Soakin' Up San Francisco

Inspired by my friends' and my obsession with the bucket list phenomenon, I decided recently that I want to set out on the trail from 25 to 26 with a vision in mind. It's in line with the thinking behind my New Years Resolutions: It's not about setting goals just for the sake of completing them; it's about creating experiences for myself and planning around them in order to build the life I want to lead. 1. Go skydiving. 2. Wine taste in Napa. Flight booked for 2/6 3. Rent a car - with no fees! 4. Paint a mural. 5. Do a Vegas trip. 6. Go back to Seattle (and the Marysville mission) for a visit. 7. Visit headquarters in Cupertino. 8. Make a career step; be it lateral, upward or somewhere unexpected! 9. Move [back] into my own place. 10. Go on my first cruise (if possible) or take a tropical vacation. 11. Plan or embark on my next international trip - attention: Chelsea #20yearanniversary 12. Go to a city I've never visited. 13. Go to a ballpark at which...

Airports make my heart flutter, make my skin tingle. There is so much hidden potential, possibility, inside this hub of travelers.  Inside of an airport, there are countless souls with varied spans of life lived, things experienced. You undoubtedly see an elderly couple glide through at a snail’s pace; there’s always, no matter how strongly you hope against it, a baby’s cry in the vicinity. Some are going, and some are coming home. Some are blissfully reuniting, while others bid tearful farewells surrounded by a million onlookers! They couldn’t care less.  When I say possibility , I don’t only mean due to the destinations. Yes, individuals and families and couples and travelers can have come from anywhere in the world, or are likely headed to a city - country even - that we rarely give any thought to in any given month, year of our lives. It’s also the lives within these people: The endless possibility of career backgrounds, levels of education, family compositions, a...

1. The Walt Disney World Club was born - Orlando, FL We pondered the idea for years, but in 2013 we finally decided to book flights and utilize Scott's perks of working for Disney Interactive by venturing to Florida! Not only did we do three full days of Disney, starting with a brief evening in Epcot after checking into our hotel and fun-filled half-days at each theme park inside the resort thereafter... we also took a taxi to the Universal Studios property nearby and reveled in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! It was an unforgettable long weekend, and what commenced aside from our addiction to Vinyl-mations was the WDWC (Walt Disney World Club: see above.) 2. My "everyone" did Disneyland 2013 - Anaheim, CA My 24th birthday was filled with countless highlights -- including but not limited to Jess and Ryan surprising me at my party, Jill surprising me with my amazing Stitch cake, and Chels inviting me to Ellie Goulding! -- but the culmination of all the a...

Last night, I brainstormed and finalized my official New Years' Resolutions. Even though it's a few days - okay, two weeks - into the year, I've been spending that time doing some reflecting, self-analyzing, and some learning.... the hard way. I've brought up the tough conversation, particularly because it's better to have done it now than later. I've gotten advice from my closest friends who know me, my family who love me, and I've been motivated to believe that I'm capable of at least these these things - and much, much more. I'm locking down these good habits today, giving myself a break on the weekends, and treating myself to small pleasures such as that extra cup of coffee and Disneyland daycations (can't wait!). Finally, while the most popular resolution this year may have been "Not to make New Years Resolutions," I'm one to trust that planning and granting oneself tools and blueprints helps to make projects happen. Winner...

First post of the new year beneath my new blog title*! *in progress. Feedback welcome. It's one week into the new year, and I feel no shame for spending it doing a little bit of reflecting, a tiny bit more indulging, plenty of financial planning, and listing my New Years Resolutions (blog post to follow). I've almost fully recovered from my celebratory New Years Eve, and other partying that ensued this past weekend. One of my resolutions is to achieve three musts - read, write and exercise (physically or mentally) - each day of 2014. I'm working a split shift today, so I asked myself on my drive into work at 6:30am: "What activity could feel better during my pseudo-day off than going for my first run of the year?" As it turns out, nothing could. I decided that one way to both track my fitness progress this year and hold myself accountable would be to use the Nike+ app for iPhone. A lot of my current and former co-workers use it, including Krysty (who motiva...