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By Vegasbab, January 28, 2012 8:53 pm

For me, 2011 is about a year of change, fun and new experiences. With that in mind, I decided to create my own adventure, 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries. This post is part of that project. You can see all 10 Scares here and the entire project here. Enjoy the experiences, I sure am!

It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for almost 10 years. Yet, the thoughts, feedback and naysayers stopped me from it, until today. Today, I decided to throw out all the reviews and try it for myself. What could it hurt?

If you read any studies about happiness, they all say the same thing- things don’t buy happiness, experiences do. Looking back on by 2011 project, experiences more than the shoes and purses I bought made me happier. With that, I figured that today’s experiment was the equivalent of buying a purse.

While the rumors of the pain of laser hair removal were scary, the reality wasn’t too bad. If it does what it’s supposed to do, than it will be worth every penny and whiff of burning hair

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By Vegasbab, October 16, 2011 10:56 am

For me, 2011 is about a year of change, fun and new experiences. With that in mind, I decided to create my own adventure, 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries. This post is part of that project. You can see all 10 Scares here and the entire project here. Enjoy the experiences, I sure am!

One of my favorite quotes is:

“How does one become a butterfly?” she asked.
“You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.”

I hate change. It’s uncomfortable. It’s unsettling. It’s scary. Yet, I know it’s the only way to get better, to get ahead. In essence, it’s the only way to become a “butterfly”.

Knowing that, change is always in my plans. I know that it must be done and once past the initial uncomfortable zone, it will be for the best.

With that in mind, I pushed myself to make not only a career change, but also an address change. After six years in the same industry, things were getting mechanical. I was in the, “that’s the way it’s always done” rut and I could do what had always been done in my sleep. I knew all the players and I had soaked up a lot of their knowledge. Granted, there is always more knowledge to soak up, but I thought that it was time to leave.

Leave I did.

Unbeknownst to me, saying you’re leaving and signing the paperwork to do so is a lot easier than actually doing it. When the reality sets in, you realize that you’re in a foreign city with no one, nothing and no idea who to email

An old boss and dear friend always warned me that starting over in a new city would be tough. Since I had done it before, I didn’t think so. But, I forgot. I had forgotten how long it took to build my Las Vegas network. I forgot how long it takes to gain people’s trust. I forgot how long it takes me to navigate a city without getting lost.

Right now, I’m still in the stage of change that I hate. I’m scared. For me, I know in this situation, this phase of change will last at lease three, maybe six months. I just have to hold out until that bubble breaks. Why? Because the things that are the hardest are usually the most rewarding.

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By Vegasbab, October 3, 2011 7:05 pm

For me, 2011 is about a year of change, fun and new experiences. With that in mind, I decided to create my own adventure, 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries. This post is part of that project. You can see all 10 Scares here and the entire project here. Enjoy the experiences, I sure am!

I made jokes that not finishing meant that I would get to the wining and dining faster. Secretly, I was scared. Secretly, I knew that if I didn’t finish, I would be crushed. When I picked up my race bib and discovered I was in Corral D (one of the last), I got even more nervous. Corral D meant that I wouldn’t have a very big start from the end of the pack. Which in my mind translated to: there’s no leeway for the 16 minute pace.

Luckily, with a few hours left, my nerves settled in. Whatever happened, happened. It probably helped that the boyfriend came with me to the start and I knew he’d be at the finish too. He was one of the few spectators (and the only from our group) that rode the bus and hung out with the runners in the queuing area. While others chilled out at their hotels or got a jump start at Epcot, he hung out with me. To say it meant a lot would be an understatement.

At 10pm on the nose, the first runners in Disney’s Wine & Dine Half Marathon were off! The energy was high, the course was fun and the amount of runners was absolutely staggering… I never did see the end of the runners.

This is 13.1 things I remember about the race:

1. As we ran through Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, characters and entertainment lined the course. Pluto, Woody, Darth Vader, the Hippo from Fantasia and the boy from Up were all around for photo ops.
2. I started dying somewhere between mile 7 and 8. This is when my right knee and groin really started to hurt. Luckily, the knee pain abated shortly after. At this point, I was also low on energy. Originally, I wasn’t going to have any Clif Gel at the race, even though I knew it would be available shortly after mile 8. This is the point where I changed my mind. I ended up taking two packets of the stuff and my was it tasty and helped a little.
3. A little chafing from the new sports bra (I bought it at the expo that afternoon), but nothing crazy. Whew! The blisters on my feet weren’t too bad either.
4. For the past few months, I had been “training” to audiobooks thinking that they would help keep my pace slow but steady and be a nice distraction for 13.1 miles. But, they didn’t do the trick during the race. Music was the way to go for this one.
5. Everyone lies. The last 3 miles of the race were the absolute hardest. It also didn’t help that the majority of those last three miles were on sidewalk vs. pavement. Ouch!
6. Volunteers rock! Major props has to go out to all the spectators, volunteers and Epcot workers who stayed to almost 4am to make the race possible!
7. This was not a spectator friendly race and that was tough. The people along the race course were few and far between.
8. One of my favorite parts were the mile markers. There was one at each mile. While some don’t like seeing each mile tick by, I did. In other races, it’s rare to see mile markers or you only see them at the 5k, 10k and 15k marks. Having a mile marker at each mile helped to make the race seem shorter… I just had to make it to the next mile vs. the 10k, etc.
9. Another awesome thing was that you could sign up to receive text, email, facebook or twitter alerts of your splits (5k, 10k, 15k, finish). This way, friends could track you. My boyfriend was smart enough to sign us both up. The alerts were instantaneous and during the race it was a relief to see my splits and that my average pace was well below the 16 minute cut off mark!
10. One of my best last minute purchases was an SPI belt! Thanks to the BFF’s sister who wanted one last minute, I picked up one too. It was perfect for holding my phone, which for multiple reasons I’m glad I brought along with me. During the race I was able to take (bad) photos, check-in on foursquare and text my boyfriend my progress.
11. To me, the race was a well coordinated production. I read a lot of complainants on Facebook after the race about how awful it was. Granted, I didn’t have much to compare it to, but from the transportation, to starting on time to entertainment along the course and after party, I thought it was well worth the $160-ish entry fee.
12. I have the most amazing boyfriend ever! He was there for the start, the finish and all the miles in between (via text). After, he gave me a huge hug (amidst the absolute stink of my sweat) and spent the next two hours walking around Epcot with me at a snail’s pace.
13. For the majority of the race, I used a modified version of the Galloway method with a run/walk ratio of 2:1. In the beginning, I did a lot more running and towards the end, I did a lot more walking

And… 13.1: I FINISHED!

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By Vegasbab, April 24, 2011 1:32 pm

For me, 2011 is about a year of change, fun and new experiences. With that in mind, I decided to create my own adventure, 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries. This post is part of that project. You can see all 10 Scares here and the entire project here. Enjoy the experiences, I sure am!

After completing the Rockin’ Rabbit and talking with friends, I finally realized that this wasn’t my first race. Darn. But, I’m going with it anyway, because for several years I’ve been too scared to sign up for one on my own.

Among the life lessons my swim coach taught he’d say, “Not racing is like practicing for a spelling test and then not taking it.” It meant that it wasn’t enough to show up to practice. You had to take the risk and race, otherwise, all your work is for nothing. I’ve been showing up for Boot Camp practice for about two months; it was time to put my training to the test.

When it comes to running a race it seems like most people are afraid of the same things – you’ll be the last to finish, you won’t be able to finish, etc. While everyone says, “Don’t worry, you’ll never be the last to finish,” you never quite believe them. I wonder if race instructors put a decoy in the race so no race participant has to be last

Surprisingly to my nerves, I wasn’t the last to finish, not even close. In fact, I came in #82, in the top 47% and two minutes off my goal time. Like getting a tattoo, immediately after finishing I was ready to sign up for my next race. The adrenaline rush from racing keeps you motivated, it gives you a reason to show up to practice on Monday. And that’s the only motivation that anyone ever needs.

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By Vegasbab, March 11, 2011 8:35 am

For me, 2011 is about a year of change, fun and new experiences. With that in mind, I decided to create my own adventure, 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries. This post is part of that project. You can see all 10 Scares here and the entire project here. Enjoy the experiences, I sure am!

I have a lot of “rules.” We all have them. We make them up to protect ourselves; to make our perceptions of the world stronger. Like all of us, I’ve broken many of my self imposed rules. Rules were made to be broken, right? As Randy Pausch explains in the Last Lecture, walls are everywhere we look.  Walls are there to remind us of how bad we want something.  They are there to keep others out.  If you want something, if you really want it, then you have to make the effort to find a way past those walls.

Even though I was terrified, I’ve been looking for a reason to break Rule #1 for almost a year now. Throughout the year, I’ve found a few reasons, but none of them materialized. On March 8, one did. Breaking Rule #1 was akin to losing my virginity. Like losing your virginity, it was a huge deal beforehand and after, you say, “that’s it?” Oddly enough, losing my virginity the second time around was just like the first time I lost it - it wasn’t with the person I wanted most, but it was with the right person at the right time. It was with the person that came into my life just for this moment.

For the record, I broke the rule again the next day. And, while I’m not retiring the rule completely, I now understand the reasoning behind it. Maybe the part of us that develops our own Jimmy Crickets is smarter than any of us will ever realize.

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By Vegasbab, February 4, 2011 9:02 pm

For me, 2011 is about a year of change, fun and new experiences. With that in mind, I decided to create my own adventure, 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries. This post is part of that project. You can see all 10 Scares here and the entire project here. Enjoy the experiences, I sure am!

The debate on this one is never ending – should you or shouldn’t you be Facebook friends with an ex? I’m of the camp you can be friends many years after your relationship has ended and neither of you have romantic feelings for the other. For the record, I’m friends with all my ex’s except for one. This one also happens to be my high school sweetheart and my first relationship. You know, the one that forever colors all your other relationships.

For a few months, I’ve thought about friending him on Facebook. I searched his profile, found it and while I wasn’t curious (I already knew everything that would be there), part of me still wanted to be connected. A piece of me felt that if I could be the bigger person and be Facebook friends, then maybe the things that are potentially coloring my relationships would be resolved.

So, tonight, I did the thing that I’ve been scared of for months – I requested his friendship on Facebook. Silly, I know. But, the meaning behind it is so much greater than just being digital friends. It’s so much scarier then just the possibility of digital rejection.

The outcome? Well, I’m not sure, he hasn’t accepted my friend request yet But, Facebook friend or not, I finally made the move. I’m finally okay with being friends with ALL my ex’s. And maybe, I’m finally okay with having a real relationship. No more running. No more hiding what I want.

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By Vegasbab, January 13, 2011 8:40 pm

For me, 2011 is about a year of change, fun and new experiences. With that in mind, I decided to create my own adventure, 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries. This post is part of that project. You can see all 10 Scares here and the entire project here. Enjoy the experiences, I sure am!

I’ve been wanting to skydive since I was 18. But, I’ve always let others do the planning. Not surprisingly, they’ve never gone through with it. So, when the Groupon for skydiving landed in my inbox, it was serendipity at it’s finest. The Groupon was bought, the skydive booked and with jumpsuit #11, #3 for this project was in the bag.

I love the philosophy behind skydiving. Literally, you are leaping and building your wings on the way down, one of my favorite things to do. Before the jump, you have to watch an instructional video. I missed the whole quote, but in the video, the instructor says, “There is no perfect parachute. There is no perfect jump.” Wow. Just like life But, even with the imperfection, you do it anyway. And guess what, most of the time, it works out just fine.

The experience? Thrilling, beautiful. And interestingly enough, you learn without a doubt the person you would think about before you jump from a plane; the person who calms your nerves and gives you strength like no one else. For me, the person that came into my head and stuck was a shocking one. Even more shocking, were the people that I tried, but couldn’t make stick. But, the people that didn’t stick? They’re not any less important in my life. Every friend has a place, time and special role.

Was it scary? Sure, that’s half the fun! But, for me, not nearly as scary as #1 in this project. I’d go skydiving again in a heartbeat. In fact, I almost went a second time today, but figured I wouldn’t press my luck The other one? Well, let’s just say I woke up in a cold sweat the other night just thinking about doing #1 again.

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By Vegasbab, January 8, 2011 12:14 am

For me, 2011 is about a year of change, fun and new experiences. With that in mind, I decided to create my own adventure, 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries. This post is part of that project. You can see all 10 Scares here and the entire project here. Enjoy the experiences, I sure am!

Admittedly, this was a silly fear, but one nonetheless – Indoor tanning.

I was feeling extra pasty white and indoor tanning has been something I’ve always wanted to try. So, what better day then today? Honestly, the paying for the tan took longer than the tan itself. The funny part? What I was scared of doesn’t even happen! For whatever reason, I always envisioned these big beds where you had to close the lid on yourself. You know, a bit like laying in a coffin. I also always worried about the timer not going off at the right time and getting stuck in the coffin like box until I got seriously sunburned! Turns out both fears couldn’t be further from the truth.

Six minutes later,  the result of the experience was complete Although, I’ll have to wait a few more days to really see if indoor tanning makes my Irish skin a little tanner. And yes, my fear of indoor tanning has been abated.

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By Vegasbab, January 5, 2011 2:41 am

Of course, I would start my project with something not on the list Originally, I was going to categorize tonight under “10 Experiences,” but then I decided it could be a category all its own – 10 Moments that Scare Me.

Yes, this post is part of 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries. You can see the others here. Enjoy the experiences, because I sure am!

I love the quote, “do something everyday that scares you.” It’s actually a magnet on my refrigerator. So, here I am. I’m doing 10 things that scare the crap out of me that I’ve never done before.

As you know, I have a lot of rules. One rule involves who comes over to my place. So, tonight, I broke 99% of my #1 rule and soberly invited a boy to come cook, have dinner and hang out at my apartment. To the average Joe? No big deal. To me? Well, let’s just say it took 24 hours to work up the courage to say my place vs. yours. And then, it took the rest of the day, breathing deeply, counting to 10 and trying not to hyperventilate to be okay with the decision. I told myself it was for the project. I told myself, Go Big or Go Home.

The result? A bit nerve racking. Okay, a lot nerve racking. But, it was fun as hell. Granted, I took some precautions. I kept all the bedroom doors closed. I didn’t give a tour of the space like a good hostess should. I didn’t let either one of us fall asleep. And the end of the night? Well, that was still the scariest part of all. But, I made it to the end of the ride, got off unscathed and decided it wasn’t as terrifying as I thought.

To be honest, I’m not sure if I’d willingly do it again, but I’m getting closer. Next step? Inviting a boy into the bedroom… can you hear the Alfred Hitchcock music? I can