30 Before 30: Items 20 & 28

I've crossed two items off the list! Honestly, I knew I'd be going on vacation when I made the list, so it was a little like cheating, but only a little.

Item #20 - Take a Cheesy, Kissing Photo on the Beach with my Spouse!

Despite his reluctance to pucker up to me on camera, I managed to grab my hubby for a smooch on the beach in Cozumel! If you go to Cozumel, I have a recommendation. DO NOT hang out on the western side where the cruise ships dock! Go directly to Mezcalito's on the eastern side of the island, and if you never leave, I'll completely understand. The eastern side is a beautiful stretch of rocky beaches with ultra-low-key bars scattered every mile or so down the shore. The best way to visit this side of the island is find a cab-driver and negotiate a 3 or 4-hour rate to have him drive you around all afternoon. We had a blast bar-hopping, taking gorgeous pictures and enjoying the unbelievable ocean as it stretches out over the horizon to, well, Cuba. It goes to Cuba, but you can't see it. Watching the teal waves crash on the tan surf, feeling the light breeze blowing through the green palm trees and tanning in the golden sun as you relax in a hammock will result in one of the best days you'll ever have (at least I can say it was one of the best days I've ever had).  

Item #28 - Go Deep Sea Fishing!

Except for the Dramamine overdose which resulted in me sleeping most of the 4-hour tour, I loved Deep Sea Fishing. 

We left for our journey from Puerto Aventuras at about 9:30am, excited to catch loads of fish, drink some Sol and enjoy sailing on the open sea. We rolled over the waves under the hazy blue sky, chatting about buying a restaurant in Playa (dream job!) while waiting for a bite. And we waited and waited and......fishing takes a lot of patience. (BTW, I'm the one on the right in the photo.....he he he).

About 30 minutes in, something happened! We all jumped up and watched as our friend Vierk reeled in a fish. He was fighting and pulling and out popped.....a mackeral. Holy Mackeral! Horray for a fish! I couldn't wait for my turn to attempt the exhilarating experience of reeling in my very own sea-creature. Unfortunately, I was 4th in the line up......so we had a lot of fish to catch. 

Three hours, several Sol and quite a few naps later, we finally hooked our second fish! This time Larson fought the strong swimmer all the way in! Turns out he got a Wahoo...which we promptly ate at Gringo Dave's for lunch. Wahoo = Yum! Only two fish, but a lot of fun memories and some great naps made for a very fun and memorable day on our vacation! I'd recommend deep sea fishing to anyone who can remember to buy non-drowsy Dramamine and likes floating on the ocean while drinking cerveza's.......come on, who doesn't like that. :) 

The 30 Before 30 List

Well, here it is....the 30 things I'd like to accomplish in the next 7 months. Some of it is semi-serious (really do need open an IRA, the 401k isn't cuttin' it)....some of it is silly (I've always wanted to sing karaoke solo but knew I wasn't drunk enough) and some of it is terrifying (uh...sky-diving).

Many thanks to my friends Kelly and Jesse for introducing me to this list of wishful items! And thanks to the bloggers out there who have documented their list publicly, online and motivated me to steal their idea and do the same. I look forward to sharing my progress with anyone who will read this. Wish me luck!

1. Run a marathon

2. Keep a Plant Alive for 6 months

3. Join Junior League of FC

4. Read 5 "Classic" Novels

5. Plant a Tree

6. Go Vegan for a week

7. Sing Karaoke Solo

8. Take Writing Class/Workshop

9. Try Pilates

10. Go Skydiving

11. Ride the Poudre in a Sea-bearing vessel

12. Learn to cook John's favorite Gourmet Meal

13. White a Children's Book

14. Watch 5 "Classic" Movies

15. Volunteer at Church

16. Learn to Knit

17. Watch the Godfather Trilogy, Beginning to End

18. Take a Self Defense or Karate Class

19. Read the Entire Bible

20. Take a Cheesy, Kissing Photo on a beach with my Spouse

21. Write a Non-Profit Business Plan

22. Stop being a Procrastinator

23. Host Fancy Dinner Party & Cook John's Favorite Meal Previously Learned

24. Ask for and/or Receive a Raise

25. Give Blood

26. Open an IRA

27. Achieve a "Flat" Stomach

28. Go Deep Sea Fishing

29. Relearn the Piano & Master One Song

30. Try Kickboxing

Hiatus

Well, its been awhile since my last post. My apologies to my two followers.

On April 23rd, a very special event took place, Wyoming Art for the Cure! It was an incredible evening full of amazing artwork, great food, spirits and a fabulous crowd all helping us raise money to find a CURE for breast cancer!!! 

Post-party celebration at the Cloud 9 Airport Bar in Cheyenne was too fun to describe (also, my wine-infused memory of it is a bit fuzzy, so its best if I don't try). Then I jumped a flight to Boston for 5 days for a work conference. It was a fun, yet exhausting, trip. Let me tell ya, risk management is a very exciting industry....as you can imagine.  Are you picking up the sarcasm? Cause I'm layin' it on pretty thick. 

Well, now that things have settled a bit, I'll get back on the blogging band-waggon. Somehow I just realized this week that my 30th birthday is sneaking up on me (7 months and 4 days away...ah!) and I got a great suggestion from a good friend to make a 30 Before 30 List. The List is the 30 random and not-so-random things I'd like to mark as DONE before I embark on the next decade. It'll be coming soon.....