Bonus Round

As we were traveling Europe, Diane got me to reflect on all of the extra, "bonus" things I've gotten to do as part of knocking the Operation 30 items off my list one at a time.  In the short time she and I discussed it we came up with a pretty substantial amount of these extras, so I decided it would be worth the time to give it more thought and perhaps to document formally on my blog.  

And here's the result - a list of the bonus items I either did or learned as a part of my Operation 30 journey...

#1:  Baseball stadiums

• Visited Phoenix – Saw what constitutes a ComiCon crowd.  Drank various micro-brewed beer in Flagstaff
• Visited Seattle – Went to the top of the Space Needle, experienced Pike Place Market, toured the Nirvana exhibit in the Experience Music Project museum, went on a fabulously annoying Duck Boat Tour
• Visited Boston – Saw the city at 7mph (marathon training for 16 miles) and saw the sights of Harvard University, ate Clam Chowder, went on another fabulous Duck Boat Tour.
• Returned to San Diego – Experienced just how great brunch can be when you have a DJ, someone nice enough to get coffee for you when the restaurant says they’re out, and when you get free pancakes. 

#2:  Kayaking

• Went snorkeling in the Pacific Ocean.  Um…awesome!
• Despite wearing sun block, learned that it’s easy to get a legit sun burn on the back half of one’s body by spending an hour-plus snorkeling, especially when you’re in Costa Rica.   
• Immersed myself in a natural hot springs…despite my sun burned skin. 

#3:  Fight for Air

• Solidified my instinct that I’m much more of an endurance athlete than a sprinter.  (Less than 10 minutes of activity during an event – not even worth it.  Still going strong after two hours or more of pushing myself physically – don’t think there are many up for the challenge.)

#4:  Do an Adventure Race

• Pushed my body to the extreme, doing things I never had before or even thought I could.  Nine hours of intense hiking, mountain biking and canoeing…totally awesome and worth doing again.

#5:  Marathon

• Proved that with training I can still improve my running pace and hopefully one day qualify for Boston.
• Confirmed that Girl Talk is great for those with music ADD, especially during a long run. 

#6:  Paint-balling

• Justified a previous purchase (when I did the Mud Run) by proving that owning camouflage pants comes in handy when trying to avoid getting pelted by paintballs. 

#7:  Bikram Yoga

• Learned that I can, in fact, enjoy yoga…provided there is a sufficient amount of sweating involved leaving me with a sense of clarity and accomplishment. 

#8:  T-shirt Quilt

• Confirmed that I have a Super Mom (not that there was any doubt), whose talents and time she’s willing to dedicate to her children continue to amaze me. 

#9:  Bonnaroo

• Got to appreciate the irony of being more dirty and sweaty when I finally got to the front of the shower line than when I entered it in the first place.
• Met Frank, my on-again, off-again plastic rat boyfriend (who also came to the Derby).
• Enjoyed seeing many artists perform who I would likely have never seen otherwise…The Decemberists, My Morning Jacket, Arcade Fire, Lil Wayne, The Black Keys, Mumford & Sons, Eminem and more.

#10:  See Dispatch

• Spent quality Megabus time with my brother, Alex, and got to show him around Chicago a bit. 

#11:  Winery Bike Ride        

• Heard Steve Ewing play some Urge music with awesome scenery around.         
• Learned that stopping your bicycle to visit a biker bar is totally worth it, but if you do, then you might want to plan on less than 50 miles for the bicycle portion of your journey. 

#12:  Chuck Berry

• Decided that if an 85 year old man can still be doing the same thing he was doing when he was 30, then maybe there’s still hope for my mental and physical future self to enjoy a prosperous 50 years plus. 

#13:  Kentucky Derby

• Got to meet OAR and Wee Man!
• Was pleasantly surprised to see how far $150 on Hotwire would go when renting a minivan. 
• Had a much needed reunion with Frank. 
• Proved how many friends you can make when you yell, “Free Beer” over and over in the middle of a parking lot.  Hint - it's more than a handful.  :-)

#14:  International Trip

• Visited landmarks galore on a whirlwind trip to Europe…Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, the London Eye, Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Jeannekke Pis, Rialto bridge, Gondola ride, San Marco Square, Casa di Giulietta, Swedish folklore, Notre Dame, Louvre, Eiffel Tower, and more.   
• Got perspective in Paris on how many people you can pack into a subway car.  (Hint – it’s way more than I’ve ever experienced in New York.  I’m told I do not want to visit Japan.  Lots of pushing.  Scary!)    

#15:  Nebraska Football

• Celebrated my Cardinals winning the World Series on Game 7 night from a bar on O Street in Lincoln, Nebraska. 

#16:  Triathlon

• Learned that tackling something you’re not particularly good at (for me, swimming), can be just as rewarding mentally as it is physically. 

#17:  Nail Biting

• Learned that ring twirling is a good substitute for nervous energy. 

#18:  Immersion Spanish Trip

• Proved to myself that I actually enjoy solo vacations.  (This was my first one!)
• Visited a frog farm.
• Developed a passionate love for Costa Rican coffee (which I now order online through Amazon).
• Saw Elton John in concert! 

#19:  Drive-in Theater

• Ate more Puffcorn in one sitting than I’ve ever had in my entire life. 

#20:  French Braid

• Surprised myself by overcoming my normally inept hair skills, and now have a new style that I use on a regular basis. 

#21:  Grand Canyon

• First major hike ever.  Loved all 22,000-plus steps of it! 
• Experienced one of the most beautiful sunrises I’ve ever seen. 
• Met squirrels even more daring than the city squirrels I’m familiar with, which until then I thought was impossible.  

#22:  Zip-lining

• Got to fly like Superman over 1000 feet of glorious cloud forest in Costa Rica. 
• As one of the workers told me as I came barreling down from one treestand to the other, “you like to go fast”.  Yes, I suppose I do.

#23:  Anonymous Pay it Forward

• Learned how good it feels to make a positive difference in someone else’s life, and that if you’re lucky you’ll find others willing to join you in the effort.

#24:  Ride a Segway

• Confirmed that, yes, they are as fun (and ridiculous) to ride as they are to watch. 
• If I come across a segway for sale on eBay for $20 or less, I’ll buy it.  No hesitation.
• Learned that you don’t have to worry about the cleanliness of borrowing Keds from the Jungle Safari people (because you wore open-toed shoes which weren’t allowed), because they use disinfectant diligently.  Rrright…

#25:  Uncle Bill’s Pancakes

• Learned that it’s possible to remove the smell of stink bait from a winter coat with dry cleaning, but you can’t do much to keep it from smelling like crap all night, even if you leave it outside to air out.  (There’s a back story from prior adventures at the Tin Can that night.)

#26:  Thriller Dance

• Confirmed that Zeta’s will come through for you in almost any situation…even if that means learning a silly dance, wearing zombie make-up and forever immortalizing the experience on YouTube.

#27:  Hot Air Balloon

• Holy awesome houses in La Jolla!  Jenni Craig, Bill Gates – invite me to your digs anytime.
• Somehow having a death grip on the dinky handle inside the basket gives me additional security that I won’t suddenly go toppling over the side and plummet to my death.  Sometimes I entertain myself with how completely illogical I can be when it comes to heights. 

#28:  Democratic Party Volunteer

• Saw firsthand how a common set of beliefs can bring people of all demographics together for a united cause.  (Here to support you again in 2012, Barack!)

#29:  National Officer

• Learned that no matter how much I do or what I’m able to accomplish, there will always be someone who is doing more or accomplishing greater things, and it is these women who continue to inspire and motivate me to want to do more.  I’m lucky to have such positive role models in my life!

#30:  Photoshop

• Confirmed that despite being out of college longer than I attended, this old dog can, in fact, learn new tricks.  Even the technical, intimidating kind.  

I smile as I reflect on these things, as it's been a pretty awesome year and a half!