Day 60: Free Fallin'

And just like that, 60 days have come and gone...

When I set out to start this blog on the first day of summer, my only intentions were to live it up a little more... to make my life a little more interesting. At best, I thought I might learn a few new things here and there, and try a thing or two out of my comfort zone... but, these past 60 days have given me so much more than that. As I write this, and reflect on everything over the summer, I can't help but smile, laugh, and cry over how amazing this journey has been. I'd been stuck in this rut for so long, losing myself in the idea of where I wanted to be in life... taking the focus away from where I needed to be. And, I just needed to be happy again. I needed to be happy for having the unconditional love and support of family and friends; happy to have my health; happy for having a career I am so passionate about; happy to have a home that I can call my own. This summer has afforded me with the opportunity to meet some amazing people, and strengthen friendships that already existed... and for that, I am so grateful. It is through those bonds that I was able to take myself farther than I thought possible... without their support, so many of my new and different things might've never happened.

So, on my final day, I decided to go skydiving. At the risk of sounding cheesy, the jump symbolized letting go of the old, and leaping 13,000 feet toward the newer, better, more awesome version of me. After calling/texting/emailing about 35 people, I found three souls brave enough to take the plunge with me: Lauren, Hannah, and Cole. But, things didn't go quite as planned yesterday. Our lesson was to take place at 10:30, followed by the jump around 11, but the weather decided not to cooperate. With the morning rain, and cloudy skies that followed, we didn't jump until about 5. In that six-hour waiting period, I'd built up fear, anxiety, and nervousness. Luckily, I had my co-jumpers, and friends Ginny and Christine to offer their support. Given the long wait time, Lauren had to leave before she could jump. Hannah was up first in Group 5... and leaped like a champ! Cole and I were in Group 7. As we boarded the plane, my fear and anxiety worsened. My tandem leaper, Mike, was great. He reassured me that everything would go well. I did a brief interview, asking him 1) How secure the harnesses were; 2) How many years he'd been jumping; 3) How many times he'd jumped; and 4) What his plans were for Sunday... if he had plans, he surely had every intention of keeping them (and not dying). As we held steady at 13,000 feet in the air, the plane door opened, and Mike inched closer and closer towards it. I could hear myself screaming, and felt the tears welling up... I was terrified. As we got to the door, I looked below me to fields, buildings, and cars, and screamed more loudly. Mike yelled the instructions in my ear one last time... tuck your feet and arch!

Before I knew it, we were in free fall. For a moment, I forgot to breathe... and when I opened my mouth again, I was back to screaming. Then Mike opened up the parachute, and I looked at everything surrounding us: he showed me Springfield, Hartford, the UConn campus... I don't remember the rest, because I was just taking it all in. I was still scared, but Mike continued to tell me that we would be ok. As we floated towards the earth, I took comfort in knowing that my friends were waiting down below. Once we hit the grass, the first words out of my mouth were, "Oh my God, I did it!"

I did do it. But, what I accomplished was more than just this jump... what I actually did had been a culmination of 60 days of learning and experiencing what life had to offer to me, and what I had to offer in return. I took a leap when I challenged myself to try something new and different for 60 days straight... and I never broke. And, what I found after taking one last leap through the air was the "me" who knows that I can do anything I put my mind to... because I'm just getting more awesome.

Day 59: Crafty

As my 60 Days nears its' end, I find it only fitting that I go out in style

I try to look decent whenever I got out... you only get one chance to make a good first impression. I'm no fashionista by any stretch, but I like shopping and I like clothes. In the back of my mind this entire week, I've been wondering, "What on earth will I wear on Saturday?"

So, last night, I made a fancy t-shirt to serve as a reminder of what I have accomplished. It was plain and simple, while getting my message across: 60 Things in 60 Days and Day 60. I stopped at Old Navy to find a basic t-shirt, and found one in my favorite color: pink! I then stopped at Jo-Ann Fabric to buy glitter paint, marker paint, and stencils. While the glitter paint didn't show up the way I'd originally intended, the marker paint worked much better!

Day 58: Olé

It took long enough, but we finally got around to celebrating Sarah's engagement with a girls' dinner.

One of Sarah's favorite places to eat is On the Border. I've only ever been there for drinks, so I was excited about margaritas, chips/salsa, and tacos. As I browsed the menu, Sarah, Andrea, and Denise already knew what they wanted. I had an idea because I typically order the same thing whenever I have Mexican, and when our server came with our second pitcher of strawberry margaritas, I was ready to order. I asked for steak tacos minus all the fixings, plus lettuce and sour cream... she then recommended I have their do-it-yourself fajitas, instead.

So, last night, I made my first fajitas. She asked what I whether I wanted black beans or refried beans... I asked if I could have no beans, and she offered to substitute fries. Well, after initially saying yes to my safety food of fries, I changed my mind, and decided to go out on a (short) limb and try refried beans for the first time, too. Making my fajitas was kind of exciting, and I surprisingly liked the refried beans. Cheers to being less predictable these days.

Day 57: You Drive Me Crazy

So, another thing on my list of "30 Things Before 30" was to learn how to drive stick shift; Andrea and I thought it might come in handy for whenever we made it on the Amazing Race.

Some people like sitting behind the wheel... I'm not one of them. Driving just isn't one of my favorite things to do. When I drive, my focus is on one thing: the road. I don't like having passengers in my car, because I can never turn and talk to them while driving, for fear of taking my eyes off the road. I typically can't do more than one thing at a time when I'm behind the wheel.

So, on Wednesday, I learned how to drive stick shift. Cole came over and offered his car and time for my driving lesson. He drove us to the middle school near my condo, and gave me a thorough tutorial on what I needed to do in order to drive a standard. While I typically pride myself on being a quick learner, everything he told me went way over my head... it might've had to do with my negative mindset going into this that things would not go well. He used a few analogies, which were helpful, but I'd forgotten most of it by the time I got behind the wheel. And, although I had very little faith in my ability to manage the clutch/brake/gas at the same time that I was shifting gears, it somehow happened.  Don't get me wrong... there were several stalls during my drive around the parking lot and, after I finished my full throttle hee hee haw haw, Cole talked me through all of it. And, just when I thought I was able say that I could "drive stick," my one last test was to drive on the road. Luckily, it was later in the night, and there weren't many cars around, but I did it (without stalling)! Despite a few hitches, leading to moments of frustration on my end, it was all well worth it.

Day 56: Saucy

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, "I'm a meat and potatoes kind of girl." But, if meat and potatoes didn't exist, I'd get along just fine on pasta.

Before "60 Things," my idea of "cooking" was either throwing marinade on meat, or opening a jar of tomato sauce to throw over pasta. Over the past few weeks, I've come to appreciate cooking so much more... I fear cooking a whole lot less, and have grown so much more confident with what I actually can do in the kitchen. I've had a lot of help along the way, for which I'm so grateful and appreciative, and look forward to experimenting even more in the future. While I don't expect to become the next Iron Chef, I've certainly surprised myself with some of the dishes I've made along the way.

So, tonight, I made my first tomato sauce from scratch. Alli came over with tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella... and I had the rest. Alli has been one of my closest friends since we were teenagers... we met briefly at a state student council conference, and became close when we were 16 and working together at the Gap. Although we don't get together as often as we did when we were younger, we always manage to pick up right where we left off whenever we do meet up. For the sauce, we sautéed some garlic in olive oil, and then added the tomatoes, oregano, basil, white wine, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. In the meantime, I'd also cooked the penne... I was quite the busy girl! After the pasta was cooked, we added the fresh mozzarella, fresh parmesan, and sauce. It was delicious... and yet another home-cooked meal that I was proud of making!

Day 55: Salad Bar

I really need to make more of a conscious effort to eat out less... starting next week. For starters, it's likely to be healthier, and it's also a whole lot cheaper.

I love the days that I work in Glastonbury, because 1) it's right around the corner from me, and 2) Kacie works with me, and is always up for buying lunch. Between Chipotle, Zoup, Spicy Green Bean, Luna Pizza, and Whole Foods, we've done a lot of ordering out. Add Starbucks and TCBY to the mix, and there goes half our paychecks. Whenever I order out, I try to get something I probably wouldn't make at home: pizza, burger, panini, wrap, sandwich.

So, yesterday, Kacie and I decided that we were hungry and ready for lunch... at 10:30am.  We decided to go to Whole Foods, and saw that they hadn't started to put out any of their sandwiches, pizzas, or paninis. Like I said, it was probably about 10:35am by the time we got there. The only thing open was the salad bar... and I'd never made/eaten a salad at Whole Foods. I typically go for either a slice of their white pizza or a ham and swiss panini, but neither of those were out yet. So, I walked around the salad bar and created my own salad: I chose greens I'd never heard of before, added grilled chicken, croutons, and dressing, and had my lunch. It's definitely something I can make at home... especially since I can now eat lettuce other than romaine.

Day 54: Wine Festival

It's no secret that I love wine, and I go to a few wine tastings here in CT every summer.

A few weeks ago, Gretchen invited Andrea and me to the Shoreline Wine Festival in Guilford that she and Justin were going to... there was a Groupon ending that night good for two people. I was excited because I hadn't seen Gretchen since my birthday, and because I'd never been to a wine festival. Earlier this year, Andrea and her boyfriend, Monto, went to a wine festival at the casino and had a blast; I received a dozen indecipherable text and picture messages that night. Andrea was in Puerto Rico when Gretchen sent the invite, so I text and called her and Monto to see if they wanted me to get them tickets. Since I couldn't get in touch with them, I assumed that they would go, and bought two sets of tickets.

So, yesterday, I went to my first wine festival! There were 7 different vineyards there from Connecticut... none of which were vineyards I'd visited before. Each vineyard gave samples of 4-5 of their wines, so I was a pretty happy girl. During the wine festival, we also go to sample foods from local places: marinaras, olive oils, and hot sauces... all of which were delicious. After our group of 7 separated, Cole and I stuck around for a tour of Bishop's Orchards and were the only ones in the tour group. It was definitely a fun day, and I look forward to going to more of these wine festivals in the future!

Day 53: Gunslinger

I am not a fan of anything violent or scary... action flicks, horror movies, MMA, boxing, weapons. The pure mention of any of these sends shivers down my spine.

People say that I live in a fantasy world... where everything is peachy keen and everyone is happy-go-lucky. I don't fight, I rarely curse, and I've never touched a gun... unless you count a water gun, and I never really liked those. Where I grew up, guns were always associated with gangs and violence... but, that isn't always the case.

So, on Saturday, my co-worker's boyfriend introduced me to my first gun shooting experience. Hannah and I went to visit Andrea and her boyfriend, Adam, in Litchfield. Adam was kind enough to have us over at his family's home, where he and his dad patiently took Hannah, Andrea, and me under their wing. They taught us the basics of guns: never put your finger in the trigger hole, keep the gun in front of you, and never drop it. Adam supplied us with the guns, ammunition, target, and headphones... at least we looked the part! Hannah was a natural at hitting the target... getting to her mark over 90% of the time. Andrea did well, too... hitting the target over 70% of the time. I, on the other hand, hit the masking tape that held the target in place... including that, I "hit" my mark with a whopping 4% accuracy. I have a sneaking suspicion that I won't be called in to replace Lucy Liu for any Charlie's Angels sequels. Thank you Adam, John, and Cece, for having us... and thank you, Andrea, for sharing Adam for the afternoon!

Day 52: I'm in the Band

Congratulations, Melissa and Ryan!

Last night, I celebrated the marriage of my friend, Melissa, and her husband, Ryan... it was a blast! I can't remember the last time I danced non-stop for three hours straight... with the exception of a few 30 second breaks to hit up the bar, I danced like there was no tomorrow. The band, Felix Brown, was AWESOME. Last summer, Melissa, Ryan, Ginny, Ian, and I went to Newport to check out the band, and the happy couple decided to book them on the spot. Felix Brown played everything from Marvin Gaye to Journey to Kanye West to AC/DC to Michael Jackson. In grand fashion, I requested that the all-male band play some Gloria Gaynor; my hope was that they might play Cake's version of "I Will Survive." The bandleader said, "Do we look like we could sing that song?" I confidently exclaimed, "Absolutely!" Well, the band couldn't sing it.

So, I sang "I Will Survive"... alongside the live band... at the wedding. It was towards the end of the night, and I thought, "Why not? I haven't done my 'new thing' for the day yet!" I initially planned for my "new thing" to be catching the bouquet during the toss, and even had a strategy in place: take out my earrings, pull back my hair, and elbow anyone who gets in my way. But, Melissa and Ryan decided not to do the bouquet and garter tosses, so I needed something different. I don't have much of a voice this morning from all the singing and screaming throughout the night, but it was all well worth it! I'm so happy for you, Mr. and Mrs. Jessell, and wish you the very best as you start your lives together!

bride and groom

CCMC

singing with the band

Day 51: Reservations for One

A few weeks back, I'd gone to the movies by myself, and loved it so much more than I thought I would.

During my Brave blog, I admitted that I care too much about what other people may or may not think of me. I generally don't like people to think negatively of me, but I've come to realize that those people aren't important to me at the end of the day... so, why should I care? I'm gradually getting better at "not caring anymore," but there are still a few kinks to work out in this learning process.

So, last night, I went to dinner alone at my favorite restaurant; with the exception of a quick lunch at Subway here and there, I've never gone out to eat by myself. Why? In the past, I worried too much about what others would think of me if I ate out... alone. So, I called Bricco in Glastonbury to make my reservations: the hostess who answered the phone didn't seem to know what to do when I said I wanted to make reservations for one. I could hear her talking with another hostess, saying, "She wants a reservation for one, how do I do that?" She asked for my first and last name, and my phone number. After I gave her my last name, she said, "Oh, you're already in our system." Of course I was... it's my favorite restaurant and I eat there all the time, just not by myself. When I got there, I was seated in a corner booth, where I had the perfect view to people watch. I love to people watch. My server, Kristi, was so sweet! I told her about my blog, and she thought it was fabulous. She told me about some new and different things she'd done recently, and loved my plan for Day 60. Kristi insisted that I try some new foods for dinner instead of all my regulars. I enjoyed a glass of Riesling (regular), Toscano Salad (new), Penne a la Vodka (new), and Nutella Pie (regular). I loved dining out by myself, and managed to keep preoccupied for over two hours. As people walked by me, I simply smiled and mouthed, "Hi," and received several smiles and head nods in return. After dinner, Andrea met up with me for some drinks... but not before finishing off my Nutella Pie. I almost made it the whole night without having to share.

Day 50: (Not So) Sweet Treat

After my fairly successful attempt at baking muffins from scratch a few weeks ago, I decided to take it one step further and attempt making a dessert from scratch.

I'm so excited for two of my co-workers, Jenn and Taryn, who are expecting babies one week apart this fall. Jenn will be having her second baby boy, whom I think she should name "Ellaine-o," but she has a difference of opinion. Taryn will be expecting her first baby, whose sex won't be known until the day of delivery... since her mom's name is "Elaine," she also opted to not use "Ellaine" or "Ellaine-o" when her bundle of joy comes into the world. When I first started my blog, Taryn suggested I make something with chocolate for the expectant moms, and I've kept that in the back of my mind for the past 50 days.

So, I decided to make brownies from scratch for Jenn and Taryn. I found a recipe on Toll House that had 5 stars and over 100 reviews. It had to be delicious, right? I went to visit my friend, whom I hadn't seen for a couple weeks, and he let me use his kitchen for the daunting task. I followed the directions... for the most part. After the first layer of brownies, I topped it off with white chocolate chips and caramel. For the top layer of brownies, I forgot to add in one more egg. I was bummed once I realized my mistake, but the brownies smelled so good while baking in the oven, I figured it was just fine. Nope. I wanted to taste test the brownies; they definitely looked better than they tasted. Maybe I'm still a tad too hard on myself... then again, maybe they really were bad. The brownies ended up dry and cake-like, and I'm so much more of a gooey and fudgy brownie person. We topped off the brownies with some ice cream, which masked the dryness of my dessert. I brought the brownies in to work the following morning, warning my co-workers ahead of time that the brownies weren't as tasty and delicious as I'd anticipated. They comforted me by saying that brownies are probably the most difficult dessert to make from scratch. I guess I'll take that.

Day 49: Flower Girl

As I'd blogged earlier on, I love flowers! Since I went all out and bought myself flowers for the first time ever back in June, I had to do something a little different today.

For the past two weeks, I've had a beautiful bouquet of flowers on my kitchen table. Unfortunately, they began to wilt, and I needed to throw them out. I replaced the bouquet with my red faux standby flowers, but it just wasn't the same.

So, after work, I stopped at Gutt Farm in Glastonbury to cut and make my very first bouquet of flowers. I asked the girl at the stand if I could pick and cut my own flowers from the field. She offered to let me pick flowers from pre-cut ones at the stand, but I wanted to enjoy the full experience of making my own bouquet. She handed me scissors, and told me I could pick one sunflower and 11 other flowers. I walked up and down the field, looking for the brightest and prettiest ones. I shooed away bumblebees and other insects in order to make my floral arrangement. While I won't be quitting my day job to become a florist any time soon, I can walk by my bouquet sitting on the kitchen table, knowing I made it all on my own.

Day 48: Day Off

Unfortunately, my plans for Block Island today fell through. It's ok, though... I still had the day off.

I like to work... a lot. And I always have. Some see this as an admirable trait while others worry that I'm going to burn myself out. To each his own. I got my first job working at the Gap when I was 16... it was the best job! Since then, I've always held at least two jobs at the same time. I work full-time at the Children's Hospital and work every few Saturdays at a nursing home... I like keeping busy and absolutely love what I do, so I rarely take time off from work. I'm trying to get better at the whole work-life balance thing... it's been a slow but steady process.

So, today, I took my first day off of the entire year. Yes, it's August 6th, and I haven't taken a day off from work since 2011. I have Fridays off (because I work 10 hour days Monday-Thursday), and always considered it to be a "day off." But, the more I think about it, the less I see it as a "day off." I typically spend my Fridays sleeping in an extra hour, running errands, and making appointments... it's my  day to catch-up on everything since I don't get home until after 7pm the rest of the week. Since I didn't get to go to Block Island, I spent the day doing a whole lot of nothing... and it was wonderful! I slept in until about 8:30, made blueberry pancakes with blueberries I'd picked at Rose's Berry Farm, and had coffee in the London Starbucks mug my friends Amy and Alli gave me a few years ago; I kind of felt like I was at the Olympics. I made a "quick" stop at the outlets to find a dress for Melissa's wedding on Friday, and found a winner! I spent the rest of the afternoon at Andrea's, where we gushed about Sarah's engagement, and took her dog, Tucker, for a walk. Then I came home, and made spaghetti and meatballs with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Last, but not least, I finalized plans for Day 60. It was such a relaxing day! I think I need to do this day off thing more often...

Day 47: Engaged!

Not me, silly! Today's blog is going to take the focus off of me for a little bit. I'm so thrilled and excited over the engagement of two of my closest friends, and that's enough of a "new and different thing" for me today.

This morning, I went to Half Door for brunch with two of my best friends, Andrea and Sarah. I was excited to blog about my "Birds in a Nest" with cheese, bacon, and mushrooms. My brunch was good... but there's even more exciting news to share, so enough of that. Andrea caught us up on her vacation in Puerto Rico with her boyfriend, Michael; I updated the girls on what was going on in my life; and Sarah vented some frustration over waiting for her boyfriend, Mike, to "put a ring on it." Mike has been one of my closest friends since we were freshmen in high school, and he told me back in March that he was planning on proposing to Sarah during their trip to Disney this September. Trying to keep the secret has been tough, and I only spilled the beans to a few people.

So, as I was pulling into my driveway this evening, I was returning a text to my friend, when I had an incoming call from Sarah. As I answered my phone, all I could hear was screaming... "I'm engaged!" was what I heard. There were lots of words before and after that, but none of that was really important. Sarah was engaged! My initial response was "Shut up!" Then, I started yelling and screaming, and Sarah continued yelling and screaming... it was a mess. I grabbed my groceries from the backseat; threw the eggs, milk, and creamer in the fridge; and drove straight to Mike and Sarah's condo, because I needed to get all the details in person. I was there the night Mike and Sarah met in October 2010, and their connection was instantaneous. You often hear about "sparks flying" between two people, but I never knew what that meant until I watched Mike and Sarah interact that night. Sarah was "too tired to stay out late," but ended up leaving when the bar closed at 2am; Mike took his phone out to show Sarah his baby pictures and his Christmas footsie pajamas. Like I said, I've known Mike more than half my life, and I'd never seen him react that way towards a girl . That's when I knew. That's when everyone else at the bar knew. His late-night texts to me immediately afterwards, asking about Sarah, solidified that. I couldn't be more excited for these two crazy kids... there's nothing greater than seeing the people you love the most in this world so blissfully happy. Congratulations!

Birds in a Nest at Half Door

ENGAGED!

the gorgeous rock

with the bride-to-be

Day 46: I Love This Bar

Well, I was supposed to go to Block Island yesterday. Unfortunately, Last Minute Lucy didn't book tickets for the ferry early enough, so I'll be going on Monday with Denise. On to Plan B!

Shortly after college, my girlfriends and I went to Salty Dog Saloon in Springfield. Denise and Andrea decided to ride the mechanical bull, and were well received by the bar patrons. I, on the other hand, was fine with just being a spectator/cheerleader. I was afraid I would look silly trying to stay on the bull, so I stuck to being the photographer that night. Oh, the pictures!

So, last night, Denise and I decided to go to Cadillac Ranch in Southington. What's at Cadillac Ranch? Ummm... what's not at Cadillac Ranch? Cowboys, bikers, bull riding, and line dancing, among other things. I wanted to start the night out right, so I brought out my inner cowgirl: I wore a denim mini skirt and western-ish boots, and bought a cowgirl hat at iParty earlier in the day. When the bouncer checked our IDs, I made sure to use my best Texan accent... he reciprocated by continuing to speak with me in his Southern Drawl every time Denise and I went outside for air. Can I just say that I haven't had so much fun making a complete fool of myself? It's one thing to show off your best dance moves in a club... it's completely different when you're trying to learn country line dancing. Admittedly, I was pretty awful. The good thing: I was able to laugh at myself the entire time, not concerned with what "the regulars" thought of me. What's more, after a few Madras drinks, I was ready to conquer the bull. I couldn't wear my boots for it, but I kept my cowgirl hat on. The bull operator was quite impressed with my skills, and didn't believe me when I said it was my first time. After using only 1 of 3 rides (because I was so good that I didn't need to use my other tries), Denise took to the bull... bringing back fond memories of summer 2005. Overall, it was such a great night! The people at Cadillac Ranch were incredibly friendly... in the words of Toby Keith, "I love this bar."

my inner cowgirl

me and Denise before line dancing lessons

conquering the bull

surviving the bull

line dancing with my new friend, John

Day 45: Saddling Up for Rio 2016

Every girl dreams of Prince Charming riding in on his white horse to sweep her off her feet... or maybe it's just me?

I'm an animal lover... I take that back, I really love dogs. I tolerate most other animals, but have always found horses to be beautiful. I've probably daydreamed about Prince Charming and his white horse since I was 5... it's crazy, I know. Then, there's that scene I love in Titanic where Jack and Rose are out on the deck talking about riding horses on the beach like a cowboy (with legs on either side)... which also made me want to learn to ride a horse. It's also the summer Olympics... while I'm more of a gymnastics, swimming, and track/field fan, I can appreciate all the other sports that I don't typically watch.

So, in the spirit of the Olympics (and because I'm a dreamer), I decided to take a horseback riding lesson today because I wanted to 1) be an equestrian for the day, 2) see how Prince Charming lives, and 3) ride like a cowboy. I googled "horseback riding attire" and decided on a sleeveless polo, skinny jeans, and my riding boots for my lesson with Kelly at Hillside Stable in Glastonbury. I imagined that I would walk in, mount up, and ride off into the sunset... nope, not so fast. Kelly wanted me to enjoy the entire experience: she introduced me to DC, a Western horse; showed me how to groom him; let me set up the bridle/saddle; and had me walk him from his stable to our lesson area. I got up on DC, and Kelly taught me the basics: stopping, steering, and trotting. I went around the arena a few times, weaved in and out of cones, and made small circles with DC. It was a lot of fun! I hope to go back at least one more time, preferably not when it's 95 degrees outside, because I'm planning on prepping for the Olympics in Rio 2016.

Day 44: Kidnapped

Today was one of the longest days. Ever.

It's my own fault. I was co-presenting with my co-worker, Sara, on a voice disorders conference we attended at Boston Children's Hospital back in May. My version of Microsoft PowerPoint 2003 was acting up last night, so I had to get to work early this morning to finalize my portion of the 8am presentation. I got to work around 6:45am and drank my entire iced coffee before 7am. I finished all my work just in time, and the presentation went well! The rest of my day was filled with meetings, back-to-back-to-back patients, and lots of paperwork. Since I  have Fridays off (and since I'm taking my first day off of the entire year this Monday), I needed to get all my notes/discharge summaries/plans of care done, so that I could enjoy my four-day weekend. By the time I finished the last of my notes, it was 7:15pm, and I was tired and hungry.

So, when I received a text from Sara, it made my night. She wanted to "kidnap" me, because she knew that it had been a stressful day all around... like I've said before, I love my co-workers! I got home from work a little before 8pm, had a quick dinner, and let Sara know that I was ready to be kidnapped. She picked me up and treated me to my first Sweet Frog experience, because she knows I love frozen yogurt! We sat outside, and caught up on everything going on in our lives. Nothing like a sweet treat with an amazing friend to turn that frown upside down!

Day 43: Stepping Out of My Box

Restaurant Week is one of my most favorite times of the year... a 3-4 course meal for $20.12 ($20.11 last year, $20.10 the year before, etc.)

Yesterday, I went out to dinner at Firebox with my co-worker, Ginny. We've tried to go to Firebox in the past with a bigger group of us, but we have a department of fairly picky eaters, so we've never actually made it there. Ginny loves the place, so we decided to go... just the two of us!

So, when I looked at the menu, the $20.12 deal was on farm-fresh foods I've never eaten before. I could've paid an extra couple bucks for something I knew I'd like, but decided to order all new things... Vinho Verde (instead of Riesling), fried eggplant (instead of calamari), cheese ravioli (instead of beef or salmon). The food was delicious, so I'm glad I finally stepped out of my "box!"

Vinho Verde

Fried Eggplant

Cheese Ravioli

Day 42: Parallel Parking

I sometimes stop and wonder how my friends deal with all my idiosyncrasies. Then I just remind myself that, if it weren't for all my quirks, they probably wouldn't love me as much as they do.

Outings with my girlfriends can sometimes be a hassle, and it's usually my fault. It's not that I'm picky about where we go when we want to go out for dinner, drinks, or a night of dancing... it's just that the place we decide on needs one thing: a parking lot/garage. Why? I can't parallel park. Luckily, parallel parking wasn't on my driver's ed test, otherwise, I would've failed a 2nd time (the 1st time was for running that red light). There have been times when I've made my girlfriends walk a few extra blocks in the middle of winter, wearing short dresses and stilettos, just so I could park in a lot. There have also been times when I've made my passengers switch seats with me so he or she could parallel park my car. Well, after all these years, it's about time that I take the wheel.

So, today, I decided to learn how to parallel park. After sending out a mass text to 10 of my closest and dearest friends, two volunteered to help me out. I'm not offended that my other friends weren't available tonight... heck, if I were them, I wouldn't want to get in a car with me while I was learning something new. One of my best friends, Risa, immediately called me upon receiving my text and volunteered her husband, Jason, for the task. After I got out of work, I drove to their house for my driving lesson. The pressure was on and all eyes were on me as Jason, Risa, Jason's mom, and Baby Sofia stood watch. While it's true that Jason gave me the world's biggest parking spot, I think I did an overall decent job: I hit the curb ever so slightly just a few times and only had to readjust three times. Thank you, Risa, for letting me borrow your husband... and thank you, Jason, for being so patient!

Day 41: Sunset

They say that the best things in life are free.

I don't always take the time to appreciate the little things in life. I would like to give the excuse that I simply don't have the time to do it, but that would be a lie... I simply don't make the time. I think that we're all guilty of taking those little things for granted and, unfortunately, it sometimes takes something big or life changing to make us realize that. I don't want that to be me.

So, today, I wanted to take the time to appreciate a sunset for the first time. My entire life, I've never sat to just watch the sun set. After a quick dinner, I grabbed Fifty Shades of Grey, jumped in my car, and headed to JB Williams Park. I found a grassy area, sat, and read for 30 minutes before the sun began to set. During those few minutes, I reflected on what a good day it was considering it was a Monday: I laughed at the thought of conversations I had all day with my amazing co-worker/therapist, Jenn; smiled in anticipation of my plans for the remaining 19 days; and took delight in knowing that my BFF comes home from vacation this week. While I'm sure that I didn't have the best view of the sunset in town, I'm almost certain that I won the award for most appreciative.

Day 40: EMPOWERed

Sometimes, you just need a little push to see how far you can go.

A recurring theme that I've found over my past 40 days/posts is that I've skipped out on so many opportunities to learn, grow, and just become "better," because I didn't believe that I would do well at said opportunity. I've let past experiences keep me from going the distance, because I didn't think that I was capable of succeeding at X, Y, or Z. In letting go of the past that has held me back, I feel empowered to do just about anything these days.

So, today, Hannah and I went zip lining at Empower in Middletown and it was so much fun! Our tour guides, Josh and Sam, were great... calming us when the fear was evident, and challenging us with "earthquakes." Over the course of 2 hours, we went through five zip lines and chose from two obstacle courses... I challenged myself by picking the more difficult one, which consisted of traversing a cargo net and walking a tight rope, because I'm awesome. While I initially doubted my ability to complete the entire course without crying, I surprised myself... again. No tears, just cheers and smiles the whole time. Today, I realized that I need to start giving myself more credit than I actually do, because I'm capable of so much more than I ever thought. With this change in mindset, my possibilities are endless.

Game face on



Me and Hannah pre-zip lining

Day 39: Singin' in the Rain

Much to my chagrin, it's been raining cats and dogs these past few days.

I've never really been a fan of rainy days or nights. I can be a light sleeper, so the sound of rain against my window keeps me up sometimes. When I hear rain in the early morning hours, all I want to do is sleep in, which can be quite difficult on workdays. On rainy weekends, I typically stay in bed a little longer, and wind up on the couch with coffee and a book. Wearing my rain boots and bright yellow raincoat, I will reluctantly venture out into the rain to run errands. I've never been one to jump into puddles and splash around just for fun. Why? I don't like when my clothes get wet, and I dislike having my hair matted to my face.

So, yesterday, I decided to sing in the rain during my friend Tom's 30th birthday party. Dressed in their full rain gear, Connie acted as the videographer while I sang and danced on her boyfriend's deck, and Ginny used her iPhone to play the summer song that everyone loves (to hate) "Call Me Maybe." Tom was nowhere to be found for the live performance, but I showed my video to him afterwards, and he enjoyed it... well, he said he did. In my defense, I couldn't hear Ginny's iPhone... you'll just have to see for yourself. Anyway, I had a lot of fun for the three minutes I was outside: I  kicked, jumped, and danced on the slippery deck without hesitation; my bermuda shorts were wet for 5 minutes before drying off once I went back inside; and I used my ponytail holder to pull my damp hair back until it dried. In the words of Maya Angelou: If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain. Well, Maya, I just changed my attitude about the rain today.

Day 38: ME Day

Every now and then, I get the urge to just get up and go somewhere... anywhere. Whether or not I actually take myself up on the offer to go is a different story.

My favorite "get up and go" trip was with my "soul sistahs," Andrea and Sarah. We were hanging out on a Friday night and decided to go to Mt. Snow the following morning. It was the week before my 28th birthday and none of us had anything else planned. So, we packed our bags, got up early, grabbed breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts, and started the first of our many weekend getaway trips that year. We drove up and down Dover, looking for a place with vacancy, and ended up at West Dover Inn. It was a blast: we rode the MOOver, went tubing, and ended up at Snow Barn that night.

So, yesterday, I took a get up and go trip all by myself. One morning, a couple of my co-workers were talking about their recent trips to Maine. Since I'd never been to Maine, I decided that I was going to make a day of it. I woke up, grabbed breakfast, packed good music, and drove 2½ hours to the Kittery Outlets in Maine, because I just needed a "me" day. At the risk of sounding shallow and superficial, shopping brings me to my happy place. It's one of the few times when I think of nothing else... just shopping. Does this look cute? Should I get it in another color? Do I really need it? When will I wear this? Does this make my (insert body part) look big/small? Where should I go next? What should I get my mom/dad? With all of these thoughts running through my head, there isn't time to think about the other things going on in my life. What's more, the little that I saw of Maine was so cute that I just wanted to take it all in, and enjoy it. I got in lots of walking, too, going up and down US Route 1. Too bad the walking campaign at work is over. I needed to refuel to continue shopping, and decided on Bob's Clam Hut for my first ever lobster roll... so good! You can't go to Maine without having some kind of lobster. I wound up with two dresses, two pairs of jeans, a top, and a sweater... I didn't want to go overboard. Happy ME Day!