Mutli-rave post

It's bee a while, and there are so many things I've experienced and I'm loving taking advantage of on a regular basis.

So, instead of focusing on just one rave, I'm going to talk about a few things that I'm loving at the moment.

"These are a few of my favorite things"

And now that that song is stuck in your head, let's plunge ahead. These are in no particular order other than how much atop my mind they are at the moment.

Yoga Toes - I've had these for a couple months now and though they're some of the strangest looking things, they're amazing.

At first, I could only wear them for about 10 minutes before my feet were begging me to take them off. But over time, I've come to crave them, especially after a run or a long day at work. They claim to be the cure for bunions but I just love how they make my feet feel. These came recommended to me by my cousin who wears them religiously, she even walks around the house in them, but I still find this a bit painful...they're definitely not made for walking, but lounging while reading or watching TV or even to wear to bed, they're fabulous!

Total Freedom - if you're looking for a good book that will give you a completely different outlook on life and self-improvement without being all self-helpy, this book is it. I'm not going to lie, it's not a quick read. But it's worth every minute spent with your nose stuck in it. It's one of those books that, once you get into it, you find yourself having a hard time pulling yourself away. A book like this is too good not to share with others. A must read.

Nutella - my new peanut butter substitute when I'm just not feeling the crunchy, peanutty spread. If you haven't tried it before, I highly recommend it. I'm a big fan of Nutella on my morning banana or on an apple in the afternoon. Punches up your favorite treats a bit. YUM!

Delta Airlines Wi-Fi - what would I do without in-flight wi-fi? Well, probably sleep or read or listen to music and just unwind. But, on those days where I need to get a client report out the door or I'm waiting for a response to keep a project moving, or even when I just want to write a blog post, it's critical. Sure, there's a bit of a charge, which you can buy by flight, 24-hour period or have a monthly fee for unlimited access for all you frequent fliers out there, but it's totally worth it!

MacBook Air - Apple got it right with this one, beyond right! I was issued an Air for my new position (oh yeah, did I mention I got a new job and I'm loving EVERY SECOND OF IT?) and I gotta tell you, it's amazing. As someone who has found herself traveling more than normal, I don't dread slinging my messenger bag over my shoulder for that long trek across the airport anymore, I can hardly tell I've even got a computer in there. And with the abundance of wi-fi connections, well, everywhere these days, there's no lack of internet connectivity. I'm going to love having this powerful little (and I do mean little) beast.

That's all for now.

Cheers!

-A

Reverb10 - Travel !!!

Okay, so as most of you know, I'm a huge lover of travel. Even if I can't physically go somewhere, I love reading about travel (in blogs and magazines) seeing pictures of exotic places and planning future trips.

Travel has become a huge part of my life with this whole skydiving thing I've been into the past couple years.

It all started in Sept 09 with my first ever skydiving "boogie" with my fiance. It's been a hell of a ride ever since.

Needless to say, today's prompt was right up my alley.

December 22 – Travel How did you travel in 2010? How and/or where would you like to travel next year? (Author: Tara Hunt)

I traveled in a number of ways this year. In January, we took a 9 day trip to Florida, flying from Cleveland to Fort Myers, going to the beach and relaxing for day 1. Then we rented a car and drove out to Clewiston for one of those boogies I was talking about. We camped in our car and stayed in a crappy hotel one night.

Then we drove to the east side of the state, up the coast through Fort Lauderdale, Sabastian, DeLand, and landing in Zephyrhills / Tampa for some more skydiving and meeting up with friends.

Then, it was driving back down to Fort Myers to fly back home.

Then in April we took a trip down to South Carolina, driving, stayed with my fiance's aunt and went skydiving there.

Then in May we drove to New York for my birthday and grabbed a hotel, skydived and played around for the weekend.

In the summer we took a trip to Chicago, driving out from Cleveland for a long weekend of skydiving and hanging out with friends. We were gonna just sleep in the car, but the DZO let us crash at his house...we were hooked on this dropzone by then.

Before moving, we took a trip out to Los Angeles (this time we flew, thankfully) and stayed with my aunt, uncle and cousins for a few days, attended the Chick's Rock boogie and had an all around great time.

Then, we came back for 4 days and it was time to make the big move.

Since then, travel has slowed, but we're going to be headed up to Michigan for a brief moment to celebrate the holidays with my family.

In 2011, I really would love to do some more traveling. There are a couple boogies that I have my eye on (Carolinafest is a big one), and I really want to visit Seattle as I've never been to that part of the United States (Napa was as far north as of gone on that coast).

What are some of the favorite places you've traveled this year?

Cheers!

-A

New life: Love

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my life here in Chicago yet? Just thought you'd like to know.

Contrary to the tone of my last post, I love just about everything life has to offer me here.

• I love my apartment complex and the access to racquetball and a gym to help blow off steam.
• I love taking the train to work, having a chance to relax on my commute rather than sit in traffic. It gives me a chance to read and get absorbed into my music.
• I love finally being in the same city with (some) people on my account teams. It makes all the difference in the world seeing people face to face.
• I love the opportunities I have to build the life I want here...opportunities that either didn't exist in Cleveland, or ones that I was being held back from, for one reason or another.
• I absolutely LOVE that I have friends in this city already. Skydiving friends, friends from college and high school that I've already reconnected with. I love having solid friendships in my back yard.
• I love the availability of yummy foods on every corner. Between the Italian Delis and readily-available sushi, I'm in heaven. Though I still have to try out some of these cupcakes I've heard so much about.
• I love the shopping. The outlet malls. Even though I'm not much of a shopper, it's so great to have options should I need them.
• I love being back in the Midwest where people are, in general, friendly and not as closed off as they are in Cleveland. I've yet to hear anyone say or act as if they have enough friends.
• I love that for the most part I've been able to quickly fall into a routine. It gives me structure during the week, something I constantly craved throughout my inability to settle in when I lived in NE Ohio.
• I love that people here care about hockey and basketball just as much as football. These are sports I missed watching with people who get it. Texas and Ohio were very much football states.
• In that same breath, I love that I'm out of Buckeye country...not so much that there aren't Buckeyes around, but because there are Spartans around too. There's a special connection among us Spartans.
• I love the abundance of photography opportunities. I can't wait to do some more exploring.

Those are just the off-the-top-of-my-head things. I've never been more excited about building a life in any of the cities I've lived in before. I've never felt more at home than I do here. I love my new life here. Just thought I'd share.

Cheers!

-A

RAVE: Timbuk2

For those who have been keeping up on Twitter, Foursquare or my other blog, you likely know that I recently moved to Chicago. It's been a whirlwind couple weeks to say the least, but I'm already loving it.

One thing that people always want to know is where I'm living...and believe it or not, this 20-something is living in the suburbs. Guess I'm already embracing married life since my fiance and I found a nice place West of the city (an apartment, till I'm able to find a house...holy crap I'm growing up! When did that happen?!).

Anyhow, being a commuter, I did some research on high-quality commuter bags that can hold your computer and other items that I might need to take back and forth to work every day.

It was recommended to me, via a Twitter request, to take a look at Timbuk2, with the disclaimer that they tend to be high priced. Sure, they are a little on the pricey end, but when you look at what you're getting, they are well worth the investment.

Not only does this bag hold my laptop in a waterproof outside pouch that conveniently unzips from the bag so it can go through airport security without being physically removed (thanks to whoever invented TSA friendly luggage), but it can hold just about anything else I need to bring with me without getting overly bulky.

On a normal day I carry a laptop, charger, two notebooks, an extra pair of shoes, water bottle, glasses, phone, iPod, keys and wallet, and on occasion I've even have a makeup bag and extra jacket or sweater depending on the weather. Oh, and I've always got a scarf with me...never know when you'll need that in the windy city.

The bag I chose was the commute 2.0 in graphite green and I couldn't be happier with it. There are compartments galore so that everything has a place, my phone, iPod, keys (with attached lanyard so I can't lose them), even my train ticket has it's designated spot! The main inside pocket expands to hold just about anything. And I purchased the gripster strap pad for an extra $10 to prevent the bag from moving around on my shoulder while in transit. It's super comfy too!

What's really cool about these products, is that they're fully customizable. For a little extra, you can design your own bag, colors, fabrics, accessories and all. It's pretty neat. Check it out here.

I have to say, I've got a bit of a weak back, I always have, so comfort was key. With this bag I never feel like I'm being weighed down or having to hunch over to relieve pain from the stress on my back. The strap never digs into my shoulder, unless of course I'm careless and forget to position the strap pad before throwing it on. But that's my own dumb fault.

Regardless, I couldn't be more happy with my Timbuk2 bag! I may very well have to create my own bag one of these days...and just maybe, I'll video the process so you can see just how nifty it is.

Cheers!

Ashley

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

...or some crap like that.

Yes, I realize just how much I've been sucking as a blogger lately. My days have been consumed with an ever increasing workload and my weekends have been spent traveling to dropzones and skydiving as much as possible before the winter sets in. If you're interested in any of that, you can visit SkydiveChick.com and read my latest post here.

Anyhow, enough of this self-promotional BS....

My personal life has been nuts lately too. There's been some much going on, preparing for my big brother's wedding, trying to get organized, keeping up on bills and chores, trying to stay in touch with friends, and now with football season beginning, I'm being pulled in a ton of different directions.

Which makes the whole getting organized thing quite difficult. I told myself once that it could wait until the winter, when I wasn't skydiving and had plenty of time on my hands. But I'm starting to see this as a desperate need.

Unfortunately there's not a free weekend in sight to conquer this feat. 

But, I have accomplished a lot in the last month. Remember my post about summer goals where I mentioned the things I still wanted to cross off that list things that would make the end of the year a success? Well, let's revisit that, shall we?

1. Be a better vegetarian. CHECK. This has worked out better than I imagined. I splurged once since I made this vow, and had one boneless wing at Buffalo Wild Wings during a weekend away. Otherwise, I've been a highly committed vegi!

2. Get some tunnel time. 1/2 CHECK. It's on the list of upcoming weekend festivities. Just haven't cashed in on that one quite yet. 

3. Get back into yoga. FAIL. I had good intentions, really I did. Though in my defense, I have been doing some practice on my own, a few sun salutations every day to stretch out and relax. But haven't been back to a class in quite some time. This will be a winter commitment.

4. Attend two tailgates. 1/4 CHECK. Good intentions exist here too. Though I'm not sure it'll happen. I'm going to Bridge Day on MSU's homecoming this year, and my brother's wedding is on U of M weekend... maybe some of the later games? :-/

5. Visit the cider mill. 1/2 CHECK. I have plans with a friend to make the trip sometime this fall. But with the amount of time I'll be at my parent's place in the next couple weeks, there's no reason why this won't happen.

6. Take a trip to Wisconsin. Um, well. That could still happen, right?

Oh, and I did mention that I want to get my B license by the end of the season, and yes sir, I DID IT!

So see, I've gotten some of these things taken care of....

What do you want to accomplish before the end of fall?

Cheers!

-A

RAVE: Continental Airlines

Today marks the beginning of another trip to New York City on business. It's not uncommon that I come to The Big Apple every month or two for client meetings or internal needs that require my presence in our Midtown office.

I do enjoy these visits, though sometimes the travel can be a hassle. Between the early morning flights I'm typically booked on, the cab ride from LaGuardia in traffic that has a tendency to make me queasy, and trekking to and from the hotel, travel itself can be exhausting.

Recently, these trips have had one rather large bright spot: Continental Airlines.

As much as I'm not a fan of commercial flying - after all, I prefer to jump out at altitude, rather than land with the plane - this is by far my choice airline when I must.

Flying out of Cleveland Hopkins, it's not uncommon to be placed on a CA flight as this airport is a hub. However, I've taken this trip on numerous other airlines and have been thoroughly disappointed.

Continental has some of the best customer service around. They are always friendly, always accommodating; unlike some other airlines. In fact, I once had to write a letter to American Airlines for the extremely rude service I received after being kicked off a flight due to fog. The flight still went, but I wasn't on it. But that's a story for another time.

In the last few months I've flown Continental on a number of trips, all of them fantastic. Even when we had weather delays the staff was always on top of updates for those of us waiting.

And I have to say, it's nice that on long flights like the one I recently took to LA and back, you still get dinner and a movie. The food is pretty decent, too!

So if you have a choice, in the coming weeks or months, choose to take your trip with Continental Airlines. I guarantee you won't be disappointed!

Cheers!

-A

Los Angeles Baby!

It's about time I finally got around to writing about my trip to Los Angeles...two weeks ago.

This was a trip that the old college crew had been anticipating for months. We were finally all going to be back together in the same place - it'd been since our senior year!

Wednesday I took an early flight and was met by my former roommate, her boyfriend and our friend Chris. After settling in we headed over to the La Brea tar pits, which were not that far from Chris' house. We didn't stay long, given how freaking hot it was, but it was a fun little touristy thing to do.

Chris and me in front of one of the tar pits. It smelled lovely!

That evening we trekked up Runyon Hill (which, is more than a hill, trust me) so we could get views like this.

apologize for the fuzziness, it's an iPhone pic.

Thursday it was off to Laguna Beach for some relaxing in the sun. I don't know about all the rest of yous young professionals out there, but laying on the beach for hours on end just screams perfect vacation to me.

Beautiful Laguna Beach!

Pretty standard position for us this week.

We walked along the shores of the Pacific before heading to our next destination: Newport Beach.

Why does this sound like some sort of MTv special?

First priority was to find a bar for happy hour. And boy was it happy. Just being back in a bar with the old crew was enough to make me happy. Though, the drinks didn't hurt either.

Take a look at the size of Brandye's drink!

Then we walked along the pier and took some more pictures.

The rest of the evening was spent out in Huntington Beach with the rest of our group. Our friend Jon also lives out in SoCal, so after swinging by his place in Irvine to clean up, we spent the evening together, catching up on the last few years.

We kept it calm, probably not as expected, but when Brandye asked me to ride the bull with her, I just couldn't resist.

Yes, I was sober. Yes, I should be embarrassed by this. No, I'm really not.

Friday included more beach time, relaxing in the sand at Venice Beach before going to the Dodgers Game.

Now, let me just say that we had 8 tickets to this game - 4 that were given to Chris by a vendor of his, and 4 that they purchased. Chris, being the nice guy he is, gave us out-of-towners the nicer seats.

We ended up in the Dugout Club which began with an all you can eat buffet of pretty phenomenal food, followed by seats 3 rows behind home plate.

(Talk about some pretty amazing seats, eh?)

Throughout the game there were a number of celebrity sightings, including a foul ball caught by Jermain Jackson and Ray Liota and his family sitting one row over. During the game we noticed on the big screen that Jerry O'Connel and Josh Duhamel were at the game. I looked around and noticed they were only a couple sections over, in the front row.

Ha, cool, right?

Well, it gets even better. So while we were inside retrieving drinks, we came across Jerry up at the bar. We decided to approach him, very gently, and ask if we could get a picture with him.

He seemed happy to do so, then mentioned that Josh is outside and we should get him in the shot too ... just as he walks in.

Can you say perfect timing?

Long story short, there I am with my arm around Josh Duhamel when my friend's camera is FULL and we can't get the shot. 

So, no proof. But I can tell you, my knees went a little weak having my arm around Josh's waist.

But enough about that.

Saturday was our last full day in L.A. and we lived it up, again, at the beach. But first, we walked Hollywood Boulevard for a bit. It was another one of those fun touristy things.

(Chinese Theatre)

After our walk in the heat I made everyone stop off at one of my frozen yogurt obsessions, Pinkberry for a refreshing treat before heading over to Hermosa Beach.

Our last night was spent on the town with the whole crew. We hit up a local bar for some great burgers - yes, I cheated - then went back to the house where the guys played a few rounds of beer pong before heading out.

The bar of choice was called Happy Endings. I know, right?

It was great to sit around and share drinks with the crew again. Most of us remained in control, others, did not. 

A few of us made the long walk back to Chris' house and headed to bed so we could catch our early flights.

It was a great five days of fun and relaxation with my favorites from the good old days as Spartans. 

The only remaining question is, where do we go for next year's reunion?

Cheers!

-A

Summer to-dos

So as you're all probably aware I'm a huge fan of Susan over at Transient Travels. 

What? You haven't visited her site before. What the hell are you waiting for? Go now!

Oh, wait. WAIT! How about after you finish reading. Okay? Thanks.

Today's topic of discussion is inspired by her recent post on the things she'd like to accomplish by the end of the summer - which, if you hadn't noticed, is fast approaching.

In the spring I had come up with a few goals for the coming months, a summer bucket list, if you will, and it's about time I see where I've ended up and where I've yet to go. So, shall we?

#1 - Earn my skydiving license by the end of the season. CHECK! 

Two weeks ago I passed my check dive with flying colors and am the proud owner of this number: A-56008. Now, with A license in hand I'm debating on the ability to earn my B license by the end of the season. After all, there's still so much time left to jump.

#2 - See an outdoor concert. CHECK! 

The intent was to go to Blossom, but I never made it there. Though I did make it out to see O.A.R at The Nautica Pavilion a couple months ago. That'll likely be the only one I make it to this year.

(editor's note: for all those who refer to O.A.R as oar - yes, like the paddle - you're wrong. It's an acronym. It stands for Of A Revolution. Now you know.)

#3 - Vacation in LA with the college crew. CHECK! 

Yes, I still owe y'all a post on this. But honestly, I want to include pictures and I didn't take many. Once I get some from my friends I'll do a post. Promise.

#4 - Pack parachutes at my drop zone. FAIL! 

Yes, I learned to pack for my license. Yes, I'm still terrible at it. The intent was to be a packer to pay for jumps, but when I was given the opportunity to work ground crew at demos, take pictures and work manifest instead, well, I chose the latter options.

#5 - Start a professional blog. CHECK! 

Though this wasn't exactly the path I'd imagined. My professional blog is actually for skydiving rather than social media. But to my surprise, SkydiveChick has taken off in just a short time. I was actually recognized at a drop zone (no, not mine, thankyouverymuch) as The Skydive Chick. Crazy!

#6 - Run a 1/2 marathon. HUGE FAIL! 

I never even registered. And I certainly didn't train. In fact, I've pretty much given up my competitive running hobby. Between broken feet and sprained vertebrae over the years, my body has taken enough beatings from this sport. So I've moved on to jumping out of airplanes. What of it?

#7 - Get out of debt. MINOR FAIL. 

With all that I've been spending I really should be in deeper than I am. But really, aside from skydiving and traveling I haven't spent much money. I can't tell you the last time I went to the mall, or bought anything that wasn't related to skydiving for that matter.

#8 - Tone up for my brother's wedding. CHECK! 

The best part is that I haven't even been trying. Believe it or not, I've lost 10 pounds since I stopped working out. And the parachuting has really helped with muscle tone. Yes, it's more than just falling out of an airplane.

#9 - Go to Cedar Point. CHECK!

I in fact did make the yearly trip to Sandusky for a day of thrills. Though by 5:00 in the afternoon we were exhausted, so we called it a day earlier than usual. Still a great time!

So as I look into the late summer and fall, there are still some things I want to accomplish - above and beyond getting my B-license and getting out of debt.

>Be a better vegetarian. I've cheated on this more than I'd like to admit this summer. Each and every time I think a burger is a good idea I end up feeling terrible, too. I'd like these lessons to start sticking.

>Get some tunnel time. Luckily I was recently asked to take a trip to New Hampshire as part of a 4-way for some quality time in the wind tunnel. I'm pumped.

>Get back into yoga. This fell off the map after my cruise in the spring. But yoga is so good for your body and your mind...I need to make it back to Inner Bliss soon.

>Attend two tailgates. Whether or not I actually make it to an MSU football game this year, I definitely want to make it up to a tailgate or two. Last year was filled with tailgating fun. I certainly don't intend on missing out this year.

>Visit the cider mill. It's one of those fall things I look forward to every year. There's nothing like picking out a pumpkin, eating a donut and sipping on some cider to welcome fall with open arms.

(Uncle John's in my hometown)

>Take a trip to Wisconsin. Two of my best friends live there. It's the least I can do by going back again this year.

What do you want to accomplish before the end of the summer?

Cheers!

-A

Weekend come and gone

Alright so - I don't have much to review today so I'm going to talk about my weekend. Then I'm going to talk about how I'm leaving for California tomorrow and won't be back till Monday, at which point there's likely to be another recap.

Sorry.

Anyway, as you may recall Friday night was the Frivolity event that was held at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was fabulous! With lots of local officials and an amazing community supporting Cleveland to host the 2014 Gay Games, I don't know how the committee could pass us up as the obvious choice!

Saturday I was able to complete two skydives before it was time to head back to Cleveland to visit Voodoo Monkey. Pictures to come soon.

Then it was off to Canton Air Sports to hang out with the crew. We arrived after sunset but were able to hang out with everyone before getting some shut-eye. A very short couple hours, anyhow.

Sunday started with much cloud cover and a little rain. Perfect time to pack a parachute for someone else to jump. Believe it or not I had a volunteer to jump my first pack job.

Yes, he lived! I witnessed it from the ground.

Then I was able to get in a couple good jumps, including my check jump that allowed me to get my license!! Woohoo!

So the last jump of the day was at sunset, my first as a licensed skydiver (yes, that means I owe beer, I know).

The last two days have been back to reality, working hard to get everything done before I head to California for a college crew reunion of sorts.

So that's it. You get a break from me for the rest of the week. See y'all when I'm back from L.A.

Cheers!

-A

It's WHAT day?

As I've mentioned before, I LOVE long weekends. But seriously - how on Earth is it Thursday already?

There's so much that still needs to get done. Yikes!

And I found out recently that I'll be headed back up to Michigan on Friday to help with wedding stuff. My big brother is getting married and it's a bridesmaid's duties to try on pretty dresses in the planning phase.

Okay, so there's more to it than that, but on Saturday, that's essentially what I'll be doing.

But with the short notice and my pre-planned skydiving adventures this weekend it's going to be a busy couple days. Looks like the weather is going to cooperate so if all goes as planned I should be able to head up to Michigan, do some wedding stuff, have sushi with some friends and see their new puppy - we all know that's a priority - and head back down for Sunday morning jumping at Cleveland Parachute.

It'll likely be exhausting, but totally worth it!

What do y'all have planned for this weekend?

Cheers!

-A

p.s. If you're interested in keeping up with my skydiving adventures or just want to know more about the sport and what's going on in that community, come on over to SkydiveChick.com - or follow theskydivechick on Twitter (that's me!) and check it out.

A complete blank

My mind is, at least.

The last couple days I've been thinking hard about the topic of today's post, and to be honest, I got nothin'.

Most of my weekend was spent skydiving - which I'm sure comes as no surprise - and y'all don't wanna hear the details of that, I'm sure.

But on the way in this morning I did think of something that might be of interest.

So as you might be aware I'm slightly obsessed with the Food Network and Bobby Flay. Well while I was in NYC last week a few of my colleagues and I headed out to Mesa Grill - one of Bobby's Manhattan restaurants.

I was surprised to see an item on the menu that was recently showcased in a Throwdown. It was a chile relleno. 

As you can see, the presentation was gorgeous - and the taste was even more sensational. It left me with a spicy taste in my mouth for the rest of the night.

We also indulged on his dessert sampler that consisted of 6-7 featured items on the dessert menu. Needless to say, my standard PinkBerry run was not needed this time around.

If you're ever in the NYC area, check out Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill. You won't be disappointed.

Cheers!

-A

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

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

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

Checking out

Well dear readers, this is it. The last post before I venture off to the Caribbean for 7 days.

And this is a total cop out because, well, my brain's just not in it today. But I wanted to stop by and let you know that I'll be thinking about you the entire time.

Okay, so really I just wanted to tell you that I won't have any updates until early April. Yeah...too lazy to line up guest posters.

So, I'm off to finish up some work and get some packing done. Hope y'all enjoy the next week.

Cheers!

-A

More of the good stuff

It's Monday again, can you believe it? Where did the weekend go?

Oh, that's right. I spent mine in a car.

Given that Christmas was the last time I visited my parents in Michigan, I forgot how draining these quick trips can be. And this time was even quicker than usual.

Leaving on Saturday morning really puts a dent in the amount of quality time with the fam. But what can I say, yoga was calling my name and knowing that I've gotta be ready for beach wear in less than a week, I really couldn't deny this need.

After arriving home I had just enough time to chat with the 'rents before heading out again to get my hair did. Oh and in case you care I'm a blonde again...whew! I definitely feel more like myself.

And after my appointment I decided to do a little more cruise shopping - I was already in the mall, after all.

Speaking of spending, I really need to get my budget in order after this vacation. Know of any good financial advisers?

Anyhow, lucky for me by the time I got back, a vegetarian pizza from my favorite joint back home - Deluca's - was waiting for me on the table.

Well, there goes the yoga class....but it was definitely well worth it. Yumm...

But the heavy dough put me to bed early. And in an effort not to miss my Spartans beat down on USC yesterday evening, I left Michigan earlier than anticipated. Sorry Mom and Dad. I promise to come back soon!

But in the meantime, I thought it would be fun to make some additions to my list of The Good Stuff that I started earlier this month. Because, let's be honest here, there's lost of good stuff out there.

• Shirts straight out of the dryer. No matter how warm it is outside, donning a freshly dried hoodie always feels amazing. And it smells great too!
• Trips on the company dime. This stems from my recent week spent in NYC. I love visiting that city. But it's expensive. So traveling there for work is always welcome as I get to stay for free. Sure, I spend the majority of the time working, but those little moments of downtime make it all worth it.
• When a Barista learns your order. I love the Starbucks in my building. More than that, I love the fact that two of the Baristas know what I'm going to order. It definitely makes you feel like a valued customer.
• An unexpected March Madness upset. Even when I didn't call it in my bracket, this is great to see. Like Cleveland State beating out Wake on Friday. Or Siena almost beating Louisville. And we all remember George Mason's run to the Final Four 3 years ago. Gotta love a great underdog victory!
• Being a regular. Whether it's a bar, restaurant or even a store, being a regular somewhere has it's perks. You know there's always something you're going to like, you can bring friends and family to share in the experience and it never gets old, and sometimes even discounts are involved...just because they know you.
• Perfect hugs. Let's be honest here, I'm a hugger. Friends, family, even people I've just met. And nothing beats a good hug. You know what I'm talking about. You're with a significant other and you find that spot that's just so comfortable you never want to let go. Yeah...that's what I'm talking about.
• Natural blue. You know the color I mean - when you look up and say to yourself, "wow, the sky is really blue today." Or when you go on vacation and the water is this bright blue - almost turquoise - and yet when you walk in it's crystal clear. There's no color in the world like it.

Can you tell my brain has already checked out on vacation. Sorry y'all. I'm sure it's getting a little old. But there will be plenty of encounter stories when I get back. And of course, a Photography Friday with lots to share.

What'd y'all do this weekend? What are your additions to The Good Stuff?

Cheers!

-A

We'll see about that

Life has been rather random lately. Not that I'm complaining - it keeps me on my toes, which I like.

You know what else I like, lists. This should come as no surprise to most of you. Just check out the number of posts labeled "lists" on this blog, that should tell you something. Or don't. I certainly wouldn't if I were you. It's much easier to take my word for it.


But this is not about my laziness.

I highly recommend, if you're also a lover of listing, that you check out this list of ways to acquire peace and happiness. It made me happy just reading it. This also happens to be from one of my favorite photography blogs, Shutter Sisters. You should definitely check back often for some great photography.

Oh wait, maybe it is about my laziness after all - I'm not even writing my own list.

Okay, okay - I'm sure I can come up with some random stuff.

What I really should be doing is making a list of all the crap that needs to be taken care of before my trip like buying sunscreen and getting cash from the ATM - because, really, who carries cash these days...certainly not me. Though this is hardly the venue for that type of list...y'all don't need to waste your time reading that boring drivel.

But I'm sure there are some things I can complain about in the meantime - to help balance out the peace and happiness stuff, anyhow.

Hmm...let's see.....................

Okay, so we're in the process of moving our office to another building right now and the office is so cluttered, and my personal office is half packed and the disorganization of it all is driving me bonkers.

Not to mention the fact that at home I'm only half unpacked from last week's New York trip and I've already started piling up items to take on the cruise - so my apartment is pretty messy too.

Today started with an early deadline which I took care of from home. It felt like a good start to the day - you know those days when you wake up and you're all like, "yeah, I own today. I'm going to kick today's ass." That thought was derailed the moment this intense, nagging headache set in. I'm not a girl who gets headaches, so this is rough.

Shut up, Thursday. I can hear you laughing. Don't be a bitch. Sure, you're whooping my ass now, but the day's not over. I have Advil and Enya on my side...you haven't won yet, Thursday.

Though it would help if the atmosphere was a little more serene around here. With all the disassembling of office furniture there's a lot more banging, stomping and power tool noise than usual.

Don't even get me started on the abundance of moving men walking past my office. Guess I won't be able to get in my usual 2 p.m. nap, eh? Just kidding, just kidding. Though I did used to work for someone who did this daily. Seriously. But that's a story for another day.

If there wasn't so much work to be done I wouldn't have to concentrate so hard. Not that I should be complaining.These days, lots of work is a good thing. But I am doing everything in my power not to mentally check out before next Friday. It's tough. I'm in desperate need of a vacation. Haven't had a real vacation since college...over three years ago.

Wow, I'm old.

On that note, it's time to excuse myself and show Thursday what I'm made of.

What's on your random list this week?

Cheers!

-A

*Editors Note: see I told you I could use my brain and make a list...random as it may be, it's highly appropriate to my current state.