This May, 60 bloggers will descend upon the Las Vegas Strip, for the fourth annual Bloggers in Sin City unconference, meetup, and otherwise wildly amazing weekend. I’ve been there since the first year, and can’t even begin to express the magic that happens in these four days.

I put together the collage above to try to do it justice. You’ll notice there’s both a cheese plate AND a bowl of mac and cheese in the middle of all of the wine and balloon hats, so even if you hate people and sunshine and magic (which my rose-colored-glasses-worldview tells me IS NOT POSSIBLE), CHEESE should be reason enough to get your ass to the desert. At least, that’s how I feel about the cheese plate at Otto and the TRUFFLE MAC AND CHEESE at Serendipity3. The people, pool-time, and crazy awesome VIP-style things we do are just icing on this cheese cake. Or wait, it’s probably the other way around. Depends on how you feel about cheese, I guess. Also, now I’m thinking about cheesecake.

MOVING ON.

Why should you (if you’re a blogger) stop thinking about going and just sign up already? THESE reasons, right here:

1. Vegas is a BLAST. Before ever going to Vegas, I was absolutely certain that I’d hate it. I dislike crowded dance clubs, I hate paying obscene cover charges to get into those crowded dance clubs, and I don’t gamble (much). As it turns out, Vegas has SO much more to offer than that stuff, as anyone who’s ever been can attest. Vegas has some of the most amazing restaurants by world-renown chefs, has crazy shows like Zumanity (more on this next!), and the lay-by-the-pool-in-the-hot-desert-sun is hard to argue with.
2. Zumanity. Or any other Cirque du Soleil show, for that matter. Or any other crazy Burlesque-type show, for that matter. Last year, we saw Absinthe, which was this sexy (sometimes raunchy), hilarious, mind-blowing, stunt and acrobatics, Burlesque-themed show. This year, the ticket price includes ZUMANITY, Cirque’s risqué, 18+, erotic show (like, you-have-to-be-18-to-even-view-their-website kind of show). I’ve seen this one before, so let me offer a tiny preview, based on what I remember: the opening scene is this incredibly hot swim-dance thing between two women in a giant martini glass. There’s also some kind of kinky cage fight, and an aerial performance, that’s um… noteworthy. RIGHT? Right.
3. Your ticket price includes more than just a naughty gymnastics show. Like all of this stuff, including a private dessert-tasting at Serendipity3 (I die), our very own reserved pool space at the Flamingo Go Pool, and a MAD MEN THEMED LOUNGE PARTY at Chateau (Paris Hotel).
4. It’s my favorite weekend, all year, every year. And I have really good taste in weekends.
5. You can carry open wine bottles (and other drinks) around on the Strip (see photo above).
6. Whether you’ve been-there-done-that or this is your first year, the relationships you’ll start, cultivate, and toast to here are going to change your life. Promise. Because bloggers are amazing people, and getting a big group of primarily personal bloggers in the same space, surrounded by sunshine and glitter, well, it makes for some pretty sparkly friendships.

BONUS. Someone’s going to Bloggers in Sin City FOR FREE. Each registrant is automatically entered to win, raffle-prize-style, a fully paid ticket, courtesy of Paper’d, the iPhone app that makes your phone as pretty as everything else Shatterboxx has ever touched. Ready to jump in? Register here.

Are you going to BiSC? Make sure you’re following @sincitymeetup on Twitter and the official #BiSC hashtag (which is full of excitement, introductions, questions answered, and general awesome-ness). Also, if you’re going, leave a comment here linking me to your Top 5 Things You Should Know About Me page on the BiSC site so I can start stalking getting to know you better. Want to learn a few things about me (hints: tutus, Girl Talk, pole dancing, champagne, and tattoos)? Here’s my page.

HURRY UP! There are only FIVE FOUR spots left! Just kidding! We’re sold out, bitches! But wait! There’s a waitlist.

Sanctuary.

I’ve been sitting closely with that word for the past couple of days. It started when I made a little joke to myself (and Twitter), as I entered a yoga studio on Saturday for the first time in WAY too long.

I checked in and titled it, “Church,” and joked with myself that this place, a yoga studio, this practice… it really is my church.

It’s where I go to pray, to confess, worship, express, find joy, healing, and wholeness. Yoga is my church, and when I stepped back into my sanctuary on Saturday morning, I felt like I’d come home.

Sanctuary. I thought of that word as I rolled out my mat and settled in. If the practice of yoga is my church, then the studio — this room — it is my sanctuary.

What does that mean? What IS a sanctuary?

A place of peace, of reflection. A safe place. A place of no judgment, no pretense. A place where I am enough. I am whole, pure, and perfect.

Saturday’s practice was a nice homecoming, but Sunday’s really drove it home.

I continued to chew on this idea of sanctuary, feeling good and groovy in this place again on my mat.

Until.

Until the teacher started talking about the practice we were about to start. Until he mentioned that our focus would be the second chakra. The Swadhisthana chakra. The place of creativity and sexuality. Of creation and expression.

Sure, I knew I was in the right place and in the right time, but in that moment, I was simultaneously relieved and also terrified to allow myself to be present in that place.

Let’s be honest. Sometimes the cards we’re dealt, the life we’re living… it’s intensely overwhelming. We’re suddenly in places we weren’t prepared for, with no guidebook, wondering how the hell we got here and what exactly the hell we’re supposed to do with all of this.

Yoga doesn’t care about any of that. The Universe laughs at our attempts at controlling the events of our lives, and then somewhere in the midst of seeming-chaos, there’s a sanctuary. A perfect place of acceptance and purity, and in here — it just doesn’t matter.

It doesn’t matter who you are.

It doesn’t matter how old you are.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a stay-at-home mom or dad or CEO or student.

It doesn’t matter if you consider yourself an entrepreneur, an intrepreneur, or a solopreneur.

It doesn’t matter who you love or who you’re attracted to.

It doesn’t matter whether or not you live it up and dance the night away on Saturdays, or curl up with a book or Netflix or Twitter.

It doesn’t matter if you’re into sci-fi or documentaries or sitcoms or dramas. Or if you’re a cat person or a dog person. Or into country music or hip hop.

It doesn’t matter who you are.

In this sanctuary, you are perfect.

You are who you are, who you always have been and always will be. You are what is. You are what is perfect. You are what is pure.

You just… are. No matter who you are.

And that is a beautiful, amazing thing.

So, here we are. Here I am.

The practice of yoga and the classes and studios that surround it… this is my sanctuary. Today, about a song or two into the class, I started to digest all of this. All of this stuff I just previously wrote out and typed up, I started to process it. Somehow, I started to feel as though I embodied it. I felt powerful and beautiful. And then, it happened.

It happened so quickly and with no warning. We’d just spent 10 minutes chanting in Sanskrit and were about to talk about chakras and limbs and Patanjali and mudras.

And then there it was.

“Lord, prepare me
to be a sanctuary.
Pure and holy, tried and true.
With thanksgiving,
I’ll be a living
sanctuary for you.”

I hadn’t heard that song in ages, but it had always been a favorite of mine from actual church (not yoga church). It’s the simplest of prayers, a most basic request, and when I heard it, my eyes welled up with tears and I completely crumbled (on the inside… somehow I managed to keep with the asana practice).

I realized that sanctuary isn’t only a place. It’s not a building or a studio. It’s not hardwood floors or pews or a room filled with beautiful chants. It’s a state of mind. It’s a place somewhere deep inside of my own heart.

It’s a soul thing. And I have access to it, even when I forget that.

Happy New Year!

So, it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve posted, but I loved this break from everything except the things that were directly in front of me, like Christmas, moving across town, and much-needed rest. Here’s what’s been shakin’ in these parts since we last met here:

To the [Whiskey] Cloud

Miraculously, I had a relatively light work week leading up to Christmas. This gave me the time and mental energy to spend some time working on internal projects for Whiskey Cloud. While GoDaddy’s [since revoked] support of SOPA blew my mind and pissed off most of the Internet, let’s just say that starting to talk more and more about the hosting service you provide, specifically to like-minded bloggers, at exactly the time when GoDaddy pissed everyone off… well, it’s been keeing Nico and I pretty busy!

It also made us quite optimistic that our little “bloggers helping bloggers” business could be seeing some real growth in 2012. We’ve brought on a number of you in the past couple of weeks (welcome!) and will be setting up others in the next few days and weeks to come (I’m catching up, I promise!).

The best part of this business is that we get to work with bloggers, and you folks are our people.

That being said, if anyone’s been considering jumping the GoDaddy ship (for hosting and/or registration), let me know! We can help you move your registration from GoDaddy to Namecheap [referral link]. I’m loving Namecheap, most notably for their quick and super helpful customer service. And we can move your hosting from GoDaddy (or really, wherever you are; we’ve done a couple of Bluehost transfers this week as well) to Whiskey Cloud if you’re ready to do so. Not ready, but have questions? Email me.

Here’s my absolute favorite part of our sales pitch: We’re cheaper than GoDaddy (we match their cheapest plan, which is currently a special promotion). Hosting is $50 per year, and the best, best part? Your tech support team is me (your Fairy Blogmother) and Nico (Chief Robot).

Take me to the cloud!

We’re working on our web page now (because it’s high time we had one!), so stay tuned for that grand unveiling.

‘Tis the Season to Just Chill the Eff Out

Besides working on our business, I also got a chance to just relax a bit. Chris and I enjoyed some downtime before things got a little crazy with our cross-town move on New Year’s Eve. Since we had the time, we took advantage of longer lunches, running before work, and time spent with our friends before they all skipped town for Christmas.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were low-key, and absolutely lovely. We saw movies (in three days, we saw We Bought a Zoo, Sherlock Holmes, and The Descendents). We lounged around. We Skyped with my family a few times, and we leisurely enjoyed our coffee and gift exchange on Christmas morning before sitting down to a stellar mimosa brunch at a local restaurant. (Pro-tip: turns out hotel restaurants are largely open on Christmas Day!)

Gift Exchange!

My favorite gifts from Chris? A painting from local Portland artist, Brenda Dunn (she does these amazing pin-up-style paintings) and a poster-sized print of the Holstee Manifesto.

Oh! And he also got me a gift certificate that covers the intro class at a local pole-dancing studio. One of my 2012 plans is to check out pole dancing. I’ve heard it’s a killer workout (and some of my bests have done it, love it, and have the buff arms to show for it!), and I’m looking for some interesting ways to spice up my strength-training. Anyone ever tried it? What should I expect (besides bruises…)?

My favorite gifts for Chris were a fancy shoe horn from a local haberdasher (everything about that sentence feels so fancy!) and a year’s worth of movie-watching at a theater near our new house. Chris is a big-time movie fan, so once a month for all of 2012, a movie date night is on me!

New House!

We moved out of our tiny downtown studio apartment and into a 2-bedroom house in a neighborhood on Saturday. Yes, Saturday. As in New Year’s Eve. We also thought it’d be “easiest” to just “host everyone at our house!” on New Year’s Eve, since we now have the space to do so (including sleepover space! and air mattresses!).

It all worked out in the end, but considering that the Actual Moving Process takes all freaking day, we ended up at our own house, at our own party, exactly 9 minutes before it was supposed to start. Lucky for us, we have amazing friends who can take over for us while I calm down from all the running around of moving.

I literally said, “Ok! You’re all in charge. I’m taking a shower,” and left our friends in charge of hosting our own party in our own house, within an hour after taking residence of it.

Like I said, it all worked out in the end and we had an amazing, late-night, lots-of-champagne New Year’s Party in our new place. I couldn’t think of a better way to break in and “housewarm” our new place.

New Header!

Since Christmas is over, it’s time to take down the decorations (including the blog decorations), and put up new, sparkly, festive, January-ish vibes. In case you missed the December header, this is what I whipped up:

I figured that since my tagline [always] includes “champagne with breakfast,” and January (New Year’s) is famous for champagne, then why not include a photo of the bubbles and some bright, fun colors to go with it. So, bubbly, pink, and blue it is!

New Magic

Instead of lots of resolutions (of which I do have a couple, and I will share them soon enough), I prefer to set intentions for the years (and months, and days…) ahead.

2011′s intention was brilliance. And yes, it was most definitely a bright year. 2012′s intention, or word, or self-proclaimed theme…

~ * Magic * ~ 

The unexpected, the unable to fathom.

The power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces.

Miracles. Sparkles. Waving your hands frantically around in the air, until suddenly a bunny appears. Or maybe glitter appears. I’m not sure how this works just yet. But 2012? Is the year of magic for me.

Whew! That was a lot of information. Let’s get settled back into our normal routine around here, shall we?

How was your Christmas? New Year’s? And what are you proclaiming for yourself in 2012?

[Magic wand photo credit]

Merry Christmas, lovely readers and friends!

Roxy, Kona, Chris and myself wish you the happiest of holidays with your friends, family, and loved ones. It’s been an incredibly magical year here at doniree.com (and at Nomadic Foodie!), and I’m so grateful for each and every one of you and the joy you bring to this little space here.

I’ll return sometime next week!

Merry (Meow-y) Christmas!

Love,

Doniree

P.S. A very, very happy birthday to my dad! Happy Birthday, Pops! Wish I could be there to celebrate with you, but we’re thinking about you and raising a glass of bubbly in your honor here in Portland!

In honor of your birthday, here’s a photo collage. Love you!

(Oops, I meant Domaine Serene.)

I feel like Thursday is the most appropriate time to post this kind of list, since so many of you post your favorites a la Things I Love Thursday. Here’s my round-up of, well, A Few of My Favorite Things, rightthissecond.

Holidays smell better than all of the other days.

Here’s a tip for making your house or apartment smell the most amazing, even if you’re not currently baking, burning candles (though, those work nicely), or sipping apple cider.

You’ll need: cinnamon sticks, cloves, water, and a small pot/saucepan.

Fill the saucepan about 2″ deep with water. Place a couple of cinnamon sticks and a few cloves in the water, and simmer on low. Add more water occassionally, as it will evaporate and burnt cinnamon does not smell as awesome as simmering cinnamon.

You’re welcome!

Influenster AKA Free, Neat Stuff for Sampling and Such

At the tip of a friend, I recently signed up for Influenster. It’s a free service (your currency is your influence!) where you sign up, fill out some surveys about your buying habits, lifestyle, and interests. When you give that feedback, you earn badges. Oh! And this is not just for women! Guys, you’ve got badges on here too.

The badges then qualify you for certain products and boxes, and every so often, they’ll ship you a box of goodies (for free!) that are matched with your interests and lifestyle. If you’re the kind of person who loves to share the things you love with your blog, Twitter, and Facebook followers — you’ve GOT to check this out.

The goodies in my Holiday Voxbox were super fun, useful, and gave me a chance to test some products I’d have never found otherwise.

Like Lash Primer.

Seriously. Lash Primer. I can pretty much guarantee that I’d have never bought this on my own accord. Conditioner for my lashes? Snake oil.

As it turns out, the stuff is legit. I have light, short lashes and while mascara helps, the added step of the Garden Botanica Lash Primer made a BIG difference. My lashes were more defined, the mascara went on more smoothly, and it lasted longer.

BOOM. Sold.

Speaking of lipglosses, the Birchbox Pink Jouer Lip Gloss in December’s Birchbox is amazing.

Love the color, love the texture. One coat and it’s a nice touch of pink. Two to three coats and it’s a bright, vibrant, juicy color. Amazing.

[photo credit: my ever-changing life]

My November box had Jouer’s Lip Enhancer. I’d never used these products (Jouer) before and I’ve now found two new lip products I’m in love with. I used some of the Birchbox points I’ve acquired (from referrals, giving product feedback) to grab the full-sized version of this because I like it so much. I think this just replaced a giant handful of lip products I’ve been keeping around.

Can’t afford a salon manicure or just don’t have the time? Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips are a dream. 

These hit the market earlier this year (spring, I believe) and I first tried the sparkly pink glitter ones. Then, the denim. Now, I’m wearing the Houndstooth, and I grabbed some gold glitter strips for New Year’s.

They take about 20 minutes to put on, they last at least a week if not more, and they’re less than $10. If you’re feeling funky, there are great patterns like leopard, hot pink camo, and fishnet. If you’re more traditional, they’ve got some solid colors as well.

I’d go to bed on time/early/at a reasonable hour each night if it weren’t for Words With Friends.

No, seriously. I’ve got about ten games going on right now because when I want to play and it’s not my turn, I find new people to start games with. Is there a support group for this?

I’ve tried a handful of all kinds of Project Management applications, and nothing has blown me away as much as Asana is doing right now. Except the part where they’re saying it wrong. Unless they don’t mean the Sanskrit word used to refer to the physical, posture-practice of yoga. Then, we’re all good.

I use Freedcamp, Basecamp, Google Docs, Google Sites, and all kinds of other methods of communicating with my clients and subcontractors alike, and nothing has impressed me the way Asana has. I’ve been using it for the past couple of weeks, and it’s brilliant. Simple. Clean. FREE. Well, free up to THIRTY USERS PER WORKSPACE. So, I have a Workspace that I share with Nico for our Whiskey Cloud (hosting) clients and internal work. I have a Workspace that I share with my Food writers on TwentiesHacker.com. I have a Workspace that’s my own personal to-do list (make hair appointment, pay electric bill, etc), and a Workspace for my blogs (including my food blog).

[Photo credit: cinnamon sticks, Jouer in "Birchbox pink"]

The product: NYC New York Color Liquid Lip Shine ($2.49)

The color: I received the Nude York City, a perfectly natural, neutral color that’s awesome worn alone or on top of other colors.

The take: Love it! I love a lip gloss that’s soft and shiny, not goopy and thick. This one not only looks shimmery and gorgeous, but it feels good, too.

My favorite way to wear it: Ever since I dyed my hair white blonde, I’ve had a blast playing with brighter and darker lip colors that previously made me look washed out. When I want to add shine and shimmer to a bold color, this lip shine is a perfect top gloss.

For more product information, click here.

Disclosure: I received this product for free as a part of my partnership/relationship with Influenster.com. Opinions, as always, are my own.

Earlier this year, I was inspired when Nicole decided to quit drinking for five weeks for a number of reasons, one of which was to see how that decision affected her ability to get a decent night’s sleep. Then, in August, Jenny and I (and some other fabulous women) did various levels of a cleanse: for some, it was 21 days of no carb, no sugar, no booze. For others (myself), it was seven days of no booze, no carbs, no pork/beef, and easy on the sugar. Conversations with both of these crazy amazing women have stuck with me, and I finally see what Nicole meant when she said,

“You won’t decide to quit drinking, for example, or to change any habit, until there’s a reason for YOU to do it. Not my reason, not someone else’s reason, but yours. Until it’s important to YOU, it won’t matter. It’s that simple. It just  won’t change.”

Casual drinking (happy hours, a glass of wine at the end of the day) has just become a part of my routine. When I got sick last month (sinus infection, upper respiratory something-or-other) and it was significantly affecting my quality of sleep, I decided to skip out on any and all booze for a few days so as to sleep with a clear mind/body.

It worked. I slept like a baby, Chris finally slept well (because I was finally sleeping well), and I realized that even a single glass of wine in the evenings can affect my sleep quality, my mental alertness, and how I choose to spend my time.

Cold turkey doesn’t work for me. Neither do arbitrary timelines or goals. Maybe I’m afraid of failure; I don’t know. I just know that’s not how I do things.

I’m not about to take a 21-day or 5-week hiatus, but I have re-evaluated what I want my weeknights (and subsequently a large portion of my waking life) to look like in 2012.

I’ve been saying for a long time that I want to pick up more hobbies: sewing, knitting, pole-dancing classes (I hear it’s a killer workout! Cross-training!), web design classes, etc., and I often lament my “lack of time or money” to do more yoga or to take cooking classes. The truth is, I have the time and the money, but I’ve chosen to spend it elsewhere: on happy hours, cheap wine, and being lazy.

I’m too old to still be drinking cheap wine. Unless it’s good. Then it’s ok that it’s cheap. But I’m too old to not be drinking wine that legitimately tastes good.

So, my Numero Uno personal goal (business goals will be addressed separately) is to replace the bulk of weeknight happy hours and/or other social drinking activities with hobbies, classes, and relationship-building that’s based on learning and shared experiences.

Sure, there will be exceptions to this here and there, but generally I’d like to reallocate my budget of both time and money to activities that are going to keep me healthier, involve learning something (because when I get bored, I get cranky), make me a generally more interesting person, and provide a more opportunities to spend time with other people with shared interests.

I pitched this idea to some girlfriends here in Portland, and I’m stoked that it was met with such enthusiasm. I have running partners, pole class partners, sewing class referrals, and girlfriends interested in a knitting circle.

Here’s to a RICH new year filled with new interests, deeper relationships, and creative experiences.

What’s your #1 goal for 2012?

[Photos: 1-mine, 2-Flickr]

While I spent half of my formative years in Minnesota, I definitely did not grow up ice skating. Sure, I owned my own pair of white skates with hot pink laces, and sure, our neighbor had an ice rink in his backyard every winter through junior high and high school, but Minnesota is cold in the winter and outdoor winter sports just never became my thing.

The last time I went ice skating was something like 6 years ago.

So, when Sean suggested ice skating as a group activity this week, I was pretty excited and a little nervous as I forgot what it felt like to be on blades. The good thing is that Portland doesn’t get cold enough for outdoor skating, so last night’s events transpired at a local mall.

At first… I was shaky. My shins burned from the use of muscles I didn’t even know I had, and I felt sort of like a baby giraffe learning to walk. At the end of two hours though, I was skating with a little bit of confidence (but not too much, no need to get cocky) and realized that I’d learned a few things in two hours on the ice that are just as relevant off the ice.

It’s a whole lot easier if you just relax.

As Chris and I were getting used to our new legs, we were talking about what worked and what didn’t. He asked if I leaned into my skates, shins up against the back of the top part of the skate. I realized that the more I did, the more stable I felt. I also realized that this meant bending my knees, which meant less joint-locking and muscle-tensing, and more relaxed muscles. It’s counter-intuitive. You’d think that loosening up and shaking it out a bit would make you more unstable, but it’s the opposite. As soon as I let the tension go, I found that I was more stable, more confident, and it was more fun.

And then I realized that the same thing is true in anything else we do. If we’re worried, tense, or anxious, we don’t do our best work. We’re not as kind to ourselves and the people we encounter. When we’re happy, healthy, and relaxed, we’re more confident, we do better work and our relationships are better because we’re better partners.

So, relax already.

You can learn a lot from watching people who are doing it well, and when you really want inspiration – ask them how they do it.

I looked around at other skaters (who were consistently upright) and watched their form. What can I learn from the people who obviously know what they’re doing?

It’s the same thing in my professional (and personal) life: I’m constantly looking to other bloggers, solopreneurs, and successful women in general for inspiration. How did they get where they are? What works? What are the habits of successful people, and how can I emulate that?

Watch and learn, and if you want more – ask and learn.

New things are usually uncomfortable at first, but practice makes perfect, or something. Basically, it gets easier.

Getting started is always the hardest part, right? A new project, a new recipe, the first few dates, your first lesson of a new hobby, class, or skill. Training your body or mind to do something new is always a challenge and is a little uncomfortable because it’s new. It’s different. It’s a skill we haven’t yet mastered or even grown familiar with yet. It hurts a little.

But… then you figure it out. Your muscles learn how to move, how to balance, and how to get on the same wavelength as your brain. And then suddenly, at some point, you’re just… doing it. You don’t have to think about it, don’t have to tell your feet where to go or your body how to balance. It just happens because your muscles learn.

It’s the same thing, learning any other skill. It can be frustrating at first, trying to build new connections in our brains about how to do something. But then, you get it. Even just a little, but that’s just enough to hook us. And then we keep learning until one day – we’ve mastered it.

There are plenty of social alternatives to happy hours and boozing.

I’ve taken an alcohol hiatus this week, namely because I’ve been sick-ish for the past 3+ weeks and hadn’t gotten any real sleep that whole time. Not sleeping was affecting my mood in a BIG way (you don’t realize you’re not sleeping well until three weeks of not sleeping well turn into total dissatisfaction with your life and a complete inability to explain why you’re so damn sad all the time).

Deciding that alcohol (even just a drink or two) was making that worse, I decided to skip it a few nights ago and until my health and happiness returned. I’m feeling better (yay!), and am still on a detox of sorts until I decide it’s worth it to compromise my sleep habits again. So far, it hasn’t been because now both my nights and mornings are more relaxed and productive.

Ice skating, for me, was infinitely better than a happy hour alternative because it’s cheaper, I’m not hungover today (though I am a little sore), I got two hours of a cardio and strength-training workout in, and I got to hang out with my friends. Win, win, win, and win. Across the board.

What life lessons have you discovered in the unexpected this week?

[Photo credit: photo of the boys is mine; the others are Kate's]

[via]

Random self-realizations have been crossing my mind lately, so I thought I’d share them here in the form of a list of confessions you may or may not know about me. Happy Thursday!

1. I have absolutely zero feelings about the fact that Ryan Gosling wasn’t voted sexiest man alive. He’s hot, yes, but sexiest man in the world? I don’t get it.
2. I’m scared I just lost half my readers admitting that.
3. My Starbucks usual is a Grande, Two-Pump Hazelnut Latte. There are usually four pumps of sweetener in a grande. Too much sugar!
4. I can’t burp. Well, I mean, I can’t on command. And I generally just don’t. I really wish I could. Sometimes when I do, by accident, I get really excited about it and make sure to tell anyone who might appreciate it. Often this translates to me texting my mother, sister, or boyfriend to let them know that I burped and I’m excited about it. It’s the little things, right?
5. If I had extra money right now, I’d spend it all at a salon/spa. I so desperately need would really like a hair cut and color, manicure, pedicure, and an eyebrow wax. And a massage.
6. I’ve always thought that I was awesome. I’ve always had a pretty solid relationship with myself. I think I’m really cool. My bigger challenge comes from the concern I have about what other people think of me. This is something I’ve been paying more attention to (how I react to it), and I’m learning to find a balance between “being authentic” and “hoping to all hell I don’t offend someone.” It’s a tough balance for me to find, but I’m learning that the more authentic I am (even if someone doesn’t like it as much as I do), the happier I am.
7. I think I have more celebrity girl crushes than I do celebrity boy crushes.
8. Glee is my favorite show on TV right now.
9. My other favorite TV shows are: Modern Family, Community, 30 Rock, and The New Girl. Hulu is so much better than cable…
10. …except that I *do* miss the Cooking Channel.
11. I can’t keep up with snark. I’ll try sometimes, and I was once told after spending a full day with Ben and Jamie that I completely nailed it (thanks, friends!), but it’s just… not something I do well. Maybe it’s internal guilt/fear about the possibility of offending someone (see #6). My internal monologue could probably hack it, but I think I’m too paralyzed by the possibility of offending someone that it rarely goes beyond a thought. I’m mostly OK with all of this.
12. When I need to buckle down and seriously get shit done, I put headphones in and blare Girl Talk’s “All Day.” It gets me in the zone faster than anything else. Doing this after my second cup of coffee helps, too.
13. I’m sad I won’t see my Minnesota family at Christmas, but happy I’ll be traveling in January to meet up with them (and other family) in Alabama.
14. Sometimes I wonder if I have anything at all figured out.
15. I’m really inspired by my friends.
16. I’m also really inspired by Pinterest.
17. I think white Christmas lights are the prettiest Christmas lights.
18. I’ve never seen The Goonies.
19. I used to have a hard time spelling the word ‘license,’ but I finally figured it out. The words that give me trouble now are ‘inadvertently’ and ‘curriculum’ (thank goodness for spellcheck, yes?).
20. I think Lady Gaga is absolutely brilliant.
21. I’d go to bed at 10pm if it weren’t for Words With Friends.
22. I don’t [think I] know nearly as much as [I think] you think I do…
23. …but I also know I that know much more than I give myself credit for.
24. I don’t like Starburst.
25. I miss my sister (and niece, and parents) on the daily.

Your turn! Share your secrets with me? What’s something we don’t know about you?

I don’t know if my mother knows this, but I have this special thing for butterflies because of her. More accurately, I have this special thing for butterflies because she’s constantly likening me to one. A social butterfly, a wanderlust-y never-in-one-place-for-too-long butterfly. Someone who flits about different groups of people, different cities, different interests.

I always thought that was kind of nice. Butterflies are pretty, graceful, independent, free creatures. I liked thinking of myself as all of those things.

Alis Volat Propriis — She Flies With Her Own Wings

When I started thinking about my next tattoo (a half-sleeve on my left arm, the first appointment has been made), I wanted something that really stood for the things that have made me who I am — people, places, ideas.

I also knew I wanted something floral and feminine, something beautiful. I finally settled on a design that was built on the imagery of flowers from the people and places I’ve called home. The design includes state flowers from Alabama, Tennessee, and Colorado, an outline of the Mississippi River (since I lived on its banks for 16 years of my life, between Memphis and Minneapolis/St. Paul), a grapevine to represent the gorgeous vineyards here in Oregon, and two little details that I think might be my very favorites.

I chose the Black Swallowtail butterfly for a number of reasons. The first reason being the very things I mentioned above. The second, because it’s straight up beautiful (those colors!). But the third reason I chose this one is because it’s a butterfly that calls Minnesota home, and while I love flitting about the country, various groups of amazing friends, even the work I do is varied and widespread… my home (my family) is in Minnesota, and that’s a very, very important place to me.

Tying all of this together, right in the middle of the whole image is the Latin phrase “Alis Volat Propriis.” It’s Oregon’s state motto, and it translates, “She flies with her own wings.”

I don’t think that could be a more perfect phrase.

I’ve seen the initial sketch of what this tattoo is going to look like, and I am so excited. My favorite part is that there’s room for growth. It’s a half-sleeve, with plenty of whitespace for leaving as is, or for adding little pieces here and there as other things in my life continue to mold and shape me.

[Photo credit]