Costa Rica Bound

Passport. Check.

Sunglasses. Check.

Good books. Check.

As of midnight tonight, I'm Costa Rica bound - and I couldn't be more ready!

It'll probably be quiet around here next week, but when I get back, expect pictures - lots and lots of pictures.

Summer Send-Off

I'm getting so, so excited for Mason and I's Costa Rican adventure next week. I feel like it'll be the perfect summer send-off.

I'm looking forward to plenty of:

Beach combing.
Sunset watching.
Wave surfing.
Souvenir shopping.
Late sleeping.
Good eating.
Memory making.

Falling

If I didn't know it was August, I'd swear it was the middle of October in LA. The breeze is cool and there is fall excitement in the air - that tingle at your spine that whispers something's coming, and even though you don't know what it is, you can't wait. I decided to embrace it, sipping hot coffee and jotting down fall music must-haves - at the top of the list: Augustana's Can't Love Can't Hate.

Weekend Review

Saturday, Brianne and I saw Kings of Leon at The Forum. The bathroom lines were miles long so we got candy bars instead of beers. The show was incredible, and we never wanted it to end. On Sunday, I worked on number 24, which means a few lucky folks will be recieving homemade postcards very soon.

In other news, Costa Rica is fast approaching - we leave on Friday. I keep looking at the hotel's website and getting more and more excited.

Number 28

Due to a series of unfortunate events, number 28 will never be crossed off the list. Seems my birthday is cursed - doomed to end badly - and although it's one of my favorite days of the year, I'm starting to think I might as well expect the bad. Maybe then, the good will be a nice suprise.

Although I didn't get to ring in my 28th year with boots and beers, I did manage to salvage part of it at the Morongo Casino over the weekend.

My new favorite drink: dry vodka martinis, extra dirty

My new motto: see the good, not the bad

I'm hoping that between the two of them (the drink and the motto), my 28th year will turn out to be fantastic.

28 things to do before I turn 29

1. Play chess on the Santa Monica beach chess tables
2. Go to a play (done)
3. Get at least one stamp in my passport (done)
4. Start a one-sentence journal (done)5. Eat more veggies (done)
6. Read one self-help book & one biography (done)
7. Go rollerblading with Mason
8. Ride a horse (done)
9. Find the perfect piece of art to hang over my dresser (and, if possible, find a new dresser) (done)
10. Eat dinner at Medieval Times
11. Take more walks (done)
12. Start saving for my very own Jonathan Adler piece (done)
13. Treat Brianne to a Sprinkles cupcake (done)
14. Go on a staycation
15. Enroll in a class (any class) (done)
16. Play tennis on the Wilshire courts
17. Bake oatmeal chocolate chip cookies – from scratch (done)
18. Grow my own herb garden (done)
19. Frame the print Mason got me (done)
20. Take Cajun for a walk (done)21. Check out the Rose Bowl Flea Market (done)
22. Go to a Santa Monica High School football game (done)
23. Send someone a surprise (done)
24. Finish the first list
25. Cook something of Molly’s
26. Wake up earlier (done)
27. Splurge on a new bike – preferably a green one (done)
28. Celebrate my 28th at Cowboy Country

Wrapping Things Up

It's just about that time. Tomorrow is my 28th birthday, which means a new list - YAY! - but also means I've run out of time to complete last year's. After a quick count, looks like there are 8 things I didn't get to. As someone who likes to finish what she starts, I'm a little disappointed in myself - but, in the spirit of fun (and keeping fun from turning into obligation), I'm deciding that it just doesn't matter. There's always next year, and there's no rule against finishing it then, right? Right!

I must say, looking back on the past year, the birthday list really did play a big part in my life. In fact, some of my favorite memories were things from the list, and the people I've met, places I've been and new things I've fallen in love with because of the list will always stay with me.

I'm excited for this year's list - and more than that, I'm excited for all the fun that will come with crossing each item off. What can I say, I've always loved lists - and birthday lists top the list of fun lists for me.

Check back tomorrow to see the new list (and to wish me a happy 28th, of course).

America's Pastime

I went to my first Dodger's game yesterday, and boy, was it fun. I got the whole experience, complete with sunshine, Dodger Dogs and beers. After the game, they let the kids run the bases. We all stood and watched, half wishing we could do it, too.

Number 16

Can be checked off the list.

It's crunch time, folks (only a week until I'm officially moving on to a new list), and today, I'm a memorizing machine. When I read The Four Agreements, it changed the way I thought about a lot of things, and I knew I needed those four little sentences to travel with me forever and ever (hence, the memorization).

Here they are, in case you haven't read the book:
1. Be impeccable with your word.
2. Don't take anything personally.
3. Don't make assumptions.
4. Always do your best.

(By the way, taping things to your computer screen is a VERY good way to memorize them!)

Number 8

Can be checked off the list.

I've always loved making photo albums. There's something about compiling all those memories into one spot and dressing them up with stickers and markers that makes me feel like I can relax because none of the fun will ever be forgotten.

Strikes and Gutters

We went bowling - his idea for date night - and the $5 shoe rentals and $2 beers had us grinning from ear to ear. Turns out I'm a pretty darn good bowler, or at least I was that night. At one point, after I smoked him in the first two games, I asked him - seriously - if he was letting me win. He promised he wasn't, and I turned around and bowled three strikes in a row. When we left, I declared it the best date night ever.