Goodbye Break Up Bucket List

I can't believe I haven't blogged in over a year and oh what a year it has been! I moved to a bigger city away from home, started a new career and gotten involved with my community. But the one thing I missed was blogging. This past year has been an adventure and I am still on it so the best way to do it is document it! I am no longer the girl getting over a bad break-up but I am still a girl figuring out who she is.

So here comes the revamp of “The Break-Up Bucket List” as much as I love the name I think it is time for a change so coming soon will be a new blog of my adventures but this time I am going to include projects I have been working on, recipes and other things I am learning along the way. I will still use the blog to talk about the emotional roller-coaster that I ride on because I think it's important for people to know the struggles everyone goes through.

Thank you for all the supported me and read my blog in the past. I hope that you continue to do so as my blog changes pace. Stay tuned for big changes.

If you have ideas for a new blog name leave them below.  

Shrimp Tacos

This week’s meal was a steal from The Pioneer Woman’s blog. I really enjoy her recipes because she keeps it really simple or at least to me it is simple. A lot of time I’ll want to make something that I cannot find all the ingredients for.  

So this week’s new dish was Shrimp Tacos. They were overall simple fast, healthy and really tasty.

Here is a link to her recipe.  
The only I left out was the pico de gallo because I wasn't in the mood to make fresh and didn't like the looks of it at our local grocery store. I used frozen shrimp too but it seemed to turn out okay although I would have liked to use fresh shrimp. I also substituted the corn tortillas for whole wheat tortillas with a "fiesta" flavoring and I really enjoyed those. Everything else was what she used, I even found the same brand of tomato sauce which is rare in the these parts.

I would definitely recommend this recipe if you are looking to spice up taco night. Below is my version of the shrimp taco.

Easy Healthy Eating

So one of my goals on my 27 before 28 list was to cook new meals once a week. I have been doing it but have not been posting them so I decided that I will start posting the new meals. This week was a simple meal that I made up last minute. I read a lot of recipes about making your own chicken nuggets or tenders so I decided to have a go at it.

I went to Save-a-lot and bought four boneless skinless chicken strips. These were $2.11 which is a deal. When you are single and only cooking for yourself you definitely want to shop where you don’t have to get everything in bulk or large amounts.

I made a mixture of Panko breadcrumbs and just a little bit of grated parmesan cheese. I dredged the chicken in one beaten egg and then through the mixture.  Put on a baking sheet and baked with a side of sweet potatoes drizzled in honey.  I paired the two with a side salad which took up most of the plate.  The dinner was pretty good and way healthier than those fast food chicken fingers that are deep fried.  

I would like to start a group that meets like once a week and shares a healthy recipe or maybe once every two weeks.  My friend Clarissa and I talk about doing this all the time but never ever do it. So if you read my blog and you want to have a healthy dinner with me send me a message and we can have a date.  It could just be a one-time thing or something we do regularly but I thought it is definitely a way to find new ideas for healthy food.

28 Before 29

I love lists. I make lists when I have housework to do, when I have something to plan, when I go to the grocery store and hell even when I am bored I make lists. I enjoy having a list because it is something tangible to make sure I am getting stuff done.

A popular list I see on the Internet is do “Current age things to do before next age”. Since I turned 27 last week I thought there is no better time for me to start a goal list before I turn 28. That is what this blog is about but I haven't really decided what I am gonna go. So this year I will achieve 27 things before March 5, 2013, as long as the world doesn't end, ;).

So here it is:

1. Visit Carlos Bakery from Cake Boss
2. Go to Batting Cages
3. Sew a Wearable Outfit (whether for me or someone else)
4. Take Cake Decorating Classes
5. Reconnect with at least 10 Old Friends
6. Go on a Tour of the Yuengling Brewery
7. Learn to Shoot Guns
8. Go out in State College
9. Take Hiking More Seriously
10. Cook One New Meal a Week
11. Read at Least 9 Books
12. Dedicate More Time to Blog
13. Go To a Concert
14. Make My Own Cupcake Flavor
15. Go to Broadway Show
16. Style My Hair More Often
17. Get a New Tattoo
18. Bake a Pie (really have never done it)
19. Go Camping
20. Start Biking Regularly
21. See a Movie Alone
22. Go on an Impromptu Road-trip around Pa
23. Rebuild My Savings
24. Print Every Roll of Film in the Box I found from High School
25. Join a Club or Try a New Activity I Never Done Before
26. Go to a Drag Show
27. Be Happy With Me and all my Awesomeness

I was gonna add meet Ryan Gosling to my list but that is more of a dream list so I'll settle for some

Hey, Girl throughout this year.

So most of my list are attainable things, physically where as the last goal is something I really need to work on. I am talking to a therapist right now and she tells me I need to do more positive self talk and push those mean thoughts about myself out of my head.

So here is to another year older and hopefully a little more wiser and happier.

I'll tell ya what I want

I haven't blogged in what seems like forever and I feel awful. I didn't stop because I finished the bucket list or because I am so happy so happy with myself that I just stopped. Life just got in the way, plain and simple. During the past month or so, I have changed jobs and just tried to stay busy. The busier I am the less my mind wanders.

Occasionally though my mind did wonder. After you break up with someone it is only natural to reflect on what drew you to that person and what pushed you away. A lot of people don't sit and think what they want in a person, they are just happy to have anyone there. Sometimes I wish I could be that way but I am stubborn and I know what I want and I that is what I have to have.

So here is the start of list of wants:

I want someone who is educated. I used to think this meant someone who went to college. As I get older I realize there is so much learning out there that is not in a classroom. So as long as they are a life

long learning that would make me happy.

I want someone who gets along and loves his family. I regularly hang out with my cousin and my mom is like one of my best friends. DB rarely hung out with his family and it was so foreign to me. I want my partner's family to feel like my family. If he leaves the room I don't want it to feel awkward. I want the same warmth I get from my mother.

I want someone who enjoys the little things in life, like a Sunday drive or a walk in the woods. In the same token I want someone who can make any situation fun. If we are walking by a band playing grab my hand and dance along. I love someone who just takes life in and lives every moment. I want spontaneity and kept me on my toes. Who would randomly drive hours to go someone we saw on TV. Someone who plans surprises for me and I don't always have to think of what to do.

I think every few weeks I'll reflect on what I want in a partner.

Like I said before I feel like a lot of people don't want to be alone so they cling to anyone. Hell, I went through this a few months ago. You really need to reflect on what you want and need in a partner. So that years down the line when things are falling a part you are not looking at this person and thinking “Why did I pick you?”

A big part of knowing what you want is knowing who you are. Sometimes I feel like along the way I lost myself. The past few months this journey helped me realize who I am and who I want to be. I look forward to a new year or change and getting to know myself better.

Bucket List Revived

It has been a long time since I last blogged. I got away from the blog as the holidays started to settle in due to feeling so down and losing all motivation in doing things for myself. I realized this blog is a major lifeline for me. Writing has a way of making me feel so much better and putting it out there adds something to special to the writing. So with the new year approaching I felt like there is no better time to get back into the Break-up Bucket List. 2011 was full of a lot of disappointment and heartache. I am not making resolutions for 2012, this time they are promises to myself and I will achieve them. There are so many things I want to do and I am feeling revived and like now is the time. 

Thank you all for following and supporting me through this journey. I can't wait to check few more things of the list this upcoming year.

  

Mother Earth News Fair

This past weekend I attended the Mother Earth News Fair. For those who don’t know Mother Earth News is a magazine that is intended for those who want to live more organically and be more in tune with nature. The Fair was held at the Seven Springs Resort which is located in Southwest Pennsylvania. The resort is gigantic and beautiful, it is set in the mountains and the colors of fall surrounded us.

I went to the festival with my 2 best friends and my cousin. We all just split up and concentrated on the seminars we wanted.  We came a little later then we expected for I missed the first seminar I went to and the beekeeping seminar was way too crowded for me to be able to focus on the speaker. So I spent the first part of the morning walking around to the vendors.  We met a woman who made goat’s milk soap and I bought a delicious bar of Blackberry French Vanilla Soap from her. There were tons of soap vendors at the fair and it was hard to not want to buy all the scrumptious smelling goodies. What I liked about Dream Thyme Farm is that she talked with us about the fair and she had a conversation with my cousin about her lyme disease. She promised to send out good vibes to her for the day. Everyone we met there was so nice and lovely.  

The first full seminar I attended was Baking Bread in Five Minutes a Day. They taught us how to store bread in the refrigerator and be able to cook it whenever you needed. The hosts were funny and made me want to bake bread as much as possibly. Clarissa bought the book so we are having a bread date soon. The next seminar was ‘Eating Organic on a Dime’ and it focused on how to make your food last longer and what to invest in when buying organic. I learned a lot from the speaker and took about 4 pages of notes. My friends thought I was a nerd for taking notes but I found the entire weekend so informative.  Then I went to Cleanse and Detox then proceeded to spend the rest of the day browsing the exhibits around the convention center. While we were perusing the exhibits, we found a sauna booth. The guys at the sauna talked Clarissa and I into jumping inside. We stayed at their booth for probably 15 – 20 minutes, basking in the glorious warmth.  Then we spent a lot of time at the booth for the Vita-mix, which is this amazing blender. I swear if I was rich I would have both of those things in my home.

The next day I started the day off with a ride on the sky lift over Seven Springs. I was a little nervous at first but the view was amazing. You could see over everything and it felt so relaxing. The guy on the lift let us go around a couple times before we decide to jump off and find the rest of our party. Then I attended two of the best seminars of the weekend.

If any of you have ever watched Food, Inc., you would know Joel Saltin. He is the organic farmer who spoke against the big food industry. His speech was so inspiring and he got the audience excited about his message. He said something about a lot of people looking at organic eaters as elitist, hell I used to think organic buys were snobs, but the real elitists is the country trying to hold us down from having food choices.  It really changed my views on eating organic. I definitely recommend that everyone watch the movie he is in, look him up online or read one of his books. I don’t think you will be disappointed. After his speech, Clarissa and I went to his booth and professed our love or well at least our admiration for what he does. He was even kind enough to pose for a picture with us!

Then we listen to Ed Begley, Jr speak on How to Live Simply so Others can Simply Live. He really made becoming a greener person not feel so overwhelming. He said do what you can within your means. Basically just do something to help our environment and slowly things will happen where you can do more. Later in the day while walking around, we ran into him at the exhibits and we had to get our picture with him. Although, he seemed a little Hollywood when we asked (maybe because we didn't buy his product) but seriously I had to get a picture with anyone who was on Roseanne and in Christopher Guest movies!

The trip showed me on how little changes we make in our lives have a impact on our over all life. The weekend was amazing. There is so much I could write on everything I learned at the Mother Earth News Fair but I know this post is already lengthy. If any of you have the opportunity to go to one of their fairs, you should definitely take it. I know that I will be back next year!

Links you should check out from the fair:
Bon Ami (Awesome Dish Soap
Dream Thyme Farm
Crazy Sauna
Yummy Pumpkin Soap
Local Hot Pepper Products and More!
Penn Forest Cemetery (write more about this later)
Mother Earth News
Inside Storey