Recklessly Thirty

Perhaps I'm going against all things I said in the beginning I wouldn't write about by doing this, but if I'm to open y'all up to who I am, I need to be completely honest about some things. I have never been the definition of a good Catholic. I couldn't tell you about the Bible or quote it, who was at the Last Supper, or even what time mass starts on Sunday mornings. When my mom died over a year ago, I quit going to church. Hell it was before then that I had quit going. Why you ask? I was mad at the big guy upstairs. He took my oldest brother from this world and left my family in shambles trying to pick up the pieces and make our lives somewhat whole again. Then he went and gave my mom the cancer back that she fought so hard to get rid of. To make matters worse, he made the cancer spread and he took her just a quick 13 months after my brother. To say I was pissed is an understatement. I had every right to be didn't I? You'd be heartbroken, devastated, ...

When a chance to get away for a weekend arises I'm quick to jump in my car or hop on a plane to any destination that allows myself to feel like I'm really living my life to the fullest. On an evening flight to Memphis one  Friday night  I found myself on an unfilled flight with an empty seat next to me. I read my book that's quite capturing for a little while, but found myself staring out the window instead.  I've always felt like my favorite time to fly was in the early morning. Because when I get to watch the sun rise from above the clouds, I feel as if I'm witnessing a more incredible sunrise than those below on land. It's mine. No one else I know gets to see the surreal beauty that I do. That night I stared at the moon though. Above orangish red hues fading into yellows and pinks that remind me of sunshine and bold colored flowers, on into blue sky surrounded by pillows of clouds, sat the moon shining so incredibly bright. And for a minute, I think maybe...

Earlier this afternoon I was sitting at a swim up bar in a foreign country having a discussion with a friend about having a plan for our lives. Now I'm sitting on a cramped airplane with a window seat, a cramped foot, and possibly some feminine cramps... It's no secret how much I love traveling. How sitting in the airport people watching becomes an amusing past time of mine. Going on vacation with friends is an experience many do not get to have. I have had about a dozen friend-cations, and for that I am grateful. This time I took a trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic with three of my amigos. We stayed at a 4 star, all inclusive resort. We fed our bodies sunshine, good food, and many, many delicious drinks.  Flying to the Caribbean for the first time was exciting. I've never flown over the sea before. It is one of the most beautiful sites out there. The way the water meets the sky and you can't tell where one ends and the other begins. The way the sky is so clear, th...

If you look up the word empowerment in the dictionary you'll see the meaning to be "to give power or authority to; to enable or permit ". Lately, with everything I have going on in my life, it doesn't take more than a few words from someone's mouth to get me down or put negative thoughts into my head. Months and many posts ago, I introduced y'all to a woman that I became friends with through blogging. We called this our bloggership . This is a woman who has a serious talent for writing that I look up to from all the way across the country. Thankfully, when I was given a handful of opportunities recently to write more than ever and to be treated like a writer, some people had opinions and not all of them were good. We are our own worst critic right? I love writing, but I'm nowhere near perfect. I just enjoy doing it and hopefully I give a hint of entertainment at the same time. There's always that one word though that can creep into our heads as wri...

I take Dolly Parton outside on a Sunday evening as the sun is setting. It's a cold chill in late April that when the wind blows it has a soft bite like fall. I close my eyes and I'm taken back to a rainy March morning, a little over 2 years ago, when I first moved home. When the thought of being back in Ohio filled my entire body with rage and despair all at once. I listen to the cars on the other side of my condo on a busy street as they pass and the ones on the highway at the back of my complex. The rest of my surrounding is silent with the exception of a couple geese flying overhead. Suddenly I realize, being home hasn't been the worst like I thought it would... but am I happy enough? I moved home from a place I thought I'd never leave. From a city where I met the man who I thought was the love of my life. I call it my "southern comfort zone" because that's exactly how I still feel about it. Living in Murfreesboro was one of the most exciting,...

None of this can be denied. Sometimes we travel to places that don't have such profound beauty because we have to. Because we have to might make things uncomfortable. Hell, sitting on a plane for a dozen hours is uncomfortable enough. Sometimes it hurts like hell to leave the ones behind that you grew to love in the place that you were. Maybe you took a getaway to heal your broken self and the heartbreak sat with you in a hotel room while you prayed for it to go away.  This quote hit me hard when I read it because experiencing all of these things has changed me and made me better and ready to face the next challenge of an adventure that life throws to me. I crave more of the lessons to learn from everything this world has to offer me! 

When I started my blog just a couple years ago, I wrote up a list of things to do/complete before I turned 30 years old. While some of the things I added to my list were easy enough and others unattainable at the time being, I was only just a short 3 years from turning 30, not giving me much time to really fulfill all of my goals. Besides, writing up the list was probably done quicker than I should have allowed. Now that I'm 30 and I've updated you on how much of that list I have completed and I have really taken a look at what I haven't done, I am giving you my list of 40 things to do before I reach the age of 40. You can call this a bucket list, you can call it long or short term goals. Whatever you call it, I just want to put it out there that I am making plans to reach all of these as best as I can! 10 Years to get to it... Here we go... 1) Read 1 book a month or as much as possible 2) Visit 40 US states (28/30) 3) Go horseback riding 4) Continue writing this bl...