But...it won't fit in that bucket.

In reflecting on my amazing weekend with the lovely Christina, a conversation about our bucket lists comes to mind.



This was a branch off from a previous discussion about passions - and living for what you're passionate about, and most importantly, finding someone to share your life with that's equally passionate about something....anything.



Most definitely an important quality - but that's a topic for another day.



Given that we've been skydiving, multiple times now, that's a scratch off the ole bucket list for both of us. But a question that came to mind is this: can you alter your list? Because now, my ambition has changed - instead of "go skydiving" can I change my list to reflect my desire to earn my USPA license?



It also got me to thinking more about the other things that I hope to experience in this life.



Up until now, I really haven't developed such a list.



Shocker right? The queen of obsessive list making doesn't have a list of things she wants to accomplish in this lifetime? WHAT?!?



I guess the closest I've come to doing so is through my New Year's Resolution making each year.



Well it's about damn time that changed. So I'm starting one. Right here. In public.



Because who better to share this with than y'all?



While my list doesn't nearly compare - what can I say, I just don't have the guts to try out for a show like Survivor -here’s a snippet of what I’ve got so far:



1) Skydive Earn my B skydiving license from the USPA.



2) Teach a creative writing course.



3) Eat sushi in Japan.



4) Attend SXSW and Austin City Limits.



5) Scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef.





6) Ride in a hot air balloon.



7) Visit the Taj Mahal.



8) Ski the Rockies.



9) Own a dog.



10) Volunteer at a soup kitchen.



11) Learn the last dance from Dirty Dancing.



12) Visit Rio de Jenero.







13) Hold a koala bear in Australia.



14) Run a marathon.



15) Swim with dolphins.



16) Complete a HALO skydive.



17) Throw fish in Seattle.

18) Recycle and become more Green.



19) Visit the zen and lotus gardens in Kyoto, Japan.



20) Win the lottery.



This is just a small glimpse at my list. What can I say, as I started putting it together my ambitions started rolling in.



And of course, some of these I've completed, like skiing in the Rockies, and many of them require world travel - some are even dreams that may never come true (ahem, the lottery. But I'm trying, and you gotta play to win, and someones gotta win so you never know...).



This is a list that will definitely continue to grow and maybe even change over time.



So tell me dear readers, what's on your bucket list, and what have you already been able to cross off?



Cheers!



-A

Feisty morning

That's the most accurate way to describe me this morning.

Feisty.

And NOT in the good way.

I blame the weekend. It was one of the best I've had in quite some time. So of course, waking up this morning knowing it was over and I had to return to the daily grind put me in an immediate funk.

Now, I'm not much for blogging about my weekend adventures, but this is one worth telling...

Or at least, I think so.

........................................

Last week on a whim - which is pretty standard for her - my dear friend Christina decided to make the two hour drive up to spend the weekend.

In our oh-so spontaneous fashion we decided to go sky diving on Saturday. Unfortunately, the winds did not cooperate at 20+ mph so we got pushed back to Sunday. Don't worry though, we did get to kiss the sky, after all.

But back to Saturday...

Once she got into town and we had an exciting reunion - two months is too long, we need more regular contact, lady - and then our stomachs got the best of us. Seeing as it was a beautiful day outside we headed to a local patio to post up and stuff our faces.

Oh, and we proceeded to burn our shoulders in the mid-day sun as well, but if that's the worst of it, I can deal.

After lunch we discussed the plans for dinner - being the food-obsessed runners that we are - and came up with a great plan to cook out at my place. Since I don't have a grill it was more like cooking in than out but it was tasty, regardless.

Our idea required fresh produce - tacos and Corona anyone? - so we popped over to the West Side Market for a bit.



Now, I have a confession. I've lived here for two years and this was my first trip to the market.

I know - I should be shunned for that.

But now, I'm addicted. This is definitely one of Cleveland's gems. I'll never buy my produce from anywhere else. It makes Giant Eagle look like the Bloomingdale's of the grocery world. Way too expensive for my taste.

And the vendors there are great. Since we were stocking up on veggies for my famous guacamole - okay, so not quite yet, but one day it will be...maybe this is where Bobby shows up for a Throw Down eh?

Sorry, off track.

So we were perusing the market and needed two fresh jalapenos, which the vendor gave us for free, and one lime, which we also got for free.

How nice are these vendors?

Or was it because we were two 20-something chicks in tank tops on a hot day that worked in our favor? We may never know for sure.

Getting a group around wasn't too difficult - free food and beer on a beautiful day pretty much sells itself. Needless to say, the guacamole and the taco party went over well.

(Pictures of the lovely spread to come.)

Then my friends and I headed to the rooftop deck to soak up a little more of the beautiful weather - once the wind died down that is. Though conversation was cut short again as us girls decided, once again, that our stomachs were more important and we headed to East Coast Custard to finish off the night.

Yep, you heard me right. We finished the night with ice cream. Where most other 20-somethings were doing shots of Patron and grinding on each other in the club basements on West 6th street, we were yawning, finishing our custard and preparing to put on our comfy pants and head to bed.

LAME.

But I have to admit, it was pretty awesome. After all, we did have to get up a 7:30 the next morning to jump out of an airplane.



I'll spare you the details, you get the idea of what happened. We did an hour or so worth of training, watched our instructor pack the 'chute and off we went.

Though it's worth noting that we both pulled our own 'chutes, learned a series of hand signals, and passed the progression course. We're cleared to solo jump within the next 30 days! With our log books growing, we're now officially sports parachutists.

Highly recommend Cleveland Parachute if you're from NE Ohio and in the market for a great jumping experience.

And now....well, I'm sad that my lady friend has left me, and a little feisty now that I have to go back to real life.

I learned this weekend that happiness [for me at least] lies in spending time with good friends and jumping out of perfectly good airplanes.

How was your weekend?

Cheers!

-A

Detox Delight

Alliteration!

...now I'm just doing it to be annoying.

And apparently super cheesy in the process. Honestly, I'm a little embarrassed this time.


Anywho, for those who follow me on Twitter (@ashleymead for those who don't) you may recall past tweets about my 3-day fruit detoxes.

Note: I just spent the last 10 minutes searching for these tweets so I could show you...to no avail.

Twitter search just doesn't want me to find these gosh darn things.

Twit FAIL.

Regardless, I have done these detoxes twice this year already. The first was to get my body back on track after the holidays and the second was to drop some extra poundage before my vacation. Successfully I might add. In three days I averaged 5-6 pounds. Not too shabby.

Well, given that willpower is not my strong suit (read: I have none), I'm back at this detox thing again.

Only this time, it's for one day, juice only, as a sort of reset.

I've found that one day of this detox is all that's really needed to stop cravings in their tracks.

Granted, it's one day of pure withdrawal HELL, but what's 24 hours, really?

I've found these Naked juices to be the best. They are a little expensive but tasty and natural - and honestly less expensive and time consuming than juicing your own fruit. I'm a fan of the Red Machine, Pomegranate Acai, and Watermelon Chill flavors.

So I'm hoping that by tomorrow I'm craving salads and wheat germ. Okay, so it's not that good, but if your body needs a reset, I highly recommend giving it a shot.

Just be prepared for the ensuing caffeine withdrawal headache.

So tell me dear readers, what's your technique for a health reset?

Cheers!

-A

Pasta Paradise

For some reason I really wanted to use alliteration in the title today.

Though this doesn't have anything to do with paradise, and honestly, the pasta I'm talking about isn't really all that special, I still felt compelled.

Shut up.



Lately I've been on this pasta kick. Lunch typically consists of some form of pasta - mainly because companies like Lean Cuisine and Kashi only know how to make vegetarian meals with spaghetti, linguine or penne.

There are other options here, folks.

But I'm not here to bitch.

*gasp* I know, right?!

Actually, I'm here to brag a little. I've been feeling rather good about my cooking skills that seem to be improving. By modifying recipes I find to fit my diet - like my stuffed peppers that are a version of Giada's - and coming up with little concoctions of my own I've become quite the little chef in the last six months.

Food Network here I come!

Okay, so maybe not quite yet.

Sure, I'm not creating sauces from scratch or anything, but I'm pretty proud of my recent pasta creations.

A few weeks back I was working from home and got hung up on what to make for lunch. When I'm not at the office I refuse to microwave my meals - fresh is always better.

So I grabbed a box of whole wheat penne from the pantry and thought it a good idea to create my own recipe on the spot. After all, I had 12 minutes of boiling time to come up with something great.

How hard can it be, right?

Surprisingly, not all that difficult at all!

A can of white mushrooms and some fresh, halved Kalamata olives and my pasta was in good shape. And lucky for me I always have sun-dried tomatoes lying around for just such an occasion. Toss with a little extra virgin olive oil, fresh ground black pepper and viola!


Then this week, I had to head home from the office early for the installation of AT&T U-verse in my apartment (which, by the way, if you don't have you NEED. It's amazing, and I'm not even that much of a TV watcher...but I digress).

So for lunch, it was time to create!

I pulled out the second half of that trusty box of whole wheat penne and went to work. Only this time, instead of adding veggies straight from the jar, I sauteed some white mushrooms and Kalamata olives (again), and switched it up with some cheery tomatoes.

The pasta was cooked al dente and added to the sautee pan along with some pesto sauce from the fridge. I prefer Buitoni brand - it tastes fresher.

Once the meal was cooked evenly I plated it and garnished with some shredded pecorino romano for a nice little flavor burst.


Essentially, these were the same dish with minor alterations. But I have to admit I definitely favored the latter version with pesto and cherry tomatoes. Though next time, I'm going to let the tomatoes burst for a little more flavor.

All in all, I'm pleased, and I think my pasta skills have improved exponentially since I started.

So what do you say Bobby - are you ready for a Throw Down?

Cheers!

-A

(p.s. - yes, I truly believe that if I link to the Food Network site enough times that they'll notice me and want to hire me because I'm just that cool...)

Help keep a Mommy Blogger off the Street

Hello! It is I, Rachel from I'm A Mom In Real Life!

I have been fortunate enough to be paired up with the lovely Ashley for the 20SB Blog swap! So I guess that means I have to write something......
..........
..........
crap
..........
You know what, I am going to use this opportunity to beg;
Someone please hire me!!!!

I'm not asking for much, I just need some part time work. I have filled out a million applications, including their stupid psych questions ("Politicians are dishonest; 70% of the time, 50% of the time, 25% of the time? What the %$#@ does that have to do with me working a cash register at Target???).

To be honest, if I was looking at my application I wouldn't hire me either. The problem is the fact that many applications ask how long I worked at a job but not why I left. Example;

From 6/2003-8/2003 I was a mural artist for Great Harvest. When I was done with the painting I was done with the job. But if you don't realize that then you see that I "Left Voluntarily" after working a few months.

From 10/2003-1/2004 I was a bartender, but had to "Leave Voluntarily" when I got pregnant and haven't had a job since. So looking at my applications I tried this whole "working" thing and didn't like it.

Yeah, not looking good for me.

I talked about this with my fellow Chicago blogger bud Free and Flawed. She recommended that I post a "Hire Me!" ad in the Printed Blog. But what would I say?

I will be sitting by my phone, eagerly awaiting the inevitable barrage of phone calls I am sure to be getting.

Bloggie Burnout?

Okay, so on my way in to work this morning I couldn't come up with one damn thing to write about.

Normally, I spend this five minutes - yes, I have a five minute commute, it's okay to hate on me, I would, if I were you - thinking up all the great topics I could blog about, picking the most entertaining and/or what I feel the strongest about that day.

Yeah, now it's making sense right...I only have five minutes to come up with entertaining material, so this is what you get.

Anywho, I got nothin'.

(The sad part is, this is true 100 percent of the time...not just now.)

So I thought to myself, what a great opportunity to discuss this little burnout issue that seems to be going around.

Then of course, I realized that I'm kinda burnt out on this topic.

Okay, so really I'm just jealous that people beat me to it. We've even got bloggers blogging about other bloggers who are blogging about it.

Huh?

Dolce posted a funny blogger boredom list, an RS27 original. Thanks, guys, for helping me keep things at least mildly entertaining around here.

My bitterness, though, is centered around the fact that until today I was feeling pretty good about where this was all going. Topics were flowing in, lurkers were recently revealed, and things were starting to look up.

Then this morning, it all came crashing down into the hot, steaming pile of dragon poo that is my creativity. Yes, dragon poo. What of it?

So now what?

In a recent Tweet chain between Narm, Ben, Maxie, Lauren, myself, and a whole host of other bored 20-somethings, a thought was tossed around that we should start our own group blog of burnouts - or a reality TV show, but my vote is for the former, unless of course I can become a professional reality television blogger.

That has to pay well, right? Hmmm....

Anyone else feeling the pains of blogger burnout? Any cures out there?

This blogger is in desperate need of some inspiration.

Cheers!

-A

p.s. - all bloggers listed above are way more entertaining than me. Highly recommend checking them out if you haven't already.

Photography Friday...on a Thursday

(The brilliant idea for this title, stolen from my good blogger buddy and real-life friend Narm.)


It's that time again...this time it's the Jamaica edition.

Please note, that most of these images were not taken with a professional-grade camera. In fact, on all of our excursions we took one of those disposable waterproof, hard plastic cameras on a rubber band string doohickeys.

You get the point.

Oh Jamaica...where do I even start?

Let's just say if I never went back to that island I'd be a happy camper. Don't get me wrong, the island was beautiful, and I actually wish we would have had more time to explore the rain forest, maybe even do a zip line tour - which we passed up because upon further inspection it wasn't that adventurous after all - but I'm sure the scenery was gorgeous.

Looking at this, I'd imagine so:

(Some form of steam coming from the forest...)

Anyway, so when you get off the ship at what I understand to be an old sugar mine, you are immediately accosted by locals trying to get you to go into their cab to take you God knows where on this island.

Once we found our group we waiting, and waited - you'll find this to be a theme throughout.

Our excursion was split into two separate events. The first was what they referred to as white water tubing. We were going tubing down a river with exciting rapids, stopping at one point to cliff dive 30 feet into the ocean, or at least, this is what I was sold.

In reality, the river looked more like this throughout.

(White water...huh?)

There was a five year old girl in her own tube, what does that tell you?

When we stopped half-way through, we saw the "cliff," which was a man-made wooden plank about 15 feet above the river water, which at that point was, oh, about 2 and 1/2 feet deep, tops.

It said jump at your own risk. Unfortunately, I didn't capture this on film - I was too appalled.

If it says that in Jamaica, it's translated as "you will most likely die if you attempt this," in American.

Needless to say, we passed on that opportunity.

After tubing we were supposed to get picked up by our driver. So we waited, and waited, in the hot ass sun, slightly frustrated from our overly-hyped river tubing experience, and getting more pissed off by the minute.

And since we were told to leave all our stuff on the van we were all slightly concerned about our belongings, too.

But he showed, eventually, and then we were off to our next adventure. And that it was!

We climbed Dunns River Falls - a 600 foot, never-ending waterfall. The experience was one of my favorites from the trip. There was just enough danger and excitement involved that it kept our blood pumping.

(A small section of the 600 feet we climbed that day!)

Though after, we were led through a tourist trap of Jamaican shops. We were caught by the first tent by a guy who called himself the Termite - real name, Jason Smith....quite Jamaican if I do say so.

We were led back into his lair where the SO purchased a Bob Marley shirt for his roommate, and the Termite proceeded to carve our names into these mahogany figurines. Then he told us some story about stacking them on top of one another when we are "mounting" each other. No joke. This guy was a trip.

Anyhow, after that we really had to get back to the ship so we practically ran through the rest of the shop area, getting touched and yelled at by Jamaicans, telling us we had no respect.

Sorry people, we had no time, either.

The driver picked us up right on time - GASP - and we made it back to the ship in one piece - though starving and exhausted from a long day on the island.

It was a great experience, but next time, I'm choosing Turks and Caicos over another visit to Jamaica, mon!

Cheers!

-A

Birthdays...a thing of the past?

(Commence the celebration of the unbirthday!)

I love birthdays.

It's true. Just like when I was a kid I still look forward to this day as it approaches every year.

Only now I don't bring cupcakes to share with the class - though I bet my co-workers wouldn't mind so much if I did. But no singing please, that I can do without.

I also despise the happy birthday songs they sing to you in restaurants. Sure you get free dessert, but it's so not worth the public attention and humiliation. And usually the songs are way lame. Trust me, I used to work at Chi Chi's, which had the lamest birthday song ever. But the fried ice cream was pretty damn good.

Okay, so not the point.

Blast, I'm way off topic now.

Oh, birthdays, right.

I like birthdays. And not just my own. In fact, I think I might like to celebrate other people's birthdays even more than my own. It's the gift giving that gets me...I love giving people presents.

Now, I didn't say I loved buying them, but it's fun to give someone something they wanted, needed, or just something pretty that they like. It's all about putting a smile on someones face.

What can I say, I'm a giver.

The best part about a birthday is that it's the one time a year where you get to celebrate the individual. One day where it's all about them.

Most other celebrations are about family, friends, religion, a couple. But birthdays are just about you.

But the older I get the more I'm realizing how other people don't really feel the same way I do about this annual event.

If they did, I wouldn't be traveling for work for the third consecutive year on this oh-so-special day.

Three years in a row. Are you freaking kidding me?

Actually, I wasn't all that surprised. When I found out about it, I laughed right out loud - in the middle of a meeting - with no good explanation per usual.

Maybe this is the universe trying to tell me to give up on the birthday. After all, what's so special about them now? We're just getting closer to things not working the way they should, right?

I guess after 21 it doesn't really matter anyhow. The only perk to 25 is the onset of the quarter-life crisis and the nervous breakdown that's bound to ensue.

Oh and my car insurance is going down. But I got that call in March so how much of a birthday surprise is that, really?

Well, the universe can suck it, because now I'm just going to spoil the crap out of my friends and family for their birthdays since I can't even enjoy my own.

Take that, bastard!

-A

Delurking time

So, if there is one thing that's changed about my social media habits since my return it's this: I've become a lurker.

I used to pride myself on my ability to not only keep up with so many of your blogs each day, but to thoughtfully comment on them as well.

Y'all felt the love and it showed - the comments flowed in to my posts as well.

And now, I suck. Completely and totally suck.

In attempt to defend myself, it has been difficult catching up on a lost week, but now that my Google Reader is down to (fairly) manageable numbers it's time to start putting myself out there again and add some freaking value.

I know, I know. It's about damn time. But I've changed, it's back to my old ways and you're going to hear from me whether you like it or not.

So what about all you other lurkers out there? I see my daily analytics, there are still readers out there. And with almost 100 unique visitors yesterday I had not a single comment.

Nope, not one.

How about we all put the binoculars down, come out from behind the shadows and make a little noise.

At the very least, tell me why you're here. And I promise to do the same.

Let the delurking begin!

Cheers!

-A

Flying lyrics

Photo: Las Vegas Sky Diving

Lately I've been into songs about flying, falling, soaring...you get my drift. Music like this tends to be freeing, with lyrics that migrate toward liberating.

You know the songs I mean: Free Falling, Learning to Fly, Jump, even Major Tom (yes, I know it's about space travel, but it feels the same to me).

It definitely ties back to my new love for skydiving.

Though one might think it's because I've been such a world-traveler lately.

Okay, so not really the world, more like Midwest to Northeast, with the occasional trip to sunnier places.

As you might have guessed, I'm back in New York City this week. I know, right? I barely manage to get unpacked from the vacation and I have to pack up again for another week in the big city.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good trip on the company dime, but five days away from home, five days sleeping in a strange bed, without the SO, eating out constantly, and having little to no routine - it's exhausting.

I'm going to need another vacation after this!

Especially given the amount of hours that I tend to put in while I'm out here. Whew!

So, given those circumstances, you can imagine my need for this Monday cop-out. Though your trip here wasn't for nothing...I leave you with a few more pictures from the Caribbean.

There are still more stories coming - promise.

(One of the other cruise ships anchored in Grand Cayman.)

(On our balcony, still in the Port of Miami.)

(These shoes got to see it all. And they saved our tootsies in the process.)

(A glimpse at the blue waters of Jamaica...more to come on this later.)

Cheers!

-A

Steve Irwin would be proud

Alright, so back to the vacay.

One of my favorite excursions during the trip was on Grand Cayman Island.

Note: if you ever take a trip, try to book excursions with outside vendors rather than with your cruise line. There will be far fewer tourists in your group and it's often significantly cheaper.

And a huge perk of these islands is that you get to participate in at-your-own-risk events, in that there's no waiver, very few safety precautions, and often little to no direction. All of which are huge benefits if you're looking for adventure and definitely not something that would happen in the U.S. Did I mention that we spent an hour signing our lives away - literally - prior to skydiving?



Anywho, the Grand Cayman Wave Runner excursion was definitely an adventure!

After arriving at this gorgeous resort situated on a white sand beach overlooking the Gulf, we paid our money and were introduced to our jet skis.

With a total of three minutes of instruction, including a brief statement that if you've never driven a jet ski before you're kinda screwed, we rode off into the sunset.

Okay, not quite, it was 10 a.m.

But our rather rude "guide" kept the pack moving at a quick pace - though not quite quick enough given that the SO was reprimanded on more than one occasion for getting too far ahead of the others. Though what do you expect when you're moving along at full throttle?

Looking back, they definitely should have broken groups out based on ability level...then we really could have moved!

Regardless, it was a quick 4 mile trip over to the stingray sandbar.

This is where things got really interesting.

Okay, so nothing too out of the ordinary happened, actually, but it was great to hang out with these little....er, big guys.

We got to roam around with them:



Touch them:

(Note the appearance of the SO's hand here...)

And even kiss them!


I have to admit, there was a hint of fear inside me, given that these creatures have some lethal barbs that have been known to puncture the heart, but wading around in their turf, letting them swim by and rub up against you with their cool, smooth skin was pretty amazing.

And having them do this felt pretty good on the ole sunburned back!


If you're ever in Grand Cayman, I highly recommend taking a trip out to the sandbar. And if you can, get with a smaller group and make the trip on jet ski - it definitely made the experience that much more personal. I'll certainly be doing so again, if I have anything to say about it!

Cheers!

-A

Steve Irwin would be proud

Alright, so back to the vacay.

One of my favorite excursions during the trip was on Grand Cayman Island.

Note: if you ever take a trip, try to book excursions with outside vendors rather than with your cruise line. There will be far fewer tourists in your group and it's often significantly cheaper.

And a huge perk of these islands is that you get to participate in at-your-own-risk events, in that there's no waiver, very few safety precautions, and often little to no direction. All of which are huge benefits if you're looking for adventure and definitely not something that would happen in the U.S. Did I mention that we spent an hour signing our lives away - literally - prior to skydiving?



Anywho, the Grand Cayman Wave Runner excursion was definitely an adventure!

After arriving at this gorgeous resort situated on a white sand beach overlooking the Gulf, we paid our money and were introduced to our jet skis.

With a total of three minutes of instruction, including a brief statement that if you've never driven a jet ski before you're kinda screwed, we rode off into the sunset.

Okay, not quite, it was 10 a.m.

But our rather rude "guide" kept the pack moving at a quick pace - though not quite quick enough given that the SO was reprimanded on more than one occasion for getting too far ahead of the others. Though what do you expect when you're moving along at full throttle?

Looking back, they definitely should have broken groups out based on ability level...then we really could have moved!

Regardless, it was a quick 4 mile trip over to the stingray sandbar.

This is where things got really interesting.

Okay, so nothing too out of the ordinary happened, actually, but it was great to hang out with these little....er, big guys.

We got to roam around with them:



Touch them:

(Note the appearance of the SO's hand here...)

And even kiss them!


I have to admit, there was a hint of fear inside me, given that these creatures have some lethal barbs that have been known to puncture the heart, but wading around in their turf, letting them swim by and rub up against you with their cool, smooth skin was pretty amazing.

And having them do this felt pretty good on the ole sunburned back!


If you're ever in Grand Cayman, I highly recommend taking a trip out to the sandbar. And if you can, get with a smaller group and make the trip on jet ski - it definitely made the experience that much more personal. I'll certainly be doing so again, if I have anything to say about it!

Cheers!

-A

Give it a rest, Debbie

So I know y'all were expecting another vacation recap post today, but I thought instead, I'd break the mold a bit and discuss something that's been bugging me recently.

Surprise, the cynical side rears it's ugly head again.

But this time, it's for good reason.

It seems, as of late, there's been an epidemic going around. It's called Debbie Downer syndrome.

In recent interactions with friends and acquaintances, there's been this low cloud of negativity hanging around. And even when people seem happy on the surface, the undertones of conversation is often sullen.

Sure, you're probably thinking that I've got good reason to be chipper after a seven day tropical vacation. But I'm talking about emotion that runs a little deeper than that.

After all, I too am stuck in this snowy April weather like everyone else, and sure, my Spartans endured a tough loss to UNC last night in the NCAA national championship game, but you can't let that stuff rock you to the core.

Now don't get me wrong, there are some things in life, the unavoidable tragedies and unfortunate circumstances where grieving is not only acceptable and expected, but it's needed. These are not the situations to which I am referring.

It's these perpetual Debbie Downer types that really start to get to me after a while. What's worse, is the things they complain about. Ordinary, mundane issues of daily life. And often, a solution is well within their reach.

It's starting to seem like people are losing control over their own happiness.

Is it that we don't realize just how much power we have over our outlook on life?

Maybe it's that I was lucky enough to grow up in a family that encouraged my growth into a strong person. One that showed me how to take the reigns of my life, so to speak, and keep a level head.

Of course, we're all aware of my cynical nature - it's a defining characteristic, like it or not.

And as someone who often allows the actions of others to impact my own happiness, I've got some nerve preaching this concept to others (see what I did there...admitting it makes it okay). But if we all took a step back and looked at what we've got, you might be surprised at just how happy you really are right now.

And if you're still not, then do something about it and quit bringing the rest of us down with you. Jerk!

Follow a dream, explore a new passion, help someone. All of these things have the potential to bring you outside of yourself. Be a part of something bigger than just you.

And who knows, you might accomplish something you never dreamed was possible - like waking up and smiling.

Cheers!

-A

Back to reality

Did you miss me?

Okay, don't answer that...but I'm back from a much needed seven day vacation in the Caribbean, and honestly, I'm not ready to be home.

Normally, after a vacation I'm ready to be back to a routine and feel rejuvenated. Not this time. Don't get me wrong, I'm relaxed and feeling more like myself than ever, but I spent the last day of vacay contemplating a strategy to sneak onto a neighboring cruise ship and do it all over again.

And as you've probably guessed, this week will be filled with stories of the people we met and adventures had. Trust me...there was a lot of both.

What a better way to kick it all off than by sharing the best part of the trip first.

It's pretty self-explanatory, really...skydiving in Miami.

We left this for our last day, going out on a high note - no pun intended. And boy was it ever!

The entire experience was perfect. It was a gorgeous 85 degree day. The staff at Skydive Miami was amazing and I had the best tandem instructor ever - Randy. 

For a guy who's jumped over 1,400 times in his career he sure enjoyed our tandem experience, which made me enjoy it that much more. It's inspiring to meet someone who loves what he does so much that he's excited to share it with others. But really, who wouldn't be, if jumping out of an airplane was how you made a living?

On the plane ride up he asked about my job, and once he pulled the 'chute he welcomed me to his office. 

And quite the welcome it was...

I have to say, it was the most thrilling and liberating experience of my life. I've conquered the sky and I can't wait to do it again. The next jump is already on the books for this spring!

So tell me dear readers, what has been one of your most exhilarating experiences?

Cheers!

-A