"The List"

"You'll be on your way up! You'll be seeing great sights! You'll join the high fliers who soar to high heights." Dr. Seuss

And so here it is.........in no particular order...

1. Sing Karaoke (in public)
2. Run a 5k
3. Visit my friends in Denver, CO
4. Learn to Skate
5. Learn to play Piano
6. Learn Basic Chinese
7. Learn Contemporary Dance
8. Ride in a hot air balloon
9. Times Square on New Year's Eve Day
10. Travel to China
11. Read 4+ books
12. Create an apartment with an inviting, joyous, comfortable, loving atmosphere
13. Loose 100+ pounds
14. Complete 1 year of B.S. with a G.P.A of 3.90 or better
15. Be on the cover of "Half Their Size"
16. Make a difference in at least one person's life
17. Get passionate about a cause and spend time helping it, instead of just thinking about it
18. Donate blood 3 times in 2010
19. Make loans to 1 entrepreneur in a developing country through www.kiva.com
20. Go to a concert and let my hair down
21. Host Christmas Dinner for friends
22. Spend a weekend at a Silent Retreat
23. Learn Yoga
24. Surprise a family member or family friend, really surprise them
25. Says YES to every invitation and SHOW UP!
26. Write down 5 things that I'm grateful for every day
27. Remember and celebrate the birthday, anniversary or special day of all close friends and family
28. Create my own Christmas Letter
29. Plant a tree on my Bday
30. Find my spiritual self
31. Sleep under the stars after going hiking
32. Ride 20 miles at Ride for the Roses - Austin
33. Create an emergency fund $3K
34. Learn to accept myself for who I'am
35. Before the clock strikes 12 on 12/31/2010, think of all I experienced and then raise my arms up to the sky and with a true feeling say, YES..I DID IT!!!!

"Where It Came From"

So by now you know I want to do something radical with my life before the end of year 2010. Are you wondering where I got the idea from? Let me tell you, it wasnt just from one place, or experience(s), or even lack there of. The idea came from came from a couple and very different instances. Some of them will make sense, and some will not. Thats OK, they all made perfect sense to me, and that is why Im now here, at the beginning of this exciting journey.

Here are all the things that cosmically came together to hit me in the head, like a frying pan and said "wake UP"!

The Movie: Julia & Julia (2009) - Julia Child and Julie Powell - both of whom wrote memoirs - find their lives intertwined. Though separated by time and space, both women are at loose ends... until they discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible. This movie gave me the idea to blog about my project and to keep my friends and family looped into what I wanted to accomplish and maybe get a little encouragement when things didnt go exactly as planned.

The Christmas Letter - A very dear friend of mine sent a letter describing all she did in 2008, and now again in 2009. Her letter was full of adventures, some difficult moments, but most of all, you could feel the sense of total accomplishment through her words. She is a class act, never fearful, never says she cant, a great inspiration, even if she doesnt know it. She is "life's cheerleader" and Im thankful every day because she is in  my life.

The Kindest Heart - Another dear friend of mine spends most of her days (busy days) helping others. Her volunteer commitment is superior to any other person I know. Her smile is contagious and her spirit is total class. While she might not realize it, it is because of her that I finally understood that is NOT always about me and that when others need help I can put my two good hands to work for them.

The Little Voice - You know what voice Im talking about, that little voice in the back of your head that says "hey, hey you, pssssttt!!!!" wanna come out and play? So after much "couch searching" and many sleepless nights I just decided to give SOMETHING, ANYTHING a chance! Like a fad diet, Ive tried everything else, and nothing had worked, so why not try this? What could happen? Failure? Guess what, the most succesful/happy people didnt get there in a straight shot, they had to work at it. If they can do it, so can I!

Lets get busy! Time to post the list...In....3....2....1.....Push the Little Red Button! Zoommmmm!

"Where It All Begins"

Just shy of 2 months I will turn 35. I cant remember many things of my childhood, but I do remember this. "When I grow up, I will do everything and anything I want to do, just wait and see". Well, most of what I wanted to do hasnt really happen, or wait, I havent really made it happen. Most people say that life gets in the way, but I really dont find that to be true. Honestly, we let things get in our way, nothing else, we do it, to ourselves. That is a harsh reality to face and not easy to get over. But guess what, GOOD! Why get over it? Why forget all those great dreams and the miniscule things you allowed to get in the way?

Enough ranting! This project is not about me feeling sorry for myself. On the contrary, it is a call to
"G-E-T-I-T-T-O-G-E-T-H-E-R" once and for all. We all have to start somewhere, and this is my start or at least a first stab at it.

How did I get here? Who knows? But I can tell you what were the things that made me wake-up and say, heck, I can do that too!! Why not? I know to some it may sound silly, childish and even ridiculous, thats OK! This project is to prove to myself and the critics that anything is possible, nothing is out of bounce, and all can be achieved.

With all that said, lets get started! Here's to a GREAT, HAPPY, WONDERFUL, EVENTFUL 2010! I wont have it any other way!