Hey, Soul Sister

If you don't have 'Attend a Train concert while sipping a glass of wine (preferably while standing in water).' on your life list I would definitely reconsider. A while back I had a chance to attend Wine Amplified as a last hoorah on my final pay check from my accounting job. I love Train and seeing as learning more about wine is on my life list I thought the event was the perfect fit. And it was. I was a little unsure how fun it would be going by myself, but I had the best time. The concert and wine tasting was all set up around the Mandalay Bay pool (which is set up to look like a beach, complete with sand and wave pool). Let me tell you, there is nothing like sipping good wine, under the stars, on a cool night with good music. Through the experience I have learned that I definitely prefer red wine to white. Rose wine is delicious, especially when it's sparkling. And ice wine is amazing. There were also some intriguing drinks like a red wine infused chocolate that was basically the texture of a ganache. Amazing.

And as for the concert? I had my glass refilled and decided to actually go up to the front of the stage. There really aren't words to describe how fantastic it was. Train's music in general tends to strike a chord in me, but being there live just took that to a whole new level. Knee deep in the wave pool on a still night looking up at the stars? Bliss. They have such a great stage presence too. I don't think Pat stood still for more than five seconds, which is why these blurry photos were the best I could manage. At one point he even took his shoes off and jumped down into the water. Marry Me just about broke my heart.

Seriously, if you get the chance, add this to your list.

Changes, Hair Edition

86. Learn how to style my own hair.

Deciding that it was about time to start working on my life list again, I realized that I have something I can cross off. Growing up I had very long hair (as in, hanging past my waist long). After a disastrous cut when I was five I never let anyone touch my hair with scissors unless it was to trim off the barest hint of the ends. As I grew older and my hair mousier I went through a wide variety of styles. There was the frightening middle school perm. The non-layered bob that hung like a triangle around my face. A few years ago I came close to a style I liked with an a-line, but I still wasn't happy with it. Really, though, I wasn't happy because deep down I'd been wanting a pixie cut since my freshman year of high school. Ten years later and I bit the bullet back in July. I couldn't be happier with it. I ought to get some more photos since this isn't how I always style it (my bangs are usually swept to the side), but being behind the camera most of the time I generally don't end up in photos that often.

It feels good to have something to cross off, and I like that this is the first one. With my hair in place, I feel like I am much closer to knowing who I am, as silly as that may sound.

Life List, Reloaded

It's new direction time. After being inspired after signing up for Camp Mighty, here's my new and improved Life List. Just writing it down has me ridiculously excited and inspired to start crossing stuff off. I think that's the point though. To give articulate those things that lurk in the back of our minds is to give them life. It makes them real and tangible. This list will have its own page soon (I'm super close to having my new logo design finished), but I wanted to share it now that I have it started. No more hiding things away in dingy corners to be saved for "later". I'm not playing this hard and fast. Things might just up and disappear from this list some day in the future and I can absolutely guaranty you that this list will keep growing. Now, I want to see your lists. If you don't have one, write one. It will change your life. Share your links (or your lists!) down in the comments. Maybe we can help each other out.

1. Own my own bakery.
2. Go zip lining.
3. Play the cello.
4. Be conversational in Mandarin, French, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish.
5. Learn to play the bagpipes.
6. Travel to Italy during the Masquerade.
7. Rent an apartment in Venice for at least a month.
8. Own a red convertible.
9. Sing karaoke.
10. Refresh my knowledge of Latin and Gaelic.
11. Attend a steampunk meet up.
12. Go parasailing.
13. Sail a boat.
14. Learn to kayak.
15. Travel to at least 15 different countries.
16. Spend a night under the stars.
17. Brew my own beer.
18. Attend a full Latin mass.
19. See a Manchester United match at Old Trafford.
20. Pick flowers and press them in an old book.
21. Participate in Book Crossing.
22. Participate in Post Crossing.
23. Have a penpal.
24. Start (and finish!) a journal.
25. Fold 1,000 paper cranes.
26. Learn how to ride a bike.
27. Learn how to apply make-up in a way that looks fun and fabulous.
28. Finish a painting series.
29. Try out for a theater production.
30. Spend a week exploring the museums of Boston and New York.
31. Try 1,000 new foods.
32. Create an edited and stylish wardrobe that reflects my personal aesthetic.
33. Bicycle through the Champagne region of France.
34. See the catacombs.
35. Attend a ball.
36. Grow something from seed.
37. Be published in print.
38. Attend a cherry blossom festival.
39. Pick my own fruit.
40. Tip $100 to a busker.
41. Participate in a community garden.
42. Learn calligraphy.
43. Participate in the Great American Bake Sale.
44. Fill a sketchbook.
45. Organize my photos.
46. Learn how to play mahjong.
47. Take a letterpress class.
48. Fill a blessings journal.
49. Make my own candies.
50. Finish my inspiration and idea books.
51. Read through my entire bookshelf.
52. Write a children’s book.
53. Learn the language of flowers.
54. Take a flower arranging class.
55. Curate my stuff.
56. Have my laptop organized and set up exactly how I want it.
57. Get a pedicure at a world class spa.
58. Eat at Craftsteak.
59. Attend a poetry reading.
60. Take the train up the California coast.
61. Spend a week eating through San Francisco and Seattle.
62. Host 15 theme parties.
63. Take a week long baking course at King Arthur Flour.
64. Visit Shanghai.
65. Find the museum that houses my great-great grandparent’s artifacts.
66. Learn more about modern art.
67. Take a photography class.
68. Try Zumba.
69. Learn to crochet.
70. Make a quilt.
71. Attend a Broadway production.
72. Go on a cruise of the Mediterranean.
73. Design a website.
74. Go hot air ballooning.
75. Make my own doughnuts.
76. Spend an evening in a jazz bar.
77. See U2 perform live.
78. Make a gateau de crepes.
79. Bake a rainbow cake.
80. Donate 500 books to a children’s charity.
81. Whittle a working boat.
82. Build another working robot.
83. Listen to 100 new music artists.
84. Make my own chai blend.
85. Watch 50 new foreign films.
86. Learn how to style my own hair. (Blogged)
87. Learn the Singin’ in the Rain dance and recreate on a rainy day.
88. Learn more about wine.
89. Take a self-defense class.
90. Watch 50 new documentaries.
91. Take a photo a day for 365 days.
92. Invent my own signature cookie recipe.
93. Take a glass blowing class.
94. Make-over a piece of furniture.
95. Build a larger working trebuchet.
96. Visit all 50 states.
97. Have a professional portrait done.
98. Explore Las Vegas and create a guide of the best places to go.
99. Participate in a jam session.
100. Attend a World Cup match.
101. Take a solo road trip.
102. Own an excellent set of knives.
103. Have my blog published in Artful Blogging.
104. Post a blog post a day for one year.
105. Learn how to tailor my own clothes.
106. Write 10 fan letters to the individuals/groups who have inspired me.
107. Find, or make, the perfect little black dress.
108. Take a self-portrait a day for a year.
109. Be knowledgeable about the Bible and be able to quote verses.
110. Learn how to shoot a gun.
111. Drink a pint in a real Irish pub.
112. Spend a week in Victoria, Canada.
113. Attend the book festival in Montreal.
114. Have a favorite poem.
115. Afternoon tea at the Ritz.

Life List

This list has been in the works for months now. I was initially inspired by Maggie Mason of Mighty Girl and her Mighty Life List, but I was intimidated by the thought of actually admitting my dreams to myself. Recently I've been thinking a lot about how I tend to over-think and over-worry over just about everything and about how nice would it be to stop doing that. This is just a sneak peek, I'm still working on the list (I've decided that I won't stop at 100 things, I will allow this list to grow and change as I encounter new dreams along my journey):

Feel comfortable in my own skin.
Travel to Venice.
Travel to Italy during Masquarade.
Cosplay at an anime/comics convention.
Work in a library.
Make a living through things created with my own hands.
Play the cello.
Play the violin.
Play the bagpipes.
Sing karaoke in front of strangers.
Be at least conversational in French, Italian, Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, and Portuguese.
Learn Latin and Gaelic.
Attend a steampunk meet-up in full garb.
Own a balljointed doll.
Go hanggliding.
Sail a boat.
Travel to at least 15 different countries.
Sleep a night under the stars.
Walk through the woods.
Rent a villa in Tuscany.
See a Manchester United match at Old Trafford.
Pick flowers and press them in and old book.
Participate in book crossing.
Participate in post crossing.
Have a wonderful penpal experience.
Keep a pretty journal of musings, art, and poetry.
Participate in an anonymous art project designed to bring joy to others.
Go ziplining.
Learn to ride a bike.
Learn how to apply liquid eyeliner in a way that actually looks fabulous on me.
Paint a series of paintings for my room.
Create my life around my 'life as a flower shop' aesthetic.
Be comfortable cooking anything and everything.
Sort, organize, and purge my belongings.
Try out for a local theater production.
Try 1,000 new foods.
Design and create the wardrobe of my dreams.
Bicycle through the French countryside.
See the catacombs.
Attend a ball.
Grow something from seed.
Have an article published.
Enjoy a picnic in an orchard/under blooming trees.
Pick my own fruit.
Tithe.
Give $100 to a busker.
Attend Mass in Latin.
Become a mentor.
Attend a high school reunion in a positive state of mind.
Participate in a community garden.
Live a more sustainable life.
Have my own calligraphy style.
Pay off my student loan.
Participate in the Great American Bakesale.
Fold one thousand paper cranes.
Fill a sketchbook.
Organize my photos and create a system to organize future prints.
Research my biological family tree.
Learn how to play Mahjong.
Take a letterpress class.
Release my worries.
Learn how to and make my own candies.
Complete my inspiration and idea books.
Read through my entire bookshelf.
Learn the language of flowers.
Write a children's book.

Once I'm satisfied with my list I'll make a more permanent page for it here (this will be replacing my 101 in 1001 list for those of you that remember that from so long ago...). A big thank you goes out to Maggie for getting me to think about my dreams in a concrete way. Do you keep a life list? If so, have you shared it online? I would love to read it.