Daily Gratitude Blog Fail...but thankful nonetheless

I have come to realize that I am too busy to blog daily, but it isn't as though I don't take the moment to be grateful.  I do.  I just don't blog it.

I can't commit to daily blogging, but I will definitely try to pop in from time to time to write about the things for which I am grateful.

Let's make a list right now...of all the things for which I am grateful at this very moment:

1. That my son is open to hanging out with his mama.  We just got back from the pool.  It was a mini-trip - an hour - because I have a ton of things to do today.  But it hit just the spot.  I got a bit of vitamin D.  My son got some exercise.  We cooled off from this heat. What could be wrong with this scenario?
2. That my daughter finds joy in speech and debate.  She volunteered at the tournament yesterday and got to watch her peers compete.  Just listening to her talk about what she saw yesterday, it was clear how much she enjoys it.
3. That I have recommitted to reading.  For so long, I wasn't reading books; I was too "busy" mindlessly scrolling through facebook or other social media apps.  And now, after finding the library apps, I now have three ways to access ebooks and audiobooks...on top of reserving books from the local branch library.  This year, I have read a dozen books and I think I'll finish at least two more before the month is up.
4. My husband.  For all the things he does...I feel very blessed that he has stuck by me all these years.
5. The weather.  It is in the 80s today.  AMAZING.  The sun on my face.  Relaxing on a lounger by the pool!  I am not sure today could have gotten better than that.  I know it will start raining this week and we need the rain, so I'll be happy with that, too.
6. Fruit trees.  Our beautiful lemon tree has been such a wonderful treat.  Because of this awesome blessing in the backyard, I have been drinking infused lemon water almost daily.  It makes water SO MUCH BETTER.

That's enough for now.  I could probably write more, but I am also trying to be more productive overall.  This means, I need to log out of blogger and get some other work done.  

Until next time!

Gratitude Blog: Dayplanners

I am grateful for dayplanners.

I know we have reached the digital age and most people have moved to reminders and calendars dinging at them from their phone, but I just can't do it.  I like the idea of seeing the whole calendar on a large page - and the the individual days.  I like to color code it.  There is just some comfort in that - or maybe it's just the habit.  Whatever it is, I like it.

The one I have ends this June, so this blog entry made me think about it....and I just bought my new one.  haha.

Gratitude Blog Day 2: Essential Oils

I am grateful for essential oils.

It is sad that I hadn't known about these earlier.  I LOVE THESE.  Seriously.  I use them for everything.  I buy fragrance-free Lubriderm lotion and put different oils in it (usually eucalypus and peppermint).  I use jojoba oil and a drop of citrus fresh and use it on my face.  I use coconut oil and rosemary to condition my hair.  I put a few drops of tea tree in the washing machine when I do laundry.  I diffuse different oils for scents in the house.

I love that they are natural and chemical free.  I love that I no longer feel the need to purchase bug spray or expensive lotions.

I am seriously grateful to have "discovered" the joy of essential oils.  These are my two faves.

Gratitude Blog - Take Three - Day 1

It was a busy week.  If it wasn't one thing, it was another.  BUT, thanks to my handy 3pm iPhone reminder "post gratitude blog," I did think about the things for which I am grateful  Sadly, I wasn't able to post it.  I think I need to re-think the time of the reminder.  At 3pm, almost everyday I am in traffic doing the kid pickup thing. haha.

Thus, I am restarting.  I hope to get to the point where posting my gratitude becomes a daily habit.  And so we begin....

Day 1: I am thankful for my car.

It isn't a fancy car - and to be honest, I have never really been interested in fancy cars - but it gets me from point A to B.  Living in the Bay Area almost requires residents to own a vehicle (unless one lives in SF).  Where I live, it isn't feasible to take public transportation since I need to pick up two kids from school, schools that are over 15 miles from each other - and they often get out from school at the exact same time.

So, I am very grateful for my car.

Gratitude Blog Day 6: Challenges

I am grateful for challenges.

I have to admit that I can be a pretty lazy person.  That's probably why I try to participate in challenges now - or challenge myself with specific tasks. It's the only way I'll do something.

Currently, I am participating in the Goodreads reading challenge - and am planning to read 25 books this year.  It isn't an enormous amount, but it is one that is do-able and will keep me motivated.  I hope to exceed it.  Given I am simultaneously reading (or listening to) books 11 and 12, I think I'll complete it easily.  It's not even summer yet!

I have also been known to try fitness challenges (30 Day Plank Challenge or Monthly Cardio Minutes), but at present, the only fitness challenge I am completing is one for myself: lifting at the gym 2x/week and cardio 2x/week.  Sometimes I can exceed that amount, but with the kids' schedule and my work schedule at the moment, I can't commit to more.  I also try to hit yoga once a week, but I haven't added that to my challenge list...yet.

I am grateful for challenges...because it makes me feel productive.

Gratitude Blog Day 5: Dairy Free Ice Cream

I am grateful for Dairy Free Ice Cream.

As I have gotten older, milk has unfriended me.  This is fine, given all I have heard about the evils of milk.  Whether or not studies about dairy are true, I have to admit that I don't really miss milk - except for ICE CREAM.

Enter dairy free ice cream.

My favorite?

If you are a MILK lover, you won't like it, but maaaaaaan, this one hits the spot for me.  And I will admit to eating the whole container in one sitting. 

Gratitude Blog Day 4: Hubby's cooking

I am grateful for my husband's cooking.

He cooks some yummy food and I love to eat it.

Gratitude Blog Day 3: Time with the hubby

I am grateful for the time with my husband.

Today, we walked to the gym, worked out, and then walked home. Such a simple thing, but I really enjoy the time we get to spend together on quiet weekends.

We also made it to the pool in the afternoon. Woot! Sunny skies!

Gratitude Blog Day 2: an uncluttered house

I am grateful for a clean, uncluttered house.

I admit that my house is not always clean and uncluttered, but when it is, I feel great.  It inspires me to discard (donate) and organize even more.  I appreciate the things that are in my house - the ones that make me smile - or as Marie Kondo says, "spark joy" - framed photos of cherished memories, shells collected at a beach over a decade ago, and a pretty candle.

Today my house is uncluttered and I feel I am better equipped to tackle other projects on my to-do list.  I am grateful for inspirational books and websites that motivate me to get more uncluttered.

Gratitude Blog: Take 2

I thought about my entries for the last few days, but I was busy with family.  So, I'll re-start my pledge to blog for 10 days straight.

Day 1 - Take Two!

I am grateful for the library...and BOOKS

I have always been a library lover.  As a kid, I spent so many days walking down to the local library and checking out a bagful of books: Choose Your Own Adventure, Judy Blume, and a ton of other children and young adult books.  Such great memories.

In high school and college, the library and I separated.  I was too caught up with reading for "work" and other things.

Thankfully, a few years ago, I re-discovered my love of reading for fun and even challenged myself to read 50 books in year.  I haven't quite replicated that number of books in a year, but I have been reading at least a few a year since I made that pledge to "read more books for fun."

And let us be honest.  Books can get expensive and I am cheap.  So, my old friend, the library, and I were reunited - and she has had quite the makeover: online searches, audiobooks, and e-books?  I am in heaven.  To date, I have completed (either read of listened to) 8 books and am in the middle of four other books.  If you're curious as to which books, feel free to look at my Goodreads profile.

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5875266-philly

Now, I am off to read or listen to more books. 

Almost two years?

To be honest, I had forgotten I had this blog.  You know how it goes: Life gets busy and we get so caught up that we forget things, even things that had once brought us joy.

Recently, I have been keeping busy with reading books; trying to stay healthy by eating well and working out; and the regular day-to-day stuff of work, kids, and family.  However, I started thinking about blogging again because of one of the books (or blogs) I read focusing on being grateful.  And yes, we have all heard this before - we should show gratitude in order to be more happy - but what resonated with me was the idea of writing about it each and every day.  It doesn't have to be a long blog entry.  It could be short...but make the commitment to do it.

So, I'm going to try to commit to blogging each day for at least 10 days.  Each day will focus on something for which I am grateful. And to make sure I do it?  I'm going to set an alarm on my phone that asks, "Did you write your grateful blog entry today?"

Day 1: Write about something (not a person) you feel grateful for in your life today.

I am grateful for my health.

A few years ago, I made the commitment to change my lifestyle because the doctor had told me, "You have a choice: change your lifestyle or start cholesterol meds."  Given my family's medical history, I knew cholesterol meds were the start down the path to being unwell.  I changed my lifestyle - and that decision transformed me: I lost 25 pounds and felt amazing.

BUT THEN....plot twist.  Early last year, even though I was the "healthiest" I had been in years (even decades), I started feeling horrible.  It wasn't a cold or flu illness that would pass; it was fatigue, exhaustion, and depression that never went away - and it was horrible.  I wanted to sleep all day and struggled to get basic tasks done.  And I couldn't determine the cause.  After struggling through it for a few months, I finally went to the doctor and learned that I had a severe Vitamin D deficiency, which caused the exhaustion and then depression.

So, today?  Today, I am incredibly grateful for my health.  I am grateful that I am excited about waking up in the morning (most mornings....haha).  I am grateful that I have energy to get to the gym, commute in traffic, go to work, and do all the tasks that need to be done.  I am grateful that I have both my physical and mental health.

Summer Update

Every summer, I make a summer fun to-do list.  Or rather, I have my kids pick particular things they would like to do.  None of the items can contain anything to do with sitting in front of a screen - computer, television or similar thing.  I also add a few of my own in there!

This summer, my daughter selected the Charles Schulz Museum, Mrs. Grossman's Sticker Factory, CYO Camp, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  My son picked playdate, playdate, and playdate.  And my personal ones included reading more books for fun, volunteering at camp, going to amusement parks, hanging at the pool, and ensuring my plants successfully grow.

I am happy to share that we are almost done with our list - and it's only mid-July.  Considering how the length of summer vacation seems to be shrinking (my kids go back to school in August), I think we are on track.

The Charles Schulz Museum was pretty cool.  As I kid, I loved Snoopy.  I had a ton of snoopy stuffed animals with clothes (jogging suit, pink dress, etc.) and even shoes, I think.  I read the Peanuts comic strip every Sunday.  I would like to go back one day.  It was not super enthralling to my son, so I didn't get to read as many of the comics displayed as I would have liked.  Also, I mis-read the movie listings thinking the show we were going to watch was the one about the red-headed girl, but it was about a girl in a red truck.  A mixture of live action and cartoon about Snoopy's brother (or cousin?) and the live actress he seemed to like was odd.  I loved the 80s, but watching a jazzercize instructor/rollerskating dancer wearing 80s attire scale a rocky mountain while trying to dodge bullets (yes, they were getting shot at) to save this cartoon dog was unbelievably ridiculous.

The Mrs. Grossman's Factory was really cool.  Of course, I loved stickers as a kid - and I still sorta love stickers now.  Learning about how they were made was informative and getting free stickers is
always awesome.  The one downside?  It smelled super bad.  They said it wasn't toxic, but it still felt like it couldn't be good to be breathing in all those chemicals.

We just finished our first week at CYO Camp.  Lexi was at teen camp, so we didn't really see her.  The teen campers stay on what is known to be the more rustic side of camp.  For me, that side is home though.  Back in the day, it was where girls camp resided and those are the same cabins where I stayed.  I heart the Miwok side of camp.   Nicky had a blast as a day camper.  He gets to experience all the camp activities - like canoeing, making friends, doing archery, tie-dying, playing field games, hiking, and swimming - but I pick him up at 5pm and then put him to bed around 8pm, except the one night where he gets to go on an overnight (smores, campfire, cookout, etc.). I'm hoping that next year he will try residential camp for the week.

Prior to this past week at camp, Nicky has been the social butterfly with all his playdates: to Great America, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, his friends' houses, the pool, etc.  He will also have more scheduled soon!

As for me, I'm doing well at checking off my summer to-do list.  We went to the pool several times in June, especially since Nick was in swim lessons.  We also went to Great America and Six Flags.  Also, I was diligently caring for my plants and making sure they would grow.  While at camp, my husband has agreed to take care of watering them.  Isn't he sweet? Thank goodness.  I would have been super sad to leave my plants to die in the heat.  I'm sure it's work, but he is also enjoying eating fresh tomatoes.  This past week, I volunteered here at camp in the office, but next week I hope to do more projects outside. I like the variety and am up for anything really.  I've also been reading quite a bit of books.  My goal this year is to read 25 books.  This morning, I finished book #15.  Woot!

And that's my summer update.  I figured I should blog at least once a month. HAHA.  Also, I don't have regular access to facebook, so....yea.

Philly's "Days of Happiness"

I suppose I should have mentioned that I may not get to posting my DaysOfHappiness photos here.  It's much more convenient to post the photos to my Instagram, which can be found here.  It isn't super exciting, but it gives a glimpse of what I've been up to.

For me, it's the little things that make me happy.  Sure, while I'd love to fly to Greece - or at this point, even Disneyland would do - it just isn't feasible right now.  Fortunately, I've become the type of person that is happy with the "little" things, which generally feel like "big" things to me.

Some of the things that have made me smile recently?  Here are six, in no specific order:

Getting a Hello Kitty watch!!!  I loved Sanrio while growing up, so this was a happy blast from the past.  It also has helped keep me "off the grid" more, checking my watch for the time instead of my phone.

Watching my kids do their chores.  We have been working with my 7 year old son more, getting him to help with laundry, dishes, and basic cleaning.  I admit I always have to remind him, but I am hoping that with gentle reminders (hopefully, not yelling) and consistency, he will get there without my having to say a word.

FACIAL!  Wow.  I love this place.  Spa Severino is truly a wonderful spa.  It's a small business, which I love - more customer service and less "big company" feel.  Love it!

Watching our plants actually GROW.  I was not blessed with a natural "green thumb" like my grandfather.  I've been known to kill plants regularly.  It's sad, really.  Fortunately, we have had a good run this year.  It started with a zinnia bulb my son brought home.  It bloomed and then died, but we kept plugging along, watering it and re-planting it.  And guess what?  It's grown like 2 feet tall and now has a new flower!

Awesome and healthy meals made by my husband.  Sure, sure.  I know how to make some myself, but I definitely am not the cook in my family.  Honestly, I think if I was home alone for the weekend, I could probably eat a bowl of cereal and be okay that.

Rollerskating.  I took my kids to San Jose Skate before the poor place closed its doors to the public.  I had so much fun.  As a kid, I was an avid roller-skater.  My friend and I spent HOURS skating up and down the street, with one leg up, jumping over stuff, backwards, in circles, and all sorts of other crazy tricks. It is one of my favorite childhood memories, rollerskating afterschool.

Admittedly, my life isn't very exciting.  I'm even surprised anyone is reading my little, boring blog, but this is what my life has become: pretty freakin' awesome.  HA!

But right now, at this moment, I am most grateful for my summer class getting canceled.  Don't get me wrong.  I was excited about teaching it.  I even had four field trips planned for the class, but instead of working (even part-time work is still working), now I get to spend my summer with my kids.  I don't have to juggle my work schedule with their schedules.  More quality time with my family?  Yes, please - and thank you!

So that's about it.  If I do make it back to blog here this summer - and I hope I do - expect blogs about adventures with my kids...because that's how I roll, my exciting life. HAHA. :)

Happy Summer!

100DaysOfHappiness: Tomato Plants

I have decided to try my own version of 100 Happy Days, meaning I will be posting happy day photos when the mood strikes - until I hit 100.  It may be 100 days straight, it may not.  I can't be tied down to these types of constraints, especially since I'll be "off the grid" again this summer in July when I go back to camp.

So, first up is a photo of my tomato plants!

For anyone who knows me, they know that I do not really have a green thumb.  Plants have been known to die once they arrive at my home.  However, I thought I'd try again.  My son's school had a plant fundraiser last month and I figured even if they didn't make it, I still contributed money to his school. 

So, I left the school plant sale with three tomato plants, two strawberry plants, one kale, and a couple different types of bell peppers.  The strawberry plants have not been faring as well, probably also due to the high temps we had last week.  The bell peppers and especially the tomatoes are faring the best.  

Checking on them each morning and seeing the little green tomatoes growing and the kale leaves increasing in size makes me happy!!!  

Rambling...

Almost two months later....

I've been swamped at work - completely overloaded with grading, classwork prep, and volunteer hours.

And now....the countdown is on.  There's about a week and a half left of the semester before finals.  Then, there's at least a week of grading.

AND THEN....

It's summer.  I'm scheduled to teach summer school, but it meets 2x/week and it's the sustainable travel and tourism class, so I'm planning on field trips and lots o' fun!  heh.  It's amazing they pay me for this, but they do.  Woot.

And so, my summer action plan is getting my workouts back on track and exploring California.  I'd love to go out of state, but after pricing things, it looks like it's going to have to be more local.  Trekking kids around with me gets expensive. HA.

As soon as I get caught up on grading, I'll start my annual summer list of things I want to accomplish.

Any suggestions?

Gratitude Post #7: Health

There are so many people who are sick, suffering from a myriad of ailments. Fortunately, I have been pretty healthy.  Only recently have I been affected by seasonal allergies or a cold of some kind.  And as annoying as it is to be sick, it makes me appreciate that I'm pretty healthy overall.

 vs. 

I'm looking forward to kicking this cold once and for all.  Go away cold.  I appreciate my health.  You've done your work.

The Social Media Vortex

It's so easy to get caught up in social media: check facebook, check instagram, check pinterest, and so on.  By the time a person finishes checking all his or her sites, an hour could easily tick by.

That was me, sucked into the facebook vortex.

So, I tried deactivating my facebook.  I think I lasted two days.  I probably would have lasted longer, but then I realized that deactivating my account makes all my posts invisible.  This is only a problem because I post jobs on the department facebook page.  All my posts disappeared.  And then I was supposed to post more - difficult to do if my account is deactivated.

So, I logged back on and am currently an "active" facebooker again.  However, I'm going to try to show a bit more restraint - post a bit less, comment a bit less, be logged onto facebook a lot less.

Why?

Aside from the obvious time-sucking, I think it can sometimes do the opposite of what people says it does: connect one another.  Yes, you can see photo of family members who live far away.  Yes, you can chat with someone once in while.  But the truth is, most of us just surf through hundreds of posts quickly, not really connecting with one another.  We just start thinking we know how the other person is, what they are up to, how their kids are, how stressful the jobs are, how sucky the weather is.  But truly, I think real connection is lost.  Only the surface is shared....and people take that as connection.

Clearly, messaging is different than liking a status.  A conversation is possible with a message.  Liking is just acknowledging a person said something, usually it's in passing.  It's not a meaningful exchange.  I think it just gives people a false sense of connection.  But, at least for now, I know *I* need to work on more meaningful connections with people.  While I know many of my facebook friends are people who are great at connecting both on facebook and in real life, I am not one of them.  Facebook makes it too easy to hide back into my introverted self, decline invitations, and pretend I am interacting with a ton of people.

So, this month I am going to work on not being on facebook and actually having more live conversations.  Only time will tell how this will play out.

Gratitude Post #6: Rain

I have to admit that I am a summer person.  I love the sunshine and have never been one excited for rain.  Normally, I'm the one waiting for the rainbow and eventual sunshine.

However, I have been waiting for the rain for weeks.  We desperately need rain.  As my fellow Californians know, we are in the middle of a drought.  I worry that our summer will be one fire after another...if we don't get enough rain and our parks and forests become too dry.

Fortunately, today we finally got some rain - and for that, I am so very grateful.  I started thinking of the upsides of rainy days - today and in the past.  Looking at the raindrops on my windows reminded me of my childhood.  

Growing up in San Francisco, rain was normal, raincoats were a must, and stomping through puddles to get wet was a favorite activity.  Also, "little" things like getting a new umbrella was always awesome as a kid.  I remember having a clear umbrella, so I could cover my entire head but still see straight through it.  Of course, I also had some of my favorite character umbrellas.  Thinking back,  I also remember enjoying the raindrops falling on the windows in the car, watching the windshield wipers go back and forth, trying to "clean" the window but never quite being able to do it.  Drip, drop. Drip, drop. 

Rain also reminds me of one of my favorite childhood movies and the song:
My childhood favorite song and movie

And while I prefer summer sun over winter rain, I have to say that rainy days have their perks.  Aside from the obvious necessity of rain, rainy days do have their upsides. 

Live Life with No Regrets #2

Continuing with my reflections on the top 37 things dying people say they regret...

 #36.) Never performing in front of others. This may not be your true calling, but trying it at least once is an important life experience.

I am not a performer.  I do not act.  I most definitely cannot sing.  And unless the macarena  and the "white shuffle" count, I cannot dance. 

That's me, the Keystone Cop

However, like many people, I have had my share of parts in school performances.  In my grammar school, everyone had to be in the school Christmas show.  It wasn't an option.  It was just what we did in my K-8 school.  This means I was in nine Christmas play performances, but I only vaguely remember three: the time I played a keystone cop and ran around chasing someone else, the year I was one of the Hiawatha story narrators, and the play Godspell (though I have no idea which part I played).  What I remember most about these experiences is that I was either nervous or embarrassed.  The most "at ease" of the three I recall is when I was the narrator, but I still felt the pressure and stress of having to remember all the words.  I was terrified I was going to mess it all up and the other narrators would have to step in for me.  I was concerned they would be upset if I messed up.

In high school, the only time I performed was for the required freshman class play.  I do not remember why we had to do this, except I remember hearing that it was a tradition that all freshman classes performed for the school.  Our play was Grease and I was one of the background beauty school dropout singers.  I didn't want to be in that, either.

Truth be told, I was just too afraid - afraid of looking stupid, afraid of not being good enough. I never had that ability to let loose and be okay with looking silly.  I didn't even dress up for Halloween or Spirit Week. Once, a couple of my friends dragged me to a theater audition at another high school.  I refused to try out and just watched them do it.  I remember standing there and thinking, "OMG.  JUST GO DOWN THERE AND TRY IT."  And I couldn't make myself do it.

I let fear control me.  That was when I was 14.

Fortunately, things changed.  

When I was 17, I went on a cruise with my parents.  The cruise activities included a lip syncing contest.  My stepfather encouraged me to do it.  He was always full of compliments.  He made me believe I would be awesome and could win.  He truly helped increase my self-confidence...and he is one of the reasons I changed into a more self-confident person, a person who is able to face her fears.  So, I "competed" in the lip synching contest...by myself, a solo performance at that!

And guess what!  

I won.  That's right.  Me.  I WON.  Woot.  

But I'm going to "keep it real" here.  It wasn't karaoke, so no one had to actually hear me sing.  It was just me pretending to sing and dancing around. There were also a lot of senior citizens and drunk people on this cruise, so a sober teenager with semi-acceptable rhythm, a bright smile, and correct lip synching skills could easily win this tiny little "competition," especially since it was based on CHEERING from the audience.  I wasn't delusional.  I was never going to become famous for my performance.

No matter.  I won and I got a trophy. HAHA.  BUT MORE IMPORTANT was that I had fun.

And guess what? That wasn't my last lip synching performance. I did a few more, on cruises and one in the dorms during college...and they were a BLAST to do.  Super fun.  Just a couple minutes to act silly, have fun, and let loose.

Like #36 said, it may not be a "true calling," but it's definitely something to experience at least once.  I'm glad I got over my childhood fear, stepped out of my comfort zone, and performed in front of an audience.  

P.S. And for the record, I dress up every Halloween now, too.

Have you ever performed in front of an audience?

Live Life With No Regrets #1

Note: One of my new goals is to blog more. Years ago, it helped me process issues - help me relieve stress, help give me clarity, or just plain ole' let me vent.  If you have decided to read my ramblings, please note that I am not writing to be a writer.  I am simply writing for me.  Also keep in mind that I have been and always will be a little bit crazy, so reading the thoughts from my mind may confuse or annoy you - or maybe just make you laugh at my insanity.  I often write like I talk....so, consider yourself warned.

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And so...now it's time to

A former student posted a link to a blog entitled, "Here Are The Top 37 Things Dying People Say They Regret. Learn From It Before It’s Too Late." The idea falls in line with one of the classes I teach: Creating a Meaningful Life.  What makes your life meaningful?  How can you ensure that you can live a life with no regrets?  Alongside other more academic topics, we discuss how we can create meaning in our own lives.

Thirty-seven things are quite a lot and while I can ramble as good as the next blogger, I also do not have an unlimited amount of time to sit here right now and blog about all of them.  Thus, each blog entry I will attempt to write about one of the 37 Things. (You see how I did that?  I didn't say each day.  I'm just not sure exactly how committed I can be to blogging. HAHA.)  Since it's my blog and I can do as I please, I'm going to pick them in random order.  First up is #5:

Missing the chance to see your favorite musicians. You never truly know when your favorite band might break up, so seize the day.



This is so true.  I also have to say this falls in line with any sort of show: concert, broadway show, comedian, performance.  Tickets may be expensive, but they are worth it.  The memories stay with you for your entire life.

My friends and I went to quite a few concerts "back in the day," but one of my best memories is from December 31, 1991.  Yes, that was a long time ago, but seeing Nirvana and the Red Hot Chili Peppers on New Year's Eve was amazing.  It was also the first (and last) time I actually went into a mosh pit. Oh, the memories! HA!

While I see concerts less now than I did during college, if there is a band I want to hear, I will be there!  Same thing with any type of performance or show.  A friend of mine and I recently saw Margaret Cho and we have tickets to see Anjelah Johnson next month!  Woo hoo!


I try my best to live life with no regrets.  No one ever knows what is going to happen - whether a performer will stop performing, whether a band will break up, or whether or not we'll even be around to see them!

So far, so good.  Check 1 out of the 37!  How about you?  How often do you see concerts/shows?