#48 Completed! Get a Bikini Wax

Ok...I have to be honest...I skipped the whole bikini wax thing and went straight for the permanent laser hair removal. I thought, "how great would it be to never have to shave my bikini line again?" I know...pretty great!!! My laser hair removal was done at Radiance Medspa in Arizona. I have done a total of 5 sessions and have spent about $750.

My first session, I was nervous not knowing what to expect. They give you the option of what style removal you want down there; simple bikini line, landing strip or full Brazilian. Leave your modesty at home! It's hard to keep it when you are naked and some technician it zapping you on your privates. They explain that it will feel like a hot rubberband snapping your skin and looking back, that made it seem like a picnic. It hurts!! It feels more like being electrocuted with flaming fire! After the first session I got smart and stopped by the bar next door to have a quick liquid pain reliever.

The results: Worth every painful zap I got!! I still could use one or two more sessions for the process to be complete, but I am happy. I'm Italian and have very dark hair that even with a close shave, you could see. This procedure cured that. You will still have to shave some strays, but I couldn't recommend laser hair removal more. Fantastic!

#94 Hike Every Trail at Point Reyes

Palomarin Trail
1.2 miles round trip

It was going to be a screaming hot day, so I decided that it would be great to to knock out a beach hike at Point Reyes. The Palomarin trail head is really popular because it leads to the 4 mile Alamere falls hike. But, we opted for a short hike, so we could get to the beach as quick as possible. Getting to the beach was the easy part, all downhill (which of course means that the way back sucked!). The beach is always beautiful, but this one had no sand, just large rocks. No biggie, as long as I heard the waves crashing I was a happy girl. On the way back we ran into a bobcat. Unfortunately, it ran before I had a photo opportunity...Darn!!!

Bucket List #36. Run (at least) a 5K

I starting training for my first 5K today. I am not a runner, nor am I a jogger....heck, I barely like to walk. A friend had told me about the "From Couch to 5K" training program. If you follow the plan, you should be crossing the finish line in 9 weeks.
On the week one agenda was the following: A brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes (3x/week). My initial thought was that day one would be pretty easy, much better than the typical 60 minute spin class I would have taken that day. But, to my surprise, I was winded after 10 minutes. Hmm...lesson learned...running is not the same as spinning. If someone was literally a "couch potato", day one would most likely not lead to a day 2! But, I am excited that I only have 8 weeks & 6 days left.

#101 List 10 things I am grateful for every day for 1 month

I once read somewhere that you can change a habit in 21 days. I am a slow learner so I figured I'd give myself 30 days to train my brain to concentrate on all of the grateful things in my life. I definitely believe that being grateful is the key to happiness. I only have two more days to go and have been extremely surprised when reading back my past entries. I figured much of my gratitude would be related to money somehow and there are a few passages that are just that, but for the most part what makes me happy is not monetary.


7 Spending time with friends, family and loved ones seems to be the top on my list. Even when it was as simple as having coffee with my mother (who would have thought?). The next trend on my gratitude list was related to feeling a sense of accomplishment; completing all my errands, painting the house, finishing taxes, etc. I am definitely a "list" person, so I feel grateful when I can complete anything off my list. The rest of the entries seem to be pretty random; making good deep fried gorgonzola balls, feeling skinny, happy hours, poker night, spin class, etc.

All said and done, making a point of being grateful has definitely helped my happiness in the last month. One of my entries actually read "I love my life!" I can't remember the last time I felt that.

About The List

I have always had a list. A shopping list. A to-do list. A need-to-repair list. A list of all my lists. And my favorite of them all, my bucket list. Having a bucket list is the perfect way to get myself motivated and experience all the pleasures in life. The following are things that I have completed on my list so far:

~Skeet Shoot
~Take a Pilates class
~Enter something in a food competition
~Take a Rip Line ride
~See a Volcano
~Have a 2nd home in Sonoma County
~Make a significant change in someones life
~Teach a class
~Stay at a 5-Star hotel
~Blow $150 on one 5-cent slot machine
~Get a spa pedicure
~Try to surf
~Tell my dad I love him
~Go on a $500 clothes shopping spree in one day
~Play the stock market
~Spend the day at a resort spa
~Own investment real estate
~Rappel

I still have 105 more (& counting) things on my bucket list! I hope this blog helps me keep a record of the progress of my goals and help those who want to create/experience their own list.