27 Dresses and the Melting Pot.

In the spirit of discussing restaurants (see previous post) it’s only makes sense that I share my Melting Pot experience. Normally I’m not a big proponent of chain restaurants (don’t worry…I don’t think I’m too good for a chain restaurant).  I just really like supporting the local guys.

Anyway, the Melting Pot (in all its chain glory…) made the list for a few reasons: 1. Many people have recommended it. 2. Because of that, I’ve wanted to go for a number of years…but I’ve just never gotten around to it. 3. Because it’s fondue, dinner might take a few hours. I like long dinners; they often make for good conversation.

Thanks to my friend Ryanne, this particular trip to the Melting Pot was especially, and pleasantly, unique. Once a month, the Melting Pot hosts a theme night and the proceeds benefit a local non-profit. A day or so before this unexpected dinner, Ryanne sent an email about how the Melting Pot was hosting a “27 Dresses” theme night. “27 Dresses” is a movie (with Katherine Heigl) about a girl who has been a bridesmaid 27 times.

This particular night, the Melting Pot offered anyone wearing a bridesmaid dress the opportunity to partake in a 4 course meal and an open bar for $35…not a bad deal. From what I’ve heard, the going rate is often $50…without drinks.

Not only do I appreciate the total randomness of the evening (yes, I felt like a complete “tool” walking from my car to the restaurant in a bridesmaid dress…) BUT Ryanne’s coworker Ruthie joined us so I made a new friend…and let’s be honest, how can you not bond over a Thursday evening of fondue, cocktails, and bridesmaid dresses?!?

I admit, I never anticipated my first trip to the Melting Pot would involve a bridesmaid dress (Meredith, I wore the one from your wedding…) but the unexpected, spontaneous, and random things often make for some of the most fond and vivid memories…and I think that’s fun. :)

Tony and Charlie.

I like food. And I like tradition. As a born and raised St. Louis girl it only made sense that I add a St. Louis landmark restaurant to the list. Two recommendations were made: Charlie Gittos and Tony’s. Last July, I officially added Charlie Gitto’s to the list…HOWEVER…my uncle’s birthday is in March, and as fate would have it he wanted to celebrate at Tony’s downtown. For those of you who don’t know, Charlie Gittos and Tony’s are very different. CG’s is casual Italian dining, while Tony’s has won awards (nationally and locally) for excellent food, service, and ambiance. When you think "Tony’s" think fine dining. So, in March, I made the decision to upgrade this particular list item. After all, it is my list and I can do whatever I want with it.

Here’s what I liked. 1. Since I originally planned to visit Charlie Gittos, the whole experience was unexpected; I appreciate a little surprise every now and then. 2. I went with family. I like my family. They’re fun. 3. Even though my aunt Kathy wasn’t there, she was in spirit. Why? Well, I had foie gras as an appetizer and when Kathy and I had lunch at the Museum of Modern Art in Feb. she ordered the foie gras, I tried it, and it was delish. :) The foie gras at Tony’s was equally delicious. In case you’re wondering, foie gras is liver. Normally, I don’t like liver. And I’m no foie gras expert, but foie gras is the liver of a duck or goose. I guess their livers are better than a calf’s because I could order calf liver, smothered in gravy, with a side of mashed potatoes at an old-persons cafeteria for $5, while a tiny sampling of foie gras tastes significantly better yet is also significantly more expensive. Truth be told, I think I just like to say “foie gras”.  Anyway…food, wine, service, company, etc. was great and I’m glad I felt compelled to alter my list mid year.

Interestingly enough, I did end up going to Charlie Gittos a few weeks later. My friend Dana invited me to a Cardinals game and we stopped off at Charlie Gittos for lunch before the game. Had I known we’d have lunch at CG’s…I would’ve brought my camera.

Oh, and despite the fact that “Restaurants” is a silly little category I managed to come away with a tiny little “take away”…maybe it was just a good reminder. Few things in life are set in stone, so why not be flexible and open to change? …even if it’s something as simple as changing your bucket list item at the last minute.

Stranded at the Kentucky Derby...

Oh my goodness. How is it July and I have I not yet blogged about the Kentucky Derby?!?

Truth be told,  I’ve never watched the Derby on TV. I’ve never had a mint-julep. I don’t have an affinity for large hats. Though beautiful, I find horses dangerous and unpredictable. And I’m not a betting woman. So, why did The Derby make my list? Simply stated: I’ve never been and I like to do new things. Plus, there is something to be said for an event that’s been running since the 1870’s.

Background Info: Back in “the day” (college and a little after) my friend Angie and I went on a fair number of road trips. There are two things to do while in a car for 5+ hours: talk (we always had a good conversations) and make the passenger be the DJ. There was an unspoken rule that applied to the DJ: Surprise the driver with the most random (and fun) selection of music possible. As a result, many road trips involved artists such as: Cake, Madonna, Garth Brooks, Outkast, etc.. Since Angie’s move to CA, road trips are few and far between. So…who did I call when I wanted to go to the Kentucky Derby? My gal pal Ang.

Thursday April 29th Angie arrived in STL. Angie and I lived together in STL for a number of years and for the sake of tradition we walked our old 5 mile route a few times and went to a few bars/restaurants we would often frequent when she was living in town…it was a little trip down memory lane.

Friday morning, we began our road-trip to Kentucky. After 9 hours we arrived in Louisville. Yes, Louisville is really about a 5 hour drive BUT when you drive to Lexington first…it is a much longer drive.

To make a long story short, we originally booked our hotel in Lexington, KY (about an hour east of Church Hill Downs) because neither of us were interested in paying $450+ for a one night stay at a LaQuinta. Yes, $450 for a LaQuinta! I’m sorry, but as a matter of principle I won’t pay $450 for a hotel that is supposed to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $90/night…even if it does have a microwave in each room. Literally, 10 minutes after we checked into the Lexington hotel, my uncle (who also ended up going to the Derby) called to tell me someone in their group backed out and that room (at a nicer hotel, in downtown Louisville) was ours for the taking. It takes a good friend to agree to another hour or so drive after a 5 hour road trip earlier in the day, but Angie agreed and after dinner in Lexington, we headed back West to Louisville and finally checked into our hotel around 10:00, then headed out to explore downtown Louisville.

Downtown Louisville was a mad-house…who knew?!? So. Many. People. Neither of us had any idea it would be so insane! We were on overload. Unfortunately, I waited too long to write this blog and I’m sure I’ll leave out tons of details, so just picture a big street party, loud music, dancing, bars, lots of fluorescent lights, cobblestone streets, and tons and tons of people. The Derby is “THE” event of the year for Louisville, because of that; the city is understaffed when it comes to public transportation. As a result, many of the “taxis” were basically moms driving minivans with a handwritten paper sign on the side of the card that said “Taxi”. I honestly could’ve sat down at a table and just watched people for hours. Lots to soak in.

Since my Aunt and Uncle’s friends dropped out of the trip, Angie and I were able to “drop in”. Which meant the next morning, we met everyone in the lobby and hopped in their pimped out charter bus stocked with plenty of food and drinks. On the front end, the Charter sounded like a great idea (especially considering the weather forecast was for nothing but rain and the Charter promised to drop us off right at the front gate) and for the most part it was. Until it suddenly hit us, “if you go with the charter, you leave with the charter”. We arrived at the Derby around 10:45 a.m., unfortunately, it rained 90% of the day…and our seats were not covered. The actual derby “race” isn’t until 5:00 ish…which meant the majority of the afternoon was spent hanging out in the covered area with thousands of people who were getting drunker, and wetter, and louder, and hotter by the hour… essentially, we were stranded.

Am I disappointed I went to the Derby? Nope. I’m glad I went. I’m glad I bought a new dress, wore a big hat, tried a mint julep, road tripped with Angie, hung out on 2nd Street in downtown Louisville, bet on a few horses, hung out with my Aunt and Uncle and their friends (they invited us to a really fun party after the Derby) and met some new people, and in general experienced all that is "The Kentucky Derby". 

Would I go again? Probably not. Unless…someone paid for me to sit in the covered seats -or- I was guaranteed a sunny day. And since there is no guarantee on the weather…I guess that means someone needs to treat me to Millionaires Row…any takers?  :)

Cards/Cubs Game at Wrigley

Memorial Day weekend, I went to my first Cards/Cubs game in Chicago. I’ve been to a Cards/Cubs game in STL, but never at Wrigley. Come to think of it, I’ve never been to a MLB game outside Busch Stadium (other than spring training).


Whether it’s a road trip, a trip of international proportions, or somewhere in between…I love to travel. Read: I like going on trips, not planning them. I don’t like the planning because -well- I have self-diagnosed ADD and there are SO many things to choose from…and quite frankly…I’m easily entertained so the whole planning process is quite daunting and there is rarely anything that I don't want to do. But, since I did the inviting, I had to bite the bullet and take charge of a few details. So, if you’re reading this, and I’ve ever traveled with you on a vacation that required planning (Mom,Dad, Ryanne, Kathy, James Plett…) thanks for taking time to the research and work out details!

Alright, first, I’m just going to say it was a really fun, great, and busy weekend…but what made the weekend REALLY great is the people. Let’s be honest. Traveling with 6 adults can be tricky, especially if it’s the first time traveling together. I believe two signs of a good “group trip” are 1.everyone sticks together (vs. breaking into smaller groups that go in different directions) and 2. Each person has equal time talking to everyone in the group. Those aren’t things you can plan for, and both happened on this trip. Therefore, in the eyes of Miss Holley Maher…this trip was a success! I don’t think any of us could’ve asked for a better mix of personalities.

At 3 p.m. Friday afternoon, everyone packed into Dana’s parents pimped-out mini van. The drive to Chicago was a breeze. Hardly any traffic. The perfect number of bathroom breaks. Good car snacks. Lots of conversations. And even the movie Avatar was only somewhat watched because the conversations were more exciting...sorry James Cameron!

We arrived at the hotel (which was right by Navy Pier) around 8:30 p.m. and pretty much headed straight to dinner. Unfortunately, there was an hour wait at the restaurant we planned to go to but fortunately, there was a Mexican restaurant just down the street with outdoor seating and no wait! AND, had we not gone to that Mexican restaurant, then I would’ve missed out on trying cactus for the first time! It’s amazing how everything works out huh? :)

The next morning we left the hotel around 10:30 and began making our way to Wrigley. The game was at 3:00; it was a beautiful sunny day and made all the sense in the world to spend the afternoon walking to Wrigley (a little over 5 miles). Why? So much to see of course. We walked along the lake shore, through a farmers market, peeked in some of the shops in the Lincoln Park area, and on mustn’t forget stopping at a CVS Pharmacy for some water and gum. A great way to get some exercise and see the city. Before we knew it, it was 1:00, we were within a block of Wrigley, and it was time for lunch.

After lunch, we met my friend Libby outside Wrigley for the game and headed to our seats. Our seats were pretty high; however, they were just to the left of home plate, so had the Cardinals won…we would’ve had a great view of the guys running into home. BUT, I think we lost 1-4(?). Oh well, I was just happy to be at a ball game in a different stadium. Actually, I’m maybe the worst sports fan ever. I’m such a lemming. I rarely pay attention to the game, so I just clap when everyone else cheers. That generally works pretty well…when I’m at Busch Stadium and everyone around me is a Cards fan. Despite the fact I sported my Cardinals red, I'm confident I spent more time clapping for the Cubs. The way I look at it is, “I support talent. So whether someone plays for the Cardinals, the Cubs, or whatever…those guys are just trying to make an honest living, and put food on the table, maybe send a few kids through college. So, good for anyone who hits a home run or catches a fly ball…”

After the game, we grabbed a drink and a few appetizers at a nearby bar with an outdoor patio and shortly thereafter headed to the Sheffield Music Festival. Despite the bands being on a long break, we all agreed the karaokeers (is that a word?) picked some really fun music. One guy did a really great rendition of some Killers song, rather impressive. Everyone was starting to get a little tired at this point, but we pushed through, hopped on the “L” and headed to Navy Pier for some ice cream and the 10:30 fireworks display. All in all, it was a fun day, and we were very sleepy ladies by the time the clock struck 11 p.m.. I honestly think we walked close to 10 miles that afternoon.

The next morning, I got up and went for a short run along the lake and a few hours later, we left the hotel for Millennium Park and a 1:00 rooftop game. Had I not met my new friend Travis a few months ago, I don’t think I would’ve known about the rooftop experience. If you don’t know, a handful of brownstones surround the Wrigley outfield. The top ¼ of the buildings are for baseball fans.  The very top is an open patio for rooftop seating. Just below that is an open bar/buffet. Below the bar area are residences. I’m not 100% certain whether or not I’ll go back to the rooftop we went to this weekend, the view wasn’t amazing but the reason I would go back is because one of the owners was really personable. Luckily, the Cardinals won on Sunday…9-1. While watching the game from the rooftop, I told Karen it would be fun to start an annual tradition of coming up to Chicago for one Rooftop game each year. Not only is the rooftop all-inclusive, but it’s great because the bathrooms are clean and not crowded. No huge crowds of sweaty people. It’s easy to meet people, we had some fellow Cardinal fans sitting behind us….and we even befriended a Cubs fan.

After the rooftop game, we hung out in the Wrigley area for some people watching. This one guy had this crazy floating cigarette trick. We have no idea how he did it but this cigarette somehow floated, turned, and hovered in mid air. It was weird. My sister found a link to him online. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hom8XTYSQys

A little later, we met up with Ryanne (she didn’t come to the rooftop game because she spent the afternoon with some college friends living in Chicago). We merged groups for a drink/dinner then took the L back into the downtown area so we could go to the top of the Hancock building. Despite the fact that the Hancock experience wasn’t quite what we expected (lots of standing in line…) I’m glad to say we went to the top and saw a really great view of the city…even if it was from the women’s restroom. I think it was the first time for all of us (except Karen).

The next morning, Ryanne and I got up for a short run/walk that highlighted some of the higher-profile sites in Chicago, down the river walk, along the lake, through Millennium Park, and down Michigan Ave. It was a great way to wrap up the trip!

That was pretty much it. We all met up in the hotel lobby around 9:30 and were on our way to St. Louis by 9:45. Thanks to Dana for driving, and to her parents for giving up their minivan for a weekend! Thanks to Katie M. for being our tour guide. And thanks to everyone for making it such a fun weekend filled with new things, lots of walking, good conversations, and lots of laughs! I really am blessed to have such quality gals in my life!

NYC/VT Part Two: Learn to Snowboard

I’ve skied for about 15 years and for the past 5 years or so I’ve been intrigued by the snowboarders. I never satisfied my curiosity on ski trips with friends because everyone ski’s about the same level and I didn’t want to be the one girl stumbling down the bunny hill while the rest of the group made all sorts of fun memories skiing Blue Sky Basin. When my aunt offered to host my trip up East, I decided that was the time to try snowboarding. Plus, it was kind of symbolic because I first learned to ski with my Aunt in Vermont.


If you don’t already know it…standing on a snowboard for the first time is nothing shy of awkward. Snowboarders ooze this laid-back coolness. Since I consider myself a pretty laid back person…certainly I could look just as “chill” on board. Notsomuch. Not only that…but a 30 yr old insurance lady on a snowboard for the first time is REALLY not cool…especially when she’s wearing a helmet.

In short, I took two classes (morning and afternoon) and fell down… a lot. Honestly, I did get better throughout the day…but no matter how you cut it, it’s just not possible to master something in 5 hours. So, what ends up happening is you feel really, really helpless, and it just gets frustrating. Before I knew it, the day was over and I was tired and sore. And, if I call a spade a spade, I “quit” before the lifts closed simply because I was tired of falling and running into stationary objects (or small children).

Here is my thinking at the end of the day…”Ya know Holls, you really don’t need to learn how to snowboard. You like skiing just fine. And really, be honest, didn’t you just want to know what the hype was all about? Well, now you know.”

So, my “Holley Maher personal take-away” was simply the self realization that I don’t need (nor can I) master everything. Nor will I enjoy everything. But I can (and should) try anything…well…except illegal drugs...  Because sometimes, experiencing something new ends up giving you a deeper appreciation for the things you already know. 

Exploring the Art of NYC

In the mid-80’s my family traveled to NYC to visit my dad’s sister (Kathy) who moved up east after law school. As a 7 year old girl, my first trip to NYC was nothing less than scary. Crime was high…and the trash people were on strike…not a good combination! As we drove to her apartment in the city I remember sliding down in my seat (below the window) “just in case” we were about to be the victim of a drive by shooting. Thankful to be alive by the time we arrived at the stairs of her apartment, the sliding door to the VW Vanagon opened only to reveal...a dead rat! Thank goodness it was my “cool aunt” who lived in NYC; otherwise, New York would’ve been shrouded with nothing but horrible memories.
Though I’ve been back a handful of times since the 80’s, other than a Broadway show, a view from the top of the Empire State building, a trip to the site where the Twin Towers once stood, and some good restaurants, for some reason I can’t really remember how I spent my time in the city...and I'm pretty sure I didn't get a flavor of the art-world.

Recently (maybe within the past 3 years) my appreciation for art has grown. I’m not “artsy” and quite frankly, I don't have a great appreciation for the classical pieces. I came to realize my new found interest in art after some organization in my neighborhood tore out some really pretty landscaping in order to install a really ugly statue a few blocks from my house. The statue truly is an eyesore, however, I love it because it fosters conversation and I believe one of the roles of art is to build community. This particular statue is right outside a Starbucks and shortly after the installation, I often found myself sharing opinions of the statue with random Starbucks patrons.

Why did I share all that?!? Well, for my 30th birthday, my Aunt Kathy invited me to visit her and her family up East so I could knock a few things off my list. Not wanting to take advantage of such a great gift, I decided to complete two items on my list. Since you’re reading this blog, it’s probably pretty obvious I wanted to explore the art of NYC. What you don't know is Kathy and her family are avid skiers so I also told her I wanted to spend some time in the mountains of VT learning how to snowboard (that will be another entry).

Kathy planned a perfect trip! We stayed with her friend’s Clinton and Joe. They have a lovely apartment in the Upper East Side; I couldn’t have asked for better accommodations. The weather was great, which gave us an opportunity to do a lot of walking and the itinerary was perfectly packed and diverse. Because we did so much, I’ll give the cliff-notes version of the trip (at least I'll try):

Tuesday: The Frick and Guggenheim

The Frick museum is the home of Henry Frick who was basically a really rich and successful guy in the coal industry who had an appreciation for art. After his daughters death (in the 1980’s), his home and art collection opened to the public. The Frick is filled with a variety of classical pieces: Vermeer’s, Rembrandt’s, statues, various textiles, all in the setting of an amazing home with pretty gardens.

I think the Guggenheim was my favorite. The architecture was unique and modern. Upon entering the Guggenheim you find yourself at the bottom of a long spiral ramp. As you go up the ramp, you can stop off at different floors to view various exhibits. Usually, artwork is placed along the walls of the ramp, however when we visited in March the walls were blank due to Tino Sehgal’s exhibit, “This Progress”. Sehgal is a conceptual artist, and “This Progress” was an interactive. Instead of the museum goers simply viewing a piece of art he or she is led up the spiral ramp by four individuals in order of increasing age.

A 10 yr old boy greeted us with the question, “What is progress?”. We walked up the ramp with him for a few minutes defining “progress” until the boy “disappeared” around the corner and we now found ourselves talking and walking with a 19 year girl attending NYU. She spent a few minutes telling us how she feels society pressures young adults to make certain choices (i.e. career, lifestyle, etc.). Honestly, we found her whiny and difficult to follow. Next we were greeted by a woman in her early 30’s. We talked with her about “ageism” in the United States. As you may’ve guessed, the next person we met was in his late 70’s. He shared stories from his life about how doing things that are a little uncomfortable grew him as a person and allowed him to see things from a different perspective. At this point, we had progressed from the bottom of the ramp to the top and as a result, we too saw things from a different perspective. I would’ve enjoyed going through the exhibit again, but unfortunately, we arrived at the Guggenheim later than expected so time didn’t allow us to go through again. The NY Times had a great article online, the best summary is: “actors (‘interpreters’) accost the viewer in ways that, depending upon who she is and what she thinks about conceptual art, may leave her confused, annoyed, or more exhilarated than by anything she has encountered inside a museum in years.” I left the exhibit feeling the latter… :) http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2010/03/22/100322ta_talk_collins#ixzz0k3TR6GXm

After the Guggenheim we headed to LeCaprice for dinner and the Blue Note Jazz Club for some post-dinner entertainment.

Day Two: The Day of Personalized Art Tours plus some laughs...

The day began with a tour and lunch at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I could write a lot about the Met, but the best thing was our tour guide was Kathy’s friend Clinton who is a Docent at the Met.

After lunch, we headed to Chelsea which was the neighborhood where Kathy’s friend was showing her personal work. This was the smallest art venue we visited, but it was a nice change from the “impersonal” museum feel. Kathy’s friend Claudia is very talented and I really enjoyed talking with her. Talking with the artist gave a different appreciation for her art. www.claudiacron.com is her website if you want to view any of her artwork.

That evening, we met my cousin John and his girlfriend for Sushi and a comedy show. John is my dad’s cousin’s son…so I think that makes him my third cousin. I hadn’t seen John in close to 20 years, so it was fun to catch up. I mentioned this in my South Africa blog, but one thing I really appreciate about traveling is how it can make the world can seem both larger and smaller. There was something uniquely comfortable and fun about having dinner, with my 3rd cousin and aunt in the middle of NYC.

Day Three: Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), Spa, & Broadway.

Though MOMA was my 2nd favorite museum…it was by far my favorite meal! Here I learned something new (and experienced) “amuse-bouche”. It’s a French term that basically means “something pleasing for your mouth”. Bouche is French for mouth and amuse is…well…it’s amuse. The amuse-bouche is a bite-size hors d’oeuvre…it’s like a special surprise from the chef. Between the amuse-bouche, spontaneous glasses of lunchtime wine, amazing entrées (I had the duck, and Kathy had the foie gras which was "muy delicioso"), dessert sampler, and classy museum atmosphere…this was by far one of the best meals…which was then followed by massages at Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door Spa….which was then followed by surprise makeovers. Definitely a girly day. Before we knew it, it was time for dinner and the Broadway show “Billy Elliot”, the story of a boy who drops out of boxing classes so he can enroll in ballet…that didn’t go over so well with lil’ Billy’s dad but as is the case with most musicals…everything worked out get in the end (sorry for the spoiler). Not only was this a great day because of the fun things we did, but it was also a great day of conversation and just hanging out with my Aunt Kathy who I really haven’t “hung out” with one on one since I’ve been a little girl.

For the most part, that’s the summary of my trip to NYC. The next morning, we left to pick up my cousin Alec and headed to Vermont for some time on the mountain…where I “learned” to snowboard. (Quotes are very intentional). Stay tuned for Part II…you know you wanna… :)

Complete a Marathon

In the summer of ’09 (mid-list creation) my sister asked me if I’d run a half-marathon with her. I’m not a runner, however, in 2003, I ran a half-marathon with a friend of mine. For some strange reason, I turned to Megan and said, “Well, I’ve already run a half, so why don’t we train for a full?” ...I’m sure the only reason those words came out of my mouth was because I said them while sitting in a boat drinking a beer. Anything seemed possible at that moment in time…



Since I’m not a natural runner (is anyone really a “natural” runner anyway???) crossing a finish line wasn’t enough incentive for me…I needed to know I was running for a greater purpose. So after some research, we made a decision to train with, and raise money for, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). A month or so later we found ourselves at the kick-off meeting officially committing to a 26.2 mile run and raising $7,800 for LLS.


When I ran my half-marathon, I thought, “13.1 miles is plenty. I can’t imagine ever doing a full marathon. 26.2 miles is a long way...and the thought of having multiple training runs over 13 miles seems awful…” I won’t bore you with the details of the various training runs for the marathon, but the big-picture over view is: we had decent weather for the majority of our training so for the most part running outside wasn’t too bad. It started to get uncomfortably cold in mid-December (the marathon took place mid January) and I finally drew the line with outdoor runs at 20*. The thought getting up at 5:45 a.m. to run 15 miles, around a lake, in 7 degree weather wasn’t going to happen…I think my rationale was reasonable. Generally speaking, it was fun to hit different milestones throughout the training. The first milestone took place in November when I ran the farthest I had ever run…15 miles. The other milestone (at least mentally) was the 20 mile training run in mid-December. I knew if I could run 20 (in the cold and snow)…I could run the 26.2.


Normally, I’m a very level headed, rational thinker. When most people run a marathon their thoughts and fears are, “Will I finish”? “I hope I don’t get a knee injury.” Or, for those with a competitive edge, “I want to finish in the top 10% of my age bracket.” Nope. Not me. My fears were more along the lines of, “I hope I finish without a heart attack, stroke, blood clot, or aneurism…” Not so “level-headed”… Actually, my fear wasn’t TOTALLY irrational…and here’s why. (Oh, FYI, some of you reading this…especially if you’ve known me for a long time may be surprised by what I’m about to type. So, know this isn’t a “secret”…it’s just never come up in conversation…) BUT, ever since I’ve been 3 years old, I’ve been an insulin dependent diabetic. So, my heart attack/stroke concern wasn’t totally off base.


My other “concern” (and this is a more logical concern) was: “Will I hit ‘the wall’?” In talking to a few marathoners, I often heard stories about how your body starts to “shut down” at mile 20. And how, “the last 6.2 miles are the hardest.” When I asked people to explain what they mean by “your body starts to shut down” they’d often say, “You’ll see…” What the…?!?


The night before the race, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society hosted an inspirational pasta party dinner. Two individuals spoke that evening. The first spoke primarily to encourage us physically. He reminded us that completing the race wasn’t about winning or getting the best time. He also pointed out that only 1% of the population has completed a marathon. He did a good job of easing nerves and inspiring us to have fun and savor each moment along the way.


The second speaker was the father of a girl who passed away of Leukemia a few years ago. His talk centered around “Yes, tomorrow you will run 26.2 miles, but the greater accomplishment is the impact you had on LLS”. All the Team in Training participants for this event raised a total of $1.6 million. I’m not sure if you know this, but that’s a lot of money.


Towards the end of his daughter’s life, she created a list of the “10 Secrets Living”. Since her list is so insightful, I’m sharing it in hopes that my friends, family, and fellow bloggers will also be encouraged by the wisdom of this 15 year old girl, I hope it will help to put some things in your life into perspective as it did mine.


10: Deal with life one day at a time.


9: Turn every life experience into a learning experience.


8: Always look for the positive.


7: Try to do at least one new thing everyday.


6: Be true to yourself.


5: Touch as many lives as you can.


4: Enjoy the little things.


3: Don’t sweat the small stuff.


2: Hold on to your friends.


1: Make everyday count.


I really like her list. It’s simple yet deep. And what I love about it the most is written by a person who clearly knew life here on earth is temporary.


Ok, I hate switching gears like this, but I’m going to for lack of a better segue. Since this is a blog about the marathon…I should probably write something about the actual race experience. I didn’t have a heart attack, stroke, blood clot, or aneurism…Yay! We could not have asked for better weather. Sunny and about 72*. Every mile was marked by a live band and a water station...which made the miles go by pretty fast. I ran solo the majority of the time which meant it was a lot easier to pace myself. Though I didn't break any records...I was able to finish strong...which is better than my original goal "not to die". :)


Mile 21 was probably the “breakthrough” mile marker. At that point I found myself thinking,”I’m actually going to complete a marathon!! –and- I’m actually feeling really good…!” –and- “I'd actually consider doing this again." Plus, it didn’t hurt that the band on the side of the road was playing, “I’m Proud to be an American”. I honestly started getting a little “vaclempt”.


Though my diabetes doesn’t play a major role in my day-to-day life, there was something really cool about the fact that I was a diabetic and I was running a marathon. I think one of the best things I did throughout the race was simply listen to my body. If I needed to stretch, I’d stretch. Walk, I’d walk. Get water, I’d get water. If I felt like I could keep running…then I’d keep running. And, much like on my safari experience, I was struck by the fact that God and His creation are pretty amazing.


As for the next day, well, I felt great! I think it’s because I stayed on my feet and kept moving after the race.


Am I glad I did it? Definitely. Will I do it again? Maybe…nothing is ever out of the question.

The First Wild Card—Sponsor a Child.

At the last minute (basically the day I turned 30) I amended my list “rules”. I decided to give myself two “wild cards”. After all, the list really is just a way for me to be intentional about doing and experiencing new things. Yes, there are new things I’m doing outside this list, but for the most part they’re inconsequential—like the other day I went to a new bar and grill. I never thought of going there before, nor is there anything all that unique about the place…therefore a place like that will never be “wild card worthy”. On the other hand, a few weeks ago, my friend Krista invited me to a Christian concert. I don’t go to many Christian concerts, but for some reason, I decided to go to this one. Mid-concert, I learned concert proceeds would support an international adoption agency, “Holt International”.

Over the past year I’ve prayed about the list. That God would use it, teach me, reveal himself…and basically not let it become simply a “year of Holley doing whatever she wants”. Honestly, I don’t have any specific plans for glorifying God in any of these items, I just trust that since I’ve prayed, God will lead me different places.

Back to the “Wild Card”. About 10 days before the concert, the earthquake hit Haiti. Like many, I found myself thinking along the lines of, “How can I help”? And, “Which organization should I give to?” When I learned Holt International had a “sponsor a child” program…which included Haitian children, it didn’t take me long to decide this is a “wild card worthy” item. I love this because I have no idea how long I will sponsor Marie, but she will be a good reminder that God hears my prayers and is faithful. She will also be a good reminder to pray for the people and country of Haiti. And $30 a month will remind me of all that I have to give thanks for…and that my money can (and should) be shared with people who have far greater needs than my own.

Paging Dr. Phil...

Since the majority of my family lives in town, more often than not when we all get together, the dinner tables are split between kids and adults. I go back and forth between the two…but truth be told…I like when all of us cousins are together at the “kids” table. :)


None of the cousins are married. The kid table (which sometimes includes family friends) ranges from age 6 to mid 30’s. Thanksgiving ’08 three of us were in our late 20’s / early 30’s (I was the only girl in the “late 20’s”) and three more (including Ryan) were early 20’s. That Thanksgiving, we found ourselves in a conversation about dating…specifically discussing MY dating life.

I don’t remember the details, but I do remember learning from Ryan that Facebook is for “booty calls” and Match.com is for “serious” relationships. News to me… but that does explain all the inappropriate wall comments on my Facebook page… (KIDDING!) I also remember Ryan gave me what I like to call the “Dr. Phil Challenge with the Ryan full money-back guarantee”.

Dr. Phil is/was somehow affiliated with Match.com. He has (at least had) some guarantee you’ll find true love on Match.com within X number of months…if not…you get your money back. I was (and still am) a skeptic. Ryan told me if I signed up for Match.com and didn’t find “love” in 90 days…HE would give me my money back. Honestly, I wanted to take him up on the challenge just to prove him wrong. Could I possibly get Dr. Phil to give me my money back and Ryan to pay me on top of it? Did I actually have the potential to make money with online dating? Sweet. :) Oh, but it sounded so mean make my recent college graduate cousin reimburse me for something I “knew” was doomed for failure. To make a long story short, I told my table not to get their hopes up, but I’d “think” about it.

In the meantime (and totally unrelated) I came up with the idea to do this “non-bucket list”. Many people gave me ideas for things to add to the list. Four or five people encouraged me to sign up for Match.com. (Not sure what that says about me…) but ANYWAY, one of the categories in my list is “do something uncomfortable”. It seemed that was an appropriate place to add Match.com…right next to skydiving.

Disclaimer: Though online dating is great for some people, I’ve never been too interested in the idea. My views on online dating are simply based on MY experiences, and personality so in no way are they a judgment on those who enjoy (or enjoyed) online dating. All that to say…I tried it…and pretty much hated everything about it. Granted, I only gave it 30 days…but that was enough.

Here’s my thinking:

A. I’m not a good emailer

B. I’m not a good phone talker

C. I have a hard time justifying a meaningful email to, or hearty phone conversation with, a total stranger…when I have real-life friends to whom I owe return calls/emails.

D. It’s unnatural to click on a “no thanks” button to tell someone (who you know NOTHING about) that you’re “not interested”. It just seemed so cold.

Not only that, but the world is small…especially St. Louis. When you first sign up… you get a lot of “activity” on your page. I replied to this one guy because he seemed normal and low key. Well…turns out we have mutual acquaintances and I know exactly who he is (however, he doesn’t realize I know who he is). Not only that, but multiple (unrelated) people confirmed he’s bad news. Honestly, I probably would’ve gone out with him, just to come up with my own conclusion BUT all he ever did was text or call just to chat. Sufficed to say…considering point “B” above…it fizzled.

For the record, it wasn’t ALL bad. One of my friends was on Match.com at the same time as me…I thought I was funny when I “winked” at her and sent her a message to tell her she looked like the “after” picture for a Weight Watchers ad. :) In addition, when I signed up for Match, I was in the middle of training for a marathon. One of the guys I talked to has run 44 marathons. What?!? Yes…FOURTY FOUR! Needless to say, super nice guy, and really helpful and encouraging to talk to re: training. He even made a nice donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma society.

Some people think I’m silly for only giving it 30 days, and in all fairness, I probably should’ve given it more time. But I dunno, it just wasn’t a fit. All that to say, it takes a lot for me to say that a door is permanently closed…or permanently open. So who knows…maybe some day in the future I’ll take Dr. Phil up on his challenge, until then, match.com isn’t for me.

Cheap shrimp, a free band, tasty food on a stick, good people, and semi-expensive beer...

Want to hear a fun-fact? In the 1920’s Anheuser Busch originally opened a little restaurant in Alton, IL (just outside St. Louis) called Fast Eddies Bon-Air. But, AB was forced to sell sometime in the 30’s because of a new law prohibited breweries from owning drinking establishments. Fast forward about 90 years and not only is Fast Eddies still in business, BUT they’re a local landmark that is apparently always hoppin’.


Obviously, since I'm not 90 years old, Fast Eddies has been around my entire life. And, throughout my life, I’ve heard tons of commercials about their cheap beer, cheap shrimp, and cheap chicken on a stick. While creating my list, I often asked other people for ideas, my cousin Bob and his wife Maggie mentioned Fast Eddies. I thought it was a great idea. It was a quintessential, “St. Louisy”, (even though it’s in Alton, IL) new thing to experience…plus…it was easy on the pocket book.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times. One of my favorite things about this list is I don’t have any (or at least many) specific plans about how or when I will go about accomplishing something. I’ve come to realize part of the fun is observing how things organically come to pass which, oftentimes, results in me hanging out with a new or different crowd...another fun thing. That’s what happened with Fast Eddies.

My friend Ryanne’s birthday falls in December—right around the time when everyone is spending lots of money on Christmas gifts and new clothes for holiday parties. So, for her birthday this year, she decided to have a low key birthday party at Fast Eddies. Not only do I appreciate Ryanne for her overall quality personality, quick witted humor, and stellar event planning skills…BUT I also appreciate her personal challenge to be the one person who does the majority of these things with me! So far, in addition to Fast Eddies, Ryanne has watched the Birds with me, she was with me while I was reading Tipping Point (that kind of counts because she asked about it…), she came to hear Chuck Berry at Blueberry Hill, she supported me and my sister in a fundraiser we did for the marathon we're running (in 4 days) with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (so that kind of counts towards the "marathon")…AND…one mustn’t forget her being my fabulous South African travel buddy!  

So, her birthday celebration was the perfect way to experience Fast Eddies. I made some new friends, saw some people I don’t get to see very often, AND hung out with friends (and even family) that I DO see on a regular basis…it was fun-tastic!!

As for Fast Eddies. I’ll go back. I mean, how can you say “no” to cheap chicken, shrimp, and beer?!? Plus, a live band and dancing AND (I almost forgot) some AMAZING people watching!?! ...a favorite pastime of mine. However, to add twist…I think I’ll go in the summer so I can hang out on the patio. I’ve always been a sucker for listening to a live band while sitting outside enjoying a few drinks. Kind of makes me wish it wasn’t January and 15*…

"Ice skating"

I consider myself a proud St. Louisan. I’ll be the first to admit, St. Louis is no New York City…but I think STL has a lot to offer, and despite some pretty hard hits to our local economy we continue to hold our own.


We have some great restaurants. A decent number of free music events. The St. Louis Cardinals. Lots of quality people. AND…one of the largest parks in the nation. Did you know Forest Park is 500+ acres larger than Central Park?
Forest Park Fun Facts

Speaking of Forest Park, in all my 30 years I’ve never ice skated at the Forest Park ice rink. That’s not saying too much considering my ice skating experiences are few and far between…and as far as I can remember…all indoor. Early December, I learned some good family friends, John and Angie, (aka Santa and Snowflake the Elf) had a skating “gig” at Stineburg Ice Rink on Dec. 12th. One of my favorite things about this list is I generally don’t have any plans for how (or with whom) I’ll do various activities. If an opportunity randomly comes up to carry out an item I’ll usually do it…especially if it involves spending time with people I don’t see on a regular basis. All that to say, it seemed all the stars were aligned and it made good sense for me to lace up my skates and hop on the ice for a few loops with Santa and Snowflake.

I won’t subject you to the story of my horrible experience at Wherenberg Theater the night before…but know this: I left Wherenberg super annoyed and $21 poorer. My ice skating experience was similar…pretty much to the penny. It is January 2nd as I type this blog entry and I’m officially re-annoyed.… but I digress…

Because of some other things happening in the afternoon, I knew Megan and I had a very narrow window of time to skate…i.e. 30ish minutes. By the time we purchased our ice time, picked up our skates, laced up our abnormally long laces, talked with Santa and Snowflake…nearly 30 minutes had passed before we actually got on this ice. After my first five steps (maybe 10 steps) …and just before I was about to move into my Triple Salchow (ok…that was just a test to see if you were still reading) the zambonie comes out to clean the ice (a 20+ minute process). Ever heard the phrase, “piss-poor timing”? Yeah…well…that’s what this was. Seriously? Didn’t Steinburg rink know that I had a hair appointment at 2:30?!?

Though I technically skated at Forest Park (all 10 steps) it really wasn’t quite what I had in mind. I tried getting my rink time money back from the kid behind the register…but I guess this whole “we’re in a recession” thing is making places tighten up their purse strings. So…much like my Wherenberg experience…I left annoyed and $21 poorer. Bah humbug. For the record, it doesn’t cost $21/person to skate, I was treating Megan since she was nice enough to join me on this endeavor.

Because I like to think of myself as a “glass half full” kind of gal…maybe the piss-poor timing of it all made the whole experience all the more memorable. Though we didn’t even make it a quarter of the way around the rink, I don’t regret why we chose to skate that day. I’m glad Megan and I got in some sister bonding and we were able to support some good friends. That’s worth $22. And, maybe it’s a good reminder that I shouldn’t try to cram so much into one day.

If you (whoever you might be) are in need of an ice skating buddy, particularly at the Forest Park Ice rink, let me know...I feel like I should go again.

Juno

Most “bucket lists” are filled with unique items, such as reading the literary classic "Moby Dick" or  “skydiving” (which is on my list) or “seeing the pyramids of ancient Egypt”…so…it is important for me to remind you this is a “Not Quite” a Bucket List. Which means, a number of items are simply things I just haven’t gotten around to doing. I’m quite confident I would die a happy woman with…or without…seeing Juno. Juno made the list because ever since the movie came out I’ve either heard people refer to it in conversation or people have told me I’d appreciate the humor…and generally speaking…enjoy the movie.

I think I mentioned it in another entry, but one of the things I like about this list is I don’t have any real plans for “how” or “when” I’ll go about accomplishing something. Over time, I decided if someone randomly organizes an outing/event incorporating one of my list items, then I “have” to do it.

What does that have to do with Juno? A few times a year, my church has a movie night after the evening service. Since Sunday night is “family dinner night” I generally don’t attend. However, when I heard the next movie was Juno…I knew I’d have to break the disappointing news to my family that they’d have to eat dinner sans-Holley.

Honestly, I don’t have too much to say about the movie itself. I enjoyed it. I appreciated the quick wit of Juno and some of the other characters. The movie itself is kind of slow so the trade off was good character development. The movie is about a 16 yr old girl (Juno) who gets pregnant and decides to put the baby up for adoption. Throughout the movie, Juno bounces back and forth between her own chaotic/messy family and the prim and proper soon to be adoptive parents. SPOILER ALERT….In the end Juno’s chaotic/messy family exemplifies unconditional love and the prim and proper adoptive parents turn out to be the “messy” ones.

The post-movie discussion focused on the fact that the gospel message is all around us. More specifically it’s not found only in Christian music, art, books, etc. All of us are “Junos” in the sense that we make mistakes, are a little awkward at times, and may have some "messes" in our life, BUT just like Juno’s family loved her unconditionally, we too are loved by our Father in Heaven.

In short, I’m glad I saw Juno, but it wasn’t life changing or anything.

Oh, for those of you wondering...so far I've completed 7 of my "non-bucket list" items.…almost 25% completed.  A few other things (i.e. marathon training) are in the works, but have yet to be completed...

I Prefer People Tweeting on Twitter to the Tweets of a Bona Fide Bird…

I loathe birds. More broadly stated…“I don’t like living things that fly.” Even the idea of going to a butterfly garden is totally unappealing to me. Flying creatures are just too unpredictable. Plus, they often sting or bite. As for birds, I particularly dislike them for two reasons:

1. I don’t think of myself as one who has a particularly large head, but believe it or not, more than one bird has flown into my head. I think that is gross. I don’t like their filthy little feathers fluttering in my hair right next to my face. Eh…

2. I have seen many “lethargic” birds. Sounds weird, I know, but it’s true. I realized my disgust for lethargic birds during my college years. At my school, there was a bat problem (yes, another flying creature) and the maintenance people put bat poison in the attic. In the spring and fall, I would often notice birds just kind of slowly rolling around on the sidewalk, and it freaked me out. Turns out, the birds would sometimes eat the bat poison. (Between the bat problem and lethargic birds, my college is sounding really awesome right now isn’t it?!?) Anyway, to this day, whenever I see a sickly bird rolling around on the sidewalk…I get really annoyed. I know it’s not the bird’s fault…but it’s just so gross!

3. Oh, I just remembered a third thing…I’ve had birds fly into my house. I am not a fan of being in a confined space with an unpredictable, germ infested, flying creature…especially when it’s in MY space.

4. Point 3 makes me think of my sophomore year of college when a bat was trapped in the lounge area of our dorm floor…still gives me the willies…

5. Oh, and I also hate when birds repeatedly fly into a window. That gross repetitive light thump on a single pane of glass is simply nauseating.

6. Over the past 30 years, a number of birds have taken the liberty of pooping on me. This first happened to me as a young child one summer afternoon as I innocently picked cherries in my backyard. I’ve been told getting pooped on by a bird is “good luck”. Sufficed to say, I’m still waiting to win the lottery.

…hmmm…two reasons turned into six. See…this is a very authentic dislike for birds. If I sat here long enough…I could probably come up with 10 good reasons I think birds are disgusting.

Please don’t fault me for my strong opinion on birds. If anything, I hope you have a better appreciation for my beliefs.

In my last blog entry about the book “Tipping Point” I mentioned I often get into conversations with people about “human nature and the economy”. Well, for some reason, I also frequently find myself in the middle of an “I think birds are gross” conversation. At least 50% of the time, those conversations end with, “Have you ever seen the movie ‘The Birds’”? I always reply with, “No, but I need to”. So…that is why “Watch The Birds” made my list.

On my 11-hour flight (on British Air) from London to Cape Town I had an opportunity to choose from a large (and diverse) selection of movies. One of those movies was Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”. I thought…”Hmmmm, this is prefect. I can essentially ‘kill two birds with one stone’ (pun kind-of intended…) by watching the movie while I fly to South Africa”….it was a fantastically productive plan!! However, I refrained because only a few days before I left for South Africa, my friend Rebecca mentioned she wanted to watch “The Birds” with me…So, after a few minutes of internal debate, I decided to watch “The Hangover” instead…I don’t regret it, it was funny.

To make a long story short…I watched the movie on Halloween night (only seemed appropriate). Rebekah was out of the country but “the show must go on” and though she was missed, I had fun with my gal-pals Ryanne and Stacy. None of us felt like doing the big Halloween “thang” this year, so it was nice to just be low key.

What’d I think about “The Birds”?? I expected it to be scarier, and quite frankly, I think we ended up laughing more than getting creeped out. I won’t tell you how it ends…but I will tell you the ending was kind of dumb and unpredictable…just like birds. And now we’ve come full circle.…if you’ll remember…the primary reason I don’t like birds (or living things the fly) is because they’re too unpredictable. Interesting…

After I saw the “The Birds” my loathing them was only validated. In the spirit of having a “take away” (which is something I’ve incorporated in to most of these blog entries…) I decided I don’t need to feel too bad for not liking this part of nature. I can appreciate the fact they’re part God’s creation…but it’s okay if I think they’re gross.

PS...The picture above is from my London/South Africa trip about a month ago.  Ryanne and I were at St. James park in London and it was FILLED with birds, mainly pigeons.  The large bird I'm pretend petting is both huge and real.

Tipping Point

FYI: I’m pretty sure this entry won’t be entertaining. But perhaps it will be interesting/informative…and that has to account for something…But, we’ll see.

In college, I majored in Sociology and minored in Business. Interestingly enough, the only reason I took “Intro to Sociology” was because a bunch of fun people were in that class and I just wanted to go where the fun was… :) (Hey…I’ve never claimed to be an academic). Turns out, Sociology was the perfect major for me. I love talking to people…all sorts of people. Smart people, funny people, poor people, rich people, blue-collar workers, successful executives/business owners, etc. I love hearing their stories, knowing what makes them laugh, figuring out what motivates people to take action, etc…and Sociology is basically the study of people/cultures/social interaction etc.

I minored in business simply because I thought it would make me a little more “well rounded”. Who knew I’d end up in insurance sales…which is basically is the art of figuring out how to connect with all sorts of different people and personalities so they want to work with you as opposed to some other insurance lady. :)

I promise all that background information was a lead in to something…

I’m not sure if it’s my background in Sociology and Business or what…but I often find myself in conversations about human nature and the economy (oooh, that makes me sound really boring…) In these conversations, a fair amount of time, people refer to (and recommend) the book “Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell.

“Tipping Point” is over 200 pages, so if you want to know more, you’ll have to read it yourself. Throughout the book, my buddy Malcolm uses phrases like, “connectors”, “mavens”, “sales people”, “stickiness factor”, “context”, “law of the few” etc. I won’t get into all those definitions, but here’s a VERY brief overview. There are people in your life (maybe you’re one of them) that naturally set the tone of a situation, group of people, relationship, etc. There are others who are remarkably innovative. Others are best defined as “well connected” and “likeable”. These unique personalities as well as contextual things i.e. “being the in the right place at the right time”, all play a role in change and/or getting people to “take action”. Better stated, they contribute to the “Tipping Point” which is “that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold and tips, and spreads like wildfire”. <--I took that from the back of the book…

On the cover, there is a phrase that briefly describes the book…”Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference”. Since, I appreciate a good “big picture” take- away (and since I have a blog where I can write anything I want, assuming I don't offend the “webmaster”…) it’s worth mentioning I came away from the book with a deeper sense of, how little things I do can make an impact on others”.

But…what good is the “big picture” if you don’t have a little practical application?? I’m a big fan of the simplicity of the bullet point…so I took it upon the liberty of myself to list some of my personal challenges below:

*Encourage others
*Smile more
*When I ask a question…truly pause for the answer as opposed to talking before there is an awkward silence (in other words…talk less);
*Engage with people. This is difficult to define, but I know what it looks like in my head. In a way it’s a sales strategy, but I think it applies to relationships in general. In its simplest form, it’s figuring out a way to get people to ‘ask’ for what I am "offering".    ....That was a long bullet point.
*Consider context/setting/"packaging"
*Think outside the box

I want to be an individual who makes a difference—big or small. If what Malcolm says is true, and “little things” (or…a regular gal like hollsmaher) “can make a big difference”, then I have a responsibility to be aware of the ways I interact with others. Hopefully, after reading this book, I’ll be a little extra-intentional about encouraging, spending time with, listening to, challenging, etc. friend, family, clients, coworkers, even the “randoms” that comes into my life.

That’s it. Not the most entertaining of blog entries, but whatever. “The Tipping Point” isn’t really the most entertaining of books. So I didn’t have much to work with. Though it took me a long time to get around to reading it, I’m glad I did. And if you like books about psychology/human nature etc. I think it’s worth a read. However, I have heard his newer book “Blink” is better. So, maybe you can read that and then tell me about it.

South Africa (and a lil’ bit of England too).

Oh my…where to begin? I suppose I’ll begin with this… “South Africa Was Amazing”.

Going into this trip, I really didn’t have any expectations. Naturally, I had a general idea of what we would do…i.e. a few days in London (which was an extended lay-over), a week in Cape Town (where I knew I’d see city, mountains, ocean, and some Nelson Mandela “stuff”), and a safari (where I knew I’d see wild animals). However…even if I had expectations…they never would’ve measured up to the actual experience(s). This was one of those trips that just kept getting better and better. I’ll even go out on a limb and say it was a perfect trip.

London was great, but I’m not going to write much about London…partly because those crazy Brit’s have the Euro which makes everything stupidly expensive…and that makes me bitter. The VERY brief summary is: arrived at Heathrow at 10 a.m. “ish”, had long day of walking/sight seeing, saw “Stomp”, took a river cruise, purchased and ate some hot-nuts from a street vendor, walked through the art-district, went to Ryanne’s (my travel buddy) old youth pastor’s church, had dinner with people in his small group, more walking, went to Buckingham Palace, had a good (and fun) “progressive lunch”, went to Harrods, walked around St. James Park, and pretend petted a crazy big stork-like bird (side note: I hate birds and think they are totally disgusting…) In summary, it was a great time and a perfect way to get used to the new time-zone.

Why South Africa? As you may’ve read in one of my first blog entries, when I originally put this non-bucket list together I had 15 categories. One of the categories was travel. Originally, I “surveyed” people to get suggestions on things to do in each category. To make a long story short, multiple people mentioned South Africa…and when I learned Cape Town had mountains, city, and beach AND the USD was strong…I decided S. Africa was the place for me! I wish I could say I had really researched this and as a result had a more meaningful reason to go…but alas…I didn’t.

Because there are SO many wonderful things about South Africa, I’m just going to bullet point some of my favorite/most memorable things…I’ll expand on them later:
--#1: The people (cab drivers, service-lady at airport, the market, Heritage Day, safari)
--Amazing scenery (table mountain, Kirstenbosch Gardens)
--The wineries
--Tours (Bus Tour, Day Trippers)
--Safari (animals, people, food, lodge, staff, Martyn and Vivian)

The People: Turns out…I love the spirit of the South African people. The apartheid wasn’t long ago…and it’s easy to pick up on that…however…black or white…South African’s take great pride in where they’ve come from…and where they are. They’re pleased when people visit their country and they authentically want tourists to enjoy their time in South Africa.

We visited over a National Holiday: Heritage Day. Like the United States, South Africa is a bit of a melting pot. Heritage Day provides South African citizens an opportunity to celebrate their own roots/heritage while simultaneously celebrating the fact they’re all South Africans. It makes me think the US should have a holiday like that…maybe I’ll text that idea to Obama.

You may’ve noticed I typed “cab drivers” in the above list.  Perhaps I'm amused  much too easily, but I had lots of of fun interacting with our cab drivers. I liked them for multiple reasons: 1. I think they were the first group of people that helped me to see South Africans are proud of their country and very service-oriented 2. They were entertaining…or a little scary depending on the driver… 3. They made the world seem smaller (I’ll get to that later).

When Ryanne and I landed in Cape Town…we met a lady in the bathroom (she was in a uniform and had a clipboard so we figured, at least hoped, she was legit…). She claimed to have a “hookup” for the cheapest cab driver in town. She spent at least 10 minutes escorting us throughout the entire airport, she showed us where to wait for the driver (which is in a section suspicially far away from all the other cab drivers), she decribed us to him as "two cute blonde girls", she gives us her cell number and goes on her way. As we wait for our driver to arrive, Ryanne and I find ourselves getting skeptical. For all we know, we are walking right into the middle of a trap, which would find us sold into the sex-trade. Anyone seen the movie “Taken”? Needless to say, even if Waheed (our driver) was involved with some aspect of human trafficking…Ryanne and I were not affected. Whew!

As for the “entertaining” cab drivers…there was one cab driver who…if I was a doctor…I would totally diagnose with ADHD. He had a thick accent, talked a mile a minute, and laughed at everything he said. Mid-drive he pulls over to get gas, we ask, “um, do you plan on stopping the meter??”. He makes no effort to turn the meter off…so we proceed to get out of the car. That doesn't make him happy. To the point where he physically shuts the door on Ryanne. To make a long story short, he finally clears the meter and takes us to our destination…laughing at his own stories along the way. We did learn one thing from him…”koolu koolu” (not sure how to spell that...) means “crappy car” in some form of African. And yes, his car was a total piece…

One other entertaining cab driver story worth mentioning…on the way to the airport…our cabbie decides it is a good idea to drag race with a man who honked at him. Sufficet to say, we were relieved when we finally made it to our destination accident free.

How did cab drivers make the world seem smaller? I won’t bore you with all the details, but the only expectation I had going into this trip was I hoped to leave with a greater appreciation for how big and diverse the world is…BUT…I also wanted to come home feeling like the world was small. I loved the fact that the same things that make my friends laugh in St. Louis, MO…were also some of the same things that made the Cape Town cab drivers, merchants at the market, or people from the surrounding villages at our safari lodge laugh. Again, I could go on with other examples/thoughts, but if I do, this blog entry will be entirely too long.

As for the “amazing scenery”. You’ve probably heard the phrase “where the mountain meets the sea”. That is a common sight in Cape Town. It’s also one of the things that initially drew me to this city. I’m not sure what I love more…the mountains or being on the water. Cape Town offers both. If you ever have a chance to go to Cape Town definitely take a trip to the wineries…even if you’re not a wine drinker. And be sure to take the scenic route and give yourself lots of time to drive slow, pull over to take pictures, and (this is going to sound very pot-smoking and tree hugging) just “chill out” as you look at how beautiful and diverse God’s creation is. It was actually pretty cloudy and gray during our time in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek…but the thick clouds that settled mid-mountain ended up complimenting what was already a spectacular setting.

Oh, one side note: Spier, one of the wineries we visited, had a cheetah outreach program. Ryanne and I got to pet a cheetah. That was neat.

If you’ve read this far …I hope that means you’re not totally bored with this blog entry…I feel like I’m getting a little long winded. This next section will be short…I hope.

We took two tours. Our first full day in Cape Town we went on bus tour of the city. The double decker bus was perfect because it provided an opportunity to get the lay of the land, learn about the culture and history of Cape Town, go to the top of Table Mountain, and spend time in Camps Bay (where the celebs feel at home). We booked our second tour through one of the hostels with a company called Day Trippers. The tour originally interested us because it offered a 2 hour-ish bike ride as well as an opportunity to meet some other people. Well…turns out it was freezing and rainy the whole day (which meant no bike ride)…and no one else signed up for the tour. Luckily, Kevin (our guide) was really personable, so although the day was a little different than what we expected, I think we all still had a good time. As for the activities of the day: Kevin took us on a boat out to a little island covered with seals. We saw a section of a beach full of penguins (p.s. they were stinky), we attempted to whale watch…but we only saw a big splash. We drove through a really big national park and saw an ostrich, some baboons, a variety of flowers, and some animal that I forgot the name of. The day ended with a very wet photo at the infamous “Cape of Good Hope”. Correction…the day OFFICIALLY ended with a few bottles of South African wine recommended by our tour guide as well as me learning a new card game.

After mentioning all those animals…I have created the perfect segue for me to start talking about my safari.

Where to begin?? The safari was AMAZING!! Oh, and for those of you wondering (this question has come up a lot…) NO…we were not hunting animals! We just drove around in a jeep looking for (“tracking”) animals.

Though we did see the “Big 5” (lion, elephant, cape buffalo, rhino, and leopard) seeing wild animals was only one contributing factor to what really was an incredible experience.

I’ll to my best to keep this as focused as possible…yet still try to give the whole picture.

It's a 3-hour drive from the airport to the lodge. At first 3 hours seems annoying…but honestly…my 4 days at Ngala would’ve been completely different had we not spent that time talking with Elvert (our driver who grew up in one of the villages) as he drives us through the various townships. In fact, that three-hour window was so meaningful, that I found myself taking notes…I’m such a weirdo.

In a nutshell—the townships/villages take up a HUGE part of the countryside (they probably made up 60% of our 3 hour drive) and there is a lot of poverty. Homes without windows…some without a full roof, lots of people walking without shoes, just horrible living conditions. As we drive to the lodge, Elvert talks about how Nelson Mandela’s leadership provided so much change, freedom, unity between races, and mainly “opportunity”. Elvert was so positive that I found myself thinking, “Am I missing something? Nothing about this life seems good to me…” Elvert was so proud of the fact that (post-apartheid) any black person could now start up a business. I was so confused…I didn’t see any businesses. It became apparent to me that him and I saw things from very different perspectives. For him, this fantastic “freedom” means anyone (a “business owner”) can sell mangos on the side of the road or repair shoes. Aside from one or two of the bigger towns with restaurants, grocery stores, maybe a hair “salon” (in a trailor), and some transportation services…I didn’t see any businesses. If you know me well, you know I like to ask lots of questions. So in trying to understand their economy, I keep asking about other kinds of jobs.

Unlike the US, there isn’t an Edward Jones office at every corner, I don't see any “for-sale” signs in front yards indicating real-estate agents, no franchise owners, no “traditional” small-businesses (dry-cleaners, coffee shops, etc.). I learn jobs are pretty basic: a schoolteacher is a good job, the government provides a decent number of jobs, larger corporations hire fruit/vegetable pickers, etc. The safari lodges also provide a number of jobs (2.5 staff people for every 1 guest). I’ll talk more about that later. If I had to "bullet point" the drive I'd say, "I left my drive with Elvert impressed with how positive and proud he was of his country, his life, his culture, even the government that he was skeptical of. I was also humbled by how much he appreciated life...both the big and small things."

When we arrive at Ngala, we are warmly greeted by name. Herbert (the hospitality host/manager) and Norman (our butler) introduce us to “Mama Connie” who greets us with a hug and shows us to our rooms. The rooms are beautiful, clean, and filled with all the amenities. A huge stone shower, big bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body scrub, soaps. a big bathtub with more soaps, complimentary laundry services, and the list goes on.  It is perfect.

The beauty of the lodge, the fact we are treated like queens, the amazing accommodations, Mama Connie’s hug, all coupled with the fact that we just spent three hours driving through probably the most impoverished communities I have ever seen literally brings me to tears. I am not a crier, and I can’t totally articulate why the tears came other than I was humbled by the way we were so authentically welcomed and treated. It’s vague, and I alluded to it in the beginning of this blog, but at that point I was overwhelmed by the beauty and the spirit of the African people.

Obviously, the reason we are at Ngala is to go on a safari…so that seems like a good place to begin. Each day we go on 2 drives a day. The day begins with a knock on the door at 5:00. At 5:30 everyone (there were about 40 guests staying at the lodge) gathers together for tea, coffee, and scones. At 6:00 we hop in the jeeps and head out.

Before I go any further, I’m going to “introduce” you to our jeep:
Ranger: Megan
Tracker: Norman
Guests: Martyn and Vivian (one of the coolest couples I’ve ever met…I’ll talk about them later…They were from the Grand Cayman.)
Some young Italian couple...they were really only there for one of their drives.
Craig and Ana (a young newly wed couple from the UK, they came a few drives after the Italians left. They were a good addition, but I don’t have much to say about them…).

First of all, I’m convinced that never, in the history of Ngala game drives, has a group of total strangers (from different countries, stages of life, ages, etc.) been more perfectly paired.

We all agreed, our jeep had the best ranger at the lodge. Not only was Megan, personable, knowledgeable, laid back, and great behind the wheel…but she also took special care to point out the “little’ things like certain bird noises, unique flowers, or constellations in the night-sky. Norman was also great. He is from one of the surrounding villages, has a thick accent, and a dry sense of humor. You’d have a much better picture of him if you and I were talking in person because so much of Norman’s charm was his thick accent. My favorite phrase of his was “oh my gosh”…which sounded something more like, “uuuuh maah gaaassh”

As for Martyn and Vivian, they are easy to talk to, interesting, high-energy, authentic, and tons of fun. Interestingly enough, when Ryanne and I were at the airport on our way home, we each came up with the “Top 5 Highlights” for our time at Ngala…Martyn and Vivian made both of our lists. I’ll share the list later...so sit tight.

Never have I seen a couple more in love. I believe they have been married for about 15 years (they’re mid-60’s now) He is from England and she is from Ireland, however they met in and currently live in the Grand Cayman. They met around 40 yrs old and married at 50 (this was his first marriage). Their lifestyle (and rightfully so considering they are in their mid 60’s and didn’t have any children) is quite different than mine and Ryanne’s. He is the owner of a very successful construction company, she was the president of a bank. It's clear they are well off and extremely well traveled…as in they very well may travel 75% of the year.

On the surface, one might think they would be detached from reality. Not so. In fact, they are quite the opposite. One thing I really appreciated about them was how inquisitive and sincerely interested they were in the lives of those around them. I often observed Martyn in a thoughtful conversation with one of the lodge staff. Nearly every time I turned around (if I wasn’t already talking to her) Vivian was smiling as she shared stories with someone at the lodge (staff or guest). Obviously, words can only go so far in describing situations or people, so instead of attempting to capture their charm with lots of stories and adjectives instead, I’ll just bullet point some of my “take aways”:
1. One of the first things Martyn shared with me was he married at 50. Lord knows I hope to marry before 50, but I appreciated the fact that he didn't prematurely commit to something (or someone) before he was ready. On the other hand, Vivian wanted to be certain of Martyn’s authentic pursuit of her, so she was intentional about not pressuring him into marriage.  She knew if/when the time was right he would know what to do. In my mind and heart, I’ve always believed that if someone is interested in me, he’ll take some intitative and do something about it…without me pushing something along.  So, I was encouraged to see this play out in their relationship. When Martyn did finally propose (10 years later) there was no question in Vivian’s mind that Martyn wanted Vivian. I think this set the foundation for a really great marriage. It is quite obvious how much Martyn adores everything about Vivian -and- it is also evident how confident and secure Vivian is in his devotion to her. As a result, the two of them truly adore one another. 
2. I want to be Martyn and Vivian when I grow up…so to speak. :) Whether I’m 30, 40, 50, 60, 70+ years old. I hope I have a zest for life that keeps me asking questions, learning, exploring, traveling, joking around, etc. Luckily, both of my parents are people who like variety (even if it’s simple things like karaoke or tying a new restaurant) and though I’m pretty laid back…I get “bored” if life becomes TOO routine. So, hopefully the cards are stacked in my favor and I’ll continue to be a person that, like Martin and Vivian (and my parents), finds myself doing new things throughout my entire life.

Alright, I’ll stop there, if I type anymore about Martyn and Vivian I may come across as a stalker…

Back on track…the animals. Some of the coolest animal sightings were as follows:
1. Our first full day, we found ourselves about 30-50 feet from a Pride of lions with their recent kill (an impala, which looks like a deer). Interestingly enough, the lioness does the hunting and killing. They all feed off the kill for a little, but then the lion takes over and guards the kill. Poor lionesses…they do all the work and reap limited reward…
2. Coolest sighting EVER was this watering hole surrounded by over 200 animals! Approx 75 zebra. 125 impala. 10 water buffalo. 5 wildebeest. Birds flying around. SO awesome, like something right out of The Lion King. All these animals were harmoniously drinking water out of the pond, skipping around, flying, playfully fighting in the background…the only thing that would’ve completed the picture would’ve been God playing “Circle of Life” from the heavens.
3. One day after lunch, back at our lodge, Ryanne and I decide to finish our wine on the couches that overlook a watering hole (maybe 100 feet in front of us). As we sit there with good wine and better conversation, half joking, Ryanne says, “How cool would it be if elephants came up to this watering hole right now?” Well, you guessed it, about 5 minutes later 12ish elephants (adults and babies) come up to the watering hole and start drinking and splashing around. SO cool. It couldn’t have been a better setting!
4. One fun thing about our game drives was they included a “snack break” where Megan would stop the jeep in some picturesque setting like the middle of a dried up river bed or at the top of a hill where we could watch the sunset as her and Norman set up a table (with a cute little table cloth). In the morning we enjoyed coffee, tea, and scones (and...not gonna lie...sometimes a lil’ Baileys) and in the evenings we snacked on wine, beer, nuts, and kudu jerky.  One evening, Martyn and Vivian surprised us by bringing out a bottle of champagne. That evening, Ryanne and I plot how we might “one up them” so we ask Herbert to put Mimosas in our cooler for our morning drive. The next morning, Megan successfully “one upped” all of us. We were all getting cold and tired and ready to get out of the jeep for our morning snack. We drove into this dried up riverbed, only to see an old pick up truck in the spot we want to park our jeep. We were disappointed we needed to find a new place…UNTIL…we realize the man standing next to the truck is making pancakes…for us!  Hooray!! The night before, Megan arranged for as staff memeber to set up one table with a pitcher of warm water, soap, and towels and the another table was set up with all the pancake toppings: chocolate chips, whipped cream, fruit, jams, etc. So fun! Not only that…but as we stand there enjoying our hot freshly-made pancakes…we see a little family of baboons playing in the river bed. Then we look further down the river only to see three giraffe slowly walking from one side of the bank to the other. It couldn’t have been any more perfect!
5. I could tell other stories…lots of other stories…about our adventures 4 wheeling and tracking and seeing rhino, leopard, more elephants…even birds…which I think are disgusting. BUT this blog would be much too long. So hopefully I won’t forget my stories and you can ask me about them in person.

Instead of another animal story…I will leave you with this big picture “take away” (I always love a good take away...). Since Megan was so informative and our jeep asked so many questions, we learned lots of new things.  I often found myself, thinking about how there is so much order to everything, to the point where I left all the more confident there is a divine creator. There is no way that kind of order can just evolve, no matter what them fancy schmancy scientists may say. Nothing in the bush goes to waste. The lions and such make their kills, what they don’t eat, the scavengers eat, the hyenas even eat the bones. The rangers take special care not to drive over piles of poop because different animals and insects live and feed in those piles. (yuck!)

The other thing that proves to me there is a divine creator, interestingly enough has more to do with people than animals (but being around the animals just reinforced this…) I’ve always been fascinated by how orderly nature is…but what fascinates me even more is human beings are the only part of creation that has cognitive thought. No other species types long-winded blogs, works in an office, travels to exotic places, goes to church, prays, celebrates birthdays, waits 10 years to propose to a girlfriend, articulates feelings of happiness, sadness, anger, hurt, etc. So then it becomes a question of, "what am I going to do with that?" Because if it’s true God exists, and if I’m a part of the one part of His creation that has cognitive thought… then just like I want to learn about other people and cultures and experiences…it only makes sense for me to do the same with God. So, maybe my biggest take away is, just as I asked questions of my cab driver to learn about the South African culture and listened to Megan describe the order of bush…I think it’s also important for me to ask questions of God, and "listen" to how he wants me to respond to what I learn about Him in the Bible. Who is he? Who does he want me to be? How does his existence impact my life? Does his existence impact my life?

Hmmm, I got all deep there, not sure where that came from…but it’s probably a good place to end….even though I still have lots more to say especially about the &Beyond (the holding company for Ngala) and their non-profit work in the surrounding townships. But, this is really getting long.  Here's their website, maybe you can learn about them there...   http://www.andbeyond.com/ (you can find more about the &Beyond Foundation under the "Sustainability" tab).

So, before I officially wrap this up, as promised, below is the Ryanne/Holley “Big 5 Safari Memorable Moments”. There are actually 7 things on this list because the two of us had some cross over. R=Ryanne H=Holley RH=A memorable moment for both Ryanne and Holley:

RH: Watering Hole (with the 200+ animals)
RH: Sitting on the couches at the lodge, drinking wine, having good conversation, and watching the elephants at our watering hole
RH: Martyn and Vivian
H: Meeting Mama Connie
H: The 3 hour drive from the airport with Elvert
R: Our gourmet dinners on the patios at the lodge (delicious food, great service, fairy tale atmosphere…always fun).
R: Tulee (I didn’t mention her…but I need to now…only because she is probably the best example of the amazing and authentic service we rec’d at Ngala. Tulee worked at the front desk. Our first day, Ryanne went to the front desk asking for an clock for her room. Tulee wasn’t able to find her an alarm clock, instead, she gave Ryanne the watch off her wrist…to use for the 4 days we were there.)

Truly beautiful people and a truly amazing experience. I’m so happy this trip happened!!

FYI: If you want to see any pic’s they’re on Facebook.

Thanks for reading.  And yes...I do realize this was REALLY long... :)