my bucket list

(source... and you can purchase this plaque- click here)

I think it's about time I come up with my bucket list! I know life gets so busy that it would be easy to just do your normal daily stuff and not focus on making things happen.  So, this is a great way to zero in on life goals!

So everything on this list is something that as of today, July 31, 2012, I have NOT done yet.  When I complete something on my list, I'll change the color and put the date of completion after it.

Here we go... in no particular order....

1- Publish a book
2- Have a beach bonfire
3- Perform the National Anthem at a sporting event
4- Visit Dubai & ride a camel
5- Get a beach house
6- See a broadway play in New York City
7- Get scuba certified
8- Have an awesome garden & make my own salsa
9- Have my paintings featured at an art show
10- Learn enough songs on the guitar that I can play for fam/friends to sing along when camping
11- Go wine tasting in Napa
12- Live somewhere in Europe
13- Go to the airport and take the next random flight
14- Sleep on a beach
15- Go grape stomping in Italy
16- Visit Australia
17- Participate in a humanitarian effort in Africa
18- Get a gun license
19- Participate in a flash mob
20- Ride in a hot air ballon
21- Visit Fiji
22- Read 100 Books in a year
23- Go with Hubby to Eiffel Tower
24- Learn to salsa, tango and cha-cha then do it in a public place
25- Release an album
26- Do Bikram Yoga every day for 30 days
27- Sleep in an overnight train
28- Go on an animal safari
29- Visit the Taj Mahal
30- Climb up the Statue of Liberty
31- Go to Oktoberfest in Germany
32- Learn to play chess
33- Make my own wine
34- Learn to knit
35- Open a swiss bank account
36- Spend a week at a 5 star spa
37- Renew wedding vows on 10 year anniversary- on a beach
38- Have a family cabin
39- Have a wine cellar
40- Build a tree house for my kids
41- Have a yearly retreat with the hubby without kids
42- Volunteer at a soup kitchen
43- Establish a foundation
44- Rescue an animal from a shelter
45- Make a documentary film
46- Do a 365 day blog
47- Make a fondant cake
48- Open my own business
49- Become someone's godmother
50- Have a yearly girls weekend retreat
51- Be interviewed for my writing
52- Be on the top 10 New York Times Best Seller list
53- Read the New York Times every day for one year
54- Register and Finish NaNoWriMo
55- Write a memoir
56- Perform in a musical as a lead
57- Be interviewed on the Today Show
58- See something at Carnegie Hall
59- Watch a film at the Sundance Film Festival
60- Go to the Masters with Hubby
61- Try three exotic fruits
62- Summer roadtrip with the fam
63- East Coast road trip
64- West Coast road trip
65- Go to the Macy's thanksgiving day parade
66- Go to the Lighting of the Christmas Tree in Times Square
67- Spend New Year Eve in Times Square
68- Jump into a pool fully clothed
69- Start an awesome family tradition
70- Have my portrait painted
71- Get a tatoo
72- Attend a Murder Mystery Dinner
73- Go to a masquerade ball
74- Meditate every day for 20 minutes for a year
75- Spend a summer without TV
76- Do a detox diet for 30 days
77- Be an extra in a hollywood movie
78- Be complaint free for 30 days
79- Do a gratitude journal every day for a year
80- Be a mentor to someone
81- Perform in a subway
82- Write a letter to three of my closest friends
83- Win a contest
84- Swim with dolphins
85- Read a book on a subject I never thought I would read
86- Go vegan for a month
87- Do something completely crazy and out of character
88- Visit a castle in England
89- Visit Switzerland
90- Become a millionaire
91- Launch my website
92- Ride on an elephant
93- Create a room I love
94- Pull an all-nighter with hubby and watch the sunrise
95- Bury a time-capsule
96- Be a foster parent
97- Swim to and stand behind a giant waterfall
98- Take a gourmet cooking class
99- Rent out a restaurant for a special dinner
100- Celebrate 50 years of marriage

I have to say, making this list was really inspiring!  It also made me think of things I have already accomplished or experienced that would have been on my bucket list if I'd made it years ago.  So here are some of those:

1-Marry soulmate- 2004
2- Go running to the Eiffel Tower- December 2001
3- Visit Hawaii- 2004 Waikiki 2005 Kaui 2007 Honolulu
4- Hike to a 300 foot waterfall through a rainforest- 2005 Kaui
5- Learn to play the piano 1985-1996
6- Have a "Hangover-esque" Las Vegas weekend 2008
7- Go through natural childbirth- 2011
8- Become Vegetarian 2008
9- See the Mona Lisa- December 2001 (It's much smaller than you think)
10- Become a step-mom- 2004
11- Landscape a yard from scratch- 2004
12- Own a convertible 2006- present
13- Sing in front of hundreds of people- 2000
14- Get a cosmetology license- 2004
15- Quit a job I hate- 2009
16- Live near the ocean- 2003
17- Visit all the museums in Washington D.C.- 1986-1992
18- Visit the Louvre- 2001
19- Fly first class- 2001
20- Make sushi- 2009
21- Snowshoe- 2012
22- Complete a hard core diet- 2010
23- Complete P90X- 2010
24- Meet with an energy reader- 2008
25- Learn to paint- 2009
26- Take a pole dancing class- 2010
27- Go to the Sugar Bowl- 2009
28- Party in New Orleans- 2009
29- Speak at a work conference 2010
30- Make a life altering decision 2005
31- Start a blog 2008
32- See Celine Dion in concert- 2007
33- Live in a High Rise condo- 2007
34- Start a business- 2007
35- Stay at Pebble Beach 2006
36- Visit Pikes Place in Seattle- 2011
37- Ride on a Ferry Boat- 2011
38- Walk through the Butchart Gardens- 2011
39- Visit Vancouver- 2011
40- Be part of a monthly girls night out group- 2012
41- Drive the Alpine Loop 2006
42-  Join a writing group 2012
43- Ski after an epic snowstorm- Jackson Hole 2004
44- Get an Associates Degree- 2000
45- Cook entire thanksgiving meal from scratch 2004
46- Communicate with someone who has died- 2008
47- Take a four generation photograph 2012
48- Learn and perform a song in french- 2006
49- Make holiday family traditions- 2004
50- Become more independent-  2012


Do you have a bucket list?  What do you want to accomplish in your lifetime?  What have you already accomplished that you're proud of?  Make a list and let's knock these off together.  This is a great way to better yourself and enrich your life!

dizzylittlechatgirl

here's how I see it: a review of "Fifty Shades of Grey"

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Sometimes you get suckered into reading something because of all the hype.  That's my meager excuse for reading this book... no plot, weak heroine, and seriously, Mr. Grey, I want to beat the crap out of you, except for the fact that you would like it.  The writing is... honestly, terrible.  Sorry E.L. James, but that's how I see it.

I just have to surmise that it got as much attention as it did because it suddenly became mainstream and socially acceptable to read erotic romance and so I think it piqued many people's interest because they'd never read something like that before.

And who doesn't want to feel that I-have-to-have-you-right-this-second feeling?  So, yeah, I get the allure.  But the whole... ahem.. control thing... yes, that's what we'll call it for this review, was awful.  No red room of pain for this chick.

Anastasia, you gotta speak your mind girl, and not only through email.

Christian, to quote from the only good thin Ana ever said, "you need to sort your shit out, Grey."

And seriously, if I have to hear "Laters baby" one more time... kill me now.

dizzylittlechatgirl

View all my reviews

here's how I see it: a review of "The Emotion Thesaurus"

The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression by Angela Ackerman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I cannot say enough about how much I love this book!!  I saw some people suggest it online and after finding out what it was- I ordered it right away.  It is a FANTASTIC writing resource!

When writing, sometimes its hard to come up with new ways of describing feelings or situations so Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi came up with this amazing book.  You identify the "root emotion" that you are trying to describe, and then they have a list of the following things for each root emotion: physical signals, internal sensations, mental responses, cues of acute or long-term feeling of the emotion, what the emotion could escalate to, and cues of what the character would be like if they suppressed the emotion.  It's BRILLIANT!!

Angela Ackerman adn Becca Puglisi have a blog, The Bookshelf Muse, that describes everything if you want to check it out.

I recommend this to EVERYONE thats writing ANYTHING.  Love it!

dizzylittlechatgirl

View all my reviews

twi-light-a-match-and-watch-it-burn

(source)

Love it or hate it, Twilight has created a media frenzy for the last several years.  At some point you just have to succumb and read it, don't you?  What I love about it most is this:  Stephanie Meyer was virtually unknown and then knocks it out of the park on her debut novel.  That's basically every writer's dream.

I jumped on the vampire bandwagon in the beginning, mostly because it was completely inspiring to see a writer get that kind of recognition.  I'll forego my personal opinion about the book, writing and plot, suffice to say that I read all the books... except for the last 50 pages of the Breaking Dawn.  I know, I know.  I just had lost all interest by then.  I put it down one day... and just never picked it back up.  Sorry Stephanie.

Anyway, I've been thinking lately about how varied public opinion of EVERYTHING is.  Take the new Batman movie- The Dark Knight Rises.  Personally, I loved it.  I thought the story, filming and characters were fantastic.  I wasn't sure Christopher Nolan could top the second one, but I was pleasantly surprised that it at least rivaled, or beat, the second Batman movie.  That being said, I've heard opinions that run the gamut.  On facebook, one of my friends commented about liking the second one much better, spurring a heated debate with a zillion comments.  Some of the comments were so ruthless, it got me thinking how no matter what you do, there will always be someone chirping from the cheap seats, pointing out every flaw or what they could have done better.  

This is a little nerve-wracking as an aspiring writer, and something I'll definitely need to get over.  The saying "haters gonna hate" looms in my mind, and strangely gives some comfort.  It's impossible to please everyone, so if you know going in that you can't, it takes the pressure off.

So... that brings me back around to our Edward-Bella-Jacob drama.  I was recently shown this website, which I thought I wouldn't like at all, because it's basically just showcasing everything incorrect or ridiculous in all of the Twilight books.  As someone who is taking that leap, and leaving it all out on the table for the public as I continue writing my own book, I tend to steer away from blogs like that.  

But.  It's pretty freaking funny.  And worthy of a few minutes of your time, for a laugh.   

Without further ado... I give you... Reasoning With Vampires.  Go ahead.  I'll wait for you....

And of course there's the recent real life drama with Kristen Stewart cheating on poor Rob, who apparently was going to propose.  So much for Team Edward- let's create Team Dump Kristen.  That's totally off topic, but Us Weekly has a way of bombarding erroneous tidbits of information unsuspecting people waiting in lines at grocery stores.  For a hilarious account of a similar grocery shopping experience, go here.     

Being in the public eye can be rough, but I guess that's the price you have to be willing to pay if you want to make it.  And I want to make it.  So, I guess I've got some thick skin to grow.  

Do you express your opinion in group settings?  Do you feel like you could be scrutinized in the public eye?  Should Rob leave Kristen (ohhh the drama)?  Is there something you desperately want to accomplish but are leery that you would be exposed in some way?  Thoughts on Twilight-mania?  Batman DNR?  If you haven't seen it.. Go!

Until next time... 

(I promise I'll really try to post on Wednesday like I said I would and have yet to do)

dizzylittlechatgirl   

finding the balance

(pic source)

Stress....

the equalizing factor among the classes.  No matter who you are or what you've accomplished, it seems to leak into your life in some way, often unexpected.  I am the first to admit, I don't cope well when I'm stressed.  I seem to lose track of simple things, like where I put the keys I was just holding, or that I needed to make a turn back there.  I tend to make it worse for myself, just because I've lost my focus and then I end up getting more frustrated.  I know that I feel this way when I'm late, unprepared, or I was expecting something and it doesn't go the way I thought it would.  Those are personal stressors for me.  Stress is an awful feeling, coming in third on my list of I-don't-ever-want-to-feel-this-way-meter.  What are the first two, you ask? Grief is number one and guilt is a close second.  But I'll go into that another time.

Anyway, I'm on a quest to get rid of the stress in my life, and make myself a happier person.  I want to find some balance, especially after having a baby, so many things in my life have changed.  I love love love being a mommy- it just means I've had to adjust how I spend my time.  I'm sure many new moms go through this, trying to balance juggling their new responsibilities, but not lose themselves completely.

Recently I read a book called"Bringing up Bebe," by Pamela Druckerman, that was very interesting.  Pamela Druckerman is an American journalist who moved to Paris right as she has a new baby.  She chronicles her new-mommyhood and the differences in American parenting versus French parenting.  She watches these Parisian mothers get their babies to sleep through the night, which they term "babies doing their nights" at a very early age- 2 or 3 months.  French children are very patient, they eat a wide variety of foods, and are very well behaved.  They say hello and goodbye when visiting someone's home and are very polite.  The French women are seem to bounce back very quickly from having babies, and get back to the things that made them THEM- back to work and hobbies, fulfilling sex lives and slim figures very quickly.

It was a fascinating read, that I recommend to all mothers.  I didn't necessarily agree with everything, but it was so interesting to hear things from such a different perspective, and to question things I never would have even thought to wonder about, just because of being raised in the society that I was raised in. 

It seemed overall that the French women appear less stressed and able not to give in on things that cause continual problems.  They seem to have found a balance of some sort.  This may or may not be the right balance for me, or you, but it was a balance none the less.

I found this creative visual tool called the "wheel of life," which you can read about in more detail and try for yourself here.   It's basically a way for you to assess and monitor the different areas in your life so you can see where you are placing most of your time and it might allow you to see why you are feeling stressed out.  

You divide up you life into the areas you feel like you need to find balance.  Then you asses them on a scale of 1-6, 1 being low and unhappy to 6 being high and fulfilled.  The diagram will plot your answers accordingly and you will visually be able to see on a wheel where you are lacking.  You can also choose different topics than the ones listed to better suit your needs.  

Again, you can try it for yourself on their website.

I did it and the results were kind of surprising.  I wasn't very low or high in most areas, a sign that I am spreading myself too thin across the board, and need to reassess what's important to me and make some new efforts.  I think when I do this, the unexpected stress factor will pop up less often.

This is a quote from the former CEO of Coca-cola, littleladyhomemaker shared with me the other day:

I love this advice because it is totally true and powerful.  I will be keeping this in mind, as I continue to search for, and achieve, balance in my life.

What are your personal stressors?  What do you do to combat them?  If you are a mom, what things do you do to keep balance between your responsibilities and your YOU time?  What areas of your life do you feel are the most important to maintain, regardless of outside stress?  

See ya next Wednesday, when I will be balanced and not STRESSED! :)

dizzylittlechatgirl

overhaul

Time for a change!  I'm ready for an overhaul on this blog, and ready to post again!  I know... sorry I've neglected it for so long.  I am loving being a mommy and that has taken up most of my time. But I have also not been posting... because I've been writing.  :)

I joined a writing group and we meet twice a month.  I am loving it!  There are four of us and we are all at similar places in the writing process.  Two of them have already finished the first rough draft!  They are so inspiring and gave me motivation to kick it into gear!  The two that have finished, both just launched websites, so what better way to re-enter the blogging world than to promote my writing buddies?

Here are the links to their blogs:

http://caitlinjacobs.wordpress.com

http://www.itsinthemailbox.blogspot.com

I'm making new commitments with my writing and I've been working on my book every day!  I want to have a solid draft ready for query by the end of the year.  My goal is to finish a FULL first draft of the book by the end of August.   I have already rewritten the first half of the book about 8 million times.  I just need to FREAKING FINISH.  And so I will.

I will be posting here once a week, on Wednesdays, about a variety of things, but the topic of where I am in my writing will no longer be the main focus.  This is going to be another creative outlet for me to do what I love- WRITE!  I will definitely update my progress, but it won't always be about writing.

A side note on how much I freaking adore my baby... He is the most amazing little guy ever.  He's 10 months old now and has my heart wrapped around his little finger.  I seriously can't get enough of him.

I'm excited to tell you more about things I've been creating and the space I'm trying to make for myself.

Until next week....

dizzylittlechatgirl