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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, January 13, 2012 7:53 pm

Hi, I’m a self proclaimed commitment-phobe. But, I’m also one that is working very hard to change. Honestly, it’s one of my toughest struggles. But, I am proud to say it is one that I am chipping away at slowly but surely. One day, when I tell my kids of my fear of commitment they will just laugh and say, “No way, not you!”

With the commitment, 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries, I’m working to show myself that commitments are like trains; it doesn’t matter where they’re going. What matters is deciding to get on. Discoveries “#60-69″ are about commitments and plans. This post is part of that project. You can see all 10 commitments here and the entire project here. Focus on the plans, I sure am!

If you glanced at the archives of this project, you’d see that I’m a few short – 20 to be exact. A year ago, before starting this project, I would have asked myself, “Where did I go wrong?” I would have beaten myself up for not writing exactly 100 posts. But, the me today? Well, this girl, looks back and sees an incredible journey filled with amazing experiences, cherished memories and life-long lessons. She sees the bigger picture vs. the one on the surface.

Admittedly, with some of the changes this year brought, I was a little too wrapped up in life to write about it. I also decided that writing about some things were a tad boring, like my original plan to trial 10 different beers. I think I might have done that a few times over with my newfound love for beerfests And, there were a few, like Paintball, a new tattoo and Karaoke where the timing never quite worked in my favor. Those three, by the way, are still in the works!

Yet, I’m still a few short. Maybe I did it on purpose. Maybe being a few short gives me an excuse to never stop doing what this project helped teach me – to live passionately.

Upon a woman’s death, the Greeks didn’t write obituaries. Instead, they only asked one question, “Did she have passion?” This project was one of passion, one that I will continue to live out for many years to come.

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By Vegasbab, January 5, 2012 7:17 pm

Huxley said, “Memories are a man’s private literature.” Memories are private and you never know which ones will be picked up, stored away and treasured. In 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries, ten of the discoveries are memories- fun, sad, happy, I’m not sure what types there will be, but I do know that they will all be treasured. This post is part of that project. You can see all 10 memories here and the entire project here. Enjoy the memories, I am!

To say that 2011 was an epic year filled with change and good fortune might be an understatement. Needless to say, the celebration to end such an epic year and begin another needed to be memorable as well. In addition, for the first time in six years, this was one New Year’s Eve I was off the clock. Those two things coupled with the desire for a memorable kiss led to quite the celebration.

Kicked off at China Poblano with fantastic food and even better drinks, the night began on a celebratory note. Coupled with a live performance by Stevie Wonder, 57,000 firework explosions and the lights of The Las Vegas Strip as the backdrop made for an unforgettable experience.

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By Vegasbab, January 5, 2012 6:10 pm

I have one deal breaker. Mae West says kissing is a man’s signature. Signature or not, it also tells you everything you need to know about a man. 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries started with 10 Guys, 10 Weeks, 10 Drinks. The sequel is 10 Kisses, 10 Tastes. This post is part of that project. You can see all 10 kisses here and the entire project here. Get ready to pucker up, I am!

Every year, there’s one kiss that’s the most talked about, the most fretted over, the most planned. For some people, it sets the stage for the entire year. For others, it doesn’t matter who the kiss is with, just that it happens. Still, others could care less.

Most years, I fell into the latter category. But, this year was different. This year, I knew who I wanted for my last kiss of 2011 and my first kiss of 2012. I also knew that this kiss would be Kiss #10 in my project. It had quite the trifecta to live up to.

The setting was the Boulevard Pool at The Cosmopolitan. The skirt was sparkly, the earrings big and the heels high. And the man? Well, the man was impeccably dressed in a baby blue that brought out the blue in his eyes and a jacket that hugged his perfectly muscled arms.

Sharing the first kiss of a new year is special. Like your very first kiss, you never forget who you were kissing when the clock strikes midnight and the ball drops. With 57,000 fireworks as the backdrop, the kiss was long and lingering. It was filled with love, excitement for the future and the taste of fresh apples. As my very first “real” holiday kiss, I couldn’t have dreamed of a more perfect setting nor anyone else for it to be.

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By Vegasbab, December 31, 2011 4:13 am

Hi, I’m a self proclaimed commitment-phobe. But, I’m also one that is working very hard to change. Honestly, it’s one of my toughest struggles. But, I am proud to say it is one that I am chipping away at slowly but surely. One day, when I tell my kids of my fear of commitment they will just laugh and say, “No way, not you!”

With the commitment, 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries, I’m working to show myself that commitments are like trains; it doesn’t matter where they’re going. What matters is deciding to get on. Discoveries “#60-69″ are about commitments and plans. This post is part of that project. You can see all 10 commitments here and the entire project here. Focus on the plans, I sure am!

Today is the 365th day of the year. If I was a perfectionist, I’d be distraught over missing 25 of my 2011 “One a Day” photos. I also wouldn’t look past the times when I had more than 1 photo for a day. After all, the tagline for the project was “with creative license.” Why? Because the project wasn’t necessarily an exercise in taking one photo a day or becoming a better photographer, it was about commitment. It was about sticking with something for a year even if, and inevitably, when, there were “slips”.

When reading about one photo a day projects, all the posts said it is a big undertaking. I saw it more as fun. As the year continued, I also realized that it was a project with a HUGE payoff.

Here’s just a few reasons I fell in love with something that started, in my mind, as “simple and fun”:

• Imagine being able to look back at any day of your year and recall what you did, who you met, what you learned… (Often we find it hard to remember what we did just yesterday or even last night, let alone a whole year ago!)
• The year-long photo album is an amazing way to document your travels and accomplishments, your haircuts and relationships. Time moves surprisingly fast.
• Not only will friends keep you honest about the project, but they love being a part of it. It’s fun for friends to be there when you take your daily picture. And, it’s an even better feeling when they realize that your moment with them was special enough to “make the cut”.
• You start to see the world in a whole different way. You appreciate and notice the “little things” more often.
• You have a treasure trove of your own artwork to use for anything – magnets, personalized postcards, to decorate next year’s calendar, framed pictures for your house, office, the possibilities are endless!

I haven’t quite figured out how I want to display all of them together, but it’s been fun to use them in a variety of forms from magnets to a customized iPhone cover to postcards for friends and family to artwork for my new apartment, office and more!

The scary part? This is one commitment (with a twist, of course) I want to carry into 2012. The best part? Not only did this project teach me that commitments can be “easy,” but it also gave me the desire to stick with and continue a commitment past its original expiration date.

It looks like I’m well on my way to leaving my fear of commitment in the past

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By Vegasbab, December 18, 2011 7:15 am

Are you ready for a secret? Promise not to tell anyone? Okay, here goes… don’t tell… I’m naive and still have many life lessons ahead of me, both big and small. In essence, 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries is actually 100 lessons. But, this project of 10 lessons is about ones that hit me over the head, ones that maybe others already know and ones that will impact my life on a semi-daily basis. You can see all 10 Lessons here and the entire project here. Enjoy the learnings, I am!

I’m pretty sure that I already knew this lesson, but it’s also one that doesn’t always come naturally. The Secret focuses on it as do a multitude of other books, philosophers and culture specialists.

About a week ago, I went to a two day seminar for the new gig. Think of it as an orientation into their culture. Yep, it was a total Kool-Aid drinking, Kum Ba Yah-filled two days

However, there were two great focuses from the meeting. To me, they were things that I had been working on all year but without being able to articulate them properly, I also couldn’t properly zone in. The lessons were:

1. Be Here Now
2. How Do You Respond?

I’m still not perfect at staying positive all the time or focusing on the positive first, but I’m working towards it!

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By Vegasbab, December 10, 2011 6:10 pm

Huxley said, “Memories are a man’s private literature.” Memories are private and you never know which ones will be picked up, stored away and treasured. In 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries, ten of the discoveries are memories- fun, sad, happy, I’m not sure what types there will be, but I do know that they will all be treasured. This post is part of that project. You can see all 10 memories here and the entire project here. Enjoy the memories, I am!

Growing up in Florida, hockey wasn’t exactly a popular sport. In fact, it wasn’t a sport available at all. But, in the midwest, it’s quite popular. When a newfound friend found himself with an extra ticket, I jumped at the chance to go to my first hockey game. Who knew that the arena would be so cold?

With pretzel, hot dog and beers in hand, we settled in to watch the Columbus Blue Jackets play the Nashville Predators. At first, it was challenging to keep track of the puck, but by the end of the first period, I had mostly gotten the hang of it. Even though my partner in crime was kind enough to explain the basic rules along the way, I’m not sure I got all of them.

With any live sporting event, the game was exhilarating, the atmosphere fun and the beer cold. The final score? 4-3 in overtime.

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By Vegasbab, November 27, 2011 7:01 am

I have one deal breaker. Mae West says kissing is a man’s signature. Signature or not, it also tells you everything you need to know about a man. 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries started with 10 Guys, 10 Weeks, 10 Drinks. The sequel is 10 Kisses, 10 Tastes. This post is part of that project. You can see all 10 kisses here and the entire project here. Get ready to pucker up, I am!

“One more, one more!” I say. “You have to let me go,” he says. I know. I also know that for the next two weeks, I’ll only get virtual kisses. Kisses through a computer screen or Tango on my phone. Kisses that aren’t the same as real ones. It’s the perils of long distance relationships.

At first, I didn’t think it would be so bad. I had spent the year traveling and typically the most we saw each other was 3-4 days a week anyway. What difference would a few more make? Plus, we’re both independent and work long hours. I didn’t think the extra days or lack of kisses would make much difference. I was wrong.

Hot and heavy virtual flirting pales in comparison to the connection that even lukewarm, in person flirting and kisses provide. I think it’s why so many people settle for the person who’s physically there. Even if you don’t have feelings for someone, those feelings grow when you kiss each other daily. You become attached. In long distance relationships, it’s tough to become attached. It’s tough to get comfortable again sleeping next to the other person for two days when you spend twelve sleeping alone.

While virtual kisses are fun- the blowing and catching kisses provides laughter and smiles, it’s hard to discern a taste from them. The only taste is the one that’s in your memory. And while memories of smells last forever, tastes seem to fade quite quickly.

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By Vegasbab, November 27, 2011 6:33 am

Hi, I’m a self proclaimed commitment-phobe. But, I’m also one that is working very hard to change. Honestly, it’s one of my toughest struggles. But, I am proud to say it is one that I am chipping away at slowly but surely. One day, when I tell my kids of my fear of commitment they will just laugh and say, “No way, not you!”

With the commitment, 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries, I’m working to show myself that commitments are like trains; it doesn’t matter where they’re going. What matters is deciding to get on. Discoveries “#60-69″ are about commitments and plans. This post is part of that project. You can see all 10 commitments here and the entire project here. Focus on the plans, I sure am!

When put together, choices and commitments seem to be an oxymoron. On the other hand, the two words could mean the same thing. I made a choice. I made a commitment. What’s the difference between the two? Maybe a commitment is when you stick with a choice you made; see it through.

I made a lot of choices this year. I committed to traveling, spending more time with friends and experiencing new things. Recently, I also committed to a new job in a new city. I thought the change would be easy.I thought that as long as you had friends and loved your job, then it didn’t matter where you lived. I also thought that with all the work I’d done for a better work/life balance, that I could juggle both the commitment to the new job and the commitment to continue to experience new things and travel to spend time with friends.

After almost sixty days, I’m not so sure I’m doing a good job juggling. I look around and wonder if the choice to go back to the corporate world pushes me back into the same rut I spent ten months getting out of. Maybe it does. Maybe I have to work harder at sticking to my commitments. Maybe, I have to make better choices.

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By Vegasbab, November 25, 2011 7:22 am

Huxley said, “Memories are a man’s private literature.” Memories are private and you never know which ones will be picked up, stored away and treasured. In 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries, ten of the discoveries are memories- fun, sad, happy, I’m not sure what types there will be, but I do know that they will all be treasured. This post is part of that project. You can see all 10 memories here and the entire project here. Enjoy the memories, I am!

I’m not the biggest fan of Thanksgiving. It’s one holiday that I usually skip and rarely return home to Florida for. This year, I was spending Thanksgiving in my new city, Columbus, alone. It made sense. For the new gig, Black Friday is the biggest day of the whole year and there was no hesitation in my mind that I would be working it. In essence, I was trading working one holiday, New Year’s, for another.

One of my colleagues shared with me the Columbus Turkey Trot. A fun way to start Thanksgiving and feel guilt free about anything consumed that weekend Thinking it was a 5k (not 5 miles), I enthusiastically signed up. What the hell? I had nothing else to do that morning. Two days before the race, I checked the race site again, only to finally realize that it was a 5 mile run! Oy vey, I hadn’t truly run since Disney. But, it was too late to turn back.

For the first time in a race, I wasn’t worried about finishing last. I knew that even if I walked, I’d still make the finish. And, finish I did! With a time of 1:04:43 and an average pace of 12:57, I finished 640 out of 671 in my age group and 3,922 out of a total of 4,381 finishers. Surprisingly, I think it was a personal best for me!

With great weather and high energy, the event was the perfect memory for my first Thanksgiving in Columbus. It’s also one tradition I’ll continue (apparently there’s a Turkey Trot in every city)!