2015 has definitely had it's moments. Some better and some not the greatest. After having to re-read my entry from the beginning of the year, I recall I was going to #commit for 2015. Yes, yes I was riding the #craze. Good news for all of you... I outgrew that in about a week. Commit was a great word for me and I tried to commit to more things in my life. I won't bore you with the details of all of my commitment trials, but some were incredibly more successful than other attempts (i.e. I committed to being an adult by buying my very first home!). Since the year is definitely in it's waning moments, I've started pondering what I'm going to use as motivation for 2016.
The other week at Target, I found my motivation (I'm using this term instead of saying I have a certain resolution or list of resolutions). Simply put on a notebook "Today is the day." And that's how I plan to live out 2016. I know it sounds completely opposite of the 2015 mantra of commitment, but I assure you it's not that different. Perhaps today will be the day that I start eating healthier, or living more efficiently. I don't plan for those types of changes to last only one day. I hope to see them grow over the course of the year. At the same time, I hope that I have several days were I can say "today is the day... I tried sky diving, I made home-made ravioli, I saw the Grand Canyon". Today is the day is a perfect balance between making permanent changes and trying new adventures. So don't be surprised if you see an entry or two that begins with "today is the day", but I would be shocked if you ever had to read #todayistheday.
Here's to the new adventures that await in 2016!
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Welcome Lil' Monster
Merry belated Christmas everyone! I had a fantastic Christmas with the fam this year, hitting up some favorite traditions and also trying out a few new things. While I could go through all the typical details of a Christmas for most families, I'm going to mix it up. A while back, I started this weird running tradition where I would dress up as Cookie Monster. It was a fantastic Halloween costume, that I just couldn't help but to use more than once a year. So obvious choice... Duh, why not run in it? People love it. (Except when Cookie runs by them. Then they're not so much a fan.) I love it. Tell me you aren't envious that I can just randomly yell out COOKIES!!! and people think that's just completely normal. There's a purpose to this back story, I promise. This Christmas I received one of those POP characters... of course Cookie Monster. This little replica Cookie is the most perfect traveling icon for me. So prepare yourself to witness some of the many adventures Lil' Monster heads out on.
Merry Christmas everyone! Introducing Lil' Monster!
Meeting some of the fam.
Doing what Lil' Monster does best.
Adventure #1... Heading to Chicago.
Stopped by the Great Tree at Macy's Walnut Room.
Taking in Lion King at the Palace Theater!
Can't say you've been to Chicago without trying that pizza!
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Escape!
Or as Dory (from Finding Nemo) says... Es-cop-ae! That was definitely the theme of this past weekend. I was able to escape from work early in order to head up to Muncie, Indiana (only my second visit there) to see my sister graduate college. I'm still not 100% sure how we've made it to her college graduation. I'm pretty sure I was just at her high school graduation like last year. Apparently I'm not the only one who is getting older.
I think (aka this is my opinion written here people!) that my sister would also like to say that escape could also be used for her this weekend as she is finally leaving behind the school life and heading into the world of big kid jobs. I have to give some mad props to Ball State for keeping their graduation ceremony to a respectable 2 hours! Way to go sister on graduating in December!
This all leads up to the main reason I say escape is the word of the weekend. I was not the greatest sister this summer and put off buying a birthday present until just recently. But I'm pretty sure I made it up to her. Shortly after the graduation ceremony ended, we all headed down to Indy to try out an Escape Room. Quick explanation: Escape rooms are a popular fad in which you and a group of friends (and potentially some strangers if you have a smaller group) go into a themed room and have to figure out several clues/puzzles to escape the room. Back to our experience... So we get to address of the Indy escape rooms and have to take an elevator up to the 2nd floor. Well... let the puzzles begin. We couldn't just push 2 to head to the 2nd floor. Oh no, we had to enter a code to get to the 2nd floor. At this moment I decided this was going to be a sweet little adventure.
So we ended up in the room with two people we didn't know (but it ended up being really fun that way. We all worked well together.) and our theme was hoosier hysteria. Premise: We were in a sport-y locker room like place and needed to find the state championship trophy that was stolen in order to escape the room. We had an hour to do so in order to get the trophy to the ref on time. Now... I don't want to spoil the mystery of the room for anyone who would want to try it out, but... It. Was. Awesome. We got as far as finding the trophy and getting a key to get the trophy out, but we could not figure out the final code to get the trophy! So close on our first try! Our consolation prize was knowing we were the group that got the farthest that day in that room. Fortunately there are 4 other rooms for us to try when we want to go back. Oh and the room we tried out was considered an intermediate level. There's an advanced room where you start off handcuffed!! Anyway... I definitely recommend trying out an escape room if you get the chance!
And just to keep up with the theme word of the weekend. We also had to figure out how to escape Indy! We sorta overlooked the fact that IU, Notre Dame, Purdue and Butler were playing basketball in a bit of a tournament that same day. Annnnnnnd that it was the last Saturday before Christmas. I've never seen so many people in downtown Indy before! One last escape for the weekend! All-in-all a fun weekend!
I think (aka this is my opinion written here people!) that my sister would also like to say that escape could also be used for her this weekend as she is finally leaving behind the school life and heading into the world of big kid jobs. I have to give some mad props to Ball State for keeping their graduation ceremony to a respectable 2 hours! Way to go sister on graduating in December!
This all leads up to the main reason I say escape is the word of the weekend. I was not the greatest sister this summer and put off buying a birthday present until just recently. But I'm pretty sure I made it up to her. Shortly after the graduation ceremony ended, we all headed down to Indy to try out an Escape Room. Quick explanation: Escape rooms are a popular fad in which you and a group of friends (and potentially some strangers if you have a smaller group) go into a themed room and have to figure out several clues/puzzles to escape the room. Back to our experience... So we get to address of the Indy escape rooms and have to take an elevator up to the 2nd floor. Well... let the puzzles begin. We couldn't just push 2 to head to the 2nd floor. Oh no, we had to enter a code to get to the 2nd floor. At this moment I decided this was going to be a sweet little adventure.
So we ended up in the room with two people we didn't know (but it ended up being really fun that way. We all worked well together.) and our theme was hoosier hysteria. Premise: We were in a sport-y locker room like place and needed to find the state championship trophy that was stolen in order to escape the room. We had an hour to do so in order to get the trophy to the ref on time. Now... I don't want to spoil the mystery of the room for anyone who would want to try it out, but... It. Was. Awesome. We got as far as finding the trophy and getting a key to get the trophy out, but we could not figure out the final code to get the trophy! So close on our first try! Our consolation prize was knowing we were the group that got the farthest that day in that room. Fortunately there are 4 other rooms for us to try when we want to go back. Oh and the room we tried out was considered an intermediate level. There's an advanced room where you start off handcuffed!! Anyway... I definitely recommend trying out an escape room if you get the chance!
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Just when you thought you knew Bloomington...
Enter Krampus Night.
Imagine if you will just minding your own business at the Y, swimming some laps on a laid-back Saturday afternoon. As I stopped to take a breather, I look over to realize I know the person swimming in the next lane. After a short conversation, I find myself invited to the annual Krampus parade that night. The exact definition I was given was "people dress up as evil Chewbaccas and switch naughty children". Hmm... that was an intriguing enough description for me to decide to go check it out.
The parade began as any Christmas parade would, a few angels and Saint Nicholas welcoming everyone for coming out. The angels were handing out stickers that said "naughty" or "nice". Somehow the stickers didn't make it to me, which I was completely fine with for my first Krampus experience. Before I knew it the Krampus were making their appearance. Giant goat-like demons caring switches to get the "naughty" children back in line. The Krampus were wearing chains with cowbells and grunting and growling and were getting in the face of anyone wearing a "naughty" sticker. They even had their hands covered in soot, so if they touched you, you would have the mark of the Krampus (this may have happened to one of my friends). Everyone loved it! Even smaller children, who I expected to be afraid, weren't afraid to mess with the Krampus. Although quite possibly the best thing I saw was a little Maltese attempt to take on a Krampus. One Krampus found this Maltese that was barking it's head off at the Krampus and the Krampus just turned and shook it's butt (and cowbells) at the Maltese. Great fun.
Afterwards we hit up a bar, because the rumor is the Krampus roam the Bloomington bars looking for people wearing the stickers from the parade. Unfortunately we didn't run into a Krampus in the bars, but on the walk back to the cars, we saw a pickup truck bed full of them! They were still grunting and growling like there was no tomorrow. So with that said... I would totally recommend seeking out a Krampus parade near you. Completely unique and fun tradition!
Fun Fact: Krampus is an Alpine tradition, in which the Krampus work for Saint Nicholas. They only come out on Krampus night (December 5th) the night before Saint Nicholas Day. The part about switching the naughty children comes from this Alpine tradition. Doesn't seem quite as bad as that new Krampus movie now, does it?
Imagine if you will just minding your own business at the Y, swimming some laps on a laid-back Saturday afternoon. As I stopped to take a breather, I look over to realize I know the person swimming in the next lane. After a short conversation, I find myself invited to the annual Krampus parade that night. The exact definition I was given was "people dress up as evil Chewbaccas and switch naughty children". Hmm... that was an intriguing enough description for me to decide to go check it out.
The parade began as any Christmas parade would, a few angels and Saint Nicholas welcoming everyone for coming out. The angels were handing out stickers that said "naughty" or "nice". Somehow the stickers didn't make it to me, which I was completely fine with for my first Krampus experience. Before I knew it the Krampus were making their appearance. Giant goat-like demons caring switches to get the "naughty" children back in line. The Krampus were wearing chains with cowbells and grunting and growling and were getting in the face of anyone wearing a "naughty" sticker. They even had their hands covered in soot, so if they touched you, you would have the mark of the Krampus (this may have happened to one of my friends). Everyone loved it! Even smaller children, who I expected to be afraid, weren't afraid to mess with the Krampus. Although quite possibly the best thing I saw was a little Maltese attempt to take on a Krampus. One Krampus found this Maltese that was barking it's head off at the Krampus and the Krampus just turned and shook it's butt (and cowbells) at the Maltese. Great fun.
Afterwards we hit up a bar, because the rumor is the Krampus roam the Bloomington bars looking for people wearing the stickers from the parade. Unfortunately we didn't run into a Krampus in the bars, but on the walk back to the cars, we saw a pickup truck bed full of them! They were still grunting and growling like there was no tomorrow. So with that said... I would totally recommend seeking out a Krampus parade near you. Completely unique and fun tradition!
Fun Fact: Krampus is an Alpine tradition, in which the Krampus work for Saint Nicholas. They only come out on Krampus night (December 5th) the night before Saint Nicholas Day. The part about switching the naughty children comes from this Alpine tradition. Doesn't seem quite as bad as that new Krampus movie now, does it?
Friday, December 4, 2015
Chapter 5: Part II
Aaaaaaannnnnnnnnddddd... We're back! I'm sure hope was lost that this blog didn't exist anymore but man it has been some sorta crazy! I almost couldn't figure out my way back to this page. But I did it and now you get to hear (er... read?) some more of my incredibly insightful ramblings. So this is probably going to be a spoiler for the cliche end of the year post where I sum up all the fantastically amazing things I've been up to, but there's no way to catch all of you avid readers up without that summary. I'm going to try to bullet them out and maybe save the details for later (remember I said try!). So here it is... fantastically epic 2015 summed up:
- Bought
amy firsthousecondo! That's right... you're reading the wise words of a first time homeowner now! Lol. But seriously. It's a small comfy condo that I love... comes with yard care/snow removal and a community pool! - Um... That first bullet really sucked up all of my savings so... That was kinda the main focus of 2015.
- Oh wait... Completed my first Spartan Sprint. Definitely picked the wrong one as it was sooooo muddy that it actually took longer than my Tough Mudder and most of the MARATHONS (yes you're reading that right) that I've run. PS... The Spartan was only 5 miles. That's a story!
- Speaking of running... Portland Marathon baby! Completed marathon #5 in style on the west coast! And as in typical insanity that always occurs with a race... drove straight up to Seattle to see a Sounders game!
- Fell in love!!... With the PNW. (Haha... gotcha! We're still waiting for Mr. Right) But seriously if you've never smelled the air in the Mt. Rainier National Park, you are missing out. It literally smells like those air fresheners that go in cars... but better because it's real and it's outside.
- Because I am a fan of attending sporting events, I made it to my first Colts game and IU basketball game this fall. Lucas Oil is beautiful when the roof and windows are open! Fun stadium... and even if I was there for a Colts loss at least it was to the Saints!
- Really took to hiking this summer/fall. Spent many a weekend going to one of the several state parks here in south central Indiana.
- Oh yes... Turned... wait for it... 30!! (sigh) But so far... successful. Bought that house as a 30-year-old! Crushing the 30's!
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Who's with me?
Anyone up for a crazy New Year's Eve? I know this is incredibly early, but this plan is so crazy it will take awhile to plan. After talking with a coworker about how great New Year's is in Europe, I thought it would be cool to be there to see it. Then I remembered I have been to Italy for New Year's and that was definitely a crazy experience. Everyone drinking their own bottle of champagne and then throwing it in the air to celebrate?!? Um... yeah I prefer not getting knocked out by flying champagne bottles. Thank you kindly.
Obviously there are several places around the world that look like they have amazing New Year celebrations. So I started forming a plan. Why not be able to knock out two places in one year? How would that be possible?
Wait for it.
By celebrating New Years twice in one year!!! And just a tiny bit of research (i.e. googling) showed that it's possible to be in Tokyo and fly to the west coast in time to ring in a second New Year! Here's what the schedule would look like:
1. Celebrate in Tokyo!
2. Board a flight and take a nice little nap.
3. Land in San Francisco and enjoy round 2!
Oh and to further sell this plan, get ready for this bit of information. Round trip from San Fran to Tokyo... $682!!!! Boom!!! (Also don't be surprised if you see me vacation in Tokyo! I had no idea you could fly there so easily!)
Now I'm still not 100% convinced this will be the two locations I end up celebrating in. There are a few options. On the west coast we have: Seattle, San Fran, LA, oh... and Hawaii (<---- winner!!)!! And in Asia/South Pacific we have: Tokyo, Sydney, Auckland, and Fiji! Personally I would totally be up for a Fiji/Hawaii New Year combo. But that may be just me. I'm up for discussing the details if anyone is interested in joining me!
P.S. Only general flight duration times have been researched, not specific times guaranteeing this plan is foolproof. But that minor detail will get sorted out later. Lol.
Obviously there are several places around the world that look like they have amazing New Year celebrations. So I started forming a plan. Why not be able to knock out two places in one year? How would that be possible?
Wait for it.
By celebrating New Years twice in one year!!! And just a tiny bit of research (i.e. googling) showed that it's possible to be in Tokyo and fly to the west coast in time to ring in a second New Year! Here's what the schedule would look like:
1. Celebrate in Tokyo!
2. Board a flight and take a nice little nap.
3. Land in San Francisco and enjoy round 2!
Oh and to further sell this plan, get ready for this bit of information. Round trip from San Fran to Tokyo... $682!!!! Boom!!! (Also don't be surprised if you see me vacation in Tokyo! I had no idea you could fly there so easily!)
Now I'm still not 100% convinced this will be the two locations I end up celebrating in. There are a few options. On the west coast we have: Seattle, San Fran, LA, oh... and Hawaii (<---- winner!!)!! And in Asia/South Pacific we have: Tokyo, Sydney, Auckland, and Fiji! Personally I would totally be up for a Fiji/Hawaii New Year combo. But that may be just me. I'm up for discussing the details if anyone is interested in joining me!
P.S. Only general flight duration times have been researched, not specific times guaranteeing this plan is foolproof. But that minor detail will get sorted out later. Lol.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
So totally random
I had been planning to write a blog post about really random (but useful) things that I know. But then when I tried to do that I could only think of one really good random fact that other people probably don't know. I don't want to deprive you of that knowledge, so here it is:
Guaranteed Way to Pick a Great Pineapple:
With lots of produce items it's all about checking the firmness of the fruit/veggie. Not the case with the ole pineapple. No sir. You want to pick a great pineapple every time, it's all about the green "leaves" (?... Didn't say i know the technical terms for the parts of the fruits/veggies). If you can easily pull off the green leaves from the center (that last part is important) then the pineapple is ripe and will be delicious! Don't waste your time trying to pull the leaves from the outside, this works only with the leaves in the center. Seriously this tip has never failed me and pineapple has definitely moved up my list of favorite fruits because I always get a good one! You're welcome.
I thought I would have some more of these great tips, but then I realized I don't know what facts I know that other people don't know. Ya know? This isn't the first time I've been in one of these situations. Turns out this also happens when you're asked to describe unique foods from the region you grew up in when you move to a different part of the country. It's hard because I don't know what would be unique for them if it's something I grew up with. Ah life's conundrums!
Anyway... I'll give a few more random and possibly useful facts that I know. Maybe they're not as random as I think, maybe they are!
Guaranteed Way to Pick a Great Pineapple:
With lots of produce items it's all about checking the firmness of the fruit/veggie. Not the case with the ole pineapple. No sir. You want to pick a great pineapple every time, it's all about the green "leaves" (?... Didn't say i know the technical terms for the parts of the fruits/veggies). If you can easily pull off the green leaves from the center (that last part is important) then the pineapple is ripe and will be delicious! Don't waste your time trying to pull the leaves from the outside, this works only with the leaves in the center. Seriously this tip has never failed me and pineapple has definitely moved up my list of favorite fruits because I always get a good one! You're welcome.
I thought I would have some more of these great tips, but then I realized I don't know what facts I know that other people don't know. Ya know? This isn't the first time I've been in one of these situations. Turns out this also happens when you're asked to describe unique foods from the region you grew up in when you move to a different part of the country. It's hard because I don't know what would be unique for them if it's something I grew up with. Ah life's conundrums!
Anyway... I'll give a few more random and possibly useful facts that I know. Maybe they're not as random as I think, maybe they are!
- There's a little arrow next to the gas symbol on your dashboard that tells you what side of the car the gas tank is on. Super handy when you have a rental car!
- Radio stations end only in odd numbers. (Not sure how that's helpful, but it's random)
- Even numbered interstates run east-west and odd numbered ones run north-south.
- Mile markers decrease as you head south or west. Makes for easier judgement of how much farther you have to drive. (I guess I know a lot about traveling. Must mean that I've spent a lot of time driving.)
- Bananas are meant to be opened from what we consider the bottom. If you pinch the bottom they split apart and open easily.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Where did 2014 go?
Happy 2015!!! I can't believe that "the holiday season 2014" is already over! That happened so quickly! Just a quick summary: Thanksgiving was spent in Muncie because of my sister's retail job requirements (aka working on Thanksgiving!). We had a very laid back few days with the highlight possibly being finding all the amazing-ness that is Rural King! (Seriously... you should check that place out! Who knew you could make amazing knock off Auntie Anne pretzels? This things are legit, I promise!) Christmas was a very typical Christmas: family dinner and church on Christmas Eve with my mom's sister, family present time Christmas morning, dad's side on Christmas afternoon, and cross country reunion (year six... whoop whoop!) on the day after Christmas. The random surprise from the Christmas holiday was getting to see a friend before she hopes the pond one last time! Yeah, I have a pretty chill family when it comes to the holidays and I love it.
New Years was different though. My friend suggested meeting up in Nashville for the New Year's Eve bash and of course I wasn't about to miss a trip to one of my favorite places!! So after working a half day on New Year's Eve I took off for Nashville, where I met up with a friend, had some dinner and hit the streets of Nashville to ring in 2015 with Gavin DeGraw and Lady Antebellum! It was a pretty spectacular New Year (evidenced by the following pictures)!
As most people do at the end of a major event (i.e. a year) I did a little reflection of my 2014. I didn't realize that 2014 was really a major year of travel for me! I went to weddings in Mississippi (twice), Chicago suburbs, and Michigan. I went to Las Vegas (twice), Portland, and Denmark for work. I went to Colorado (Denver and Colorado Springs), Key Largo, and Nashville for vacation. And I went to Nashville and Indianapolis to run half marathons. Frequent flyer miles? I think so!
Going hand-in-hand with reflecting on the past year is setting goals for the new year. Now I've tried the resolution route before and I've been less than successful. So this year I'm taking a different approach. Instead of a list of things/goals that I'll probably forget 30 minutes after I write them down, I'm going to have one word defining my actions for the new year. That's a lot of pressure on one word! Alright I know you're dying to know my 2015 word. So here it is... Lauren's word for 2015: commit! That's right! #commit2015 is going to become a huge thing! (Kidding. But seriously...) There's a few changes I want to make and committing to those goals is going to be the only way I can succeed. I don't want to share all of the changes I've been thinking about, but I will give one example. My mom has challenged my sister and I to live a bit healthier. Since weight is an easy measurement, we have a goal that we're each striving for. If we can each hit the goal, we're going to have a little celebration. Committing to that goal! Stay tuned throughout the year to find out some of the other goals I've committed to!
New Years was different though. My friend suggested meeting up in Nashville for the New Year's Eve bash and of course I wasn't about to miss a trip to one of my favorite places!! So after working a half day on New Year's Eve I took off for Nashville, where I met up with a friend, had some dinner and hit the streets of Nashville to ring in 2015 with Gavin DeGraw and Lady Antebellum! It was a pretty spectacular New Year (evidenced by the following pictures)!
As most people do at the end of a major event (i.e. a year) I did a little reflection of my 2014. I didn't realize that 2014 was really a major year of travel for me! I went to weddings in Mississippi (twice), Chicago suburbs, and Michigan. I went to Las Vegas (twice), Portland, and Denmark for work. I went to Colorado (Denver and Colorado Springs), Key Largo, and Nashville for vacation. And I went to Nashville and Indianapolis to run half marathons. Frequent flyer miles? I think so!
Going hand-in-hand with reflecting on the past year is setting goals for the new year. Now I've tried the resolution route before and I've been less than successful. So this year I'm taking a different approach. Instead of a list of things/goals that I'll probably forget 30 minutes after I write them down, I'm going to have one word defining my actions for the new year. That's a lot of pressure on one word! Alright I know you're dying to know my 2015 word. So here it is... Lauren's word for 2015: commit! That's right! #commit2015 is going to become a huge thing! (Kidding. But seriously...) There's a few changes I want to make and committing to those goals is going to be the only way I can succeed. I don't want to share all of the changes I've been thinking about, but I will give one example. My mom has challenged my sister and I to live a bit healthier. Since weight is an easy measurement, we have a goal that we're each striving for. If we can each hit the goal, we're going to have a little celebration. Committing to that goal! Stay tuned throughout the year to find out some of the other goals I've committed to!
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