Gotta do the rest in 240 days!

Who has two thumbs and is awful at updating her blog? THIS GIRL!

Part of the reason has been because I have been waiting for the opportunity to include MAJOR updates, which have still not quite manifested, but largely because life seems to be getting away from me these days! I am not sure where the time goes, but I seem to be missing days/weeks/months at a time as life goes by at blinding speeds.

I suppose I should start with an update on my list… which is also a shock to me. Looking at how little time I have left, I am amazed that I am 761 days into my mission and have not completed more of my goals. When I kicked off this mission, I went at full force, tackling as many of these goals as I could right away. Obviously, the main point of this challenge was not to set goals that I could accomplish overnight, but it is still unsettling how quickly the time has passed.

On a positive note, here’s what I’ve done since my last check-in:

One of the most important goals on my list was #2 : Spend a weekend with just my Daddy. Yes, I am Daddy’s little girl. Not only am I fully aware of my Princess stature in this respect, but I fully embrace it. In some ways, I am a lot like my dad; a truth that has been pointed out to me my entire life, but I have only started to see for myself and fully appreciate as an adult. He came down to visit me in New York City last month when my husband was away and we had a great time seeing a show, going out for drinks, taking a nice long walk to the private cooking class we took together, and just chatting. I think we must have driven our waitress crazy on the night he arrived because we sat in the restaurant just chatting for about 45 minutes before even attempting to open our menus and order. It was nice just to be able to talk. Just me and my Dad.

#15 – I took someone to see their first Broadway show! Not only was it a chance to catch up with an old friend who was in the city for business, but to be able to bring them into a Broadway house where the look around and can think of nothing to say except “Dude, this is awesome. Like, seriously awesome, dude!” brought the biggest smile to my face.

#19 – That Broadway show (and another one) counted toward my total… but I had better get moving on more of them!

#20 – I attended the Only Make Believe gala this fall. If you don’t know about OMB, they are an incredible organization that puts on free performances for kids living in hospitals in and around New York City. These performances are no cost to the kids, the parents, or the hospitals, and really make a difference in the lives of these kids who are confined to treatment facilities long-term. They put on six week programs for the kids using professional actors, and find special ways to engage the audience and bring them into the story. They even leave behind costumes for the kids after the program is done, so they can continue to escape the realities they are faced with every day. After having the truly touching honor of being invited into one of these hospitals for a performance and seeing the reactions on the children’s faces, I was more than happy to contribute to their Gala fundraising efforts, and I think the slogan of OMB is worth repeating here. “I believe, I believe, I believe in Make Believe!”

Visit them online to find out how you can volunteer by bedazzling costumes for the kids, making a contribution, or about the kids whose lives have been touched by Only Make Believe.

#22 – One of the things I love about having such talented friends is that I am constantly being invited to see them perform! And I will not only always support my friends, but I support anyone who showcases their talents in the arts, whether they are visual artists, musicians, singers, dancers, actors, playwrights, stagehands, or that little guy who makes sure the inserts are in the Playbill each night. HOORAY FOR LIVE THEATRE!

#29 – Even though I thought I was going to die after the first one, I ran ANOTHER 5K! Andy and I did the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, and I am happy we did. I was not happy that I was already too sore to walk by about 5pm that night… but that’s a different story.

#55 – Remember that cooking class I mentioned earlier? The one I took with my dad? It was an Indian Cooking Class! We had two sessions – in Northern and Southern Indian cuisine – and we made about 5 dished from each region from scratch. It was amazing and delicious and soo much fun!

There are a few other biggies that I am working on, but I suppose those updates will have to come at a later date. I just had to get these updates out of the way first…