Magical and Mysterious

For the past couple of Months I have been complaining about the travel that is required for my work. Traveling for work is vastly different than traveling for pleasure. There is not much time to explore and the time you are given you rush to hit the highlights so that you can say you "did" that location.

India, while amazing, wasn't something that I got to enjoy. I loved the culture and I loved the experience but in truth, I can only appreciate the experience in hindsight. I was working with a new team on a project with a tight schedule. I also wanted to maintain a budget but the people I was with wasn't concerned about the cost of our excursions. In all it became more stressful than I anticipated.

Shortly after returning home I had the stress of learning to live with a new roommate. Now there hasn't been any problems. In fact, I think that living with her is pretty easy as we seem similar in a lot of aspects, but there are always going to be bumps in the road as you get used to the way someone else lives. For example, I make a mess... often. I usually don't clean it up right away as I want to enjoy dinner or whatever activity I have completed. This usually means I need to let people know A) that I intend to clean it and B) apologize that it hasn't been clean yet. But this doesn't fly with Megan. No the impossible has happened. She couldn't care less. AND She just cleans it cause it needs to be cleaned, and I don't have to apologize (just so long as I don't take advantage)...... I could learn a lot from this girl.

Then as soon as I got use to the routine at home I was getting into a car, driving the 2 hours to Newark Airport, to take a 11 hour flight to Buenos Aires for another tightly scheduled Audit. I have been waiting on CPA scores, striving to get work done, waking up early to drive the hour to the location, and then studying late cause I still don't know if I have passed my last exam. All in all I feel like I have had all thrusters on full with no chance to recharge. Added to it was a weekend off to Iguazu Falls. One of the most majestic falls in South America and one of the 7 wonders of the world. In short, upon my arrival I was utterly exhausted and in no mood to be a tourist. If I could have been in my room at home with my copy of the hobbit I would have been much happier. O, I also forgot to mention that to save costs, I was sharing a room with my coworker and as an introvert this means no alone time to recharge.

Yesterday we scheduled to take a boat tour at the bottom of the falls and headed to the tram that would take us to the top of the Main falls named Garganta del Diablo or Devil's Throat. We walked about a half mile over rusted bridges above a fast moving river and entered I entered into Middle Earth.

We had been griping that the day wasn't clear but honestly at that point it didn't matter and I preferred it to be overcast. With the roar of the water you couldn't hear anyone else unless you yelled because you were literally looking over the edge. The mist rose up to shroud everyone and I was by myself. All alone in a crowded place, I was able to be by myself. I didn't have to listen to anyone and I could barely see anyone else. The falls masked the people and you could take in the majesty and mysteriousness that the view held. It was absolutely breath taking. Here I was able to reset. I took some pictures and then just marveled. I let everything else fade away and just be. I took in the wonder that was before me and I felt like I was somewhere else. Somewhere magical and mysterious. I expected to see Aslan looking at me from the opposite bank or to see Elves and Ents making plan.

As I headed back towards the tram and our boat ride at the bottom of the falls, I knew I wouldn't forget that experience.

My Bucket list

A while ago I decided to have a bucket list. Today I took the time to finish the list to a complete 100. I have crossed off 32 items off my list. I thought it would be fun to share with you and let you make suggestions for if I wanted to add more or to share what is on your list.

• 1.     Backpack in Europe
• 2.     Visit all 50 states
• 3.     Go into the Atlantic and the pacific
• 4.     Go skydiving
• 5.     Go Bungee Jumping
• 6.     Get  a tattoo
• 7.     Visit all 7 continents
• 8.     Learn how to hotwire a car
• 9.     Learn how to pick a lock
• 10. Fall in Love
• 11. Get married and have a family
• 12. Get my CPA license
• 13. Kiss under the Mistletoe
• 14. Learn how to drive a stick shift
• 15. ROAD TRIP!!
• 16. Learn to shoot a gun
• 17. Give blood
• 18. Go to four corners
• 19. Go to a drive in movie theater
• 20. Swim with the dolphins
• 21. Run a 5k
• 22. Run a 10k
• 23. Run a half marathon
• 24. Be an extra in a doctor who episode
• 25. Visit the wizarding world of harry potter
• 26. Go on a hot air balloon ride
• 27. Ski a real black diamond
• 28. Go to the Eiffel tower
• 29. Go to comic con
• 30. Passionately kiss in the rain
• 31. Go skinny dipping
• 32. See the Sistine chapel
• 33. See Stonehenge
• 34. See the northern lights
• 35. Go on a cruise
• 36. Hike the Appalachian trail
• 37. Earn a black belt in a martial art
• 38. Take a self defense class
• 39. Become proficient in spanish
• 40. Take singing lessons
• 41.  Go to a jazz club in New Orleans
• 42. Go snorkeling
• 43. Go scuba diving
• 44. Polar bear swim
• 45. Swim in the largest swimming pool in the world
• 46. Ride the orient express
• 47. Sleep in an overnight train
• 48.  Go to the top of the Jung Frau
• 49. Go whale watching
• 50. Adopt a dog
• 51. Go white water rafting
• 52. See Niagara Falls
• 53.  See the Mona Lisa
• 54. Stay at the Ice Hotel in Sweden
• 55. Couch Surf
• 56.  Go to Carnival
• 57. Be involved in La Tomatina (huge city wide food fight)
• 58.  Learn Photography
• 59. Read the top 100 American Classics
• 60. Read the top 100 books of all time
• 61. Learn to be more outgoing in unfamiliar settings
• 62. Take a random community college course for fun – like basket weaving
• 63. Pay off student loans
• 64.  Stick to a budget for one year
• 65. Donate $25 to Kiva each month for one year
• 66. Shop at Harrods
• 67. Get a massage
• 68.  Drink a bottle of expensive champagne
• 69. Fly first class
• 70. Study other religions
• 71. Read the entire bible
• 72. Volunteer at a soup kitchen
• 73. Invent something
• 74. Read 4 biographies about US presidents
• 75. Read 4 biographies about non American influential people
• 76. Be pictured in a magazine
• 77. See a Broadway play
• 78.  Try Escargot
• 79. Try Liver
• 80. Try Kimchi
• 81. Ice skate at Rockefeller center
• 82. Have a winning lottery ticket
• 83. Go to a murder mystery dinner
• 84. Go to a masquerade
• 85. Say “I have been kicked out of better places than this” to someone
• 86.  Go to Vegas
• 87.  Have 100 things on my bucket list
• 88.  Throw a party and invite everyone
• 89.  Ride and Elephant
• 90.  Ride a Camel
• 91.  Experience weightlessness
• 92.  Drive a convertible
• 93.  Donate blood
• 94.  Go into all 5 oceans (Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern)
• 95.  Cross the equator
• 96.  Find Waldo in Where’s Waldo
• 97.  Watch the 10 most classic American Films
• 98.  Drive the Pacific Coast Highway
• 99.  Leave a huge tip for a deserving waiter(ess)
• 100.                Get my MBA

Celebrating not two but three births in London

I am notoriously a planner. I obsessively plan things. It is not a want or a desire but a burning need that if left unfulfilled puts me into a mild panic attack. OK it might not be that bad but my family can attest to my need for order. I have a budget each month that I update every time I make a purchase, I planned out my month long trip to Europe down to the last plane, train, and hotel. Oh, except for the last one... where we got robbed… so I can say that experience is on my side.

Now my need to plan often clashes with my sisters need to be unencumbered and live in the moment. As I mentioned in this post it one time coalesced into a huge argument on the streets of Dublin. Luckily in the years since that post she has learned to cope with my need to be “a mom” and I have learned to sometimes let Katie (and now John) do their own thing and follow along. This is how I recently ended up in my skivvies on the banks of the Yadkin River in NC at 3 am one morning trying to swing off of a rope swing into swiftly moving swollen flood water. I had memories of Bridge to Terebithia running through my head during that “adventure”. But that is a story for another time.

So needless to say when it came to planning to celebrate Katie’s birthday (and to some extent mine) when we met up in London after my audit in India, I had the who’s, whats, and whys nailed down. Well almost. I had decided to see a play, that we would spend some time at the very touristy Ice Bar, and the next day maybe have high tea at some posh restaurant. That is until about 3 PM on an Indian afternoon when I realized that while my gift to Katie would have been fun and she would enjoy it, it wasn't the best I could do. So for her birthday I got her nothing.

That is right, nothing.

A big ol’ bag of zip.

Or really you could say I gave her a basket of opportunity. Or rather a purse of opportunity. I managed to find a small clutch in India for Katie’s birthday (funnily enough I got a great clutch from her as a bday present as well). I filled it with different activities we could do and she could pass or do any of them. There were things like “ride any of the tubes for 15 minutes, get off that stop and wonder around” or “Go into the first Irish bar you see, talk to the third person to say hi, make friends” or “sing God Bless America in front of the Buckingham Palace guards followed by God save the Queen” (we don’t want to mean). Of course being the non free spirit that I am I had to get ideas from some people but I think that is OK. And of course there were blank slips in there where Katie could come up with anything she wanted to do.

The only thing I had planned was the hotel because as I said experience in that area had indicated that no planning meant getting robbed. But other than that it was up to her what we would do, where we would go, how we would get there, and how long we would do it. Heck I didn't even ask her what time we would be going to Oxford. Didn't look at one train schedule. (OK that is a very blatant lie. I checked the train and bus schedule. I couldn't let go of all my habits) I just go along for the Katie ride and she could have free reign of London (although don’t tell the queen that).

The funny thing was that Katie HAD planned out some of the things. And I can’t tell you how grateful I am for that. Sometimes my planning anxiety reared its head, but not much with a plan in place by Katie.

We started off hopping on a bus headed towards we hoped was the south bank. After picking a random stop we hoped to find ourselves at the Old Vic. And we did. We saw a play called "The sweet bird of Youth" and to be honest it was a Gatsby-esque play so not a very happy one. With the exception of Kim Cattrall, the acting was very good and the story interesting if a bit slow. 

 

Before hand we managed to find what was purported to be the only "real" mexican food in London but we were a bit disappointed. But with drinks and Nachos you can never go wrong.

 

The next day we braved oxford street shopping in the middle of high tourist season followed by a walk through Hyde park which took longer and was hotter than expecting. It was great but we had to stop at TK (yes K) Maxx and buy some fashionable London dresses. We made our way to the Victoria and Albert Museum where we had the best lunch. I dk if it was because it actually is the best spot or if we loved it because we got to cool down and enjoy people watching but we LOVED our impromptu mid afternoon locale.

Then we headed of to Harrods. Surprisingly Katie had not yet been there yet. For the next half hour I heard more than once "NO ONE TOLD ME IT IS LIKE A SHOPPING DISNEY LAND". We found the fake snow, the harry potter display, and Katie ran into some of her students from Oxford.

That night, Katie was gracious enough to let me go to the ice bar or as she puts it "Paying £12 to lock yourself in a freezer for 45 minutes". It was a rediculous waste of money but now I can say that I did it. And to be honest, I had fun making fun of ourselves. Giggling with Katie in sub 0 temperatures was worth it.

 We ended off the night with Katie's "one true birthday wish" - Sheesha.

We ended our stay in London with the announcement that Kate Middleton was in Labor in the hospital a 5 minute walk from our hotel. I didn't really want to go but at my sisters enthusiasm and insistence we trekked the 7 block walk to St Mary's Hospital. There we were interviewed by the NYT, a french newspaper, and had a radio interview with the BBC on why Americans were interested in the Royal Family and the birth of a Royal Baby.  After that, I couldn't deny that going to the hospital was a bad idea.

BBC requesting an Interview

After we visited the Hospital we were off to Oxford. I had a great time in London and I can't wait to go back when Katie is there again in the spring!

I think that it had been the best joint birthday party we have ever had, if you don’t count the Pocahontas party. 

India week 2

There are so many things to talk about that I don't know where to start. Should I focus on India? Working with a new team? How I got sick this past weekend? Maybe I will skip the last one.

India has finally decided to show me what monsoon season is. Contrary to popular opinion formed by the movie Jumangi, Monsoon is not a long thunderstorm that lasts days. In fact it is quite the opposite. It is heavy intense rains that start suddenly and end just as suddenly and there is definitely not enough rain in those 3 - 4 minutes to cause a house to fill with water (sorry Interscope) and no lightning or thunder. There isn't enough time.I have learned to recognize when a storm is about to hit. The winds pick up dramatically and you can see the clouds grow darker rapidly. Here are two pictures I took at the resort we were at last weekend. If I could show you the time stamp you could see that they are about 2 minutes apart.

Not gonna happen

This quick occurrence of rain is a major pain in the ass. One minute you are enjoy your weekend in the pool and then you feel the difference in the air as the humidity rapidly rises. Twice I had to jump out and run for my nook and purse on the deck and book it to the relative dryness of the hotel terrace. Another time a coworker and I were looking at souvenirs from some locals on the beach and had to run back the half mile to the hotel, sure we were going to get soaked. Unfortunately we had not paid them for their goods yet and waited for us patiently on the beach while we exchanged some of our currency at the hotel. Fortunately it was one of the few times the rains didn't open a can of whoop ass on us and they remained dry. Below is a picture of the two very nice woman and a very pushy woman (far right) who let us try on their Saris. We didn't end up buying any of them.

All in all it was a great weekend. But now I have to get back to doing actual work. I leave you with a picture of me in the Indian Ocean. Unfortunately I didn't realize at the time that I was back lit. Oh well I will take what I can get.

Looking back at 2012

Inspired by the wonderful blog posts by my sister, Katie, and the wonderful Allison Lebo, I have decided to look back at 2012.

This year I:

Went to two different Continents that I had never been to before

Visited 6 States I have never been to before.

Saw five amazing couples get married. I was a bridesmaid for the first time in Lauren Bixler's wedding and now I can't wait to meet her new son CJ. Two of these weddings required me to come from or go to another continent right before or after (sometimes both).

I got my second tattoo on my hip with my sister on the Vegas Strip to which many of her friend's exclaimed "The BAKERS got tattoos?!?!"

I started a Blog, which I thought was only for English majors who could write, but learned it was all about being vulnerable to strangers and a patience for the editing process.

I moved in with some of my best friends and we have fought, argued, laughed hysterically, cooked, and lived together in a way that I hadn't experienced since college. We have endured the process of painting rooms, hanging decorations, melding styles, paying bills, and painfully putting up a blue spruce in our living room.

I went on a date where I knew it was a date and could appreciate the manner in which I was asked out even if it didn't work out in the end.

I reconnected with old friends, made a few new ones, lost a couple on the road of life, and are still quite unsure where I stand with a few others.

Jumped into a freezing  river for the second year in a row and still couldn't get the courage to dunk my head under water.

I made taking CPA exams a hobby. I passed one and failed five others. I learned that I am a tortoise and not a hare. It's going to take me a bit to get this done but I am not discouraged..... yet.

I have paid off two student loans, gone on a cruise with my grandparents and mom, bought my fourth comforter in three years, and have still yet to complete any fitness regimen I start.

I have written bad poetry, read amazing books, saw movies that moved my soul, and read bible passages that lifted my heart.

My family seems farther away physically than ever before but it has made me appreciate my time with them. I would rather play two games of hearts laughing hysterically with John, Dad, Mom, and Judge than to study for an hour. I can always pass an exam but those moments are fleeting.

2012 has been very generous with me. Although there have been stories that make your hair curl and heartache and frustrations, the blessings I have been given far outweigh every thing else.

Here's to the old and I can not wait to meet the new.

What I am thankful for

November has always, at least for Americans, been a time where we can reflect on what we have and be thankful. Many people over social media, blogs, and vlogs, have been doing their day to day remembrances and I want to join in the fun. Unfortunately I can't be a daily blogger (sorry) but I can be a  one time blogger so here we go - The 7 things I am most thankful for.

1) My safety. Sandy and then Athena have shown me how blessed I am to have been spared even the mild inconvenience of a power outage. My heart hurts for those that have lost their homes and mementos. I wish I could do more than to send supplies and clothes. 

2) Amazing roommates. I am living with two of my good friends from College. It is great not having to get to know them on a base level. I have lived with Caitlin in the past and while it took some time to get used to it again we have hit our rhythm. Learning to live with Dana has been fun. While Caitlin and I are similar in many ways - Dana is the complete opposite from me and it has been a joy to get to learn new ways of doing things and getting to see the world the way that Dana does.

3) My Family of course :) I have always held that my family is one of the best out there (as I am sure many people do). I have grandparents that have nothing but pride in their grandchildren and simply enjoy watching us grow and become our own people. I have aunts and uncles that enjoy seeing their families and having crazy Dutch Blitz or Spades games. I have Cousins with whom I thoroughly enjoy spending time. Even though I am 4+ years older than all of them, age never seems to matter when we are together.

I have parents that have supported me and my siblings regardless of our actions and delight not only in their kids but in each other. They are my example of Happily Ever after. They make love real. Katie is my opposite in every way. Where I am reserved she is outgoing. Where she is spontaneous I am planned. We spark each other. In our youth these sparks became fights. Now in our adulthood they (mostly) mean a thorough adventure. Katie says we go and I find a way to get us there. Kristen is who I aspire to be. She is confident in who she is. She is quirky and fun and humble and outrageous. She frequently acknowledges her hate of spelling and then says that it instilled in her a knowledge that some things have to be fought for. John is the lynch pin of our family. He is truly spoiled. We didn't realize what our family was missing until he came along. He is fun and sweet and love sports and is so smart that he makes me sick. And popular. That kid walks into a room and everyone wants to be his friend. 

4) The boat that is my car. The Caddy has taken good care of me though you can't really same of me for it. It is a well made car and I don't think that I will need a new car for another couple of years which means that, hopefully, I will have enough saved up to just pay cash for a new one.

5) My Job. I got my job in the middle of the worst part of the economic downturn. Luckily I was a part of a program that was trying to get off the ground and it was spearheaded by the CFO. I had a job when people I graduated with were fighting tougher and tougher competition to get what jobs there were and the number of those jobs had dropped dramatically. Through that program I got to do something I love, auditing, and auditing has taken me to the west coast, Canada, South America, and Asia. The travel is tough and I complain about it some but some people never leave their home town and I feel extremely lucky to experience new cultures (biggest lesson I have learned: Argentines REALLY do not like that Las Malvinas are under the British Crown).

6) My Faith. And for so many reason and much bigger reasons than the one I am going to put here but if it wasn't for my faith I would be a push over. No really. I am a people pleaser to the extreme. If it wasn't for the faith that I believe in, and my need to actually defend and stand up for it, I might have compromised on a lot of issues that aren't even related to my faith. 

7) Penn State. College is where I decided to come into my own. I made friends with a ton of great people, lost a friend for a while, had a boyfriend, and shortly after graduation got a tattoo. Got an amazing education. Learned to have school spirit (never had it in middle school or high school). Most of all, I became Jessie. I was on my own and making my own decisions. I admitted my love of hip hop, country, sci fi, and other genres of reading beyond romance. Though I continue to grow, Penn State is where I stepped out of my parents house and started taking responsibility for myself. Those 4 1/2 years were amazing and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

Future

I think it's time I had a long talk with the man upstairs about where he wants my career to go - because I , for one, have no idea.

I love storms!!!

When I was little I was terrified of storms. I mean I was was really really really piss your pants scared of them. At the time my parents lived in Charlotte, NC which frequently got the tail end of hurricanes as well as the normal everyday thunder and lightning storms.

As an adult I can understand where that fear came from. Imagine a little two year old with white blond extremely curly hair seeing flashes of light and hearing big roaring sounds and not understanding where they came from. To remedy this my parents did something that I thank them for every single time a storm rolls around. My mom and dad would take me out onto our back porch, which was small but covered, and would hold me as we sat and watched the rain come pouring down around our house. With her calming voice saying "wow look at that one Jessie. That was a BIG flash of light" or his loving voice murmuring "That was a really deep rumble. I felt it in my tummy." I slowly moved from quivering under my dad's arm, face hidden in the crook, to sitting comfortably on his lap enjoying the beauty of something so fierce.

This became our thing to do. When we moved to Yardley, PA we lost the back porch but made up for it by using our garage. As our family grew, so did the company. Katie, Kristen, John, and sometimes Rebel (most times he hid in the closet) would join us sitting in folding chairs, getting excited to see the fury of a raging storm. Often one of us would just jump out of our chair, throw off our shoes and run into the slashing rain. It wouldn't be long before the rest of the siblings and dog would join in the fun, laughing and running around. I am sure the neighbors thought that we were crazy.

To this day, I still have an absolute giddiness about a big ass storm. When I heard that hurricane Sandy was due to hit Philadelphia head on I was so excited. My roommates and I got all the necessary preparations. Stayed in doors during the worst of it and I eagerly looked outside to see the roaring intensity to hit the northeast since 1903.

I wasn't let down. There wasn't any thunder or lightning and not a lot of rain but the wind more than made up for it. Hearing the wind rage outside my window late last night with the memories of being held safe by my dad when I was younger and celebrating in the rain with my siblings when I was older, I dropped right off to sleep.

Story of my friends through pictures

 Alpha Delta Class  Phi Sigma Pi

 Trip to DC/Baltimore to visit Lou

 Wedding of one of the sweetest woman ever

 My PSU crew in Philly to watch us crush Temple

 My amazing group of friends that say "OK" when I ask

to jump into a freezing river for charity

 Some of my Fave PSPers in Las Vegas celebrating Becca's Bday

 The crew at the wedding of Mike and Lori

 This girl is who I get crazy with even though 

she is all the way out in Montana

 Somewhat yearly pilgrimage to State College for Artsfest 

 Out with my PSPers

 Trust me - it's cold in the polar plunge

 Halloween SuperSenior year

 Fantastic Pictures

 The Church Crew

 The best way to move a couch is to

support it out of the trunk as your friend drives the 

car around the corner.

 Front Row to support the Nittany Lions

 PSP block for the whiteout

 Showing our THON family our support

with a great outing to watch the Lions play ball

 Winery Tour

 I miss this Crazy girl!

 Sledding in Manayunk

We're bad ass! Warrior Dash