Sandy's Year of New Things

1/15/12: went ice skating for the first time in 10 years

sandy214 — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:37:51 +0000

At Patriot Place (Foxboro, MA) there is a seasonal ice skating rink. As it was 8 degrees yesterday, of course we thought it was the perfect day for skating. haha It was great- we had a lot of fun with my dad, his girlfriend, my sister, brother-in-law, his dad, and my niece. Skating comes right back to you which was great- I was fairly certain I was going to break a bone at some point but I didn’t even fall. It was fun to be outside, fun to skate, and fun to spend the day with family.

Cost: $8 +$4 skate rentalImage from: http://www.cksinfo.com/clipart/sports/skating/figure/ice-skating-2.png

12/31/11: Resolution Round Up

sandy214 — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 19:50:22 +0000

Well, this was a big fat fail. 2011 was a great year but I didn’t accomplish most of the things on my list of resolutions. Here’s the link:

http://trynewthings.wordpress.com/2010/12/31/1231-bonus-update-on-my-2010-resolutions-and-some-new-ones-for-2011/

From 12/31/10: New List For 2011

1. Take ASL classes to become conversational.- nope but I did learn a number of signs and am now adept at fingerspelling.

2. Pay off credit card debt.- paid off some but still have a way to go. Should be done by the end of 2012.

3. Start an IRA.- no. Didn’t even attempt to do this one.

4. Learn 1000 Spanish words (I have a flashcard kit that I need to keep up with.) NO- How do you say “fail” in Spanish?

5. Change my eating habits to a more healthy style.- This one I actually did.

6. Read 125 books.- I stopped counting at 45 in July. I did read more books (I would estimate another 20 but I didn’t come close to 125.)

7. Travel someplace new.- YES! I went to Prague with Brian in February.

8. Do two adventurous things (possibly ogo and skydiving.)- I did the Warrior Dash (5K obstacle course) but that’s only one.

9. Create an educational website.- NO! I didn’t even attempt this one either.

10. Stop worrying so much (maybe learn meditation and yoga techniques?)-NO! But I did start doing yoga (which I suck at but enjoy) so hopefully this will work out better in 2012.

Image from: http://crazywebsite.com/Website-Clipart-Pictures-Videos/Feliz_Ano_Nuevo_2012/2012_Feliz_Ano_Nuevo_Fuegos_Artificiales_2012_Clipart-01.jpg

In hindsight, I feel that 10 resolutions may have been too ambitious. I just have 3 for 2012:

1. Read 12 classic novels (1 per month.)

2. Be more patient.

3. Pay off my credit card debt within the year.

Happy 2012 to you and yours!

12/27: fabulous Christmas, looking forward to a super 2012

sandy214 — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 02:25:11 +0000

No big plans but I am really looking forward to seeing what 2012 will bring. I have a feeling it is going to be amazing. I hope it is for you as well. Cheers to health and happiness!

12/12/11: my goodness it has been awhile

sandy214 — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:52:04 +0000

Hi, friends,

I had no idea I hadn’t updated this blog in so long! Sadly, I don’t have a whole lot to tell you about but I look forward to a super exciting 2012 so stay tuned! I wish you all a happy holiday and a fabulous new year!

8/18: wishing a happy birthday to my dad

sandy214 — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 19:10:39 +0000

Hi, Dad,

I love you!

Sandy

7/15: perfect summer day

sandy214 — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:59:53 +0000

Today was the perfect summer day. First, I went to Hampton Beach in NH with my very best friend (since we were 13!) Melody and her super kids (and some neighbors.) It was a perfect day for the beach- breezy, sunny, not too hot. The kids had fun, we got to catch up, and it was nice to be out and about.

Then I headed back to the city.

My friend Noelle and I thought it would be fun to go out on the town for a girls’ night. She came up with the superb idea of sailing in Boston Harbor then going out and about. We went on the Liberty Clipper and it was so much fun! You can help hoist the sail if you want, you can drink ($5 for a beer), and if you go from 6-8 you can start to see the sunset. We had a blast. I’d tell you about after, but things get a little hazy. I know it involved Fanueil Hall. http://www.libertyfleet.com/

Image from: http://www.libertyfleet.com/images/stories/LibertyClipper/bow.jpg

7/1: ate veggie sausage

sandy214 — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 23:32:01 +0000

It was delicious! Who knew? I am going full speed ahead with the reducing meat intake but I admit to some slip ups (in the form of two cookouts to celebrate the beginning of summer.) I’ll keep trying!

*Happy 4, Clara! *

and

*Welcome to the world, Ryder!*

6/25: Warrior Dash

sandy214 — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 13:51:53 +0000

My husband, sister, brother in law to be, brother, and I competed in this ridiculously fun 5K obstacle course in Amesbury. We dressed as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I was Splinter, but I wish I had done a better job with my costume. As we were running/sliding/falling the course, people were cheering for TMNT!

Brian and I were slated for the twelve-thirty slot but Kate, BDC, and Gray were running at noon. Don Don picked us (along with Gray’s girlfriend and my niece) up and drove us all there. We left my place at 10:30 and should have had plenty of time BUT there was over a mile backup leading to the course. Kate told us to jump out so we did and started running. We ended up all running in the 12:30 heat which was great because my mom was able to make it to the finish line (after finally parking) and Kate and I were able to run together and the boys were able to run together.

The race began with a straight uphill which was bottlenecked so we walked it. (If you are going for time, I would suggest starting in the front of your heat- we were at the back.) Then we went into the woods in ankle to knee deep mud. It felt like being on ice skates because you were so coated in mud that you had no traction. First obstacle was some wires you had to cross over and under (lame) but then it went right back into uphill in the mud. The obstacles I loved were the wall (climb a rope up and over then drop to the bottom- I think it was 10 feet) and the balance beam. My absolute favorite was jumping over the fire. The worst was getting hosed off in a snow blower at the end (FREEZING!!) I would definitely do this race again and it was a really awesome day with my family!

Some advice if you want to do a race like this:

Get there early (like 2 hours early so you can park)
Have a DD (free beer at the end!)
Wear shoes that you never want to see again (they will be gross and you can donate them after the race)
Bring a wet washcloth in a plastic bag to sort of clean yourself up
Wear a costume- the people cheering for us really helped with the motivation
Don’t forget the sunscreen and bug spray!
Bring a trash bag to sit on on the way home- you will be filthy! (I changed in a port o potty which I definitely DO NOT recommend. Gross!)
Don’t worry about your time- if you aren’t in the front, you’ll get stuck at some obstacles. (My sister and I could probably have finished 20 minutes faster if we didn’t start in the very back.)

check out: http://warriordash.com/

6/12: Revlon haircolor

sandy214 — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:39:58 +0000

I am blonde, as in super ridiculously brassy blonde, which I love. As I have gotten older, my hair has gone from naturally blonde to naturally God only knows because I haven’t seen it in years. I believe it to be somewhere in the dark blonde to light brown range (either way it looks mousy according to my roots.) I have been recently delving deeper into thinking about animals, animal rights, and treatment of animals and I’ve decided to 1. cut back my meat consumption (I’m basically cutting out red meat and working to decrease my chicken, turkey, and pork products) and 2. research companies before I buy things to see if they test on animals.

Clairol Feria #110 (image from http://static-resources.goodguide.net/images/entities/large/139535.jpg) has been my go-to for a few years now, but I had to try something new because Clairol does test on animals and I don’t feel okay with that for cosmetic purposes. Per http://www.peta.org/living/beauty-and-personal-care/companies/search.aspx?Testing=0, I learned that Revlon is cruelty free. I made the switch yesterday to Revlon (#104 but I am currently coming up with nothing as I am trying to find a picture) and I LOVE the results. I feel great about my hair and I feel good that I am beginning to make more informed decisions about the products that I buy.

6/13- just a quick hello

sandy214 — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:22:25 +0000

Hi, friends,

It has been awhile since I’ve updated and it has been a ridiculously busy few months. Regardless, I have some updates coming in the super near future: ziplining and the Warrior Dash! I promise to write soon!

Wishing you well,