Memory Keeping

As a kid, I always had a "Sticker Album." In high school I kept a photo album filled with magazine clippings, photos and concert ticket stubs. It was natural that as a young adult I would become a Scrapbooker.

  

Scrapbooking has exploded in the last decade. Companies started using metals, and ribbons, and the sky was suddenly the limit. As a creative person I was thrilled, but I did set limits on the things I would produce. It is easy to want to scrapbook every photo, and it's very easy to feel behind all the time.

As an adult I set out to attend one event or accomplish one goal that was scrapbook worthy per month. I would tell myself "My ancestors would not want to see 35 photos of my dog." It was fun to seek out adventures every month, and I loved having things to look forward to. Reliving the experience while making a scrapbook page was a bonus!

An instagram photo of our resident squirrel scrapbooked in a Smash Album.

As life changes, so does my approach. I bought a Smash Album for less serious pages, and I will use it until it's full, but I prefer the good old blank canvas of a piece of cardstock. I fell  in love with the beautiful Project Life designs, and I like the concept of the Simple Stories Snap Album but I know myself and I know I need to begin with a blank slate. It inhibits my creativity when I purchase things that are trying to guide me in a certain direction.

I have let go of the monthly program that worked for me years ago. Now I scrapbook the things that are important, and the trips I take. This works better at this stage of life, though I am still left feeling behind all the time!

XoXo, Liza

Fifty States Flashbacks, A to Z: California

Possibly the loftiest goal on my Bucket List, and one of the most important to me, is visiting each of the 50 states in the USA.

California has so much to offer, and there are many things in the state that remain on my bucket list. There are so many places to visit, and things to see.

 My favorite thing about California by far, would be Disneyland. It is truly one of my happiest places on earth. 

I have been to Disneyland a handful of times as a kid, and twice as an adult. This photo was taken during the 50th Anniversary celebration. I sat on the cement in the hot sun in front of the castle for countless hours waiting for the stars to walk the red carpet at the Pirates of The Caribbean, Dead Man's Chest Premiere. The next year I did it again for the Pirates of The Caribbean, At Worlds End premiere. Talk about an adventure!

XoXo, Liza

U.S Olympic Speed Skating Trials

Last month I was able to witness the U.S Olympic Speed Skating Trials near my hometown of Salt Lake City, Utah. Like many people, I was fascinated by both the sport, and it's top athlete Apolo Ohno, when the Olympics came to Salt Lake in 2002. When I heard Apolo would be a commentator at the trials, I had to attend!

 

The skaters were amazing. There is something magical about watching people who will soon become known by the entire world. These talented young people have so much ahead of them.

Apolo was commentating for NBC, and when the trials were over we waited to ask him for an autograph. I had taken my copy of the book he wrote and he signed the cover. He said you couldn't see it, so he signed inside too. He is a great guy, and a professional in both skating, and the world of media!

 My parents instilled my passion for the Olympics, our world stopped every evening so we could watch. It still does. I have truly enjoyed watching Slopestyle Snowboarding in Sochi, as well as all of my old favorites.

I hope you are enjoying watching the world as well!

XoXo, Liza

Fifty States Flashbacks, A to Z: Arizona

Possibly the loftiest goal on my Bucket List, and one of the most important to me, is visiting each of the 50 states in the USA. The point is to see and enjoy each state. My favorite adventure is to drive through the state, however, because some states are smaller than others, spending a few hours, having a meal, and taking some photos is sometimes good enough. I do have guidelines. Connecting flights in an airport do not count!

I had crossed the border of Arizona a few times in my life (which in my book, does not count) before I was able to visit one of it's major cities. My trip to Phoenix a few years back took place in early February. I have vivid memories of some of the delicious food I ate. And as someone who has always endured cold winters, I have to say, it is blissful to sit next to a pool in February!

XoXo, Liza

2014 Motivation

I have a pretty easy time following through with New Year Resolutions, but I prefer to call it New Years Motivation. I find it more uplifting. Last year, for my birthday, I received two wonderful books. I decided to start using them January 1st.

The first book is called One Line A Day. Each page is a different day, and has space for the next five years. The intention is to write every day. The perfect answer to a journal for someone like me, who sometimes struggles with what they want to say!

 This book is a beautiful robin egg blue color with stunning gold trimmed pages and a permanent ribbon bookmark. The book is very small, and some of the online reviews I read complained it was hard to write in because of its size, and I do agree to some point. But overall, it is so vintage looking and such a wonderful color I can forgive it for any imperfection!

List Your Self (Back) and One line a Day (Front)

 

The second book is called List Your Self. Each page prompts a different thought, and asks you to make a list of answers. I searched through online reviews for multiple books with the same list-type idea. This one seemed to be the best fit for me. Some of the books made me blush! This one does have pages that just don't apply, and some pages where I could only give one or two answers, certainly not a list. Because of that, I am making lists once a week. It is working out well, because I can add things all week, when I think of them.

 

A few other goals I have include finding my dream job, and a new place that doesn't break the bank, but fits our needs. Easier said than done.

Other things that are important to me are to create more, simplify, and document it all. Crossing four states off my list again this year would be awesome! We shall see!

XoXo, Liza

2013 Bucket List In Review

 This past summer I was able to visit four new states in an attempt to cross all 50 of the United States off my bucket list. While I had technically crossed the border of New Jersey a few times before, I can now say I have driven through the state, making it official! I also made a stop in Michigan, though an actual vacation in upper Michigan is something I have also dreamed of. I visited Florida, my first state in that whole corner of the US! And lastly I made a trip to Vermont, a beautiful place where I was able to see red covered bridges, and the burial sight of Robert Frost.

My road trip to Vermont came to fruition because I was taking a tour of The Beekman Farm, in Sharon Springs, New York. If you know Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell from their show The Fabulous Beekman Boys, or their adventures on The Amazing Race, you may know they own a goat farm and business in Sharon Springs. Every Spring the town has a Garden Party Festival and this year I was able to see the farm and meet Brent and Josh. They are amazing down to earth guys with a very bright future ahead of them.

This year I made my second giant cross country trip. I had help, and it was appreciated and fun! We made a stop in Cleveland, Ohio, and while I had been to Ohio before, standing on the lake in Cleveland was breathtaking. The Christmas Story is my favorite holiday movie and the house from the movie has been on my bucket list ever since I discovered that you could stop by and have a tour. We knew our timing would not work out to allow us to take a tour, but it was amazing for a movie geek like myself, just to stand in front of the house. 

Another trip took me to Walt Disney World and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. While I had been to Disneyland multiple times as a child, I had never been to Florida, or the many amusement parks. As a Disney and Harry Potter lover, it was so exciting to see the parks. And as a travel junkie, I may have left a little part of my soul in Epcot.

Last Spring I helped arrange 5 dates in 5 days for myself and my better half. My favorite kind of date is dinner and then renting a movie, and while a couple of the dates were as simple as a dvd, or coffee at Starbucks, the other nights were certainly more exciting... Fancy dining, a chocolate truffle class and Muse in concert. It was an amazing week, and 5 day challenges are definitely something I will continue to set for myself.

This past November I was able to attend a celebration for Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, a holiday where people who have passed on are remembered. This holiday has become increasingly important to me because I like that our love ones can be celebrated in joy. 

2013 was a great year of travel, with additional trips to New York, to see a Broadway Play and Bryant Park. My hope for 2014 is to keep up that momentum, and to focus inward, to cross more personal goals of my bucket list.

Happy 2014, may it be a great one!

XoXo, Liza

Bryant Park, New York City, NY

We have had our first big snowfall where I live. You know, the kind that sticks around for days? After Thanksgiving preparations and the shop-any-way-you-can weekend that follows, it is sad to think that autumn will now slip into winter and I have yet to share a few bucket list events!

Recently, I took a trip to New York City. The trip was needed, but also included a bit of frivolity.

After a brief stint of adoration a few years back for the actor Orlando Bloom, it seemed only prudent that I should see him act on Broadway as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet.

In a nutshell, his performance was amazing. After some great advice from others, our seats were amazing. His attitude with fans after the play which resulted in autographs and photos galore... Amazing.

But I digress. While watching Orlando recite Romeo for an hour, just feet from where I sat, does cause a lot of awe, it was not my only purpose in the big city.

My goal for this trip was a visit to Bryant Park.

More accurately, Le Carrousel at Bryant Park.

I have always adored carousels, and there are so many beautiful carousels in the world waiting to be seen in person. An image of Le Carrousel stuck with me, and while I tried to get there for years when I lived closer, it took a bit longer to work this one out. Finally though, I crossed this sight off my bucket list.

XoXo, Liza