#47 Send 5 Cards to Friends Just Because COMPLETE 8 Feb 2011

I know that today most people don’t use snail mail anymore. There is Facebook, email, text message and so many faster ways to let someone know that you are thinking about them. But I still believe that one of the best ways to share a smile is to send a card to let a friend know they are special and on my mind. It is a nice surprise to go out to your post box and have something cheerful in the mail. Not just bills and junk. This is why I made this one of my 101 things to do. Have it be I send out cards are random throughout the year, but this was a reminder to me to let 5 friends know just how special they are.

Responses I got from friends I sent cards too

Donna McLeod:
I was finding it hard to get up and get motivated today but when I finally did I went and checked to see if the postman had been and now I can't stop smiling. Thank you so much for your lovely card, it brought back memories of the day and your visit and you know what? It is so nice to receive something like that in the post!

I hope ...you are having a fab time in Tampa x

Hopefully our house will be sorted soon and you are always welcome to come back for another visit. Hope to see you soon x

Thank you Rene x x x x :)


Cora Gibbons:
Hey lady! Fab profile pic, hot hot hot! Thank you so much for your beautiful card. Just got home and got it in the post, can't remember the last time I got such a lovely surprise in my letterbox. Hope you are doing good and not so sad.....keep having fun in Tampa, let the good times roll...:-) and when you feel home sick again, just book a flight and come over asap! The house looks fab by the way...miss you loads too and thank you for being such a groovy chica and friend. Love you lots! Xxx


Deanna Hoops:
I just finished a 65 hour week, I am so tired but it was very nice to come home and have a card waiting for me from my sister! Thank you, I love you!

****I think it was mission success. I love all of you.

#27 See a Movie by Myself 12 Feb 2011

Tonight I went to the cinema to see Gnomeo and Juliet in an IMAX 3D theater. It was an absolutely adorable movie. Definitely one that I will buy when it comes out on DVD.

Not only did the movie replicate Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet but throughout the movie they made references to adult movies so that the parents and adults in the audience would have their own humor as well as the children having their cute G rated movie.

I thought it was going to feel awkward going to a movie by myself but I realized once the movie started that going to a movie by myself really isn't that much different than with friends. Once the movie starts it is just you and the movie.

The movie definitely reaffirmed my love for gnomes and I will be searching for classic European made gnomes to watch over my backyard for my new house.

All and all a great experience and a lovely way to spend a Friday night by myself.

Part 1 of #18 Give 5 "I saw this and thought of you gifts" 1of 5

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day. Unlike the last couple of months of freezing cold it was 70 outside and the sun was glowing in the sky. Absolutely no clouds to be seen. I couldn't spend the whole day hiding in my apartment so I decided to go for a walk and look through some of the local antique shops. While rummaging through stacks and piles of really old stuff, I came along an old coke bottle. I instantly thought of Mary. I remember staying in her spare bedroom and it being full of coke memorabilia. She told me how she loved coke products and always kept her eyes out for rare items.

I have thought about her many times over the past 8 years and unfortunate only kept in contact on a few occasions. But with the sighting of this great coke bottle I couldn't help but think this is perfect for her and I have to send it to her. Also this is a great way to get in contact with a long lost friend. Constituting my 1st of 5 I saw this and thought of you gifts. I hope she likes it and I promise to do better as a friend at keeping in contact.

If it isn't easy to read the botte says at the bottem Athens GA.

#99 Vacation in Greece 2-6 Sept 2010

Absolutely amazing holiday. The perfect get away with a great friend. Flying all night Thursday we arrived Friday morning in Chania, Crete. The weather was perfect the beach was gorgeous and we were ready to take it all in. I am pretty sure I took all the sun in. I got extremely sun burnt and most likely sun stroke as I spent the first night in the hotel room sick. But that didn't stop us from going out again the next day. (I just covered up so the sun couldn't get to me) The sound of the waves was so relaxing it was hard not to drift off into dream land every time I closed my eyes.                           

Saturday night we traveled into the city center of Chania. Such a beautiful town right on the water. We had an amazing dinner at a Greek restaurant that was owned by an Irish woman. The food was mouth watering.

Again with a night flight we took off for Athens. Landing in Athens around 2200 we navigated the metro and arrived at our hotel just in time to see the Acropolis lit up from the terrace on top of our hotel. Our first glimpse of Athens and already I was in awe.

Sunday Cora and I spent touring the city. We visited everywhere. The Acropolis, Temple of Olympic Zeus, Parthenon and many more sites that I can't even begin to start naming. Monday morning before we had to leave for the airport we went into the city center for coffee and breakfast. Meeting two men who in traditional Greek fashion were very friendly. They were actually from Albania but living in Athens, having just finished their studies at the University there in Athens. We ended up having a couple of drinks with them before heading off to the Airport.

Almost missed out flight, but made it on at last minute. Wheeeeew!!!! I would love to go back and further explore Greece. Someday hopefully I can come back and go island hopping. But for now, I am very happy with being able to see all the beauty that I was able to see.

#46 Have a Dinner Party 29 Aug 2010

Four days prior it dawned on me that I only had very few weekends left with furniture. If I wanted to have one last American dinner in Germany it needed to be soon. So, I put out the email suggesting two dates and Sunday 29 Aug was selected.

It was a fabulous evening of good food, great conversation, and a lot of laughs. For dinner I prepared the usual Orange glazed Turkey, Twice baked potatoes, Pumpkin pie, Stuffing, and Asparagus with Hollandais.

We went through a few bottles of wine and ended the evening on the couches watching the movie Holiday. There truly isn't anything like a night in with friends to make you realize how good life is.

#12 Kiss a random person 7 August 2010

The Brampton Mile. On my last day in Chesterfield England I was treated to the Brampton Mile. Basically 17 pubs on a long street. Not unlike the Monopoly Pub crawl that we did in London only this on is very easy in that there is no searching for the pubs.

All the pubs were very different and we had a great time at all of them. Then we came to about our 10th or 11th pub? Flirty and cute like I also am, I was ordering the drinks from the bar and talking up the bartender. Sometime during our stay at the bar I decided to go get the bartender because I wanted to take a picture with him.

He came around the bar and was very kind and cheerful to take a picture with me, but what I wasn't expecting was when the picture was over he reached around me and kissed me. A bit startled but always quick on my feet I said, "wait, can you do that again?" Then looked at Donna and said, "take a picture" This time he really kissed me. Whooooo.

Going back to high school, about 10 minutes later a guy came around to the table asking if the bartender could have my phone number. Then he came back with the bartenders phone number on a piece of paper for me. How cute is that? Seriously, felt like I was in high school again and having runners do the notes with the check the block if you like me. Hee hee.

So, he kissed me first. He was a total stranger and it was one really good kiss.

#55 Build a Sand Castle on the Beach 6 Aug 2010

      Visiting friends; John Goddard, and Tim & Donna McLeod, in the northern region of England, they decided to take me to Scarborough. Little did they know that they were getting themselves into one of my goals off the 101 list. It was a beautiful British day, which meant windy with a chance of rain (thankfully it did not rain till on our way home). We got to the beach just in time for me to say, "I want to build a Sand Castle!"

      We all agreed it would be fun so we went to the pound shop. Hee hee not the dollar store but the pound shop, and got some buckets and spades. Then we were off to the beach. They were expecting a quick lump in the sand, I was expecting a full on estate. Plans were in the works. It didn't take long till Tim was banned from the project and we found him a new job. He was to obtain water in the smallest bucket we had. It suited him well.

      John was constantly fighting with personal urges that kept springing up as Donna and I bent over to build the sand castle.

     It took us about 2 hours to complete our Sand Castle. All of us admitted it had been a great time. It is a wonder how as adults you forget how much fun you had as a kid doing simple things like playing in the sand. We all got to go back to our inner child that day. Tim maybe a little more than the rest of us.

     The hardest decision was whether or not to destroy the castle when we were finished and all the pictures were taken. We decided to take a walk and get some ice cream to mull it all over. When we were walking past a young boy had started to play with the castle. Tim and I yelled at him and told him to jump on the castle. He said no and that he couldn't.

     We told him that he could and that he should because we built it and we were telling him to. After a few minutes of coaxing he finally gave into temptation and jumped onto the castle smashing it. Tim then gave all of our pales and building utensils to a young boy who looked like the other and asked, "are you his brother?" the boy said yes. "Go tell him that he cannot come home until he rebuilds it exactly like it was" Isn't Tim lovely.

     Absolutely brilliant day and wonderful achievement. I had more fun building a sand castle with my friends, acting like a 10 year old then I could ever dictate in words.