Another list

I told you, I am a list person. I love that they make me feel organized. So besides the what I want in a guy list, I have a "bucket list".

Yes that's right.
I'm 25 and I have a list of things I want to do before I die.
Not to morbid, right?

I love the idea of putting down all the things you dream of doing with the hope of one day crossing them off the list. Some things I have completed already. Some things it will take a while. It doesn't matter. Now to be honest, I can't find my original "bucket list", (I said lists make me feel organized not that they made me organized) so the one you see is a remembrance of the things that are on the list.

So here it is....ba ba bum...The Bucket List!!!

Learn how to surf

Watch a polo match

Go to the Olympics (to watch, but not ruling out the possibility of being in.)

Visit Audrey Hepburn's grave

Find 100 geocaches

Learn to speak Italian

Travel Europe

Volunteer with UNICEF

Be a storm chaser

Be part of an archeological dig

Go to Egypt to see the Pyramids

Go to all 50 states-traveling through them doesn't count(19/50)

Learn to play Tennis

Go to New York for New Year's

Go to the Kentucky Derby

Go to a Ball

Write a book

Host a charity event

Host a fashion show

Go skeet shooting

Go to a film Festival (Sundance, Toronto)

Be in a movie

Be in a ballroom dance competition

Learn archery

Own a boat and sail down the east coast

Be a Private Detective

Have a house with a library
Find something with a metal detector

I know I have more that should be on there....where is that list....

Enjoy the randomness

I love going on mini adventures! If we look up mini-adventure in the Jenny Dictionary this is what we would find:

Mini-adventure: n. a smallish type event that one didn't plan for, but it happens anyway.

This past week has been filled with mini-adventures. Some more documented than others.

A week ago today I went to a street fair, where there were restaurant booths, a kid area and a band. That's where I met this guy:

He's a "walking taco"!! Too funny!

Couldn't miss this opportunity either:



It continued into Saturday with a full day of adventures.

Men, Money and Me

Saw some nice scenery at the Walleye free agent try-outs yesterday. :) I love Hockey!

Followed by calling up a friend to meet at the mall for a bit, stopping at a random art fair and going back to the street fair. The only thing I had planned for the day was the hockey try-outs.

Monday was my sister's birthday (Happy birthday again seester!). We went to the African Safari Wildlife Park in Port Clinton where we met this guy:

We have named him the "Hippie Cow".

Yesterday, I went down to Columbus for a meeting. On the way:

Men, Money and Me

Driving to Columbus yesterday got "honked" at by a trucker who then did a thumbs up sign. Hmmm... don't think I really want to know.

Went to lunch with my friend Melissa at a very quaint little Irish Pub and Restaurant.

A mini door for Leprechauns!!! LOVE IT!!!!

So that was my week of mini-adventures. Take that blah feeling! My challenge to you: Embrace the mini-adventures in your life. Make sure you always have a camera to capture such moments, too.

We need to talk

Don't panic! I'm not breaking up with you.

Those four little words never fail to stress me out. Do you get that feeling, too? I have been on both sides of that little phrase. Both sides are horrible. But the truth of the matter is that for any relationship to work, people need to communicate.

This concept is important for any relationship: parent and child, friends, a dating couple or a married couple. Basically if there is more than one person involved, communication is essential. Sure it can be awkward and uncomfortable, but the end result will be worth every bit of awkwardness.

The easy part: Talking. Talk about your feelings, what you're going through, what bothers you, what you love. Be honest, but do not be condescending. Your feelings are valid because you ARE feeling that way. Use "I" statements. "I feel like (blank) when you...." comes across better than "You make me mad or upset." Do you remember the different personalities? Because of this people view situations differently. What may bother you might not bother me.

The hard part: Listening. Actually listening to what the person is saying is the hardest job ever, especially because they might be trying to tell you something other than what they say with words. Confused yet? Sure, this other person may be able to tell you exactly what's going on, and why they're upset, but that's not always the case. "Listen" to their body language and facial expressions, you may hear a lot.

The thing that drives me crazy beyond belief is....... not knowing what's going on. One guy I dated was out of town for work A LOT. I was in school and took mostly evening classes. He was working nights at the time and sleeping during the day.
See a problem?
When I was available to talk; he wanted to sleep. When he had some time to talk; I was heading to class. Not a good combination. We made it work for a while, but soon when he came home for the weekend he would hang out with friends instead of making time to see me. Not good.
What the heck was going on?! Were we able to talk about it? NO. Grrrrr. Needless to say we broke up soon after this pattern arose. It was weeks before "the talk" took place though and it was horrible. I was too timid to say what was on my mind so I didn't initiate anything. He obviously kept putting it off too. So for at least a month we were both miserable. (I'm not sure if he was indeed miserable, since we didn't talk about it, but it makes me feel better thinking he was.)

Avoid being miserable!!! Talk it out. You may be surprised with the results.

Fashion Friday!!!

Today is the very first Fashion Friday! Twice a month you will get to hear from Ashley, a girl who knows her fashion! She has worked on fashion shows where she has seen many a beautiful thing. We're talking shoes that cost more than my entire wardrobe (swoon or gasp appropriately)! You don't even want to know how much the clothes were. You can also follow her blog The Fashion Planner to see more of her insights into the fashion world.

Even though we love the clothes and shoes that cost thousands of dollars, we have yet to find the sugar daddy to buy us such things. A solution to the problem is found! Ashley (Midnight Cowgirl) has compiled a selection of fabulous items that are all under $100! LOVE it!!!

Fall Essentials Under $100 by icedivastar featuring chunky jewelry

Dorothy Perkins shift dress
£27 - dorothyperkins.com

Ribbon Cape
£55 - bankfashion.co.uk

American Eagle Outfitters flared jeans
$30 - ae.com

Moschino Cheap & Chic mid rise straight leg jeans
$93 - theoutnet.com

Patent shoes
$55 - topshop.com

High heel shoes
£40 - bankfashion.co.uk

Moon Collection satchel bag
$50 - modcloth.com

Vince Camuto chunky jewelry
$30 - lordandtaylor.com

Juicy couture jewelry
$58 - juicycouture.com

MICHAEL Michael Kors tortoise sunglasses
$85 - nordstrom.com

Butter London 3 Free Lacquer Nail Polish
$14 - zappos.com



Happy shopping!

Yesterday....

Do you have certain words that make you think of something else like a movie line, song or friend? Yesterday is one of those words for me. It makes me think of.......... any guesses??? Ok I'll tell you. "Yesterday" by The Beatles.

So yeah, I totally have to sing the title of this blog.

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away....

Ok I'm done.

That had nothing to do with what I want to tell you, but you needed to know how to say "Yesterday" in your head.

So what do I want to tell you about yesterday... I did something extra. Remember, sometimes the weeks are blah. Well I did something to change it up.

I volunteered at ISOH/Impact for a couple of hours. ISOH/Impact is an non-profit organization that focuses on child advocacy and disaster relief. Yesterday, (there it is again) I was on the Bucket Brigade. Alongside a group of volunteers and staff, I helped fill a couple hundred buckets of corn that will be sent to Tajikistan (neighbors of Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and The People's Republic of China) and Somalia (eastern-most part of Africa) to help with famine relief.
**Definitely had to look up where those countries are located. Thank you Google. **

Can I just say it was nice doing something with my time that would help someone else. And not just a little something, I was feeding people. People who can't go to the store or ask neighbors for help. A couple hours of my time will change the life of someone I will never meet. What a cool thought.

So that's one thing I did yesterday (I had to say it at least once more). Now what will today bring?

What to do, what to do

There are times that I feel, how do I put this... Blah. I love to be on the move, going, going, going all the time. Sometimes this happens, and other times not so much. The past couple of weeks have felt a little draggy to me. I need new! I need different! As much as I have a had a busy couple of weekends and enjoyed them very much, I still feel like the weeks are...blah. I'm sure many of you have felt this too. Everyday the same.

So what do I do about it? So far not much, but that is going to change this week. I am determined.

I had a little taste of adventure last week when I went with my friend, Charlotte, to the shooting range. I have gone shooting a couple times before with a little .22 revolver at paper targets, but last week we pulled out the big boys. A shotgun. We went skeet shooting. I had a blast (pun totally intended). I was actually surprised at how well I did. The instructor did refer to me as Annie Oakley. Just Sayin'. We had been talking about it for a coupe of weeks and we finally had time to go. It felt so good, to do something that was different.

So this week, while I do have some fun plans with friends, I will do something extra amazing. It will involve meeting new people and trying new things. And then I'll tell you all about it.

I actually have a list of new things I want to try. Are you sensing I'm a list person? 'Cause I am.

Maybe you can try a new thing too.

Ker plunk....that would be my phone.

Getting ready to run errands, I'll go to the bathroom real quick so I don't have to use smelly store bathrooms. Ker plunk. What was....oh crap! My phone!!!! NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Yes, (sigh) it is true, my phone landed in the toilet. Seriously?! I am usually very good about remembering it is in my pocket before the possibility of the tragicness happening. This is what happens when I am in a hurry and have twenty gazillion things on my mind.
So I went to my lovely cell phone store and asked the dude "What are my options?"

He details: A) Insurance?

No, this doesn't happen to me. I didn't buy insurance. :(

B) You have a rebate available to get a new phone.

No rebate until November. November!! Not waiting, next.

C) You pay full price for a new phone.

Ha ha ha that's a good one. What about option D) I get a phone off of Ebay and make you transfer everything.

Option D wasn't in his book (understandably) but that is the option I took.

Why am I telling you this embarrassing and somewhat gross tale? Because friend, I'm not made of money. Now I'm sure y'all know that Ebay is amazing and all the good deals you can get. Here are some other places that you can also get great deals because who doesn't want to save money? And if you said that you don't want to save money, you can just send me your extra cash....'cause I had to buy another phone. :(

• Restaurant.com- Easy sign up and you get codes to buy gift certificates to area restaurants. We're talking $50 certificates for like $10 or less. Really. Good stuff.
• Apple, HP, Sony... If you are wanting to buy any sort of electronic, check the websites for either refurbished (Apple) products or trade in programs. Refurbished does sound scary, but I haven't heard of anyone having problems. I've never used the trade in programs, but from what I can tell, you send them electronics and you get credit towards your purchase. Just read the fine print so you really know what you're signing up for. Actually read it!
• Living Social and Groupon are very similar to each other. They are both sites that you buy services or products for a reduced rate. For Groupon a certain number of people have to buy the deal for it to be "on". Not enough people? You won't get charged and you won't get the deal. For Living Social there are a certain amount of "deals" for a certain amount of time. Once they're gone they're gone, and when time is out....it's out. Again READ the fine print.
• Do some research before you make a big purchase. I HATE doing this. I feel like it is a waste of time....sometimes. Ok, just until I find a coupon or a better price and then I stop whining. So you better be Googleing, Ebaying, Amazoning and whatever else...ing to get the best deal possible. Look up the manufacture's website or Facebook page, you never know if one will have a coupon code or a special offer you didn't know about.
• Thrift Stores. Don't be afraid. Yes, they may be a bit smelly at times, but you can get some really good deals. A lady I know recently got a very nice cushioned rocker for a very reasonable price (under $100 I can't remember what she told me exactly). Garage Sales can also be major gold mines. This summer I bought my really little niece (not quite done cooking yet) a play mat thing that has the arch and the toys hanging down. Yeah that. Originally $50. Paid $10. SCORE!!!!!

So there is a few tips that I have learned. I'm sure you know others, because you are smart like that. (Share Please!) Now go out there and save money!

P.S. I paid $30 for the phone and it will be here by Monday.
P.P.S. Phones were harmed in the making of this blog. RIP.

Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe

Eenie, meenie, miney, moe
Catch a tiger by the toe
If he hollars let him go
Eenie, meenie, miney, moe.

As a kid, my friends and I would often put our fists in a circle and say the little rhyme to "fairly" decide who would go first in whatever game we were playing. I say "fairly" because I'm pretty sure every kid went faster or slower in order to choose themselves. Can I get a witness? Come on you know you did this too. :)

I feel like this is what happens when making the first move in the asking out game of life. The guy makes the first move. No, no, no the girl makes the first move. It's the guy's job. Girl power baby! Eenie, meenie, miney, moe.

Story from my life: A friend and I go to a restaurant, and lucky us...a very attractive guy waits on us. Score! We're talking a beautiful smile, very attractive eyes and well groomed (a must on the list). He takes our order and walks away and instantly my friend and I begin to discuss our waiter and his level of hotness (again, you know you do this too). Each time he returns I try to strike up a conversation with him. "Try" is the key word here. Well, he has to have some faults I guess. Our meal comes to an end and so the bill comes. Now my friend suggests that I write my number on the ticket. This makes me nervous for many obvious reasons and some paranoid reasons (he could still be a creeper). But the thought I kept coming back to is he didn't really initiate a conversation, not really flirty and basically didn't make some move of his own.

So I came to this conclusion: I think it is his job, if he's interested he needs to take some initiative and put his number on the ticket or napkin or tell me when he works next. Something. Anything. He didn't. So I didn't. (I guess it is possible that he just wasn't interested, but that doesn't make much sense to me.)

Am I wrong in thinking this?

Call me a romantic, but I think: a girl flirts, a guy asks her out. End. Of. Story. Women's lib may have been beneficial in many areas, but I can't agree that this is one of them.

So who do you think needs to make the "first move"? Comment or vote on the Me, Money and Me Facebook page.

The list...

When I was, I don't know maybe 15 or 16, I made a list. It is a list of attributes and skills I want my Man to have. Every once in awhile I return to the list to partially laugh at some of the things I put on there, but mostly to remind myself that I won't just date any guy just because. I want a keeper.

So today I will share part of my list (lucky you):
not in any particular order

1) Doesn't smoke or do drugs
2) Nice hair- length not the issue, but well-kept
3) Share same beliefs
4) Ballroom dance-either knows how or is willing to try (at least a good waltz and foxtrot)
5) Well groomed
6) Has a job- well yeah that would be an obvious one, thank you 15 yr old :)
7) Sense of humor (remember I'm a sanguine)
8) Ok with being spontaneous
9) Doesn't have man boobs (insert laughing here)
10) Loves that I can be silly, and will join in. (sanguine!!!)

Now some items on this list are must haves while others I can do without or help out with (nice hair). I think every single girl needs a list! So much fun!

Well there is part of my list. I want to see your list....I showed you mine!
In the comment section give me three things on the list. If you have a man, how did he compare to the list?

NTN- No Test Needed

A few months ago I went over to my friend Julie's house for some Gilmore Girls episode watching. And it is there I met her sister Jo. There we are, standing in the kitchen getting ready for our very productive evening (yes, referring to Gilmore Girls) just chatting away. Five or so minutes into the conversation Jo looks at her sister and says, "Is she a No Test Needed?" "Yep" Julie says just as nonchalantly as can be. Huh???? What just happened there? I missed something. A test?

Julie then begins to explain to me that they are referring to my personality type. Jo deciphered in the 5 minutes I had been talking to her that my personality is of the Sanguine persuasion. "Oh, is that anything like a penguin?" I said..."I'm still lost." They proceeded to explain. This is what I have learned from and since that conversation...

There are 4 basic personality types Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholy and Phlegmatic. From these there are two types that are easy to spot without going through a little personality test, hence the "no test needed". That would be Sanguine and Choleric. After I took the test guess what...I'm a Sanguine with a Choleric chaser. For any of you out there that speak that lingo you know what that means...I'm loud...and bossy...and fun...and entertaining.

Julie and Jo told me to read Wired That Way by Marita Littauer. This book is amazing! As I'm reading through the chapters I can't believe how spot on it is with how I act. Unbelievable!!
Extroverts:
Sanguine- Desire to have fun, have the ability to talk about anything at anyplace at anytime, bubbly personality, optimistic, sense of humor, enjoyment of people. In a group of people the ones you see and hear.

Choleric- Desire to have control, ability to take charge of anything instantly and to make quick correct judgements. If you know someone who points with fingers, has hands on their hips and pounds with their fists most likely a choleric.
Introverts:
Melancholy-Desire to have it done right, ability to organize and set long range goals, set high standards and ideals, analyze deeply. They have quiet voice and quiet clothes, very neat and tidy.

Phlegmatic-Desire to avoid conflict, keep the peace, balanced and even disposition, dry sense of humor, pleasing personality. Chameleon-like, cool, calm, collected, comfort trumps all, relaxed.

Usually a person will have one personality that is more dominant than the others. And even though two people may have the same dominant personalities the mix produces different results. There is a lot more to each of these personalities, but I don't want to overwhelm you. You need to just read the book. Seriously.

So what are you? Anyone heard of this before? I'm pretty sure a sanguine is something like a penguin. :)