A belated birthday thank you...

First - to everyone who made my birthday special - thank you!  From everyone at work, to all of the facebook messages, from family both near and far, to all of the special surprises throughout the week (because well you know I celebrated all week)... THANK YOU!

I have been contemplating this list for awhile, and decided that this year there was no better time to kick it off.  So here goes... the 40 things I would like to accomplish before I turn 40.  Now... hold on just a darn minute... for the record... I have TWO years to complete this.  So easy on making me older than I am - no need for that up in here, as we are already sensitive enough about the age people!

40 before 40 (in no particular order!)

1.  Take a vacation on a boat.

2.  Take a road trip.

3.  Finally commit to a paint color and paint at least 3 walls of my house.

4.  Donate half of the items in my closet (and I am hyperventilating just typing this!).

5.  Be debt free except for my house (and yep that includes paying my car off early!)

6.  Give camping (and not the kind I do with my family each year) another shot.

7.  Go to a major horse race.

8.  Travel to at least four places I have never been.  And yep... I am putting all of my travel buddies on notice here!

9.  Use at least 3/4 of my vacation each year.  (You may be laughing but I haven't accomplished this in years!)

10.  Go two weeks without wearing my hair in a ponytail (expect for working out!).

11.  Learn to at least hem a pair of pants and sew a button back on.  Was going to put learn to sew... as I think it is a lost art... but I'm trying to be a little realistic people!

12.  Go 48 hours without my email, phone, texts, social media, etc.

13.  Come up with a signature meal to make anytime I want to have company over.

14.  Travel to at least three places I have never been.

15.  Continue my blog "journal" journey.

16.  Learn how to ski....or at least attempt it.

17.  In the event someone else comes into my life at some point, learn to iron with something other than my flat iron.  (And yes... it works quite well on pants and shirts!)

18.  Do not buy anything other than food and medicine for 1 month.

19.  Have 6 - 12 month emergency fund in savings. 

20.  Learn to say NO to the things I don't want to do.

21.  Learn calligraphy.

22.  Take a yoga class, spin class and barre class.

23.  Be able to do a 5 minute plank.

24.  Try 10 new restaurants.

25.  Continue on my fitness journey and reach my goal!  (ummm... I may be crazy...but I am not cray-cray!  The specific goal is not going on here for the world to see... trust me thought it will be a challenge!!  Hey Chris Bryan... hope you are up for it!)

26.  Decorate my home for each holiday / season for one year.

27.  Finally get use to waking up at an hour that starts with a 4...or in other words... become a morning person.

28.  Donate half of the items in my closet.

29.  Go horseback riding in the mountains. 

30.  Find a signature fragrance.

31.  Run a 5K.  People stop laughing... if you knew the trauma from the last race I ran... which was a kids fun run...you would understand why this is a challenge.  Ha!

32.  Win one last time and finally quit fantasy football - it is stressful people!

33.  Take cooking classes.

34.  Go zip lining.

35.  Get a new stamp on my passport.

36.  Finally finish Friday Night Lights.  And this would be a lot easier if my apple tv would work better with my wifi in my house!

37.  Read 10 new books. 

38.  Swim on a regular basis as a stress reliever!

39.  Take a surfing class.

40.  Do 10 other things that are not on this list!


And I will try to update for anyone who really cares or wants to enjoy the adventure with me... so here is to the next two years... and the 40 dreams / goals / wishes / things I want to accomplish!

source

A little housekeeping...

I interrupt this travel series to tell you about my new favorite thing... and this is going to SHOCK everyone who knows me.  Yes I want to talk about a vacuum cleaner people. 

A few weeks ago I channeled the inner spirit of my Grandmother and purchased the BEST vacuum EVER... from QVC.  Or maybe HSN... not sure which one I was watching very late one night... but it offered EASY PAY people.  (Inside joke for my family there)

But seriously I think the first two nights I was vacuuming everything... my floors, rugs, baseboards, chandeliers.... yes you read it right!  And ladies... it is Hot Pink! 

So... if you abhor cleaning like I do (sorry to burst the bubble if my future Mr is reading this) then I highly recommend this Dyson.  And well for the price, I firmly felt it should vacuum for me...  but it kinda does.  So run and get this great new cleaning tool!

Before I blow out the candles

Here are the things I am wishing for... (and the disclaimer... this said wish... so don't judge!)

 

 

Tiffany & Co. launched a new line - and I am in love!  Please birthday fairy bring me this bracelet... 

 



 



 

Okay ... okay... I know there is a craze for very expensive blenders... but I understand.  After three failing to even crush ice, I am thinking I may need this.  Now.... Ninja vs. Vitamix...discuss!

 

 

 

I mean ah...maz...ing (said in my best Rachel Zoe voice)!  This bag is screaming my name! 

 

 

I could use an entire workout wardrobe makeover from my fave new store at South Park Mall... Athleta.  Now, can I wish for those legs also?

 

The perfect nude pump.... please!

 

So if anyone would like to make my birthday wishes come true... I can supply the address!

Today

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.             -  John F. Kennedy

September

I have a love / hate relationship with September. 

September brings great things... the start of the regular season for NFL Football, the air starts to get a little cooler which means jeans and a t-shirt weather... and IT'S MY BIRTH MONTH PEOPLE!  Yes I tend to celebrate my birthday all month long, because why wouldn't you?

And for the longest time... September was my favorite month of the year.  The start of fall, leaves falling, crock pot meals come back, I can try to push my Christmas tree smelling candle back out into the house without feeling too crazy....

But September also brought two of the more sucky days in my life, as I lost two of my grandparents in September.  Both actually went to Heaven during the week of my birthday.  We question sometimes why things happen when they happen, or why they happened at all, but I do believe that God has a plan.  And he needed Grandmother and Granddaddy with him more than we needed them here.

So here is to September... to celebrating my birthday, the start of fall, and the memories of two amazing people who are now angels in Heaven, but still with me everyday.

Nashvegas

It should be no surprise by now that Nashville would be one of my favorite cities.  When half of the posts about my life center around concerts... pretty easy to determine why Nashville is high on my list.  But it isn't just about the music... the people, the food, the shopping... what does this city not have?!?! 

Back in June I was lucky to have a work event in the beginning of June... beginning of June you say?  Why yes... 24 hours before all of the CMA Music Fest kicked off.  Count. Me. In.

Many may say Broadway is a tourist trap... but I love it.  Each place has a different feel and vibe surrounding it.  And plenty of great music to go around!

The night before everything kicked off we got the chance to see Blake Shelton perform in the street and Lady Antebellum perform outside of the Bridgestone Arena. 

(see the smoke and the tiny figure in the smoke... Blake people!)

Next I was lucky to land a ticket to the CMA Awards.  This was my first awards show and I love it.  Plus all the "celebs" sit in the bleachers - so you can watch all the seat fillers come and go and watch all the commercial break interactions.  Leave it to me to be watching how all the logistics are working - well and a certain darked haired man.  But I digress!  So a few very bad photos... and some I snagged off the internet so you get the point!

The next night I ventured to LP Field for an incredible night of great artists.  The night included Alabama, Dierks Bentley, Brantley Gilbert, Luke Bryan and Tim McGraw.  I mean... could you ask for much more (well... other than the ability to catch a cab after the show... but that is another story for another day because this post is already long enough.  Ha!

All in all.... an incredible trip to Nashville.  Can't wait to do it all over again next year!

Boca Baby

So as I try to catch up on my personal journal, the next few posts will be scattered with a lot (and I mean a lot) of posts about some travel that I haven't captured here.  So my disclaimer is... I am not sharing to show everything I do... but put in a place for me to remember all the fun that this life has to offer.  Again if you look back at why I started this blog... it was for me to overcome my ocd problem with putting things in a pretty white journal (of which I bought another one last week that I love!).  So disclaimer aside... here goes.

A friend invited me to go on vacation to Boca Raton in May.  Boca you say?  I think 1,276 people mentioned that Boca was for old people... but I am here to tell you it was so fabulous!

So a few memories from a low key trip with a great traveling companion.  And just the relaxation I needed...

We stayed at the Boca Raton Beach Club, which is a Waldorf property, and in true fashion - it was incredible.  And for the record... our balcony was bigger than our room! 

 

One of my favorite parts of the trip was our day at the spa... totally incredible.  They have a treatment called a ritual bath... and oh my.  Can't describe it... but just tell you to try it if you are ever there!  The spa was incredible.. and very relaxing!

And of course we ate at some amazing restaurants.  With the exception of the last night, we stayed on property and were certainly not disappointed!

As I mentioned, the resort was incredible and had really cool features all over.  Now disclaimer on the really big blow-up-thingy... we took a boat ride earlier in the day and could see the top of this thing and had to go investigate.  Crazy!!

My favorite of course was the time spent lying by the beach and the sound of the waves... can take me to a different place and time and wash all your cares away!

And oh... how could I forget the crazy kite things they would fly each day.  All were really cool... except for the creepy bear the last day. 

One of our outings was an excursion on a catamaran boat... and of course I had to pick out my next house!

So a few parting shots until I see you again Boca...