This 101 Things in 1,001 Days goal was originally to volunteer with the Big Sister program, but the gist of the goal was just to volunteer. I ended up choosing S.M.A.R.T. — Start Making a Reader Today — based here in Portland. SMART partners with Oregon schools to help kids “discover the joy of reading.” It’s really a win-win program because it only takes an hour a week…
I wasn’t invited to my 10-year high school reunion! WTH (H is a nicer word than F, but not nearly as much fun to say) I’m crossing this off my 101 Things in 1,001 Days list anyway because of: extenuating circumstances — such epic words, no? So I’m guessing it wasn’t too big of an event. Have these people not heard of Facebook? It’s very déjà vu to…
You know when you come home from vacation and can’t wait to look at all of the great pictures that you took, and then you come across ones of yourself in a bikini and you think, “Wow, I couldn’t possibly look any more toned in that photo…”, oh wait… OK, maybe more like, “Ohh bad angle! Or maybe I should work on getting a little more toned!” Yeah,…
Answer me this! Reviewing my keyword traffic sources in Google Analytics can occasionally be an amusing experience. A recent favorite: “Can You Eat Bears In Bulgaria?” Dear Internet Searcher: No, probably not — but there aren’t yet any laws about them eating you! You can, however, visit the Dancing Bear Sanctuary near Bansko. Read on for more amusing internet searches and my [less amusing] answers! More “Answer Me…
This is a guest post by A Oh Dub from Wheels in the Sky. We’re swapping guest posts via Twenty-Something Bloggers. So without further ado, here are 10 reasons to love Santa Barbara, California. The Santa Barbara Mission: As a kid in California, you learn about missions in fourth grade, and SB’s is known as the Queen of the Missions because it’s so darn pretty. They hold mass…
I’m the “Lost Girl of the Week” over at The Lost Girls! They’re three New Yorkers who did an RTW trip in 2007, and I started reading their blog when I was researching other twenty-somethings who had taken career breaks to travel. It was a quite a relief to find other globetrotting ladies! So if you’re visiting from The Lost Girls “Welcome!” — and here are a few…
We just harvested our first summer squash this week! This is my first time growing squash — so I was all squeals when I found it hiding out under all the squash canopy leaves. I’ve been dying to make Pasta with Roasted Summer Vegetables and Basil — my favorite squash recipe three summers running! To be honest, I wanted to plant summer squash just for this recipe! You…
My first time sailing — the Whitsunday Islands in Australia — I didn’t actually learn much, since it was a 3 day backpacker trip on an 82 foot maxi racing yacht. I did however, fall in love with sailing and sleeping on a boat was pretty cool. My second sailing experience was in Greece. The boat was much smaller and we actually had to help out, which was…
Since I’ve created my 101 Things in 1,001 Days list I’ve been slowly working on checking out restaurants on the WW Cheap Eats list here in Portland. So after 2 years, I’ve ended up working on several Cheap Eats lists: 2007 – 2009. Really, the point of this goal was just to check out different restaurants more often — and go to Chipotle less! Here are some of…
I love finding a book that is so descriptive and powerful that it makes you want to see things first-hand. In honor of Bastille Day (on Tuesday, July 14) here is a list of books that inspire the French arm-chair traveler in me. Like the movie Amelie — that made me really want to see Paris — these books take me to France. The Count of Monte Cristo…
In 2006, I was in the south of France on 4th of July. Of course, in France the 4th doesn’t have any significance, so we spent the evening swimming in Cassis, near Marseilles. The 14th of July however, is Bastille Day – France’s national day of celebration, commemorating the storming of the Bastille in 1789. Bastille Day in Paris: By this time, we were in Paris and got…
I’m super excited about a new project I’ve been working on called the Frugal Bon Vivant: Enjoying the good life — on a budget. (You may have already noticed the Deals RSS over on my side bar.) Anyway, I’ve always been good at finding deals, so I’ve combined that with my approach to frugal living. I’ve posted a few travel & shopping deals in the past on this…