It's been a LONG time since I've posted anything. BUT for those of you that care. (this is where you think/contact me with the phrase: "Yes Holley...of course I care"...) ...my friend Ryanne and I have OFFICIALLY booked our trip to S. Africa. The plan thus far is:
*Leave STL Sept. 2009...
*Spend 2 nights and 3 days in London...about a week in Cape Town (1 of those nights in the wine lands)...and...
*4 days on Safari.

...VERY much looking forward to that trip! If you ever need a recommendation to a great Travel Co. in S. Africa...let me know. So far, this agency has been great, BUT I will not be 100% certain of this until I've actually gone on the trip and can officially confirm they are not affiliated with the S. African sex trade. One may think I'm being sarcastic...but notsomuch.

Note: All capital letters used to emphasize passion, transition 'betwixt' sentences, and emotion. :) My mom and dad were nice enough to share some of their American Express travel points with us...that was a FANTASTIC gift and deserves a HUGE thanks!!

The Working List (updated 4/7/09)

Purchase:
Holley Idea(s): Car. Dog. New couches.
Suggestion(s):
1. New refrigerator (Abby D)
2.*Purchase energy efficient products like CFL light bulbs and faucet aerators (Dave C.)
3. A new little black dress (Erin S)

Travel:
Holley Idea(s): Grand Canyon. Cruise.
Suggestion(s):
1. Alaska (Hans M)
2. Machu Picchu (Betsy C, Jake S)
3. *South Africa (Betsey C…also supported by Ryanne T and Erin S)
4. Combine South Africa trip with volunteer work in neighboring country (Mozambique, Botswana, Lesotho, etc.) (Kathy M.)
http://mail.mrctbp.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org/
http://www.onlinevolunteering.org/en/index.html
Think South America (Peru--macchu Picchu and beyond--Peru is ideal because you can visit desert, mountain, Amazon in a relatively small country), Ecuador, Patagonia in Chile, Argentina. Also, definitely consider India and southeast Asia.

Book:
Holley Idea(s):Bible. Tipping Point.
Suggestion(s):
1. Through Painted Deserts by Donald Miller (Erin S)


Learn Something:
Holley Idea(s): Snowboard. Cooking class.
Suggestion(s):
1. Photography Class (Angie C)
2. Self Defense Class (Barb, trainer at my gym…and my sister...and Emily F.)
3. Cooking Class (Erin S)
4. Knitting Class (Erin S)
5. **Learn to play Soccer (Bill B…a prospect I met for the first time today)
6. Art history, studio art, creative writing, medieval history, economics (?!), middle eastern studies (Kathy M)

Activity/Fitness:
Holley Idea(s): Complete a marathon. Lose a pound for every category. A mini-triathlon.
Suggestion(s):
1. Hike in (4) local state park(s) (Erin S)


Concert/Sporting Event:
Holley Idea(s): Neil Diamond
Suggestion(s):
1. Cardinal/s Cubs game at Wrigley (Sarah/Justin)
2. Rodeo (not sure who this was from…)
3. Masters (Erin S)

STL/MO Experience:
Holley Idea(s): Ice skating at Forest Park.
Suggestion(s):
1. *Chuck Berry at Blueberry Hill (Bob/Maggie)
*Note: thinking about moving this to 'concert' because Wendy W. reminded me of the newly added point "5"...
2. Sledding on Art Hill (unknown)
3. Crown Candy downtown (Erin S)
4. BB's Jazz Blues and Soups (Erin S)
5. Visit Big Cedar Lodge

Spiritual Experience:
Holley Idea(s): A weekend of silence. A missions trip.
Suggestion(s):
1. *Memorize a chapter in the Bible (Darrin P…in a sermon on 2/1/09)
2. *Interactive Good Friday or thanksgiving experience (Erin S)
3. Living Water International trip to build/repair fresh water wells or educate about fresh water (Erin S)
4. If weekend of silence—no clocks/formal way to track time (Bill C)

Restaurants to Try:
Holley Idea(s): Niche (Also mentioned below)
Suggestion(s):
1. Fast Eddies (Bob/Maggie)
2. Melting Pot (Justin/Sarah)
3. Niche (unknown)
4. Sydney Street Café (Dave C)
5. Charlie Gitto's
6. Bevo Mill

Community Service/Volunteer:
Holley Idea(s): Serve food at a soup kitchen on a holiday.
Suggestion(s):
1. Second Saturday (service from 8:00-2:00) with serving widows, immigrants, poor, and refugees (Erin S)
2. Christmas Store (a service project where the widows/refugees. etc are invited to shop before Christmas for their families. They purchase NEW toys etc that have been donated by other churches (Erin S)
3. Include S. Africa trip a volunteer portion of the trip (Kathy M.)

Movie to See:
Holley Idea(s): Juno.
Suggestion(s):

Catch-all/Misc Category:
Holley Idea(s): Get a job as a waitress. Meet w/ a Financial planner.
Suggestion(s):
1. Hot Air Balloon Ride (Michelle P)
2. *Keep a personal (non blog) journal of my life between 30 and 31 (Stacy K & Wendy W)
3. The big texan steak ranch challenge (Angie S)

Road Trip:
Holley Idea(s): Visit Meredith , Memphis in May
Suggestion(s):
1. Visit Meredith (Meredith W)
2. US road trip after reading Through Painted Deserts

A little bit...or a lot bit...Uncomfortable:
Holley Idea(s): Travel on my own.
Suggestion(s):
1. Skydive (Amanda B, Bob C, Krista B)
2. Match.com (Ryan M)
3. Consider something really extreme and devote the entire year to this venture. Take a year off from work. I would suggest that you volunteer in some interesting place in the world for a few months and then travel and do whatever you want. (Kathy M)

Something Famous "ish":
Holley Idea(s): Meet someone famous. Sit in the audience of a TV show.
Suggestion(s):
1. Be an extra in a movie (George Clooney movie coming to STL http://www.missouribusiness.net/film/hotline.asp) (Sarah S)

Professional Development
Holley Idea(s): Attend 3 networking events with the chamber of commerce
Suggestion(s):
1. Write your own Code of Ethics (Erin S)
2. Read a book on customer service (Erin S)

Category Suggestion(s).
1. Pampering (Erica).
-Massage. Expensive perfume.

O(+>)

So between the last post on Jan. 15 and now I’ve received some great suggestions (and here’s where I’d like to give Miss Erin S a shout out for taking the time to email me her fantastic ideas!). My list is growing at an incredible rate of speed and that is fun…at least for me.

Onto some logistical stuff…

Layout: If anyone has any ideas on how to format this blog—let me know. Since, by trade, I’m just an insurance sales lady…I’m not very “tech savvy”. Specifically, I want to find a way to update the list w/o having to cut and paste a new list everytime. I'm sure there's a way.

The *: I decided I’m going to use a * next to different ideas to note the ideas that are either making progress(*) or are a uniquely good fit(**). I figure it’ll help me in my planning and it will hopefully make this process of creating “the list” a little more interesting. In each post/blog update, I’ll explain why a particular *’d item struck my fancy. Since I received so many great ideas over the past few weeks…this may be a long entry…but we shall see. Side-note: I wish my computer had a wing-ding that represented the symbol Prince used when he went through that phase of not having a name…but it doesn’t…so we’re stuck with the *. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_(musician) …just in case you want to catch up on your Prince knowledge…that link will also explain the title of this entry.

The *’s...

*Purchase: I think purchasing energy efficient products is a fantastic idea and it’s actually an idea I think I’m going to commit to. Why? B/c the idea in and of itself is efficient...a double entendre of you will..
1. I have to purchase light bulbs anyway
2. It’s better for the environment (you and your loved ones/future children are welcome…)
3. Apparently they last longer
4. Saves $$ on electricity.
Practically speaking…purchasing CFL light bulbs is something I can easily commit to…partly because I probably only buy 4 light bulbs a year anyway and apparently I’ll buy even less when I purchase CFL bulbs. Faucet aerators were also recommended…however those are a little intimidating…I am not opposed…but my shower pressure is fantastic right now…and why mess with a good thing? When I asked Dave C what a “faucet aerator” was all I remember him saying, is, “It creates somewhat of ‘Carbonated shower’”…which in and of itself is somewhat intriguing. Perhaps I could add some other contraption to the shower head…fill it with gin…and start my morning with a lil’ gin and tonic cocktail…A morning pick me up of sorts.

*Travel: I originally got the S. Africa suggestion at my office’s last Christmas party. Betsey and her husband Bill have traveled all over the world…so I knew her travel suggestions would be quality. Last month when skiing in CO I talked w/ other travelers and I heard similar comments about how wonderful S. Africa is. I also was told the US dollar is really strong in S.A. Considering I can sometimes be Cheapycheaperson…the low cost/high quality/amazing scenery combo is a beautiful thing to me. My friend Ryanne has been itching to take a trip of international proportions for a while now—naturally she was the first person I went to as a potential “travel buddy”. To make a long story short: she was interested, we both have FF miles, the timing is good, and we could go in the fall.

**Learn Something: One thing I love about creating this list is how I never know who, or what, will trigger a new idea. I met a potential client for the first time today who was a volunteer soccer coach for 15 years. But before I go on, here’s a little background info on hollsmaher: For some reason, I had this weird complex when I was 5 that I was “too old and washed up” to learn ballet/tap/jazz…why I thought I was a 85 yr old woman trapped in a 5 yr old’s girls body…I have NO idea. That being said, despite the fact that I’m fairly athletic…I didn’t play too many sports except tennis in high school and college…my parents had to practically force me to try out for the tennis team. OK, back to today Feb. 2, 2009: Because of my conversation with Bill B this afternoon, I am considering learning how to play soccer/joining some sort of community league. I have zero information on this idea…so if anyone has any thoughts on how I can learn me some mad soccer playin’ skillz…let me know. I just liked the idea because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do…plus…interestingly enough…Bill didn’t start playing until he was in his late 20’s/early 30’s.

The List

Step II...otherwise known as "The Categories"

But first, just a few housekeeping issues...

My hope is that between now and July, I'll have a lot of things in each category. As I get closer to my birthday...I'll start weeding out things that I've already done...and narrow the list down to the 30things I really want to do. So, if a category looks full, still give suggestions. If there is a category that only has one suggestion...that's the thing that I'll do.

Along those lines, in putting together the list so far, I realized a number of things can fall into multiple categories...but don't you worry about that. Since I'm about to be a 30 yr old business lady...and have been blessed with the ability to think critically...I have the power to manipulate these lists. Neat huh? Like I mentioned in the last post, Sarah and Justin said I should go to a Cardinals/Cubs game at Wrigley field. That is a fantastic idea that could go in the category of: road trip, travel, or concert/sporting event, etc.

If there are multiple good suggestions for a category...and the "Holley Idea" portion of that category was totally lame...I may just steal your idea...and claim it as my own.

Oh--and I'm open to suggestions with new categories. I will admit some of the categories below are a less-than-stellar.

In no particular order:

Purchase:
Holley Idea(s): Car. Dog.
Suggestion(s): 1. New refrigerator (Abby D)

Travel:
Holley Idea(s): Grand Canyon. Cruise.
Suggestion(s):
1. Alaska (Hans M)
2. Machu Picchu (Betsy C)
3. South Africa (Betsy C)

Book:
Holley Idea(s):Bible. Tipping Point.
Suggestion(s):

Learn Something:
Holley Idea(s): Snowboard. Cooking class.
Suggestion(s):
1. Photography Class (Angie C)

Activity/Fitness:
Holley Idea(s): Complete a marathon. Lose a pound for every category. A mini-triathlon.
Suggestion(s):

Concert/Sporting Event:
Holley Idea(s): Neil Diamond
Suggestion(s):
1. Cardinal/s Cubs game at Wrigley (Sarah/Justin)

STL/MO Experience:
Holley Idea(s): Ice skating at Forest Park.
Suggestion(s):
1. Chuck Berry at Blueberry Hill (Bob/Maggie)

Spiritual Experience:
Holley Idea(s): A weekend of silence. A missions trip.
Suggestion(s):

Restaurants to Try:
Holley Idea(s):
Suggestion(s):
1. Fast Eddies (Bob/Maggie)
2. Melting Pot (Justin/Sarah)

Community Service:
Holley Idea(s): Serve food at a soup kitchen on a holiday.
Suggestion(s):

Movie to See:
Holley Idea(s): Juno.
Suggestion(s):

Catch-all/Misc Category:
Holley Idea(s): Get a job as a waitress. Meet w/ a Financial planner.
Suggestion(s):
1. Hot Air Balloon Ride (Michelle P)

Road Trip:
Holley Idea(s): Visit Meredith
Suggestion(s):
1. Visit Meredith (Meredith W)

A little bit...or a lot bit...Uncomfortable:
Holley Idea(s): Travel on my own.
Suggestion(s):
1. Skydive (Amanda B)
2. Skydive (Bob C)
3. Match.com (Ryan M)

Something Famous "ish":
Holley Idea(s): Meet someone famous. Sit in the audience of a TV show.
Suggestion(s):
1. Be an extra in a movie (George Clooney movie coming to STL http://www.missouribusiness.net/film/hotline.asp) (Sarah S)

Professional Development
Holley Idea(s):
Suggestion(s):

Category Suggestion(s).

The Background and Beyonce.

I've never blogged before...mainly because I'm not sure what a single 20-something insurance sales lady would blog about. My latest sale? House Bill 818? The fun random thing I did on Tuesday? No...in order for me to set up one of these blogs...I felt I needed some sort of gimmick.

Officially 6 months from today I will turn 30. That is not my gimmick...I will get to that...but first...some background:

It all started a few months ago when I drove past a random house in the country with a hot pink florescuent shih-tzu sign in the window. I was on my way to a meeting and thought I would stop in on my way back to the office. So, after the meeting I went into the stinky cluttered house and saw not one...but probably 28 (I'll round up to 30 because this blog is about me turning 30 and it only makes sense...) shih-tzu puppies (no wonder the house was so stinky). To make a long story short, I didn't get a puppy...but over the next week I found myself thinking..."hmmm, it might be fun to have a little dog. Something that doesn't shed...doesn't need to have a yard...can be left alone for hours. I even went online take a "what kind of dog is right for you" quiz. In the process...I think I discovered the most pathetic looking dog EVER... http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/crestedtzu.htm. In the past I've resisted the idea of a dog for numerous reasons...I don't like the idea of walking a dog in the freezing cold and/or rain, early in the morning, late at night, finding a dog sitter when I go out of town, feeling guilty as I leave it at home alone every day, etc. etc. etc.

Bottom line: I'm probably not a good candidate for dog adoption.

HOWEVER...what finally sold me on seriously considering the purchase was the fact that despite all the reasonst NOT to get a dog...my trump card was I wanted to name it Beyonce.

That may not be funny to you, but for those who know me well know I have a rather dry sense of humor...and I enjoy finding humor in the simple and random things of life. Quirky and random is sometimes all the motivation I need...and a small fluffy dog named Beyonce ("B" for short) is funny to me and is apparently enough motivation for me to seriously consider a dog.

Reason #2 that led me to this blog was the fact that in the relatively near future I'll need to get a new car. I've always had 4 door Nissan's...but I thought, "I'm getting old and crochety, so I should get something 'cute and sporty'." Because of my uncle owns a Nissan dealership, I'll probably always drive a Nissan...but "maybe my next car should be a Nissan Z?"

I put these two purchases on "hold" by saying..."Well, maybe for my 30th bday".

That phrase became the catalyst for me thinking, "I should make 30 the year of making (somewhat) irrational/outside the norm decisions...and any negative consequences will be dealt with by saying, "eh...I was turning 30".

Being a practical gal...I also knew that was a bad decision. But, there was still part of me that liked the idea of doing things outside the norm. So I decided to be intentional. I'd come up with a list of 30 things to do between 30 and 31. However, when I started to come up with my list I quickly remembered:
a. Unfortunately, I do not have a trust fund...nor do I have unlimited assets.
b. There are only 52 weeks in the year...so all my 30 things can't involve travel.

...I quickly cut my list to 15 categories. Which brings me to today...

The plan:

• I have 15 categories (I'll post them in blog #2).
• I will come up with 1 thing in each category...and over the next 6 months...get ideas from friends, family, clients, randoms etc. for the other thing in that category.
• I'll pick my favorite "suggestion" in each category with the ultimate goal of trying 30 new things between 30 and 31

The "Rules"

• Once July 14, 2009 comes, and I have my 30 things...I can't change them (unless there are some weird unforeseen circumstances).
• I have to do them all between 30 and 31. (Not 29 and 359 days or 31 and 4 days).
• Though it probably goes without saying, none of the 30 items can be illegal, nor can any of them be dishonoring to God's name.

The one thing I am debating is whether or not to have the person who made the suggestion...do (or somehow be a part of) the "thing" with me. For example: One category is a Concert/Sporting event and some friends said I should go to a Cardinal's/Cubs game at Wrigley...so they would go to the game with me....that's just a thought though.

The Gimmick:

If you haven't figured it out yet, the purpose of this blog is to get ideas for my list of 30...as well as have a record of (and a way to share) the new things I will experience between 30 and 31.

So that's my first blog...officially posted on my 1/2 birthday.