Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year!
Welcome 2011...a year of fun!

Happy New Year's folks!  Wherever you are in the world, when it strikes midnight, welcome in 2011.  May it be the best year yet for us all!  I wish you all a happy, healthy & prosperous New Year!

So yesterday I had my last training session for 2010 w/my awesome trainer.  I love my spank sessions.  Especially since I was a bit bad over the holiday w/not being able to get to the gym.  Does picking up plates of food count as working out?  Yea...I didn't think so either!  But luckily I have my trainer to spank me into shape.  OMG!  I love him!  He is no joke.  He doesn't let me get away w/the whining & complaining.  He laughs it off & makes me work.  I love him!  I see how much betterI am since having him.  I feel my body is getting stronger.  I see muscles & definitions that I have never had.  I feel better & more energetic w/each visit.  I'm looking forward to being even stronger in 2011!!

I hope everyone had a great holiday & that everyone enjoys their New Year's Eve.  I myself am doing my usual tradition of dinner & a movie w/my BFF Raul.  I think we agreed to go see 'Gulliver's Travels'.  It looks silly, but good.

I'm looking forward to 2011.  I want May to get here already so I can start my 40 weeks of adventures.  My 40 things to do to celebrate turning 40.  I'm already thinking of planning the 40 weeks.  I have to get friends involved so I'm going to have to schedule things around their schedules.  Oh & I want to make the Christmas caroling adventure a big event.  I'm seriously thinking of getting my friends involved into that one.  I would love a group to get together to actually go around & sing Christmas carols. 

So I'm still taking suggestions.  While the list has grown a little past the 40, I want more options.  So get cracking people!  This interactive blog I promised needs your help!  It can only work if you post...so umm...well, get posting! 

Here is the list today...
1 - full body massage
2 - take a hike
3 - frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity in NYC
4 - Gravity Hill in Bedford, Pa
5 - learn to speak Spanish
6 - read 'War & Peace'
7 - get a tattoo
8 - take Salsa lessons
9 - take a cooking class
10 - get set up on a blind date
11 - hostess a tea party
12 - ride a Harley
13 - buy 40 different pairs of socks
14 - get a make over
15 - get 40 people to join me for a picnic in a park
16 - go whale watching
17 - eat a papaya...I've never had one
18 - cook a Thanksgiving dinner
19 - sing karaoke w/some friends
20 - visit the gravesite of Billie Burke, Glenda from 'The Wizard of Oz' in Vallhalla, NY
21 - learn sign language
22 - paint my bedroom
23 - clean out the living room closet
24 - go to Niagara Falls
25 - Spend the day in Philadelphia
26 - go on a "spiritual Retreat"
27 - rodeo riding
28 - bungy jumping
29 - walk across the Brooklyn bridge
30 - go to the Statue of Liberty
31 - start a book club
32 - go skinny dipping
33 - go on a photo taking tour of Queens
34 - ask out a certain guy at the gym
35 - get a group of people to walk in the Breast Cancer walk at Jones Beach
36 - write the next great American novel
37 - go to a movie every day for one week
38 - learn to knit
39 - go to a Zumba class
40 - go to a hot yoga session
41 - try the belly dancing class at the gym
42 - visit a state/city that you've always wanted to visit
43 - try pole-dancing
44 - chop down your own Christmas tree
45 - donate to a charity you never thought you would give money to
46 - volunteer at a soup kitchen
47 - volunteer at an animal shelter
48 - go Christmas Caroling
49 - karaoke night w/friends
50 - horse drawn carriage ride in Central Park
51 - ice skating at Rockefeller Center
52 - make holiday cards & gifts for 2011

hugs!

The 2010 Blizzard....

I used to love the snow.  When I was a kid we'd get out early after the snow stopped & get on our sleds.  We have a hill around the way...well, actually we have a few hills around the way.  Cowboy hill as it is called, is the one closest & is the best hill to sled down.  I remember being on that hill for hours at a time.  Riding down, struggling to bring the sled back up, then riding down again & so on & so on.  All day long.  My fingers could have been numb & ready to fall off, but that wouldn't stop us from sledding all day long.

Nowadays, I hate the snow.  I find myself disliking the cold immensely.  I even consider moving to the equator just to avoid the chill that is now keeping me from going outside to play w/a cute 2 year old...in hopes of making a snowman w/her.  (Sorry Mikayla).  And sadly, I have a SNOW DAY from work.  I should be outside playing in that wonderful white snow...instead of sitting here thinking of the next sentence for this blog entry.

Oh yes...my blog.  My dear sweet blog.

I hope everyone had a delightful holiday...no matter what you celebrate.  So...
Happy Chanukah
Merry Christmas
Happy Kwanza

I hope you all spent the holiday w/the ones you love & have fond memories for a lifetime! 

Moving on...

Time to get back on track & talk about this blog...

I've got a list of over 40 things to do.  Great suggestions so far...but I really want more choices.  If I had to pick my 20 today, I'm not sure which ones I'd pick.  So basically, I want more suggestions.  I need some more ideas on what to do to celebrate turning 40.

I'm still really excited about this adventure.  In fact, I'm in a rush to get to May 2011 just to start these weekly missions.  I've even got my friends gearing up for going out w/me on some of these missions.  I mean, I am going to need photographic proof & someone's going to have to take the pictures!  So of course my friends are going to have to help out.

Here is the list so far...feel free to make me add to it.  Remember...I will be picking 20 things that I have to do & you my dear followers, will pick the other 20.  I am looking forward to more suggestions just to see what I should be doing to celebrate my birthday. 

The list...

1 - full body massage
2 - take a hike
3 - frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity in NYC
4 - Gravity Hill in Bedford, Pa! You come, I'll drive!
5 - learn to speak Spanish
6 - read 'War & Peace'
7 - get a tattoo
8 - take Salsa lessons
9 - take a cooking class
10 - get set up on a blind date
11 - hostess a tea party
12 - ride a Harley
13 - buy 40 different pairs of socks
14 - get a make over
15 - get 40 people to join me for a picnic in a park
16 - go whale watching
17 - eat a papaya...I've never had one
18 - cook a Thanksgiving dinner
19 - sing karaoke w/some friends
20 - visit the gravesite of Billie Burke, Glenda from 'The Wizard of Oz' in Vallhalla, NY
21 - learn sign language
22 - paint my bedroom
23 - clean out the living room closet
24 - go to Niagara Falls
25 - Spend the day in Philadelphia
26 - go on a "spiritual Retreat"
27 - rodeo riding
28 - bungy jumping
29 - walk across the Brooklyn bridge
30 - go to the Statue of Liberty
31 - start a book club
32 - go skinny dipping
33 - go on a photo taking tour of Queens
34 - ask out a certain guy at the gym
35 - get a group of people to walk in the Breast Cancer walk at Jones Beach
36 - write the next great American novel
37 - go to a movie every day for one week
38 - learn to knit
39 - go to a Zumba class
40 - go to a hot yoga session
41 - try the belly dancing class at the gym
42 - visit a state/city that you've always wanted to visit
43 - try pole-dancing
44 - chop down your own Christmas tree
45 - donate to a charity you never thought you would give money to
46 - volunteer at a soup kitchen
47 - volunteer at an animal shelter
48 - go Christmas Caroling

My thoughts tonight ~ 12/16/10

Last week I ended up going out to dinner with my friend Trisha, her three adorable kids, & her mom, whom I adore.  They are like family to me.  During the dinner Trisha asked about this blog & I was all too happy to explain it.  She was quick to start dropping some suggestions & her kids were also dropping suggestions.  Sadly, I didn't have pen to write these suggestions down.  In fact, I'm only remembering two things... 1- walk across the Brooklyn Bridge & 2 - go to the Statue of Liberty.  Both will be added to the list.

Fast forward to yesterday & my lunch w/Hippie Dave.  Ahh...Hippie Dave.  HD is a friend at work.  He is my food buddy...no one else will go to White Castle & at times, he is my own private shrink.  HD, my buddy who laughs at & continues to encourage my crazy shenanigans.  As we eat lunch in Wendy's I tell HD about my blog mission.  I let him know I am very serious about this & that I would love his input.  He is grinning before I even finish my invitation offer which can only mean he has an idea or two already.  Yup...he does.  I'm afraid to ask, but he offers up the first suggestion...'Go skinny dipping in a lake'.  OMG!  I am laughing, but admit that I will add it to the list.  I may or may not pick it as my 20 things to do...but it's out there for consideration.

So here is the list as of tonight.  I've added a few things that hit me as I started working on this blog entry.  I want more suggestions.  I want more challenges.

1 - full body massage
2 - take a hike
3 - frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity in NYC
4 - Gravity Hill in Bedford, Pa! You come, I'll drive!
5 - learn to speak Spanish
6 - read 'War & Peace'
7 - get a tattoo
8 - take Salsa lessons
9 - take a cooking class
10 - get set up on a blind date
11 - hostess a tea party
12 - ride a Harley
13 - buy 40 different pairs of socks
14 - get a make over
15 - get 40 people to join me for a picnic in a park
16 - go whale watching
17 - eat a papaya...I've never had one
18 - cook a Thanksgiving dinner
19 - sing karaoke w/some friends
20 - visit the gravesite of Billie Burke, Glenda from 'The Wizard of Oz' in Vallhalla, NY
21 - learn sign language
22 - paint my bedroom
23 - clean out the living room closet
24 - go to Niagara Falls
25 - Spend the day in Philadelphia
26 - go on a "spiritual Retreat"
27 - rodeo riding
28 - bungy jumping
29 - walk across the Brooklyn bridge
30 - go to the Statue of Liberty
31 - start a book club
32 - go skinny dipping
33 - go on a photo taking tour of Queens
34 - ask out a certain guy at the gym
35 - get a group of people to walk in the Breast Cancer walk at Jones Beach
36 - write the next great American novel
37 - go to a movie every day for one week
38 - learn to knit
39 - go to a Zumba class
40 - go to a hot yoga session
41 - try the belly dancing class at the gy

Welcome to December

Happy Sunday!

Hard to believe it's December already.  It seems like 2010 is quickly coming to an end.  I can't believe that May 2011 will slowly be here & that I will be turning 40.  I'm not nervous about turning another year older or that I'm hitting some dreaded milestone marker in my life.  In fact, I'm finally learning to embrace my birthdays & celebrate another year.

So get interactive with this blog & start making suggestions on things I should be doing to celebrate turning 40. 

Here is what is on the list so far...

1 - full body massage
2 - take a hike
3 - frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity in NYC
4 - Gravity Hill in Bedford, Pa! You come, I'll drive!
5 - learn to speak Spanish
6 - read 'War & Peace'
7 - get a tattoo
8 - take Salsa lessons
9 - take a cooking class
10 - get set up on a blind date
11 - hostess a tea party
12 - ride a Harley
13 - buy 40 different pairs of socks
14 - get a make over
15 - get 40 people to join me for a picnic in a park
16 - go whale watching
17 - eat a papaya...I've never had one
18 - cook a Thanksgiving dinner
19 - sing karaoke w/some friends
20 - visit the gravesite of Billie Burke, Glenda from 'The Wizard of Oz' in Vallhalla, NY
21 - learn sign language
22 - paint my bedroom
23 - clean out the living room closet



So while I need another 17 things to make my 40, I'd like more options.  Get creative.  Think outside the box.  Find something for fun for me to do.