#58. Find a favorite local alcoholic beverage for every country I visit.

Germany - Radler (beer with lime juice). Second is Gluwin, the traditional Christmastime wine served hot, followed by Alt bier, the beer home to Dusseldorf.

Ireland - A pint of Guinness with a splash of Blackberry Currant. Oh, it's totally divine.

England - Bulmers Apple Cider. It's the kind of juice that gets you there :) It was introduced to my by Stagemaster (Nathan) in London on my 23rd birthday.

Italy - Wine man, I don't know what I'm drinking specifically, but the red is getting to me!

#20. Participate in at least 20 outdoor activities. Climbing Arthur's Seat.

December 26, 2008 - Hiking up Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh Scotland.
I have to say, this hike was little more than a tiresome walk up a hill, and I'm tempted to have it count as only half a point. Regardless, it is worth mentioning, and it made me partially undress myself in the middle of a UK winter. I say perspiration equals a successful outdoor activity.


Authors Seat is an extinct volcano sitting on the edge of Edinburgh. The trek isn't as gruesome as one might imagine a volcanic hike to be, and in fact, it was rather pleasant. The entire walk up took about forty-five minutes, and about ten minutes from the top, I shed my outdoor coat and scarf. Be mindful that it was barely over freezing, and the wind from that altitude made it feel that much more frigged. Still, I trekked on, taking off clothes as I went.

Once on top, the sweat was instantly worth it. There, before my eyes, was a panoramic and breathtaking view of Edinburgh.

Of course, it took about two minutes of stagnant sightseeing for me to throw everything back onto my body again. Jacket, coat, scarf, gloves, I have never needed them all at once so desperately before. I had an attractive layer of sweat covering my skin and evaporation has never hurt so much.

Once dressed and above it all, we flew kites and had a picnic until our appendages begged for additional warmth. I could barely hold my sandwich and the cheese (which was still engulfed in it's waxy red shell) was out of the question. There's a certain temperature I can tolerate, and after that, I lose basic motor skills. Peeling, gripping, chewing - forget it. I wanted down.

Still, we were all glad for a reason to imbibe, so we chucked ourselves down and into the nearest pub for a pint; beer jacket included.

Ben hurt all over the next morning and I, well you know, was totally fine. Walking around foreign cities for hours a day will get you into that kind of shape. Want a real workout? Wii Sports Baseball. My body never hurt so much for so long.

#9. Make at least 5 close friends abroad - KATE!

My first month in Germany was as anyone would expect. I was in a constant state of disorientation, I couldn't understand a single word around me and in the end, began to feel quite lonely. It was during International Day at my kids' school that I first met Kate. She was the au pair for a family friend, and as we stood on opposite sides of Kenya (the theme of the room), The Mom shouted out to the both of us, "NIX, THAT'S KATE. KATE, THAT'S NIX!"

The Mom has a shameless mouth and I'm used to such cross country conversations. Calmly I looked up and around, searching for a kid named Kate that I assumed I needed to escort to the restroom. Seeing no dire child in need of a pee, I went back to exotic animal face painting.

Of course, seeing as her national broadcast was not heard, The Mom grabbed my arm, tearing me away from my facial masterpiece, and thrust me into the five foot radius of Kate, the 22 year old au pair who was capable of escorting her own self to he bathroom. We talked, for what it's worth, and I became instantly aware of how unfamiliar I had become with young adult socialization. Still, we reconnected in the Caribbean, exchanged numbers and began the start of a close friendship in Germany.

Since then, we have had countless slumber parties, a variety of pub crawls, breakfast, lunch and dinner, and even weekend trips into different cities. Kate is the most selfless of people, willing to help you in whatever way she can with no personal gain whatsoever. She's coached me through minor travel panic attacks and constantly encourages me to "win." Because of her, I am a fuller person, and that's what has earned her a spot as my very first close friend abroad.

38. Hand-make a birthday calender and send birthday cards.

Ok, no handmade calenders here, but I think that's a forgiving exception. I bought a wonderful Lonely Planet calender while I was in Edinburgh (December 2008) with all kinds of information and pictures from far off places contained within it. Love it.

Anyway, I put everyone's birthday inside. Though I haven't sent any cards yet, there's a few birthdays coming up, which the calender has already helped in making me aware of. I'll be sending out some presents soon.

53. Have a meal with an old friend.

The statement "old friend," could go both ways, and although she is technically "older," she is also the other half of the longest friendship I've ever had. Bonus points, Kristine.

Friends since first grade, walking buddy, spelling bee companion, barbie doll playmate, Kristine and I have seen it all. Although high school instigated a minor falling apart, we have since reconnected in places like New Hope, APDM 101, and Forever 21. Tonight, however, with the realization that we were both leaving Hawaii for the much bigger and the presumably better, we made a dinner date to catch up on all times past.

JJ's Bistro, a French Laoation Fusion delicatessen with pot pies that are to die for, served as a meeting point for two long lost best friends. Girl talk consumed the night while we consumed the finest pastries known to man. After much deliberation, I settled on a Chocolate Frou Frou, creme brule and half of a mini chocolate mousse pyramid, a dessert so rich that half will always be more than enough. Kristine opted for a delicately built lilikoi chocolate dish with cream so light and delicious that it would be easier to believe you were eating the board game atmosphere of Queen Frostine's corner of Candyland.

Stuffed, satiated and well caught up, we crossed off no. 53, gladly.

81. Find a home for all the clothes in my junk bags.

My first success! This past Sunday, October 19, I attended the second annual closet swap, organized by Fashionista's Market and Divas Doing Good, with old friend Liz and new friend Haruko. The deal was this: For every item of clothing donated, you were allowed to take one item of clothing out.

I had been collecting bags of old clothes to sell or donate, and as all things are paved with good intentions, I simply had done no more than collect. Finally having the perfect opportunity to do what I had always meant to, I lugged a bag of half my weight across the island and donated a total of 80 countable items.

Preceding the main swapping event, there was a champagne brunch full of french toast and mimosa. This was followed by a few games of gimme gimme and then a fashion show where each table had to create a fashion forward outfit out of the items on the table. Suddenly we noticed the stacks of newspapers, tape and scissors that blended in to the recycled centerpiece. The winning team would get a three minute head start in the swap, a most valuable three minutes indeed!

Haruko was our "diva," and we spent the next ten minutes dressing her up. I remember feeling the sprit of Project Runway surge through me as I yelled across the table, "Use the forks and knives!" which we taped together to create a belt. Out of 20 tables, ours was one of two tables to win! The judges commented on her utensil accessories, and after a bow from our diva, we were escorted into the swapping zone.

The three of us spent an hour or so browsing the hundreds of donated items and came out successful. I returned with about 30 articles of clothing, which was more than I could carry. All the proceeds of the closet swap went to Sustainable Saunders, which is a non-profit group at the University of Hawaii that's helping the school to reduce energy on campus.

Best part? We made it to television!
Women Swap Shop Til They Drop | KGMB9 News Hawaii | (KGMB9)
(I'm part of the last 5 seconds, red dress, white sweater, coming down the stairs!)

20. Participate in at least 20 outdoor Activities - Maunawili Falls

1. Saturday, October 11, 2008 - Hiking Maunawili Falls in Hawaii, USA.

With one week left before I move to Germany, a few friends and I headed to Maunawili Falls to work our gluts and jump from cliffs. The trek itself was simple and enjoyable, except for the crossing of the streams, which was just a pain in the butt. Eventually we hit a place that looked like something out of Lost and on our way back, we ran in and acted like jungle people. Vines as scarves, ferns in our hair, James threw me over his shoulder and dunked me in the bush.

At the end of the main trail is the main waterfall, maybe 10 feet, which many people jump off of (see picture of three lovely ladies taking the plunge). If you take a separate trail just prior to the water, you'd be taken upward through a muddy jungle path to another jumping point, 50 feet above the water. This is the trail that separates the boys from the men, and being uninclined to feel any validation of my masculinity, I stayed in the shallows and watched men fall from the sky.Not wanting to be completely unadventurous, I traveled above the main waterfall in to a smaller waterfall that fed the first. I climbed that, stood 15 feet in the air and jumped. Oh, not without five minutes of coaxing, but I did it regardless with the help of the ultimate power statement, "FOR GERMANY!!!" Terrified but victorious, I conquered heights and fresh water all in one day. I may have leptospirosis, like everyone there, but who cares. All for fun and fun for all.