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Showing posts with label learn a new language. Show all posts
Showing posts with label learn a new language. Show all posts

Tuesday, 25 February 2014

It almost tasted like a frappuccino, I LOVE frappuccinos!

I tried this dark beer the other night. Mill Street Vanilla Porter. 



At first it tasted really good! It was all chocolatey and sweet and a tiny bit coffee-ish. It reminded me of a frappuccino so I was really excited. It ended up being kind of heavy though. It was hard to drink very much of it so I didn't finish it. It's good to know that there are beers that I actually like the taste of though! 

In other, more exciting news, I booked a trip to Mexico! My favorite band in the universe (Hanson) is doing a Concert Event at a resort there. I went the past two years they have held this event, which they call "Back to the Island". I realize that Mexico is not an island but the event has been in Jamaica the past couple years and that is where they started it...and it is too late to change the name now, haha. They were unsure if they were going to have another event right away or take a year off. I was rooting for "take a year off" because I knew if they announced another one I would have to go and it is quite expensive. The fact that it is in a new place this year just makes it that much harder to say "no" to! I have never been to Mexico and I have always wanted to see Mayan ruins so it is happening. Now I wish that I would have put "see the Mayan ruins" on my 30 before 30 list, haha. Drats. 

I know it's expensive and that I should not spend my money on this if I want to go to Australia in a year but I can't say no! It is in January 2015. I almost didn't go to the January 2014 one, even though I wanted to more than anything. A couple months before it happened I decided there was no way I was missing it and ended up convincing my sister to come (which might be part of the reason she is obsessed with travelling now and will be coming to Mexico with me as well!). 

Hopefully, this year, I am not so wussy and I can actually go up to the band and talk to them. That way I can ask each of them to take a picture with me and I can cross that off my 30 Before 30 List! I already have a couple pictures of me with the entire band from a Meet and Greet (with a bunch of other people) and the past Back to the Island events. I am always so jealous of the people who have pictures with each of them alone, though! I have to do it!

Hanson and I at their first Back to the Island event - Jan. 2013


I decided that I would find another way to pay for this trip so that it doesn't come out of money that I would have used for paying off debts or going to Australia. That way I won't feel so bad about it. If my husband were coming I would feel less guilty, but he did not want to, and it doesn't seem fair that he will be putting all of his money toward debt and Australia and I will be spending so much on a 6 day trip to Mexico. I think I will try to find a second job to do one day a week on the weekend. It will be hard to work so much but this event is totally worth it. I have the time of my life when I go to these things! I think, for my flight there, I might look for a credit card with flight points, and apply for one that offers a big lump of points as a welcome bonus...

I am going to use this opportunity to cross something else of my list as well. I am going to try to learn Spanish! Now that I have a bit of a reason to do it, I think it might be a bit easier to do! Spanish is a good language to have anyway, plus I am sharing a room in Mexico with a girl I have never met before who, I think, speaks mostly Spanish. It would be cool if I could say some things to her in Spanish! I am so excited to go somewhere new!!  

Wednesday, 22 January 2014

30 Before 30 Instead...

I've decided my bucket list will actually be a 30 before 30 list. I feel like I will be more likely to do the things on the list if there is a time limit on them. So I have almost 4 years to complete this list! I think that is pretty doable...other than the cost of some of this traveling...But that's Future Sam's problem. I might end up changing some things but, for now, here it is:

1) Learn to surf for real (I took a surf lesson in Hawaii but the instructor always had to push me onto the wave instead of me just paddling super fast)
2) Live and work in a new country
3) Go on “Around the World” cruise or just travel around the world
4) Write a novel
5) Travel to Iceland
6) Learn a new language
7) Play guitar (and/or other musical instrument)
8) Go scuba diving
9) Go inside a volcano
10) See lava flowing or a volcanic eruption
11) Travel to New Zealand
12) Complete a 365 project
13) Get a separate picture with each Hanson band member
14) Write a song
15) Start a blog
16) Learn to cook
17) Learn to dance/take a dance class
18) Get a nice camera and take a photography course
19) Get Debt Free
20) Travel Europe/The UK
21) Get decent at skiing or snowboarding
22) Swim with wild dolphins
23) Start liking beer (this probably seems weird but I don't care haha)
24) Go storm chasing 

25) Read a book/novel a week for a year (or 52 books in a year)
26) Do an unexpected nice thing for a stranger (pay it forward, tip 100%, pay for someone's meal, etc)
27) Finish a fitness program (Insanity, T25, P90X, Yoga challenge, Bodyrock challenge, etc) 
28) Find a routine that finally gives me clear skin
29) Travel to Australia
30) See the pyramids 


I have plans for some of these and have started working on some already! This year my husband and I are going to work hard, pay off all of our debt (#19), and save for a yearlong working holiday in Australia (#2 and #29). I have already started learning guitar (#7), started this blog (#15), I usually read quite a bit so I think #25 won't be too difficult, I decided a few years ago that I was going to learn to speak Icelandic (#6) so I have a book and a CD to help me learn I just have to stick with it, and I started my 365 project a few days ago (#12), I am doing the 365 Grateful project on instagram, taking a photo of something I am grateful for everyday. I tried to pick a decent amount of things that I didn't have to travel for so the year I am taking to pay off debt and save money isn't super boring and uneventful haha. I think I am off to an okay start...