All Good Things Must Come to an End

Just a close-out of what has been an awesome journey to my 30th year on Earth.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart to each and every one of you who has been a part of my adventures.  Regardless of whether you were there with me checking off items or following along and encouraging me on my blog.  Your support has meant the world to me, and I simply could not have completed my Operation 30 list without you.  

THANK YOU!

What's next for me?  An Operation 40 Before 40 list?  Not yet.  Not for a few years, actually.  Right now I'm looking forward to having some weekends free to enjoy some spontaneous adventures and hopefully to relax a little bit.  (Ha.  Who am I kidding?  I'll be back in planning mode soon.)  Right now, looking forward to driving my new VW Touareg, shopping for a new bicycle and turning my Operation 30 blog into a personal memory book.  

Oh, and perhaps I'll be planning one final 30th birthday celebration...a "victory lap" so to speak.  Bicycle pub crawl!  Details coming soon via other forums (evite, facebook).  Just one more last thing to close out the Operation 30 journey.  ;-)  

Therefore, I'm officially closing out the Operation 30 Before 30 blog.  It's been a great time and I've had some amazing experiences with wonderful people.  I hope as readers of my blog that you've enjoyed following along and perhaps even been inspired to challenge yourself in similar ways in your life's adventures, whatever they may be.  Best to all of you for being a part of mine!  

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!  

Nailed It!

Hours away from the big day, and here I am officially checking the last item off my list.  

#17.  Stop biting my nails - check!  

This one is last for two reasons...1) Because there's not really a point in time when I can say, "And that's the day I stopped biting and picking at my nails", and 2) Because this one has probably been the most difficult for me to cross off.  

I've been making efforts for over a year and using different strategies to tackle this one.  For a while I used the special nail polish that had an extremely bitter taste that would linger for a while after I brought my nails anywhere near my mouth.  It worked great as a way to identify when I was biting my nails, as the feedback was immediate.  The only problem with this method was that it had a tendency to negatively affect my enjoyment of food, as I had to be careful how close I let my fingers get to my lips or risk a disgusting taste in my mouth for the rest of my meal.  Blech!

I admit that I didn't really get serious about this one until recently.  While I was making strides during my March travels to Europe, I recall not being as diligent as I might have liked while on the road.  That all changed in April as I found a great fidget replacement in the act of ring twirling.  (Originally I had thought pen twirling might work as a mindless, nervous energy replacement, but I soon realized it required far too much concentration from me than I could spare during those moments.)  So far it seems to be working, as I almost always have a ring on one of my fingers for me to fiddle with.  

For proof of how far I've come, here's the before and after...

Thank goodness for Tammy at Star Nails in South County who has made my nails look great for the past several years.  (My new polish from my nail fill tonight makes me want an orange Tic-Tac.  Ha!  I've been having fun with colors lately...)  As you can see, there's absolutely no traces of bloody cuticles or recent gnarling.  I've been doing well!

I've also gotten a lot better about not picking at my real nails underneath my fake nails.  This will be great, as eventually I'd like to test the strength of my real nails and see if they would last (with gel support) after being subject to the abuses of fake nails over the years.  This will be a future challenge once my real nails are more consistently grown out underneath my fake ones.  Until then, evidence of my continued focus and success on tackling nail biting (and picking)...

No doubt this one will be something I need to continue to focus on to ensure the habit is completely broken and I don't regress, but as I sit here at 11pm on the eve of my 30th birthday ready to pop some champagne...I DID IT!  

Last. Timestamp. Ever.  

I'll Have Another

Holy horses, Batman - I turn 30 in less than 48 hours!  I'm thanking my former self for having the foresight fifteen months ago to put attending the Kentucky Derby on my Operation 30 list.  I'm just getting back from a terrific weekend spent in Louisville, Kentucky where some friends and I maximized our Kentucky Oaks and Derby experience.  It was a-ma-zing and the perfect culmination to my Operation 30 journey!  

#13.  Go to the Kentucky Derby - check!  

I'll start with the most important piece of Derby preparation - the hat.  I feel incredibly lucky because a Zeta friend of mine, Ann, is also on milestone journey this year.  (She's doing 50 fabulous things in her 50th year!)   It just so happens that one of the items on her list was to make a hat for someone going to the Kentucky Derby.  BINGO!  I was the lucky recipient of said hat, and love that this is a party of my Derby story.

Ann and I met in March at the Haberdashery before my travel craziness began.  The goal was to get a sense for the style that would work based on my head shape and to get ideas.  (Turns out I have a big head, as many of the hats we tried on were tight on me.)  We decided a shorter, square ridged style would look best.  However, before Ann would start on the design she wanted to get a feel for the overall look.  

I didn't help in giving Ann much time to incorporate everything, as I wasn't able to get a Derby dress until two weeks prior due to my crazy travel, work and ZTA schedule.  However, once I found the winner at White House Black Market, I shot Ann a picture of it right away so she could start brainstorming.  We met up the following weekend (just one week before the Derby) and went to a few wig/hat shops before finding a winning base hat at Steinmart.  It was perfect!  From there we stopped at Hancock Fabrics and Hobby Lobby for fabric and flair.  

Thanks to Ann's creative genius and vision, the end result was absolutely spectacular!  Here we are on Thursday night, on the eve of my pending journey.  I still have no idea how she was able to pull it all together in such a short time, but am forever grateful for the attention to detail and hours upon hours that were no doubt spent to make this fabulous hat.  Ann, you're awesome!  

As if that weren't enough, Ann also helped me to accessorize for the Kentucky Oaks races on Friday.  I had purchased a fascinator at (ok, near) Windsor Castle during my visit in March with full intentions of wearing it to the Oaks.  However, what I bought was a plain tan/beige piece that needed more flair.  Enter Ann.  She again went above and beyond by adding flair to my fascinator, covering a bracelet of hers, and giving me a flower accessory for my purse.  She even made pins with pink lillies for all of my friends who would also be attending the Oaks so that we'd be appropriately wearing Pink Lillies for the Fillies, per tradition.  The end result was super-bueno, as you can see for yourself... 

But enough about the preparation...what about the event itself?  The journey started early on Friday morning when Diane, Stacie, Amy, Lindsey and I started our travels from St. Louis in the best minivan $150 could buy for the weekend.  (Actually, it turned out to be pretty bad ass...leather seats, a DVD player...we felt like we got the hook up!)  About 70 miles later we stopped in Mount Vernon, Illinois to pick up our sixth crew member, Tim, who I give enormous credit to being brave enough to sign up for hours in a confined space with a bunch of women.   

We rolled into Louisville by early afternoon and were able to easily find the "lovely" Quality Inn and Suites that was only about five miles from Churchill Downs.  I say "lovely" as if I'm being sarcastic, but the truth is that it wasn't that bad.  Granted, it wasn't four or five star rated (maybe three?), but it served the purpose, especially considering the price we paid (over $250 per room per night...relatively cheap for a place so close to the Downs).   

Mid-afternoon on Friday it was time for business:  get settled in the hotel, change, and head to the Kentucky Oaks races.  We didn't waste any time finding a ride to Churchill Downs, choosing from one of the many fliers at the front desk of the hotel.  (We chose Mike who charged a flat $50 because his fliers were quarter sheets and therefore more environmentally friendly.  Haha.  Came to find out he was saving up for an engagement ring, which is why he was earning money by shuttling on Derby weekend.  Glad we chose Mike for his cute story.)  

Getting to the Downs a little after 4:00pm, we headed straight to the Infield and immediately sought and found the Oaks Lily drink, which is the official drink of the Kentucky Oaks.  It's a combination of vodka, sweet and sour mix and cranberry juice and was a delicious way to start our experience.  Unfortunately, less than twenty minutes after we arrived, the heavens blew over and a huge rain storm hit the Downs.  We sought shelter under the edge of a food tent until the rain subsided.  It was pretty intense for a while!  Races were delayed for 45 minutes in total, but afterwards we were able to place some bets and even see a few horses and watch the big race of the day.  (Nope - didn't win any money, but had a good time regardless!)

Next we headed to Fourth Street for the Friday night party.  We had VIP passes to the OAR concert compliments of some co-workers of mine.  (I love where I work!)  Shortly after some delicious Budweiser we were asked if we wanted to meet the band.  Um, YES!  So we headed down to the private area where we were eventually able to chit chat with the super-friendly members of OAR.  Here we are capturing the moment...

This would be the fourth time I would see them in concert, so it was a nice treat to actually be able to meet them beforehand.  Also in the VIP area with us was Wee Man from Jackass.  (I love where I work!)  In my slightly inebriated state I decided to chat with him for a little bit.  Somewhere there's a picture that documents that moment, but unfortunately I don't have it...yet.  :-)  After many Budweisers and an awesome concert, we called it a night Friday and headed back to the hotel to rest up for Saturday.  And oh, what a Saturday...

We headed to Churchill Downs at about 10:15am.  After some interesting directions from a security guard and U-turning around some bat statues in front of the baseball stadium, we were eventually able to find the rest of the group who had gotten in late the previous night.  They had an extreme tail gate set-up...with bags, life-size jenga, flippy cup, and more.  It was a great atmosphere!  We came prepared with beer galore and (continuing Bonnaroo tradition) made a paint can (and named it) to kick things off.  This one's name was Bombpop Daddy Go Get Your Gun due to it's scrumptious taste.  Here I am enjoying the little guy...

Oh, and that's Frank on my lap.  He's kind of been my boyfriend ever since we met at Bonnaroo last year.  He's now a staple on road trips like these and I'm happy Amy was thoughtful enough to bring him so we could be reunited.  (Notice how he has on his Derby hat?  That's because he's classy...don't let the bared teeth throw you off.)  My friends were also thoughtful enough to bring me birthday cake and ice cream Oreo's which I happily blew the imaginary candles out from before opening...

By mid-afternoon it was time to Derby.  We headed in the Central Avenue entrance where we unfortunately had to abandon our chairs but were able to take some nice photos...

Once inside, first priority (after bathrooms) was to try the drink of the Derby - a Mint Julep!  Prior to attending I had heard from people who either loved Mint Juleps or swore up and down how disgusting they were.  Therefore I was eager to try one and make my own assessment.  As a true beer girl, I was skeptical as to whether or not I would like something with so much bourbon.   But my honest assessment - not bad!  (Good enough to have two, anyway!)  Glad the glassware was a keepsake, otherwise I might have had more reservations about spending $11 per drink.  (Yikes!)  

Here I am excited to be headed to the Paddock area where we were able to see the horses getting ready to compete in Race 8.  Super awesome.  

Next stop:  infield.  Here I am with Craig, Hille and Tim...clearly participating in some debauchery while still keeping things classy.  

Enter sunburned, shirtless guy who decided to jump into our group photo.  The perfect example to illustrate what the infield is all about.  (It was between this photo and mesh shirt guy.)  

After getting what we could out of the infield experience, Stacie and I headed to the seats in the Grandstand bleachers that I was able to get compliments of the Stella Artois team who was one of the official sponsors of the Derby.   (Have I mentioned that I love where I work?)  Here we are enjoying some nummy Stella in a chalice while enjoying our view...

The big race was great, even though we still couldn't see the horses from our seats.  Once it was over we headed back to our tailgate spot where we proceeded to give out "Free Beer" from the back of our party van while waiting out the line of traffic.  (It's amazing how many friends you make by giving away a few Bud Lights and Lime-a-Rita's.)  Eventually we made our way back to the hotel with full intentions on showering and heading out for continued celebrations.  It was somewhere in between 9:30pm and 10:00pm...so already pretty later.  The showering part happened, but unfortunately the going out part didn't, as some of us might have passed out and not woken up again until two and a half hours later.  Still - a great day of Derby-ing and great to get some good sleep after a day spent in the hot sun.  (I guess I haven't mentioned this yet, but it was dripping sweat hot in Louisville on Saturday.  Probably nowhere close to mid-nineties, but that's what it felt like.)  

 I'll Have Another is the appropriate title for this blog entry because it's not just the name of the winner of the 2012 Kentucky Derby, but it also perfectly expresses my feelings toward my experience this past weekend.  Attending the Kentucky Derby is not something I want to be a one-time thing.  Like me to the bartender serving tasty Budweisers at the OAR concert, "I'll have another!".  

We're almost at less than 24 hours.  BRING IT, Birthday!  I'm ready.    

Burning the Midnight Oil

It's officially one week until the big day and I'm in the midst of knocking out the last of my Operation 30 items.  For anyone who is actually questioning whether or not I'll get them all done, you obviously don't know me well enough to know that failure is not an option.  All 30 will be completed by May 8, 2012!

And in case you're worried, I knocked off one more tonight. 

#30.  Learn Photoshop - check!

As some background on this one, I've had Photoshop on my computer for about four years and until now had only scratched the surface in utilizing it's full capabilities.  Frankly, I found it to be a little intimidating...layers, vectors, burn tools, oh my.  Where should I even start?  So when I set about tackling this one, I had to have a strategy...

Well, a loose strategy anyway.  I started by looking to the internet for inspiration on projects I could mimic.   (My co-workers were extremely helpful in pointing me to some good spots!)  I loved perusing sites like fark.com who has a Photoshop challenge everyday where people submit their alteration or caption for a given photo.  I was also introduced to the concept of a meme, which it turns out I was already quite familiar with but did not know it was called such.  

Help for the unfamiliar, meme is defined as:

1. An element of a culture or behavior that may be passed from one individual to another by nongenetic means, esp. imitation.
2. An image, video, etc. that is passed electronically from one Internet user to another.

So if you're familiar with the soccer hooligan, Star Wars kid, philosoraptor, or the Rebecca Black video Friday, then you know memes.  Personally, I found the below meme to be hilarious and inspiring...

Perhaps it's the engi-nerd in me that thinks it's laugh out loud funny, while others just smile and perhaps think I'm weird for still laughing about it even as I type this.  :-)

With sufficient internet inspiration, it was time to watch some Photoshop tutorials to learn the in's and out's of the program.  I'm extremely grateful to TutorVid.com for providing free, comprehensive yet short, easy to understand video tutorials where I was able to follow along and mimic the basic skills to begin my Photoshop journey.  I had decided long ago that I wasn't going to take a formal class to learn due to the cost ($500+!), especially after seeing the free content online and particularly on YouTube.  (As a side note...It's still somewhat amazing to me that literally anything I want to know or learn to do is at my fingertips, as I simply need to Google it on my laptop, iPad or Android phone.)  

In total, I probably spent 1-2 hours watching tutorials and learning, and another 2 hours or so having fun with my pictures which I've included here in the order I created them... 

My first attempt with texture - a dried mud pattern.  Me before my hot air balloon adventure!

Some continued reinforcement for work and home from one of my favorite memes (who I originally saw in London on a cable advertisement).  So far, so good!  

Some experimentation with one of my favorite pictures from the Bud Light cruise.  In case you can't tell, that's me in black and white doing a Bo'z Up stance while the rest is left in color with noise and a few other effects on saturation and curves.  

I realized I hadn't mentioned my boys in any blog activities yet, so I had to find a way to include them.  Here's Preston and Hunter a few years ago, apparently watching me sky dive.  :-) 

This is just a ridiculous merging of two ridiculous images.  I think of it as me right now - super excited about learning Photoshop and going to the Kentucky Derby this weekend!  

My goal of going to bed earlier (before 11:30pm) isn't working out so well this week.  I was having so much fun in Photoshop that I had to force myself to stop.  And honestly, I can't wait to do more!  ...later, of course.  It's 1am and past my bed time.  (Are 30 year olds supposed to stay up this late?)  

Timestamp:  

Shades of Braids

As I mentioned in my last blog, I was able to knock out another item this past Sunday...

#20.  Learn to French braid my own hair - check!

I wasn't sure how long this one would take, as I consider myself hair-challenged.  Meaning - I'm not the most skilled in doing different things to my hair.  Sure, I'm well-versed in various forms and locations of ponytails and could do a low braid myself already, but I consider my expertise level elementary at best.  

So when I went about tackling this one I was ready for failure on at least my first handful of attempts.  After a productive Sunday spent shopping for my Kentucky Derby dress, I sat down on my living room couch with my comb and mirror and tuned the Xbox to YouTube where I did the appropriate search for French braid tutorials.  What I found were a series of helpful videos that guided me easily through the process.

Surprisingly, I didn't use or even need a mirror and was able to at least come up with something resembling a French braid on my first attempt:  

After I was able to at least execute the concept, it was a simple matter of practice.  On Sunday I continued to wet my hair and try yet another braid.  In total I probably spent about an hour and pulled together 6-7 braids.  While I still can't claim to be an expert, I was happy to make significant improvement with each attempt...

Now that I'm getting back into my work-out routine, I've been showering in the evening and French braiding my wet hair before I go to bed.  Even as I type this I have my hair French braided.  My biggest challenge - not spacing out while doing it and forgetting where I was (which section to pull next) - Ha!  I'm not sure if I'll win any awards on the quality of my work, but I can confidently say that I accomplished what I set out to do on yet another Operation 30 item.  

Less than two weeks away!

Side note on the working out (follow-up from my "Almost Normal" post)...still getting closer to feeling more normal from my bout with medicine-induced lupus, but not quite full throttle yet.  I'm also more than a little peeved for how puffy my face is from the prednisone (which is noticeable...to me, anyway...in my recent Europe and San Diego pictures).  I see my Rheumatologist tomorrow and hope to have a timeline for when I can fully ween off the steroids.  Hopefully soon!  

TRIFECTA!

Two weeks ago I crossed off not one, not two, but three more things from my Operation 30 list.  I planned a trip to beautiful San Diego, California to visit my friends, Laura and Dave, who moved there a few years ago.  The trip was overdue since I hadn't been out to visit them since their move.  It worked out great as both are huge supporters of my Operation 30 journey and were more than willing to help me check off a few items during my visit.  Which ones specifically?  I'll tackle them one at a time...

#1.  Add four more stadiums to my baseball stadium total - check!

As a recap, my goal was four additional stadiums during my Operation 30 journey.  Therefore between Chase Field in Arizona last May, Safeco Field in Seattle last July, and Fenway Park in Boston last September, this one has been 75% complete for a while.

While I had been to San Diego before, the Padres were out of town so I didn't have the opportunity to take in a game at Petco Park.  So when planning my trip to visit Laura and Dave, I was sure to pick a weekend the Padres were playing at home.  Luckily, Laura and Dave are huge baseball fans (and like me are also on their way to visiting all 30 stadiums).  They happen to have season tickets to the Padres, live within walking distance (and have an awesome view from their apartment of) Petco Park, and even a blog and twitter account dedicated to the team.  (Follow them: @tenthandisland!)  So to say I was in good hands for some baseball fun would be an understatement.

Not long after I arrived on Friday afternoon, Laura and Dave were already giving me a tour of their home stadium.  Pretty neat!  What differentiated Petco Park from the other 15 stadiums I've been to would be:  1)  Their great beer selection...I got a Leffe Brune!, 2)  The Western Metal Supply Building as historic backdrop to the outfield, and 3) the beautiful sandstone design (which is a nice departure from the red brick of most stadiums I've visited).  We were there for the Dodgers series, which was a bit crazy because I think I may have seen more Dodgers fans than Padres fans throughout the weekend.  All-in-all we took in three games and were able to see the Padres win the last one.  Woohoo!  Oh, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the churros.  The churros were good, and will be a part of my ballpark experience at Petco during my next visit.

On Saturday Laura had us set-up to visit Safari Park, which is a part of the San Diego Zoo. We were going there specifically to check another item off the Operation 30 list:

#24.  Ride a segway - check!

For whatever reason, segways have always made me laugh.  Especially when I see airport security or any other authority figure on them, I can't help but chuckle.  There's just something innately awkward and unnecessary about them, which is why I had to have it as a part of my Operation 30 list.  

I was glad both Laura and Dave were up for the adventure and recommended Safari Park, because it was a great experience.  After a short training session, our tour group left for a ride around the park where we saw rhinos, giraffes, and other safari wildlife.  Learning to ride a segway went about as expected.  The balance of leaning toward the front to go forward was a snap, but the leaning back to stop part took a bit of getting used to.  (It felt like I might tip over backward at first!)  But after a little practice it was no sweat, and I loved being able to turn on a dime.  We stopped a few times along the tour to take pictures and get additional information from our tour guides.  My favorite part was the up close view we had of the giraffes at the end of our hour-plus tour.  Well, that, plus feeling like a bad ass riding a segway.  (Think I'm qualified to be a mall cop now?  Haha.)  Such a fun time!  

Last but not least, it was time for take two of another Operation 30 adventure.  In May of last year I attempted this one in Sedona, Arizona but it was cancelled due to high winds, so I was more than a little nervous that this attempt might suffer the same fate.  Luckily, at about 2pm on Easter Sunday I received a call confirming that this time the weather was cooperating and I'd be able to cross yet another item off my Operation 30 list.  

#27.  Ride in a hot air balloon - check!  

I wanted to be able to have a view I'd remember when checking this one off, and a view of the fabulous homes and golf courses in La Jolla, California, along with a sunset over the Pacific Ocean was even better than I had anticipated.  It was lit-er-al-ly, one of the most spectacular views I've had in my life.  We went up to 5400ft (that's a little over a mile!), which made me hold on for dear life to the handle inside the basket.  As someone who is a teenie bit afraid of heights, it made me feel better to have something "secure" to hold on to in case anything happened while we were up there.  It took a full half hour before I got comfortable enough to loosen my death grip.  

I'm not sure why I was so concerned, as the ride was extremely peaceful.  There were fourteen of us in the basket total, including our pilot.  We all had a spectacular view, as the balloon was purposely rotated so that everyone could have a front row view in every direction.  What surprised me the most was how warm it was in the balloon.  Due to the intensity of the flame, it was about ten degrees warmer in the basket than on the ground.  

I wish I had some crazy story about how rough our landing was or how someone dropped their sunglasses and we watched as it took a full minute for them to hit the ground, but the fact of the matter is that it was a non-eventful yet beautiful, peaceful experience.  Better said - it was everything I hoped it would be, and $200 well spent!   

Rounding out the weekend on Monday after brunch, Laura, Dave and I went to Hotel del Coronado and the Coronado Beach where I was able to commemorate my trifecta weekend in San Diego with some sand writing...

It was the perfect trip and I'm grateful to have such great friends to support me on my journey.  Only a couple more weeks to go!  

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A side note - today I learned to french braid!  Woot woot!  But I'll blog about that later...