#62 - Play Paintball

I'm not going to lie, I was terrified of this one (not as much as I am about skydiving).  I had heard some major horror stories about how bad it hurts to get hit by the paintballs.  There were 15 of us that made it out to the paintball field, only 3 girls.

Talk about bonding time...it was a blast. My first hit was right in the facemask and after that I was feeling much better. It barely hurt to be honest, just a quick sting.  The best part about this bucket list item is that it was with some of my favorite wedding industry friends.

I was last person standing on I believe the 2nd or 3rd game and didn't do too bad. They all thought I was going to be the ultimate prissy princess I think but I think I proved that I can hang too.

We went to Orbital Paintball and the people there were really nice and definitely made the experience that much better. They didnt know this was on my list but I appreciate Aaron organizing this industry event and unknowingly getting this off my bucket list!!

#62 - Go Paintballing - COMPLETE!!

Front row left to right: Jason Mize (Photography), Justin DeMutiis (Photography), Dustin (Photographer)

2nd row left to right: Mark Edwards (Photography), Aaron Lockwood (Photography), Phillip MacDonald (aka Phillip Lloyd Photography), Me (The Knot), Eric Harding (Grant Hemond and Assoc.), Jessica (Georgia Watson Events), Ryan Smith (Good Food Catering), Jacob Smeaton (Music on the Move)

Back row left to right: Cory Barron (Grant Hemond and Assoc.), JC York (Wise Guys), Bill Cadzow

*Not pictured - Andrea McMahon (Paper Presence)

#115 - Attend another Gary Gulman show

                               GARY GULMAN

Anyone that knows me well knows I LOVE live comedy! I even had a comedian at my wedding...Well my favorites are Dane Cook and Gary Gulman. I fell in love with his comedy back when he was on "Last Comic Standing". Say what you want but I love comedians who joke about things we all notice but maybe never think to make fun of, smart comedy.

I went with 3 friends to the show and it was beyond my expectations. He's hilarious and a really nice guy (and not bad to look at either). I went to a show a few years back but really wanted to go to another one and finally he came back to Tampa.  We sat in the front row.  A few days before, I started tweeting about him and to my surprise he retweeted me and remembered me when I got to the show. It made my year honestly. To the right is a picture from the first show years ago.

The show was at Side Splitters Comedy Club in Tampa on April 7th. What a blast!!

 The day after I posted on twitter about him exceeding my expectations and check out the sweet reply. What a nice guy he was and simply amazing show.

Check out his website if you want to see clips:

                       www.garygulman.com



#115 - Attend another Gary Gulman show - COMPLETE!

Getting back into the "Bucket List"

It is St. Patrick's Day today and since my last post, so much has happened.  I stayed home tonight with the boys and decided to watch "The Bucket List" again. After the movie, I realized there was an extra feature on the DVD called "Making a Bucket List". The past few weeks have given me very little time to accomplish anything off my list and with my ankle just 2 weeks away from finishing physical therapy, I've been cautious on how far to push myself.

Honestly, it's a miracle I've gotten as much off my list with 3 kids as a single mom and a full time job but that is exactly why I created it...to do something for me.  I tried to understand WHY this list was so important to me, why did I enjoy the fact that people were reaching out to me to help me complete my goals? So as I'm watching the extra feature on my DVD, the writer of the movie said a couple of things that really resonated in my mind. He said that "by writing a bucket list you are admitting that you arent 100% content with yourself". How true!

What I realized tonight is that this list is to push myself personally. It's to make a difference in my life, to change myself.  He said that the point of a bucket list is that "at any time you can extracate yourself from what you're doing and accomplish these goals". 

He hit the nail on the head. I guess I'm searching for me. I'm searching for something inside myself, the answers to my questions, something measurable, something positive, something motivating.  This list so far has done just that.

I will continue with this list because without it, I am just not sure who I am or what my purpose is. I've never really had time to get to know myself. Having my first child at 20 years old, well you put your own needs aside and now at 30 years old with 3 little boys and 2 divorces under my belt...I'm wondering what makes me happy (Yes, I finally said that out loud). So thus the mission continues. I think I'm almost there.  Finally, I am close to understand what makes me tick and why I feel the way I do. It's an amazing journey and I'm ready to continue...

#40 - Grape stomping competition!

The Renaissance Festival is one of my favorite things to go to at the beginning of the year. Not only is there great food but the people get so into the charachters, definitely makes for some great people watching.  My friend Andrea actually found out they were doing this and was sweet enough to get a group together to go assist in getting #40 off the list!

Ashly entered with me, Sandy's daughter Hannah (who happened to win second place) and Lucille's two kids.  I think this would have been easier if I hadn't had an ankle injury, who am I kidding I still wouldn't have won. No one beats a bunch of cute kids. The grapes were freezing cold but I still had a blast!

We saw the living statues from Wise Guys Entertainment on display throughout the festival which was fun. At the end of the day, Andrea and Sandy even put on a ribbon twirling show for us. 

Great friends, food, fun and another one off the bucket list! Goodbye #40 - Entering a grape stomp competition...

#109 - Done!

Walking uphill in the snow both ways....

My dad used to come up with ridiculous stories about how his life was SO hard when I was a kid. He got "an orange for Christmas", "Walked up hill, in the snow, both ways to school" and on and on. You know everyones parents do this but I added #109 to my bucket list because of it. 

So dad...I literally walked up hill both ways in the snow. Although it wasn't to school, it was definitely in 19 degree (maybe colder) weather. Here's the coolest part of this one! I call the hotel to see how long the shuttle will take to come back and get me and the conceirge, Nelson, called my cell phone to make sure I was ok.

He sent two different busses to make sure someone came and got me. He wanted to make sure this little blonde girl was ok walking alone in the night over an icey river by herself. If thats not customer service then I don't know what is. I wrote a letter to his manager to say thank you.  The shuttle driver walked up the bridge to come find me as well.

Not only did I experience one killer random act of kindness tonight but I also had an amazing moment. More detail to come on my blog about visiting the two states. The story continues and trust me...its amazing.

Bucket List Delay!!

More bucket list items have been completed but its been a little slower on the progress the past two weeks because I'm in a boot and on crutches from a slip and fall two weeks ago.  I've realized a lot of the things I want to do require the function of my ankle.
In addition to my ankle, I also got a new job. Most people know by now but I am the new West Coast Florida Account Executive for The Knot. I will be representing the online only side of things. So in love with the company and a great group of people. Stay tuned, more to come!

Can't wait to make more progress!

WOW Moms - The Special Event

The Special Event 2012 was held in Tampa, FL. The Special Event is a conference that is geared towards professionals in the events industry from all over the world. Attending the conference is amazing but speaking...thats huge!  

I was so lucky to be included on a panel of industry WOW Moms who all shared their experiences of being a parent and juggling career.  My section of the panel was dedicated to growing up in the industry. What I learned, what I will pass on and what were my favorite memories and challenges.

Our panel was created by Michelle Bergstein-Fontanez - Exhilarate Events (who also served as the moderator), Stacie Francombe - Inspire Smart Success, Elisa Delgardio - A Flair for Affairs, Christine Logan - Logan Mania, Kelly McWilliams - Weddings by Socialites, Filomena Felix - Rentals Unlimited, Annette Babich - Annette Babich Events, Ruth Moyte - Red Dandelion Creative and Erin Schulte - Exclusive Events

These women are absolutely wonderful! They all had the most amazing perspectives on life, kids and making it all work.

#78 goes off the bucket list!  Ill post some great pictures from Kismis Ink when I get those and video from VH Video as well. 

For more information on TSE go to http://www.thespecialeventshow.com/. Here is the information on our program:

WOW Moms - Event industry mothers inspiring each other

Summary
Being a mother, whether single or married, in the event business is tough!  This industry is exhausting and can take a toll on us, especially those of us who are also matriarchs of our own families. How do mothers – from business owners to sales executives to designers, juggle a healthy family life and career all at once? We all seek the answers to healthy balance, but the answer is different for each of us.

This session will enlighten attendees as we peek behind the curtain: What drives us to continue? What keeps us from throwing in the towel, or yielding to a regular job?  How do we set the example?  What are we teaching?  What is the legacy we will leave?

We mentor our kids, our employees, our colleagues, our interns, even our spouses; we inspire each other through our everyday learning experiences. Yet, who inspires us when our energy and motivation is empty? THIS PANEL WILL !  This industry panel comprised of mothers from all facets of events and from all parts of the country will share the stage with fellow mother/ conference attendees - whether they be new moms or veterans - reflecting on their individual struggles and victories and putting emphasis on the fact that they are not alone in this struggle!

Join the conversation during this session, share experiences, laugh at our mistakes, war stories, and how your fellow event industry mothers are making it happen day to day while still being successful at their careers and family lives.

Methodology
In this 90 min session, pre-interviews of each panel members’ kids will share their perspectives on their mother’s jobs via an edited introduction video, pre-collected social media surveys among event professionals will be revealed,  real life war stories will be showcased through a slideshow of family photo memories from panel members and interested audience members who pre-register.  The questions and answers during the session will not just happen among panel speakers, but the roles will be flipped throughout, where the focus will also be shifted to the mothers in the audience, exchanging what approaches work, what routines are manageable or just getting by tactics which have proved to be successful in daily their lives.