Happy Halloween!

Just a quick note to wish everyone a Happy Halloween! I hope your day, and night, was filled with lots and lots of sweet treats, and even a few tricks!!

I wanted to share a couple of comics that I found as I was poking around. They made me laugh, I hope the do the same for you :)

Bizarre Foods Surprise

Things have a funny way of happening, it seems, and in this case it is definitely a good thing.

I'm sure you've heard me talk about Twitter before and how much I enjoy it (most of the time) and how many fantastic people I've met along the way. Well one more good thing came out of Twitter for me! Woo Hoo! Let me tell you....

A few days ago I posted about the show called Bizarre Foods and the Halloween special that was on (I hoped you watched it because it was GOOD!). Anyways, a month or so ago I found Bizarre Foods on Twitter (@BizarreFoods) and followed them. Low and behold, they actually followed me back which surprised me because usually you get lost in the mix of rush of other followers. So upon the follow back I sent an @ message to them about a previous episode. Another surprise is that they actually research that kind of thing. They saw that I tweeted about Bizarre Foods, looked at my profile, obtained my blog address, which let to my email address and one of the Travel Channels online team member emailed me (on 10/18/08) about the show and offering to add me to be on the emailing list, but it was very personalized, which was great! Another thing in the email (yes, I'm getting to the Woo Hoo part...lol) spoke of getting free stuff such as an autographed photo of Andrew, a DVD or perhaps some edible crickets..mmm! All I had to do was send my address and see what happened. Honestly, I sent my address to her but wasn't going to hold my breath that I would actually get anything.

Can you believe that today, 10 days after the email, I got all THREE items!!?? The autographed photo, the edible crickets (no, I am NOT going to eat them) and the DVD Collection 1, which is the first season!! Wow! How cool is that?

Not only is the show awesome, but so are the ones behind it. I am very impressed and very happy!!! Thank you so much Travel Channel/Bizarre Foods!!!

November

I can't believe that November is fast approaching us. Amazing how an entire year can whiz by you and leave you thinking as to where all that time went to. A year full of memories to tuck away...

A year ago I was planning to do NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) for the very first time. I had started an outline and was getting excited to start a new adventure into writing. November 1st was the day to begin that adventure, but a tragedy happened and I just didn't have it in me to do it.

My plans were to get through the year and try again. As November approaches, I just don't think I will have the time to commit to such a big endeavor. I'm not saying I will never do it, because I will, because I want to, it just won't be this year.

So instead of dismissing it completely, I'm going to participate in something else a bit more manageable at this time. Its called NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month). For the month of November I will write a blog post each day. That's it. There's no magic number of words or storyline to follow, just a post a day for the entire month of November. From what I can see, it's done more than just in November and perhaps they have themed months as well for variety. This will be a manageable task for me and I encourage you to do the same.

Who knows, maybe I'll stick a short story or two in during the month :)

Bizarre Foods

I was introduced to Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel a few months ago and immediately loved it. It's one of those shows that causes a reaction from its audience every time. Sometimes you laugh and point at the T.V. saying "OMG", or you have to cover your eyes saying "why oh why would anyone eat that?", and other times you want to "lose your cookies".

I love the show because every time it is a new adventure into a new culture. It's not just entertaining, but educational. You learn about the country and it's people, their cultures, beliefs, and traditions. Along with all that, you get to see Andrew explore the most bizarre foods of the world and laugh at him along the way, too. Yes, I said "laugh at" him. He has quite the personality and isn't afraid to jest in regards to himself or where he is visiting. It is definitely an entertaining show and I encourage you to watch it, even with the "gross out effect" (which of course is the absolute best part)!

This Tuesday (October 21st) he is doing a Halloween special that is sure to be extra creepy and gross! Check out the below clip and you will see just a wee bit of what I am talking about!

Enjoy.....mmmmm :)

Memories Matter...

I had to get up early this morning (well, early for me) so I stopped and got myself a treat on the way to work. A venti white chocolate mocha at Starbucks. Mmmmm...

I don't usually pay too much attention to the cups, but today I did, and I am glad because it made me think, and it made me smile. I will definitely pay more attention to my Starbucks cups from now on! Here is what it said...

The Way I See It #292

The way we get to live forever is
through memories stored in the
hearts and souls of those whose
lives we touch. That's our soul
print. It's our comfort, our
emotional nourishment and at the end
of the day and the end of a life.
How wonderful that they are called
up at will and savored randomly.
It seems to me we should spend our
lives in a conscious state of
creating these meaningful moments
that live on. Memories matter.

~~Leeza Gibbons~~

Changing Seasons...

Living in the mid-west with the changing seasons, it seems I'm always asked which of the seasons is my favorite. I love them all of course, but I do have my favorites and I can't imagine living anywhere that I could not enjoy all four, as I do now.

I love winter (yes, even winter) because it's a time of year where its difficult to explain the beauty of the first snow fall of the season. Where the trees are outlined with snow covered branches. The ground and roads are blanketed with the purest of white, and when the sun shines on it, it sparkles like diamonds. That first snow where everyone smiles and can't wait to go play in it, whether it be to make snow angels, build a snowman, and of course, that first snowball fight of the year! As you come in from the cold, you make hot cocoa and sip it sitting next to the fire. Yes, that is what I love about winter.

Spring would have to be my second favorite season because I love it just as the weather starts to warm up and the trees are budding, the tulips, crocus', and daffodils are blooming, the first Robin sighting and the days when you can go outside in just your t-shirt even though its only 50 some degrees. After a long winter, it feels so nice to feel the warm breeze and the sun on your face. Yes, spring is a delight.

Summer is full of fun. The trees are full of bright green leaves, the grass is fresh and soft against bare feet, the birds are all around again chirping and making a mess by the bird feeders. The neighborhood is full of children laughing and playing and you can even hear the ice cream truck coming around. You have your warm sunny days to go swimming and long walks along a beach, vacations to see friends and long bike rides. The summer is full of opportunity just waiting to be grabbed up. I think summer is the most fun of the seasons.

Autumn is my favorite season, by far. Days like today where its nearly 60 degrees, the sun is shining and there is just a slight breeze. The trees have all changed from their bright greens to reds, oranges, yellows, and browns and eventually finding their way to the ground as they fall off the branches. The days where the air is just crisp enough for you to wear a sweater and perhaps a scarf just to keep that chill away. Long walks through a nature center, leaves crunching beneath your feet, the smell of the dried leaves. Then there are the visits to the pumpkin patch to get those perfect pumpkins for carving and to get ready for the trick-or-treaters. You have your bonfires, hay rides and of course, haunted houses! My favorite part of Halloween is answering the door to hand out the candy and see all the little ones all dressed up and proud. I love how they giggle when I pretend to be scared or tell them how pretty they look. Yes, autumn is definitely my favorite season.

See what I mean? How could you not live in a place that is so diverse? A place that touches your senses in so many ways, and differently, depending on the time of the year. I wouldn't want it any other way!

In honor of autumn, I leave you with one of my favorite videos by A Fine Frenzy called Come On Come Out, and of course, it takes place during my favorite time of the year. Relax and enjoy : )

For the love of the game...

Baseball. Still a great american past time.

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend game two of the NLDS with the Chicago Cubs vs. LA Dodgers. I say fortunate because it was the luck of the draw that I was even able to go. Cubs.com had held a drawing. You put your name in, if you were chosen, you received an email with a password and a time for you to go to their web site and get "the chance" to get tickets. You only had one chance. The email came, along with the password and time to log into the site. Seems silly, but I was totally nervous. If I screwed up, I would have lost the chance to go. I logged in, put in the password and was put in a "waiting room" to purchase tickets. I figured at that point, it was all over, but I waited and after about 10 minutes it said it was my turn! I got the confirmation and I was going to Wrigley Field!! Yah!!

I had been to baseball games but I had never been to Wrigley and I can tell you that nothing compares. We all got off the bus and there were Cubbie fans everywhere! Everyone talking about the game and the game from the night before. There were stands all over the place selling souvenirs of all kinds, people passing out flyers, others asking if anyone was selling extra tickets. I couldn't stop smiling.

Walking into the staduim made me jump and giggle. I was so excited and I hadn't even gotten to the field yet. More vendors selling everything under the sun with the Cubs logo, music blaring, the smell of ball park food lingered. You could feel the excitement and energy and what an amazing feeling.

Walking up the stairs to the stadium was like walking in slow motion. You could see the lights but thats all you could see until you reached the very top of the stairs and then you just stopped and stared in awe. The players were on the field warming up and the fans were piling in. It was almost game time. I got to my seat and just sat and took in everything, snapped a few pictures, and waited for the game to begin.

Even though the Cubs lost the game, it was the most fun I had had in a long time. The cheering, the chants, the high-fiving of the other fans around you, the vendors selling beer, hot dogs and peanuts. When a big play happened and everyone stood from their seats at the same exact time, more high-fiving. Even the wasted guy that sat in front of me was entertaining. Oh, and then....there was, I believe, only ONE Dodger fan in the entire stadium and he was sitting right behind me. Young guy and not afraid to cheer for his team when everyone else was silent. He got a lot of shite from the fans surrounding us but he handled it quite well.

Win or lose it's all about having fun, and that I did. It's an experience that I hope I can repeat again. I didn't take as many photos as I would have liked to as I was into the game, but here are a few of my favorites =)

1 - This is the sign when you enter Wrigley Field
2 - This was the view from where I was sitting
3 - Zambrano warming up
4 - Umm..this is Soto's backside as he was stretching *blink* =)