what an INCREDIBLE fall it has been.
from ending joseph, to meeting beebs and elyse in real life, to becoming super good friends with both of them,
to seeing alexandra & david again, to living through horror nights, to my insane ohio/chicago/nashville trip, to quality best friend time, to actually going on dates again, to starting to teach lessons again, to seeing my twin for the first time in years, to opening myself back up and learning to talk about my problems and feelings again, to becoming a social person again, to branching out s&bb, to yosemite and back and all the memories in between... it's been an amazingly full and special 3 months of life.
here's what i wanted to do, and here's how i faired.
i didn't get them all, but i got them most. ;)
from ending joseph, to meeting beebs and elyse in real life, to becoming super good friends with both of them,
to seeing alexandra & david again, to living through horror nights, to my insane ohio/chicago/nashville trip, to quality best friend time, to actually going on dates again, to starting to teach lessons again, to seeing my twin for the first time in years, to opening myself back up and learning to talk about my problems and feelings again, to becoming a social person again, to branching out s&bb, to yosemite and back and all the memories in between... it's been an amazingly full and special 3 months of life.
here's what i wanted to do, and here's how i faired.
i didn't get them all, but i got them most. ;)
fall check list results
1. lose 15 - 25 pounds.
* I DID IT! i actually lost 17 pounds... and i think in the last 4 days have gained it all back and then some.
THANK YOU THANKSGIVING, BIRTHDAY, and ICE CREAM ADDICTION.
2. take/plan a thanksgiving or Christmas road trip with john john. (date set: dec. 27 & 28- DISNEYLAND! <3)
* in addition to our awesome fall road trip that we took from chicago to nashville, we have planned an l.a. trip for right after christmas! disneyland is so special to us. it was the first trip we ever took together back when he was 17 and i was 20. i was his teacher and the whole school thought we were having an affair ;) little did they know we were simply soul mates who would never grow apart <3
3. watch 10 sunrises with someone.
* this was the toughest one. it's a LOT easier to get someone to watch the sun SET with you than it is to get someone to get up between 4:30 and 6 to watch it come UP with you... but i persevered. and these are some of the most special (and exhausting) memories this list created this time... watching the sunrise is amazing even when you're by yourself, but there's something special that happens when you watch it with someone you love. your breathing syncs up and it gets real quiet... and there's a mutual appreciation for the moment and beauty and taking the time out in life to find just that.... to find peace... and celebrate beauty... i dont know. like i said- these mornings were pretty special. <3
4. watch 10 sunsets with someone.
* ha ha this one wasn't hard at all :) i will say the sunset on the lake at my aunt's place in ohio was probably the most beautiful one. that, and the one david, alex and i all saw in s.f. it was like the sky was blazing.... it was breathtaking.
5. perform solo at least 5 times.
* only got to 4. better luck next time.
6. start training for roller derby!!!!
* ah HAIL YEAH!!!!! i know i haven't written about it lately because i haven't been skating cuz i effed up my foot & ankerrrr, but i'm still planning on doing roller derby in 2012!! whoooo! i better get used to injuries...
7. have dinner by myself in a really beautiful restaurant.
* this is always a special one for me. i did it on my summer check list too. my enjoyment of this started years ago when i was in columbus visiting my friend brentley. he had a loooooong rehearsal the night i got there and i was STARVING so i went and ate at this GORGEOUS restaurant in the next door hotel. i loved it so much i went there and ate alone, at a window, and watched the sunset the next night before his show :) since then i've done this maybe... oh, 5 times tops. in 5 years. once on my first england trip, one when i moved to london, once in new york, and then once a few months ago at my favorite restaurant in merced, and once last week in mariposa coming home from yosemite. both these places hold countless memories for me and it was lovely to have an excuse to revisit them. sometimes memories hurt, but sometimes you have to just smile and let them take you wherever they're going to take you...
8. expand S&BB, open to the public twice a week. (opening date: dec. 18!!!)
*this is one i am SO EXCITED ABOUT. we're opening our boutique december 18!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! more on that later! <3
9. cut or dye my hair every 4 weeks.
*i was a FIEND about this one! i went from hair down to my back bra strap to a rosemary's baby hair cut! i LOVE it, but i think it looks HORRIBLE on me! LOL! i FEEL great, i just don't think i look very good. last night i told maerls i thought i looked like i could be her dad. ewwwwww.
10. go to at least 5 auditions for things i don't think i'll get.
* nope. didn't go to a single audition. better luck next time.
11. go 7 days in a row without buying a single thing, even gas or food.
* this is always easy for me cuz i'm generally broke ;) kidding! not anymore... but this is still a good one for me. i like to thrift and also shop online a lot and this curbs my collection spending.
12. jump off a cliff.(i'm calling universal studios' halloween horror nights my cliff, because it absolutely terrified me to my very core, i lived through it, and now i feel like nothing will ever scare me again.)
* THIS IS TRUE! i tried, and tried, and tried, and TRIED to find a cliff to jump off of, but seriously- i couldn't! auntie june wanted me to jump off a bridge- but i was CERTAIN i would die in that water, so i didn't. the point was to scare me. not to kill me. so i called living through the most horrific night of terror EVER- my cliff jump. and boy, it was.
13. go camping.
* as SOON as i finish writing this blog, im grabbing my pillows, sleeping bag and blankets and heading outside to sleep under the stars tonight :) im debating whether or not to go sleep in the park... but i think im gonna sleep in my back yard. not SERIOUSLY camping, but sleeping outside is really all i meant for this one. under the trees.... under the stars....
14. stay a night in the stanley hotel.
*i'll be DARNED if i don't cross this off my list within the year. seriously. it's going to happen. it's far away and its hella expensive, but i am DOING. IT.
15. disappear for 3 days and not tell anyone where i go or what i do.
* :)
16. party all night with people i've never met. * this was actually the first one i crossed off my list. i published my "fall check list" blog, and went out that night, and 2 days later could check this one off ;) it was quite the adventure. whoo.
17. take a trip out of the country.
* i had plans to take a trip somewhere i've wanted to go since i was a kid for my birthday- but it just didn't pan out. i'll get there this year though, i can feel it. so i'm in no hurry :)
18. do something absolutely amazing and totally self serving for my birthday.
* ...... and i did :)
19. make a bedspread.
* i KIND OF finished this one so i crossed it off. im going to make a better one in the next few weeks, but i at least made one. it wasn't what i had planned, which was kind of a fabric quilt idea, but i DID make one. i'm also about to make myself a shower curtain. i just got sidetracked with s&bb stuff this month and didn't really have extra time outside of my scheduled sewing to fully do this one justice. but it KINDA got done which is good enough for me :)
20. embrace a new personal style.
*hahahahaha! oh boy. did i ever. i tried to become a gorgeous bohemian goddess, and have ended up looking like justin bieber's creepy uncle.
21. go to chicago to see katie.
* yep. that happened.
22. visit john in nashville.
*going to nashville again was really fun, even if all i did was sleep in john's bed, have him pretend rape me in the shower and eat at my favorite cafe ;) worth it <3 i love him so... its hard to contain <3
23. take a picture with someone who has a rather epic mustache or beard. preferably- someone who will let me write an entire blog about it.
*im crossing this one off because i challenged my friend evan to grow a throat beard in november and he accepted the challenge! we're having dinner and a photo shoot for the blog this coming saturday night! YES!!!!!!!! wait til you see how cute this man is... my goodness...
24. take my dogs somewhere spectacular where they can go nuts.
* man... san francisco... knights ferry... yosemite... they had a lot of really special trips, not to mention the trips to the dog park. i want them to be the happiest dogs in the world <3
25. go to yosemite.
* this one almost didn't happen. we planned it for TWO MONTHS, and finally thought we had it down. but then all the plans fell apart AGAIN. but i was HAIL BENT on making it to yosemite to see the fall colors and have the dogs swim down the river. i am SO. GLAD. i took them. i went alone. and it was SO. BEAUTIFUL. it was more than i hoped it would be. good things happen when you put yourself out there. <3 plus i crossed 3 things off my list that day that NEVER would have gotten done had i not gone :)
26. audition for something huge in l.a.
* nope. didn't go to any auditions. better luck next time :)
27. meet 5 people i only know online in real life.
* this was fun. i was going to write a blog about each of them, but decided just the fact that i get to call them REAL LIFE FRIENDS now is enough :) someday i'll write a blog about all the people in my life that i met online. surprisingly- most of the people i call "close friends" now are people i met online.
28. go horseback riding at least 3 times.
* i don't think i even SAW a horse in the last 3 months. this was a weird one... i have these 10 riding sessions that i paid for a year or 2 ago for someone that never got used and i have YET to use so i thought i'd use them up this fall. maybe in the spring :)
29. find where i'll be moving.
* im so excited :)
30. find my new secret place.
* i decided that rather than letting memories ruin my favorite place in the entire world for me, i was going to take it back and keep my favorite place the same. so out with the new, in with the old. it was mine before i shared it. and im taking it back for me. <3
* I DID IT! i actually lost 17 pounds... and i think in the last 4 days have gained it all back and then some.
THANK YOU THANKSGIVING, BIRTHDAY, and ICE CREAM ADDICTION.
2. take/plan a thanksgiving or Christmas road trip with john john. (date set: dec. 27 & 28- DISNEYLAND! <3)
* in addition to our awesome fall road trip that we took from chicago to nashville, we have planned an l.a. trip for right after christmas! disneyland is so special to us. it was the first trip we ever took together back when he was 17 and i was 20. i was his teacher and the whole school thought we were having an affair ;) little did they know we were simply soul mates who would never grow apart <3
3. watch 10 sunrises with someone.
* this was the toughest one. it's a LOT easier to get someone to watch the sun SET with you than it is to get someone to get up between 4:30 and 6 to watch it come UP with you... but i persevered. and these are some of the most special (and exhausting) memories this list created this time... watching the sunrise is amazing even when you're by yourself, but there's something special that happens when you watch it with someone you love. your breathing syncs up and it gets real quiet... and there's a mutual appreciation for the moment and beauty and taking the time out in life to find just that.... to find peace... and celebrate beauty... i dont know. like i said- these mornings were pretty special. <3
4. watch 10 sunsets with someone.
* ha ha this one wasn't hard at all :) i will say the sunset on the lake at my aunt's place in ohio was probably the most beautiful one. that, and the one david, alex and i all saw in s.f. it was like the sky was blazing.... it was breathtaking.
5. perform solo at least 5 times.
* only got to 4. better luck next time.
6. start training for roller derby!!!!
* ah HAIL YEAH!!!!! i know i haven't written about it lately because i haven't been skating cuz i effed up my foot & ankerrrr, but i'm still planning on doing roller derby in 2012!! whoooo! i better get used to injuries...
7. have dinner by myself in a really beautiful restaurant.
* this is always a special one for me. i did it on my summer check list too. my enjoyment of this started years ago when i was in columbus visiting my friend brentley. he had a loooooong rehearsal the night i got there and i was STARVING so i went and ate at this GORGEOUS restaurant in the next door hotel. i loved it so much i went there and ate alone, at a window, and watched the sunset the next night before his show :) since then i've done this maybe... oh, 5 times tops. in 5 years. once on my first england trip, one when i moved to london, once in new york, and then once a few months ago at my favorite restaurant in merced, and once last week in mariposa coming home from yosemite. both these places hold countless memories for me and it was lovely to have an excuse to revisit them. sometimes memories hurt, but sometimes you have to just smile and let them take you wherever they're going to take you...
8. expand S&BB, open to the public twice a week. (opening date: dec. 18!!!)
*this is one i am SO EXCITED ABOUT. we're opening our boutique december 18!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! more on that later! <3
9. cut or dye my hair every 4 weeks.
*i was a FIEND about this one! i went from hair down to my back bra strap to a rosemary's baby hair cut! i LOVE it, but i think it looks HORRIBLE on me! LOL! i FEEL great, i just don't think i look very good. last night i told maerls i thought i looked like i could be her dad. ewwwwww.
10. go to at least 5 auditions for things i don't think i'll get.
* nope. didn't go to a single audition. better luck next time.
11. go 7 days in a row without buying a single thing, even gas or food.
* this is always easy for me cuz i'm generally broke ;) kidding! not anymore... but this is still a good one for me. i like to thrift and also shop online a lot and this curbs my collection spending.
12. jump off a cliff.(i'm calling universal studios' halloween horror nights my cliff, because it absolutely terrified me to my very core, i lived through it, and now i feel like nothing will ever scare me again.)
* THIS IS TRUE! i tried, and tried, and tried, and TRIED to find a cliff to jump off of, but seriously- i couldn't! auntie june wanted me to jump off a bridge- but i was CERTAIN i would die in that water, so i didn't. the point was to scare me. not to kill me. so i called living through the most horrific night of terror EVER- my cliff jump. and boy, it was.
13. go camping.
* as SOON as i finish writing this blog, im grabbing my pillows, sleeping bag and blankets and heading outside to sleep under the stars tonight :) im debating whether or not to go sleep in the park... but i think im gonna sleep in my back yard. not SERIOUSLY camping, but sleeping outside is really all i meant for this one. under the trees.... under the stars....
14. stay a night in the stanley hotel.
*i'll be DARNED if i don't cross this off my list within the year. seriously. it's going to happen. it's far away and its hella expensive, but i am DOING. IT.
15. disappear for 3 days and not tell anyone where i go or what i do.
* :)
16. party all night with people i've never met. * this was actually the first one i crossed off my list. i published my "fall check list" blog, and went out that night, and 2 days later could check this one off ;) it was quite the adventure. whoo.
17. take a trip out of the country.
* i had plans to take a trip somewhere i've wanted to go since i was a kid for my birthday- but it just didn't pan out. i'll get there this year though, i can feel it. so i'm in no hurry :)
18. do something absolutely amazing and totally self serving for my birthday.
* ...... and i did :)
19. make a bedspread.
* i KIND OF finished this one so i crossed it off. im going to make a better one in the next few weeks, but i at least made one. it wasn't what i had planned, which was kind of a fabric quilt idea, but i DID make one. i'm also about to make myself a shower curtain. i just got sidetracked with s&bb stuff this month and didn't really have extra time outside of my scheduled sewing to fully do this one justice. but it KINDA got done which is good enough for me :)
20. embrace a new personal style.
*hahahahaha! oh boy. did i ever. i tried to become a gorgeous bohemian goddess, and have ended up looking like justin bieber's creepy uncle.
21. go to chicago to see katie.
* yep. that happened.
22. visit john in nashville.
*going to nashville again was really fun, even if all i did was sleep in john's bed, have him pretend rape me in the shower and eat at my favorite cafe ;) worth it <3 i love him so... its hard to contain <3
23. take a picture with someone who has a rather epic mustache or beard. preferably- someone who will let me write an entire blog about it.
*im crossing this one off because i challenged my friend evan to grow a throat beard in november and he accepted the challenge! we're having dinner and a photo shoot for the blog this coming saturday night! YES!!!!!!!! wait til you see how cute this man is... my goodness...
24. take my dogs somewhere spectacular where they can go nuts.
* man... san francisco... knights ferry... yosemite... they had a lot of really special trips, not to mention the trips to the dog park. i want them to be the happiest dogs in the world <3
25. go to yosemite.
* this one almost didn't happen. we planned it for TWO MONTHS, and finally thought we had it down. but then all the plans fell apart AGAIN. but i was HAIL BENT on making it to yosemite to see the fall colors and have the dogs swim down the river. i am SO. GLAD. i took them. i went alone. and it was SO. BEAUTIFUL. it was more than i hoped it would be. good things happen when you put yourself out there. <3 plus i crossed 3 things off my list that day that NEVER would have gotten done had i not gone :)
26. audition for something huge in l.a.
* nope. didn't go to any auditions. better luck next time :)
27. meet 5 people i only know online in real life.
* this was fun. i was going to write a blog about each of them, but decided just the fact that i get to call them REAL LIFE FRIENDS now is enough :) someday i'll write a blog about all the people in my life that i met online. surprisingly- most of the people i call "close friends" now are people i met online.
28. go horseback riding at least 3 times.
* i don't think i even SAW a horse in the last 3 months. this was a weird one... i have these 10 riding sessions that i paid for a year or 2 ago for someone that never got used and i have YET to use so i thought i'd use them up this fall. maybe in the spring :)
29. find where i'll be moving.
* im so excited :)
30. find my new secret place.
* i decided that rather than letting memories ruin my favorite place in the entire world for me, i was going to take it back and keep my favorite place the same. so out with the new, in with the old. it was mine before i shared it. and im taking it back for me. <3
i didn't do as well as i'd hoped, but 24 outta 30 still ain't bad :) even though i wanted to finish everything like i did with my summer check list, i'm still extremely proud of all i accomplished in the last 3 months. most people make a list of 30 things they want to do in a whole YEAR. i decided to take a year and fill each month with 10 things and chronicle them in 3 month increments. and so far- they've been 6 of the fullest months of my whole entire life. i know this is something i'm going to continue... far beyond this year...
thank you for all your support the last 3 months, and thank you to all who helped me cross things off my list! especially marilyn, elyse, and john john. i can't wait for the next 3!!!! <3
thank you for all your support the last 3 months, and thank you to all who helped me cross things off my list! especially marilyn, elyse, and john john. i can't wait for the next 3!!!! <3
