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What: #56 Do a paint-n-pour outing

When: May 21, 2016
Where: The local Paint and Pour studio

Why: For special lady night!! The idea started when my friend Susie suggested a girlie weekend in Ann Arbor, doing the things we miss doing now that she lives on the east side of the state. As we were planning our list of fun outings, getting to check off this item seemed like a good idea and so we invited a few of our other friends to join us.

Our painting instruction started with wetting the canvas, then painting it white. I was feeling pretty competent at that start, so handled those two steps with ease. Then, we had to create the sky for our background by blending blue into our white canvas, and I feel like I had a pretty good handle on that, too. In fact, that was probably the part I was the best at doing, so if you ever need a sky painted on a ceiling or a mural, let me know!

Next, we had to put on the tree trunk and main branches, and here is where my intense rule-following tendencies really went to battle with the artistic flow of the instructions. I tried to copy the exact pattern of the example painting, altho I did try to break the mold by doing it in brown instead of black.

It turns out, however, that making brown is REALLY difficult! I started with orange, and tried to add blue to make it brown, but it kept looking green-ish. I finally got it right, but hadn't made enough in that batch, so I didn't feel like I could add much to my tree without the colors being very different. I know in real life, tree trunks are many colors, but this tree needed just one similar tone, and I couldn't get it.

Then, we were told to add leaves. A woman behind me asked "How many?" and as I strained to hear the answer, I caught the instructor saying that it did not matter. Obviously, the woman behind me was of the same rule-following mindset as me, and we needed parameters! Alas, we had to just go for it.

Then, we added flowers. Most people chose pink or white, but I went for orange! See, I'm already breaking rules!

Our finished products all have similar features, but I loved seeing how we each interpreted the assignment just a little bit differently based on our skills and personalities!

I know that many people have already done similar events - in fact, 4 of the 6 of us had done one before - but it was still a lot of fun to spend a night out, letting our creative minds take over, drinking to the word "moist", and generally having a great time out together!
 

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What: #42 Host a game night for friends

When: December 3rd
Where: The living room
Why: A part of my personality is that I tend to be content hanging out on my own, and gravitate towards quiet evenings to decompress from hectic days at work. When invitations to go out for social engagements come up, I do accept because I truly enjoy being around friends and meeting new people, but I just don't usually create those opportunities in my own home (my sanctuary!). Recently, I wanted to get together with two groups of my girlfriends, and a game night seemed like a fun way to chat, laugh, and spend a nice evening on my couch with friends.

After buying some snacks and popping some popcorn, I got out the evening's entertainment. This particular group of friends is perfectly suited for a raucous card game, so that's what we played. I had a fun music mix playing, too, so we had background tunes to enjoy. If you haven't played the game before, I highly recommend it with a group of your girlfriends; but be warned that you may need to look up a definition or two on your smartphone for an educational experience you weren't expecting to get!

My next game night might include any friends willing to play dorky board games, so let me know if you are interested!

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What: # 20 Go to a murder mystery dinner

When: April 13th
Where: Eastpointe Manor

Mugshot!

Why: Once upon a time, I loved "Saved By The Bell" and the murder mystery episode was one of my favorites. It seemed like a fun experience I'd want to share with my friends if the opportunity arose, so when creating this list of new things to do, it made it on there. Prior to going out to the manor where the murder mystery dinner was held, we received "wedding invitations" telling us a bit about the plot and encouraging us to wear particular outfits. When we arrived, it was a pretty good mix of totally tacky wacky 80s prom dresses and other crazy attire. We opted for reusing those bridesmaid dresses you never get to wear again. There were also the more subdued groups, like the table of ladies we ended up sitting with for the dinner show.

Charlie's Angels!

There is a lot to remember at a murder mystery show, and mostly we were hungry, thirsty, and people-watching, so didn't get into gathering clues as much as others. It was all done in about 3 acts, and many of the characters are chosen randomly from the audience, like our sweet table-mate who was picked to play Candy the Stripper (this woman looked more like a straight-laced optometrist, so that was a pretty funny choice) and the guy playing the groom did such a good job, I thought he was one of the official cast members! At times, we really felt like we were crashing a wedding reception and trying to figure out what was really going on between the bride and her mom and the maid of honor and the best man. At times the action bordered on feeling a bit fake, like when the "detective" had to basically feed lines to Skip Showers - the pool guy - because he had no idea how to use the binder all the characters were given, but overall, it was done well enough that I really had no idea whodunnit! I tried to blame it on the stripper, but it turns out it was....well, you'll have to go out to see for yourself!

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What: #76 Swim with dolphins

When: February 21st
Where: Punta Cana
Why: The idea of interacting with intelligent animals has always been appealing, especially large mammals. I've had the joy of horseback riding, standing next to wild mountain gorillas, watching elephants and lions on safari, feeding giraffes, and now, playing with dolphins in the ocean! I really have no words, so I'll let the pictures speak for me...

 

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What: # 96 Be in a swimsuit photo shoot 

When: February 20th

Where: Arena Gorda Beach, Dominican Republic

Why: Honestly, this is one of those items I had left as a blank to add if something really intriguing came along that I wanted to include on my list. I feel like the point of the list is to go out of my comfort zone, and believe me, this was way WAY out of my comfort zone. Luckily, I was with friends who were super into it, so they paved the way for me to give it a try.

The resort where we stayed had a set of photographers that asked us if we wanted to do a photo shoot, and I assumed it would be fun pictures of us posing in simple group shots out on the beach. That was a small part of it, but what I did not expect was the extremely realistic bikini-clad photo shoot of each of us individually while passers-by gawked and everyone got to listen to the photographer continually shout "boobies up!" at me. Awkward.

I will say, I seriously have a lot more respect for bikini models. It is actually not pleasant to have sand in every crevice and cold waves splashing up your nose and did I mention getting sand lodged in places? Plus, the poses - while they do in fact look awesome - are super unrealistic and tricky to get into with your head tilted just right and your back arched and your feet in the right positions and your shoulders back and all the while sucking it in like crazy. The final product might look sexy (altho I refuse to show my photo to anyone), but it certainly feels ridiculous to get it!

Our classic group shot!

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What: #50 Check off a country I’ve never been to 

When: February 17th
Where: Dominican Republic
Why: I have wanderlust, big time. I absolutely love watching my passport fill up; I'm on my second, and with this recent vacation, I am now at 14 different countries. It seems so small of a number, but every experience has left an important impression on my life. 

This recent journey was a bit different than others because most of my time was spent at an all-inclusive resort complex, so I only saw the real country during an hour or so drive from the airport and to another half-day excursion. There are always comparisons in my head, and this country reminded me a lot of Peru and the more rural areas of Tanzania. It was great to be immersed in the Spanish language again - it is only something I've picked up during my travels, but it comes back in waves so I can communicate in basic conversation. Otherwise, the best part of my time in the country was the incredible weather. Warm and sunny 80s with puffy clouds and ocean breezes every day. I loved laying on the beach in the shade of a palm tree, listening to the waves, reading a couple books, people-watching, and generally unwinding in a gorgeous place. 

 

Fifty-one down...1 to go...

What: # 87 Stay at an all-inclusive resort

When: Booked December 28
Where: Punta Cana
Why: When I travel, I usually do it on a budget, and I typically do all the research to find the best deals on flights, hotels, food, and things to see and do. While I do love planning (a lot!), it is also very time-consuming and at times a bit overwhelming. So, I've lived vicariously through a few friends who have taken trips in the past to all-inclusive resorts, and the idea seemed appealing on a certain level. This year, some friends and I decided to plan our own trip to a resort, and while it did still require a lot of decisions up front about where to go, how long to stay, and the types of adventures to have, it is now completely booked, and we just get to look forward to it; oh, and buy fun new beach clothes and bathing suits for our week of lounging in the sand and at the pools!

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What: #13 Go to a psychic/tarot card/palm reader 

Where: My friend's house party

When: April 20th

Why: I’m a walking contradiction when it comes to the supernatural. While I frequently will read my horoscope and admittedly use it to determine minor aspects of my upcoming day/week, I also take it with a grain of salt knowing it is intentionally vague enough for me to fill in the blanks. 

This book is surprisingly accurate!

     As a huge believer in fate, I think that certain people or things show up in my life for a reason, but I also want to believe in free-will, knowing that I can choose a new path anytime I desire. So, with a large amount of skepticism, but also a healthy dose of curiosity, I accepted an invitation to my friend Lindsey’s psychic party. There were 7 of us there, and I was the last to have my reading, so it was interesting to see the looks on the faces of the others who went before me. Most of them looked freaked out, and told tales of how spot on the psychic was pulling big things out of the air about their health, their pasts, their families, upcoming life events, etc. There were a few stories told around the table that definitely were eerie with what she knew, and a few others that were ridiculous that she was trying to put something together that wasn’t there. Still, it seemed overall that she was hitting on some key points in each of their lives, so I was anxious to have my turn. I had thought ahead of time of a couple questions, general things like big events, names, dates, that sort of thing. And I also gave some thought to some of the unintentional signals I might give off and how that might be interpreted by a person who is incredibly intuitive, so I likely entered the room a bit more closed off than I normally am. Or a lot more. It was the skeptic in me taking over. 

Right away, she started asking me about my sibling, and trying to make a connection with Chicago, and I wasn’t feeling it. There were other times that I felt she was reaching and heading down a path that led nowhere. Still, there were certainly a few things she said that stuck with me. I’m not saying they were deep dark secrets or she revealed any big hidden plans for my life. But, there was one issue in particular that she hit on that is not a common thing I’d think one would guess, although I suppose given enough pieces of a puzzle, it might be a small leap to this one. Anyhow, I have to admit after that short segment where it seemed she did discuss something most people wouldn't know about, I did start to pay a bit more attention to what she said. Some of it was out of left field (she is convinced my work place has a carbon monoxide problem that I need to alert the authorities about), but some of it made sense. So, if I’m spending more time at the pool, more money on clothes (because she referred to me and my attire as soccer-mom-ish on more than one occasion…really?!?), and more time in Canada, it’s all because the psychic told me to do it. Oh, and she intimated that I’d have two homes, adopt one kid and end up with a smart guy who cares about grammar…I feel like I just played "MASH" in middle school again! :)