This Sweet Life

     Last week I turned 26.  Wow.  Birthdays are always a time to reflect upon yourself...where you thought you'd be at certain age, what you hope to accomplish in the next year, etc.  I don't know what it was about this birthday that is getting to me...maybe its because I am closer to 30 than I am 20 or possibly because I feel like I just turned 21...the past 5 years have literally been a huge blur.   Life really is starting to move too quickly-to the point where it's freaking me out!      A side from my paychecks coming in too slowly and leaving too quickly & having to say goodbye to late night corn dogs & fast food because my metabolism has taken a turn for the worst...26 really isn't so bad.  I am still young, full of life & energy, and most importantly (I may not have that Adriana Lima body I will always envy but) I am healthy.        I had such an amazing birthday weekend & it really is th...

     Ok, so this post is not about something I have been able to cross off my bucket list, it's more of a side note that goes along with my Napa Valley post.  I am sure that Napa is on a lot of people's bucket list; however finding the time/money/etc to fly all the way out to the west coast for this only reason can make it seem like less of a priority for most.  If you have never been to the west coast there's just so much more to see than rolling hills and good wine....completely understandable.  So if you enjoy wine (and obviously you do otherwise there's no way we could get along...) but havn't been able to make it out to wine country, and especially if you live on the east coast-than this post is for you!!      Charlottesville, Virginia...I was absolutely blown away by this city! I had driven right by it on the highway and never knew what this city had to offer....First of all its a college town, home of UVA Cavilers, and who does...

Drink Wine in Napa Valley Let's face it, I am a huge wino.  I love a spicy/dry/bold/oaky red wine, so naturally I tend to like Cabernet Savignon the best and when I got the chance to go to "The Cabernet Capital of the World" with a group of friends I couldn't pass the opportunity up.  We cancelled our  anniversary plans for a cruise and booked our tickets to CA instead!!  First stop was San Francisco-I absolutely love "big city life" & I even enjoyed the touristy stuff because I hadn't been to San Fran since I was younger.  I have heard several people say that San Francisco is their favorite city...mine still stands with NYC.  New York is just so unique in my opinion & offers something for everyone on any given day. San Fran definitely has the most spectacular views nestled between the ocean and the rocky coast; however it's not "fast-paced" and just way too liberal, even for this girl.  With Kenny Wa...

Swim with Dolphins      Rule #1 of Life: Take advantage of the opportunity.  I love to scuba dive, the only problem is I don't have a dive buddy.  I have had several opportunities to dive and have chosen not to simply because nobody I was with was certified.  What a lame excuse! I got my certification when I was 16 and have only been on 3 dives! I finally decided I needed to take advantage of my opportunity while on vacation in the Bahamas.        I originally signed up to go on the "Shark Feeding Frenzy" dive (a month in advance before our trip!) I was so excited/pumped/exhilarated and if you know anything about me you know that sharks are my favorite animal & I have wanted to get up close and personal with them ever since I can remember.  Turns out the night before the dive I was the only person signed up for the dive and they needed at least 4 people to take the boat out.  I was SUPER bumm...

Get a Real Job      T here are some things I want to accomplish in my life, but they are not necessarily "Bucket List material"...  they are things that I "assume" I will do, including buy a house, get married, have children, etc.   I never thought "Get a real job" would ever be on my bucket list...but it has been since I graduated from college and assumed I would have one.  I don't have any control over our country's economy & the fact that when I graduated all the hospitals were cutting back and the first thing to cut was recreational therapists due to reimbursement issues at the time.    "Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you respond to it."  -Lou Holtz.         I jumped right into what I really wanted to do: Physical Therapy, by looking into schools that I was interested in...only coming to realize I should have spent waaaayyy more nights at Joyner Library instead of downtown Greenville.  I ...

Visit all SEC football stadiums      SEC football is unlike any college football found throughout the country.  The toughest conference to play in only makes for the most amazing rivalries & games to watch.  Another ongoing thing that is on my bucket list:  I want to visit every SEC stadium  (as of 2011).   The SEC stadium I look forward to the most: Tiger Stadium " Deaf Valley" in Baton Rouge  and the rivalry I look forward to the most:  Alabama vs. Auburn Game! Ben Hill Griffin Stadium,  Gainsville, FL|  Home of the Florida Gators      Pictures and/or words cannot even begin to describe this magical place.  "The Swamp" was originally built on a sinkhole and expansion efforts have enclosed the field on all sides, which helps to concentrate fan noise to field level. " Florida Gator fans are both loyal and loud, thus creating a tremendous home field advantage  for the Gators.    The ...

GO ZIP LINING      Asheville, North Carolina.  If you have never been I highly recommend it.  Good food, good beer & wine, and a laid back atmosphere with just enough to do to keep you busy.  It's not officially on my bucket list, but I have always wanted to take a weekend trip with Kenny for a couple years now.  For whatever reason we quickly run out of time in the fall/early winter to go.  For my graduation gift from PTA school, Kenny's parents gave me zip-lining tickets & Biltmore tickets for my birthday.  To " Go Zip-lining " has been on my bucket list since I got a small dose of it on a ropes course in one of my recreational classes in college.  When they told me about this place just north of Asheville I was all in. So, we finally planned our trip for late October!!        Zip-lining originated from Costa Rica as botanists needed a way to study plants in the rain forest ...