical doctor's office waiting room, except with slightly more soothing lighting. Dr. Wang came in shortly thereafter and asked me a series of medical questions -- why was I here? when did I feel pain? what helped the pain? how long did it last? -- after which she explained that acupuncture is designed to restore the balance in the body...something about qi, which is pronounced chee, but honestly she was talking so fast in somewhat broken English and I was still scared as heck, so I caught about 30% of what she was saying. I do remember that she stated that acupuncture can help increase blood flow in the body, or balance your yin and yang, which apparently represent heat and cold. By this point, I was just ready to get started and see what these needles felt like.

Dr. Wang had me lay on the table and she started wiping down certain areas of my body with an alcohol swab (feet, legs, belly, hands, forehead and scalp...and yes, when she went up to my forehead and scalp I got a little more scared). But then all of a sudden she was down by my feet and said "is that okay?" and I was like...is what okay? Wait, you just stuck a needle in me? I hadn't felt a darn thing. Le sigh. This wasn't going to hurt! Hallelujah! Dr. Wang continued sticking my feet and legs and I couldn't feel any of it. I got a little more nervous when she came up to my belly, but she told me to relax, that she'd be very gentle and she was right. There were a couple of needles that stung the slightest bit (one in my left hand, in particular), but for the most part, the experience was absolutely painless.

The best part comes next. Dr. Wang turned on a heat lamp and focused it on my midriff, put on soothing Chinese instrumental music and left me to relax for 25 minutes. Seriously guys, I think I was asleep 10 minutes in. I actually woke myself up with a loud snort, which is a bad sign that I was probably snoring. Regardless, I felt refreshed by the time Dr. Wang came back in to remove the needles and send me on my merry way.

Of course, one treatment isn't supposed to really accomplish much (just as going to the gym one time won't turn you into a body builder), so I'm scheduled to go back next weekend for treatment two. The likelihood of me being able to keep up with this in the long term is probably pretty slim as it's $75 a treatment, but I figure I'll give it a month and if it seems to have worked miracles, I may re-evaluate my finances to see if this can't be squeezed in. For now, I'm just glad that I faced another one of my fears and crossed another item off my list!

Til next time...

Two years to go and counting!

Another birthday has come and gone, and thanks in large part to my team at work, it was a great day! It always strikes me how quickly the years fly by, and in particular this year, I felt sort of reluctant and melancholy about celebrating and/or making a big deal out of my birthday. I'm not sure why this year of all years felt so strange, but perhaps it's partly due to the fact that I'm at the age where birthdays bring you closer to milestones that seem to have so much weight attached to them. I guess it's my own fault for setting unreasonable expectations for myself, but sometimes I think about all the things I was "supposed" to accomplish by now and then make myself totally and completely depressed by focusing on how I haven't achieved many of those things. I know, it's absolutely, totally stupid and that is the main reason why I am here writing this blog post right now -- to remind myself that it's not about the things you don't accomplish in life, but more about the effort you make to fill your days with fun activities, meaningful relationships, continuous challenges and lots of laughter.

When I look back on the last year (..and a few months, since I technically started my 30 Things prior to my 27th birthday), it's striking to remember all the fun and unusual things I've done. From swimming with dolphins to riding in a hot air balloon, to going pretend sky-diving, having my fortune read by a psychic and even facing a "fear" singing karaoke in front of complete strangers, it's been a wild ride!

And the excitement has just begun! With more than half of my "things" still yet to tackle, I'm looking forward to another year of facing fears, learning new things and maybe even making a fool of myself. Here's what's coming up...

- At the end of August, I am attending the Celebration VI Star Wars Convention dressed in full nerd regalia and I simply can't wait! I actually ordered a custom-made Princess Leia gown that's fashioned after her attire during the ceremonial scene at the end of Episode IV. It's going to be awesome.
- Also in August I'm planning to go for my first acupuncture treatment after receiving a referral from a friend at work. I'm totally nervous about the pain, but excited to see if it's worth all the hype!
- In September, it looks like I may be crossing off my "be in the audience of a TV show" item by attending a Price is Right show in Lakeland. It's not exactly the real thing since it's not a taping of the actual show that airs with Drew Carey, but it may very well be good enough!

Hopefully as the rest of the year winds down, more "things" will fall into place, but for now, I'm excited to tackle the line-up that's presently in store. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me during the first year of my adventure. I appreciate all of the support!

#12: Visit the Mona Lisa & #11: Throw a Coin in the Trevi Fountain

It's hard to believe that I've been home from Europe for two months and I still haven't blogged about seeing the Mona Lisa or tossing a coin into the Trevi Fountain. In truth, I've been suffering from a tremendous bout of writer's block, and try as I might, I just couldn't think of an interesting or compelling way to position the "checking off" of these two items. Needless to say, I sort of feel that if I haven't been able to come up with a good story in the last eight weeks, it might never happen, and seeing as I have a few other "30 Things" on deck, I need to force myself to get this one on paper. So do excuse me if this post is particularly boring, short and/or overwhelmingly reliant on photographic evidence for proof that I did indeed accomplish what I say I did.

Let me begin by saying that I was sort of disappointed in my Paris experience and the fact that I was disappointed continues to disappoint me, and I think it might into perpetuity. I still can't quite put my finger on why I disliked the city as much as I did, but part of it could be blamed upon the fact that our trip started off on a bad foot. After arriving on the Eurostar decently exhausted, we had trouble getting onto the Metro (couldn't figure out how to buy tickets), were "accosted" in the train station by some creepy Parisians and then, try as we might, couldn't help but get thoroughly lost, no matter how closely we attempted to follow a map. Combine these early troubles with the general aloof nature of the French, our lack of language skills and our hotel situated off the beaten path, and our generally poor disposition begins to make more sense.

With this said, you shouldn't be surprised that our bad luck sort of followed us to The Louvre on our second day in the city. It started with a 45-minute hunt for our bus stop, which coincidentally wound up being about 2 blocks away from our hotel and continued with a somewhat harrowing journey where we were squished among a group of Parisian pre-schoolers heading out for a field trip whilst desperately trying to gauge just when we had arrived at our stop.

The great news is that we had a goal in mind, and achieve our mission we did (see how the thumbs up in the photo clearly showcases my happiness in making it to the Louvre in one piece?).

Thanks to my travel-savvy friends, I had been prepped in advance that Mona would be small, so thankfully, I wasn't too disappointed when I saw that, indeed, she is a lot tinier than one would expect. What disappointed me more was the fact that there was a rope around her, holding the crowds back at about 10 feet away (you can see me straining against it in the photo) AND the entire wall that the painting was on was covered in a sheet of plexi-glass. Art connoisseur, I claim not to be, however, I was hoping to at least pretend to be of the haughty-tauty variety and admire the brush strokes of the Mona Lisa from a foot or so away.  In this instance, my plot was foiled, so after Melissa and I spent a good 15 minutes taking pictures, we moved on to explore the rest of the massive museum.

TIME WARP to Rome, about a week later, and I am now sick with a cold that Melissa caught in Paris and so kindly decided to share with me :). Despite it all, I am in good spirits and attempting to relish every last second of vacation before the real world comes back into focus. The day that we were scheduled to view the Trevi Fountain was our last in Rome, so we had thrown in some more touristy sightseeing that afternoon as well, stopping by the Spanish Steps and Pantheon, as well as a famous gelato place where I got nutella flavored ice cream that was fantastic!

Interestingly, our map issues that we acquired in Paris continued to haunt us in Rome, so we certainly took the scenic route in getting to our destination, but once we arrived, we were floored with the Fountain's utter beauty and sheer size! If Mona was smaller than expected, Trevi was so much larger!

I can definitely say that pictures do not do this beautiful fountain justice, as the detail gets totally lost, but I can promise you that were I not being hounded by strange Romans trying to steal my camera and/or take my picture with their vintage one (which had I let them surely would have ended badly), I could have stayed and stared for hours. Unfortunately, in this circumstance, it was business as usual -- we were there to take photos and throw a couple coins and then be on our merry way.

Now I just have to hope that the legend is true and that I'll be returning to Rome someday (and perhaps with the husband I wished for, hehe! Oops, maybe I'm not supposed to share that...).

All in all, despite my quacking, my trip to  Europe was most definitely a fantastic experience and I'm so thankful that I was able to go and see all the sights I saw. I've learned a lot about the way I like to travel and certainly hope to do a lot more of it in the future, which begs the question...where to next?!?

#25: Visit the Guards at Buckingham Palace

Ever since I was a little kid, I have been enamored by England. Although I don't 100% know why, I vividly recall practicing my English accent on my Home Alone-style tape recorder, trying to befriend kids at school that were UK transplants and watching any film that took place in England or starred English actors (Sense & Sensibility was a favorite). I think part of me wanted to BE English, since it always seemed like a much more exciting culture, and even to this day I would LOVE to have an international work assignment in the UK. It should come as no surprise then that the first destination that Melissa (my travel buddy and best friend from college) and I selected for our big European vacation was none other than London. And naturally, the number one thing we wanted to do and see in this fantastic city was pose with the "I can't show any emotion that would distract me from my post" Guards in front of Buckingham Palace (I've seen so many fun photos of friends' from the past and couldn't resist adding one to my personal collection).

If you know me at all in real life, it should also come as no surprise that Melissa and I had this vacation planned to a T. We researched everything and anything that it was possible to do research on. TripAdvisor was our best friend, as were real life friends that had lived in each destination we planned to visit. We read Frommer's, Rick Steves and Fodor's. By the time we left for the trip we had built a 7 page itinerary that listed every activity we were planning to do. It even outlined exactly when we'd have "down time" or time to "be spontaneous" (yes, I have been told this level of planning is insane, but hey it usually gets the job done!). Naturally it all came back to bite me in the butt in the end -- clearly someone from above was trying to teach me that life isn't all about schedules, itineraries and plans -- but we will get to that shortly.

Although I don't want to spend a ton of time rehashing our stay in London, I will tell you that we LOVED it. We were staying in the St. Ermin's Hotel, which was centrally located right outside the St. James's Park Tube station and within walking distance of Westminster Abbey and Big Ben/Parliament. In our first four days we took trips to Stonehenge, Windsor and Bath, did tours of Westminster Abbey & St. Paul's Cathedral, went to the Tower of London, had traditional afternoon tea at a fancy hotel and squeezed in time for shopping at Harrod's and on Oxford Street. We also went to an English pub, ate fish & chips, walked through Trafalgar Square and visited the Victoria & Albert museum (which unfortunately, was our least favorite activity of the trip). All this to say our schedule was packed and we were looking forward to capping off our last day in the city with a royal viewing of the changing of the Guards.

Of course, this is where, despite all my planning and scheduling and researching, our plot was foiled. That morning, as we were asking our Concierge for directions, he sadly informed us that the changing of the Guards would not be happening that morning,. Of course it happened the morning before, and would happen the morning afternoon, but this particular morning? No dice. My heart sank! We were leaving for Paris early the next day, so it meant I had totally and completely missed my opportunity to see this piece of traditional London. I couldn't believe that somehow I had made such a fatal mistake, particularly knowing that this was one of the key items on my 30 things list and that I thought I had much such an ironclad itinerary (I should have spoken to the folks that built Titanic, clearly).

Despite the disappointment, we headed toward the castle anyway, figuring that we'd make the best of things. We wound up taking lots of pretty pictures in front of the castle (including a close up of the balcony where Will & Kate kissed!) and then started walking down a long dirt path back toward the center of the city.

Alas, about a half mile down we saw a crowd of people standing around what looked like a small garage entry, and then moments later, noticed that there were two Guards standing nearby guarding the gates! Hallelujah! This was no Buckingham Palace, but the red jackets, black boots, bayonets and tall black fuzzy hats were in tact, just waiting for us (sorry but you'll have to tilt your head to watch the video as I can't figure out how to flip it!).

Hurrying, we crossed the street and strategically placed ourselves in a position primed for photo/video-taking (you see these Guards actually marched up and down a roped off area, so you had to be ready at any moment to catch them at a good angle). Interestingly, each of the two guards appeared to be about 18 years old. I don't know why I expected them to be older men, but perhaps they have to start here at the servants entry before they get promoted to the front of the castle! We wound up standing in the same spot for a good 20 minutes until we were able to snap the perfect shot: As Melissa says, he had a little captain in him! :) (P-S: Does anyone else think those chin straps look INCREDIBLY uncomfortable??)

After we had our fix, we continued down the path feeling much more satisfied and ready to finish our final day. When we did depart, we felt sad to leave London behind, but glad to have experienced so much in a short period of time. And although there are still many things I'd like to see and do, I chalk it up as an excuse to come back one day...and one day soon!

Coming soon in a few days...meeting Mona!! Til then...

#17: Learn How to Ballroom Dance (and why I've been such a slacker)

Hello blogosphere! When I logged on to type this post and saw that I hadn't written anything since JANUARY 9th, the fact that I have been a total slacker really hit me. (In truth, this hit me several weeks ago but the point really sank in today!). I'm not really sure why I've been a total blog slacker lately, especially since I have been making SUCH nice progress on #17: Lear How to Ballroom Dance! Alas, I think my main issue is that I was having some serious trouble thinking of a witty way to talk about my ballroom escapades and thus I put writing the post off, and despite still not really having a witty way to discuss the topic, I am in the mood to write tonight and am striking while the iron is HOT!

I actually began my foray into ballroom dancing back in January after seeing a billboard on I-4 for the Arthur Murray dance studio. They offered a free 30-minute "consultation" type dance lesson before you had to make any commitments and knowing that this ballroom "thing" was on my "I'm-itching-to-do-it-sooner-than-later" list, I decided to give them a call. Indeed I did go for my 30-minute lesson after returning from my trip to Hawaii and while I had a good time, I was thoroughly disappointed with the studio and their practices. Now, in truth I was warned by my good friend Dana (who also has a super cute blog here: www.effortlessclassychich.com, Hi Dana!) that this place had a reputation for being more like a used car dealership than a dance studio, but the lesson was free so who says no? Although it wasn't quite as bad as being hounded by a cheesy salesman, they definitely used those "scare" and "urgency" tactics that are oh-too-familiar (i.e. We'll give you a lower price, but ONLY if you sign up for $600 worth of dance lessons in the next 24 hours!). I'm not into pressure or shady tactics, so although I felt a momentary pang of weakness knowing just how badly I wanted to learn to dance, I stayed strong and didn't give in.

Of course, I wasn't going to let this be the beginning and end of my dance journey, so I took to the good old World Wide Web, typed in ballroom dancing Orlando and began my research. After finding just a few places in Orlando that actually offered lessons, I stumbled upon the Avalon Dance Studio page and discovered Mr. Mark Arnott (so as to help other Orlandonians [totally just made that badass word up] who want to ballroom dance, check out his page here: http://avalondance.net/ballroom_classes). After a quick phone call whereby he gave me the down-low on his services, I was all signed up for a trial lesson.

Here are some great things about Mark:
- He offers private lessons, group lessons and workshops, so you have plenty of choices
- He is upfront with his fees and doesn't employ any shady sales tactics to get you to commit immediately
- He is perhaps the most passionate ballroom dancer that I've met (okay, I haven't really met a ton of them, but I still give him props) and hosts numerous ballroom events every single month so once you actually know how to dance, you've got a ton of options to get out there and show off your stuff
- He works on Saturdays, which is a big yay for those of us with traditional 9-5's!
- He will customize lessons for you, teaching you dances you're interested in and taking a pace that is right for you based on your skill level, strengths and weaknesses
- There's no intimidation or even being told you aren't any good! The worst I've gotten is that I have done some "interesting" things -- it's code for not doing it right, but it doesn't feel like a slap in the face!

So far, I have had three lessons with Mark in addition to my free 30-minute trial lesson and I'm signed up for two more private lessons at the moment. I won't try to hide the fact that it 'aint cheap, but I have so much fun and feel so pleased at my progress that I feel it's worth it.

Right now our lessons are focused on learning the basic tidbits of each of the "big 10" social dances (don't ask me to name all ten). Each week I learn a little more technique (keep your shoulders down, stop trying to lead, get off the balls of your feet you-former-ballet-dancer, etc.) and get to practice my moves to fun, top 40 style hits. In total I've learned teensy bits of Cha Cha, Hustle, Swing, Rumba, Salsa, Meringue, Samba, Waltz, Foxtrot and Tango. I can't say that I'm particularly good at any of them yet, but all in due time.

The plan is to stick with the lessons until I'm good enough to perform what Mark calls a "spotlight" dance at a ballroom dancing party (he says this is the closest I'll get to having a Dancing With the Stars moment, which is totally my dream. Don't you think the show would be way more interesting if they did Dancing With the Non-Stars? I need to audition for that!). I will continue to blog as I hit "milestones" in my lessons, but will wait to do one big post when I have this aforementioned spotlight on camera and feel confident enough to show it to the world.

Until then, au revoir! (P-S: Since I am going on my Europe trip in just a few short weeks, there hopefully shouldn't be as much slacker-age in the near future. Hello Mona Lisa, Trevi Fountain and Buckingham Palace!)

#20 Run a Half Marathon: I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!! (Part Two)

There are a few very important things that I've learned about running and myself during this journey:

1) Pacing is EVERYTHING: 
While it seems so simple, it's actually one of the hardest challenges I faced while training because, as a new runner, it's all about experimentation and figuring out what works best for you. I knew from the start that I would take advantage of the Jeff Galloway run/walk/run training method (see my pic with Jeff below from when he came to DVC's Welcome Home Wednesday last week...what an honor to meet him!), but it took a lot of trial and error to figure out what ratio of running and walking would allow me to finish the race feeling strong and comfortable. Initially, I think I chose a ratio based on a need to "prove" to people that I was a "runner" but I quickly realized that it left me much too tired, too quickly. I also realized that running is NOT about proving anything to anyone -- sure, some people might judge you for not "running" the full race, or for taking it slowly, but at the end of the day, you come to realize this is a very personal journey and finishing the race is the most important thing, irregardless of how long it takes you. I personally settled on a 1/2 ration (1 minute running, 2 minutes walking) for the race and it was perfect for me. So perfect, that I actually ran/walked the entire race at an average minute per mile FASTER pace than I ever had in training (about a 13.5 minute mile).

2) Temperature can make or break a run:
We are totally at the mercy of the weather here in Florida, where even in the winter months things can be unseasonably warm at any moment. And yet, a cool, humidity-free temperature is exactly what a new runner needs to build endurance and train effectively. When I first started training in the summer, I remember feeling paralyzed by the intense heat and thick, moisture filled air, so much so that 30 minutes felt like torture and I couldn't wait for the workout to be over. But on those long run mornings where the cloudless blue sky mixed with crisp cool air, it felt as though I was flying across the ground. It's amazing how much stronger I felt and how much further I could go!

3) Anxiety can be good, if you don't let it get in your way!
I remember that every week of training, I had a sort of pit in my stomach the night before a long run. Sometimes I'd even have trouble sleeping because I was nervous about getting up so early in the morning and trying to run a distance I had never conquered before. It's funny how looking back, 4 miles seems like such an easy run, whereas before I never thought I could push myself to that distance. It's easy to do that, though -- look back on past runs and realize your anxiety wasn't necessary -- but in the moment, especially for a brand new runner, it's not as simple as just chasing the negativity away. With that in mind, I realize now how important it is to have a support system that can help temper your anxiety so you channel it into a sort of adrenaline-fueled energy that can aid your performance. I obviously owe a big thanks to everyone who has commented on my running entries along the way as you were those "people" for me! So a shout out to Marielle, Courtney, Breanna, Jenn, Brittany, Amanda, and all the others who have taken the time to share their advice on running. :) And for all of you out there who were just supporters along the way (Ayns, Mer, Melissa, Alyssa, Terry, etc.), THANK YOU to you too!

4) Running can be a great way to save on water heating bills:
This is NOTHING like a cold shower after a run. 'Nuff said.

5) Remember that energy out needs to be replaced with energy in:
There are several different trains of thought on this one, and I know not everyone agrees with me, but if your stomach can handle it, I HIGHLY recommend eating and drinking during long runs. By eating, I don't mean dragging along a meal in your pocket (and by drinking I certainly don't mean liquor, although that would be more fun), but rather finding an electrolyte and/or energy supplement that you can eat/drink along the way to refuel. For me, I perform better and feel better when I am replacing energy that I am expending during a long and/or hard training run.

My food of choice is CLIF Shot Bloks -- I forget who said this, but one of you mentioned that they are like gushers without the gooey insides and that is totally spot on! They come in all sorts of flavors -- I like the strawberry, black cherry and mountain berry -- and they are filled with the essential nutrients your body needs to keep your energy levels high. Some even have caffeine, which for a junkie like me, is a blessing!

My drink of choice is Gatorade -- not that 0 calorie crappola, but rather the real stuff that has lots of calories to fuel your exercise. There are SO many flavors these days -- try Rain Berry or Blueberry Pomegranate for something a little different -- and with a hydration belt, the fluids can be so easy to carry with you.

At the end of the day, I was able to use my food and drink as a motivational tool as well, so if you are ever so slightly motivated by the opportunity to eat, bringing some delicious snacks along with you can encourage you to keep going -- just another five minutes and you get to eat something that tastes like candy! :)

6) Finally, invest in a foam roller!
I discovered this one late in the game, but even having used it for a short period of time, I've realized how much of a game changer it can be. As many of you know, I've suffered from hip bursitis during my training runs, and the pain can be absolutely incapacitating once it kicks in (it feels like a stabbing pain with every stride!). I was really, really considered about it acting up on race day and causing me to not finish, so I invested in a foam roller and rolled it out leading up to the race. It hurts a lot since you're using a trigger point method to release muscle tension, but it's a miracle worker afterward! I had zero hip pain on race day!

These things may seem like common sense to those who have run for a while now, but for me they were all new trials and tribulations to get through. Now if only I can inspire one new person to start running, I will feel like a total success!

Until next time...

#20 Run a Half Marathon: I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!! (Part One)

I've been putting off writing this blog post for several hours because I can't seem to come up with the proper words to describe yesterday's half marathon experience. "Accomplished" feels too academic..."Proud" too close to bragging...yet somewhere in between lies the incredible feeling I came away with after pushing my body farther than I EVER dreamed it could go. Six months ago I was a total coach potato. Hardly exercised, cringed at the word "run," and was so out of breath after 30 minutes of exercise that I thought I'd about die. And while I still don't consider myself to be "in shape" or athletic by any means, I believe I am proof that anyone can run a half, or even a full, marathon if they put their mind to it and beat the mental demons that try to tear you down.

Here's a quick recap of race day:
- My friend Kyle, who was also running the race, spent the night at my apartment the evening before so we could go to the race together in the a.m. And thank goodness he did! Having another person there totally helped get my mind off of my nerves...at least for a little while!

- Wake up time was 2:15 a.m. -- hello morning! This gave us just enough time to get suited up (running clothes + warm items for the staging area), eat some breakfast (and drink some coffee) and head on out. Since this was our first race ever, we had no idea what to expect, but took heed to the warnings of crazy traffic and specific check in times.
- By 3:45am we were there, bags checked and ready to...sit on the ground for almost an hour. Thankfully, we were both dressed pretty warmly, I with my red sweatshirt and Christmas red sweatpants, plus gloves and a blanket; Kyle with his scarf, hat, and sweats. I think this is where our excitement began to build -- so many runners standing around, cool costumes to check out (the winners in my mind were a man dressed as Snow White, a gaggle of girls all dressed as Disney princesses, a man dressed as Tinker Bell and a couple wearing full-on medical scrubs!).

- We started our walk to the corrals around 4:40am -- I was assigned to Corral H, which is the very last corral for all the slow people! Kyle was assigned to Corral E, but was kind enough to move back and stay with me so I didn't have to be by myself.
- At 5:30, the race officially began -- at least for the fast people. Although there were fireworks at every corral's start to keep the excitement going, our corral didn't actually cross the start line for another 45 minutes!
- Then it was go time! Immediately, I stripped of all my extra clothing, and despite the cold, felt good! I started my walk/run ratio straight from the start, avoiding the much hyped about temptation to run fast and exhaust yourself quickly.
- The exhilaration of crossing the Mile 1 marker was amazing! It hit me that this was it, the moment I had been training for, and I better absorb every detail along the way and enjoy myself!
- Every so often, Disney had entertainment along the course -- stilt walkers, hot air balloons, local bands and cheerleaders on the sidelines, DJs, cartoon clips, characters and parade floats, and of course lots of CHEARSquad strangers cheering you on (my favorite sign was one where a woman wrote: Run like there are clowns chasing you!).
- Mile 5.3 started our journey through the Magic Kingdom. How wonderful it is to run through such a magical place! This is also where my boss Bryan came to cheer me on. It was AMAZING to see a friendly face in the crowd, so THANK YOU Bryan again!
- I think Kyle and I both started to feel some tiredness setting in around mile 7, but by the time you hit mile 9 and realize you're in the home stretch, a second burst of energy bursts through to push you along.
- By Mile 11, you're entering Epcot -- so crazy to realize you're almost done!
- Before you know it, the Finish line is within sight, along with bleachers filled with cheering fans. After the Mile 13 sign, we took off sprinting to the finish and gave each other a big high five after stepping foot across the finish line! Within minutes we had gorgeous, heavy, super shiny Donald Duck medals hanging from our necks, official signs that we were Half Marathoners!

- One of the first things we asked each other: "So, you think you want to do another one?" Unequivocally, hell yes! I had never felt better! Question two: "What about a full marathon?" Silence... ;) Can't say that I can see that one in my future!

Our Official Finish Time: 3 hours, 4 minutes -- 11 minutes ahead of my goal time!

A day after the race, I am sore as all get out, although nothing unusual compared to other long runs. The pain is totally worth it!

We still have to wait a week for our professional race pictures and customized runner Web sites to be active via the RunDisney platform, so I will certainly do a follow-up blog post to share that with you all. For now, all I can say is how happy I am to have embraced this experience and challenged myself in this way. Of all the items on my 30 Things list, I think I will walk away from this one with the strongest memories and pride. And hopefully I will be able to keep the rhythm going, making an active, running lifestyle a regular thing! Anyone out there want to join me at the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon in November? New runners welcome!

Countdown to Half Marathon Race Day

I can hardly believe that the moment I have been training for for MONTHS is less than 10 days away. About a week and a half ago I did my last long run of 11 miles, and although I started to feel hip pain around mile 8, I made it through alive and in good spirits. I've been pumping up my hip stretches since then in the hopes that I can avoid running into an issue during the actual race -- also crossing my fingers that my adrenaline will mask any pain that should creep up!

I also am officially prepared with all of my race day gear. Since this IS the Disney Half Marathon, it seems almost sacrilege to NOT go dressed as a Disney character, so I've created a psuedo-Minnie Mouse outfit that is both comfortable to run in and pretty cute for pictures. I'll be wearing black running pants and a black running top with a Minnie Mouse-ears headband and this adorable red tulle skirt that I got from the girls section at Target (yay for stretchy waists, but sad that there are actually kids that still shop in the girls section  that would fit into this skirt!). I also picked up a $3 "throwaway" sweatshirt from Goodwill (red of course, to match the theme) to wear during staging and this weekend I plan to buy a cheap throw blanket from Marshalls to keep me warm. I'm preparing for about an hour and a half of idle time sitting in the staging area and there's nothing worse than sitting on concrete AND being freezing!

At the end of the day, I'm both excited and nervous. I know I'm prepared and that I've never ever averaged a 16-minute mile or longer, but I still have that tiny devil sitting on my shoulder saying I'm going to be one of the unlucky few to get picked up by the Loser-mobile (i.e. the van for folks who run too slow and won't finish the race within the pacing requirements). That or the little devil starts taunting me about my hip pain or threatening to bring bad weather on race day. If you'd please, I would greatly appreciate some final encouraging comments from all my tiny angels out there (aka you if you are reading this right now!) so that I can smash this devil once and for all.

Naturally, I will be sure to recap every little detail in a little over a week, including posting pictures. Until then...

Adventures in Running

This morning's mayhem was just so comical that I simply had to put it down on e-paper.

Let me start by saying that I've realized I've become a bit of a complainer when it comes to running. Partially justified, given the sheer physical endurance required to run a half marathon, but partially it's just been easier to complain than recognize how far I've come. So this morning, I left my apartment around 9 am expecting to do a quick and easy 3 mile run. About 20 minutes in I even realized that I was averaging a 13 minute mile, which is faster than usual, and I was feeling good and strong! I even started typing my post-run blog in my head, thinking about how I'd write a paragraph similar to the one I'm currently writing about how I know I've been complaining a lot, but now I had a run to be proud of!

Now, I'm not sure if it was the distraction of writing the blog post in my head, the faster pace or something completely out of my control, but the next thing I know, I'm tumbling into the grass and there are 3 people standing over me asking if I'm ok. It must have looked like a bad fall, because as I got up, I realized I had sufficiently removed the skin from my right knee, right elbow and left palm as I cruised the hard pavement before hitting the grass (the first thought that ran through my head was "thank G-d there was no dog doo in that portion of grass!"). Physically, I felt ok, but emotionally, my previously inflated ego was now about as small as it could get. Then some obese woman had the nerve to walk past me, give me a dirty look and say, "You shouldn't be running so fast!" I could think of about a thousand retorts now that would have put that woman in her place, but I held my tongue, which was probably smart.

One of the nice men who stopped offered to walk me home, but I told him I was fine and he could continue his run. I really did feel ok, but I was also awful bloody, so the worst part was having to turn around and walk the mile home with red grossness dripping down my arms and legs. It must have looked like I was attacked by an animal or something...and I may actually want to change my story to that in order to appear more brave and less clumsy.

Alas, I am now bandaged up and ready to start the rest of my day. I'll chalk the experience up to a battle scar, and be thankful that I took a spill now and not on actual race day!