Nonetheless, I couldn’t help but notice that every time I wandered through an airport, my little roller bag was a clone of the thousands of other roller bags being pulled through the terminal. That is to say that they’re all black. And standard. And boring.

My roller bag traveled with me from my early years in college, and in the past year, it really started to show its age. The zipper started to pull away from the seam, and the brand tag completely ripped off. The extended handle threatened to fall off sooner rather than later (if I could get it unstuck from its resting position in the first place), and it was only a matter of time before the wheels fell off.

Let’s just say I’d been lusting after some new luggage for awhile now. Combine the fact that I needed a new roller bag with my desire to stand out a bit from the thousands of other travelers trolling airport terminals, and you’ll understand why I was so thrilled to receive a bright blue suitcase with neon green trim for Christmas. It is a Burton brand bag with a lifetime warranty and tons of zipper compartments.

Despite the epic awesomeness of my blue-and-green bag, however, I discovered the day before my trip to Lake Charles, Louisiana, for Mardi Gras that it was just a smidgen too small. I panicked. This was my dream colorful luggage … what was a girl to do?

Knowing how much I travel, I decided to keep the Burton bag, but I also had to buy one other suitcase for those trips that need just a couple inches more. This other bag is dark orange, so it’s also colorful, and though the two don’t match by any stretch of imagination, I’m thrilled to have new luggage with zippers that work, wheels that turn and signature colors that stand out from the crowd.

Owning colorful luggage is also on my Life List, so these rock awesome pieces of luggage not only fill a need but also a personal wish. Look out world … I’m taking to the skies and roads, and you won’t have any choice than to notice!

Last year at the Travel Media Showcase, I had the unexpected opportunity to meet Kaylen, the forever-smiling, perky and incredibly kind public relations representative from Lake Charles, Louisiana. It turns out that Lake Charles holds the second largest Mardi Gras celebration in Louisiana. It’s almost as big as the one in New Orleans, and there are still lots of parades, cook-offs and other events. Most importantly, it’s way more family friendly and members of the public are invited to participate in Mardi Gras events in Lake Charles that they wouldn’t be able to participate in in New Orleans.

Now that’s interesting.

I mentioned to Kaylen that some day I wanted to ride on a Mardi Gras float. Earlier this year she invited me down to Lake Charles to do just that, so I packed my green, gold and purple and headed down to Louisiana to participate in the Mardi Gras festivities, the highlight of which was riding in the Children’s Parade. From aboard the float, I watched as thousands of people threw their hands into the air, begging for beads, doubloons and plastic cups. I don’t know how long the parade lasted, but I had a grin plastered to my face the entire time.

Thank you, Lake Charles, for helping my dream come true!

It all happened so fast.

Bon Appetit, which helps throw the huge Vegas Uncork’d bash featuring many of the local Las Vegas celebrity chefs every spring, partnered with several properties to break the wine uncorking record yesterday, and I was there to witness it.

The previous record as noted by the Guinness Book of World Records was 252 wine bottles opened in New York City last year. It was only fitting that Las Vegas pull into the lead, given its awesome food and wine scene. Yesterday, more than 300 master chefs, sommeliers and mixologists gathered at the Bellagio pool to break the record. For several minutes, there was a scurry of activity as organizers placed wine openers,  made sure everyone had a bottle of wine and a corkscrew, and went over the rules. And then the time had come to start the countdown…

Thirty seconds went by incredibly fast. Almost as soon as the timer began, participants held up their removed corks. Journalists and photographers (who were basically the only other people in attendance) began to cheer as more and more people held up their hands in triumph … and then 30 seconds was over and it was time to find out if the record had been broken.

The final count? Las Vegas busted the record with a whopping 308 bottles. Take that NYC! It was so exciting to be among the buzz, congratulating Bradley Ogden and Rick Moonen, and asking Michael Mina what he was going to do with his cork (keep it, along with the ones from bottles he opened for Joe Montana and President Barack Obama).

Way to go wine bottle openers! Thanks for letting me be a part of your awesome record breaking moment!

Earlier in the year I met Sabrina, a total sweetheart with a massive smile, super cute dimples and the coolest demeanor. Turns out she also played with the Las Vegas Sin, the Lingerie Football League team out of Las Vegas.

I know what you’re thinking: ‘Lingerie Football League? Chicks who run around in lacy bras and pretend to be masculine?’ There you would be wrong, my friend. These girls wear sexy little outfits, but they also come complete with rock solid abs, hefty shoulder pads and a kick butt attitude once they hit the field. Sadly, Sabrina tore her ACL training with the team (yep, it’s a hardcore contact sport), so she had to drop off the team, but she helped secure stellar tickets for us so we could attend a game. We sat on the edges of our seats for the game as these women whipped footballs down the field and plowed into each other, shoulder pads clashing, as they raced toward the end zones. The ladies of the Las Vegas Sin were tough as nails—no doubt about it—and I was proud to watch these women prove that there’s more to them than racy skivvies.

At The Mighty Summit, I met a rock awesome chick who is involved with roller derby and put it on my Life List then and there to catch the sport in the flesh and blood. Shortly thereafter, a good friend of my told me about the local roller derby scene and we bought tickets to check it out. For three hours we watched four teams of rough-and-tough chicks knock elbows, take hip checks and power through round after round of adrenaline-inducing roller skating. I’ve since watched a documentary on the roller derby culture, and it really is as brutal as it looks. After only a few short years, many girls have to retire from the sport because of injuries to their legs, ankles, hips and wrists.

What I loved most about both the lingerie football game and the roller derby matches was the sportsmanship. The women were incredibly competitive on the field/rink, but as soon as the helmets came off, they were all besties with each other. They hugged, congratulated each other and melded into a single cohesive group. The guys I was with agreed that men would have been hostile and emotionally competitive, carrying their aggression beyond the arena.

I always knew that women were spectacular, and I’m proud to be among this 50 percent of the population. You know … because girls rule.

Below are 100 new things I did in 2011. Will you join me for the 100 Challenge in 2012?

1. Saw a loop artist perform live.
2. Cried while cutting an onion.
3. Changed my zodiac sign.
4. Was elevated to gold status by American Airlines.
5. Made risotto.
6. Met cast members from the Phantom of the Opera.
7. Made a pot of chili.
8. Ate carpaccio.
9. Ate a sea bean.
10. Went on a whale watching tour.
11. Touched Baja California.
12. Saw a gray whale in the wild.
13. Flew Frontier Airlines.
14. Visited Costa Rica.
15. Planned and hosted an event in Las Vegas.
16. Sat through the whole Academy Awards Show.
17. Saw a spider monkey in the wild.
18. Saw a howler monkey in the wild.
19. Hiked in a Costa Rica rain forest.
20. Saw a Costa Rican waterfall.
21. Was a passenger on an undeveloped Costa Rican road … and survived.
22. Saw a sloth in the wild.
23. Saw a side-striped pit viper in the wild.
24. Saw an eyelash viper in the wild.
25. Saw a kudamundi in the wild.
26. Did a 40-meter free fall on a Tarzan swing.
27. Did a rappel drop.
28. Introduced my dad to the hostel life.
29. Saw a river change color.
30. Took a canopy tour.
31. Did social media work for a non-profit organization.
32. Paid for an aerobics class.
33. Hiked in a cloud forest.
34. Was on a cancelled flight.
35. Flew Air New Zealand.
36. Visited the Cook Islands.
37. Drank noni, the natural remedy for arthritis.
38. Rode on a hardcore AWD vehicle.
39. Watched a guy shuck a coconut with his teeth.
40. Got a Cook Islands drivers license.
41. Drank fresh coconut milk straight from the coconut.
42. Saw a moonbow.
43. Redacted.
44. Got lei-ed in the Cook Islands.
45. Learned some Maori words.
46. Flew Air Rarotonga.
47. Drank in a tumunu.
48. Explored a burial cave.
49. Learned about stars in the Southern Hemisphere.
50. Learned how to climb a coconut tree though did so unsuccessfully.
51. Spotted a red lorikeet.
52. Held a giant clam.
53. Raced a hermit crab.
54. Flew business class.
55. Did a headstand on the beach.
56. Got a tattoo.
57. Learned how to skip a stone.
58. Saw a moose in the wild.
59. Got food poisoning.
60. Pet a sphinx cat.
61. Bought a brand new car.
62. Took a trip longer than one month.
63. Visited Toronto.
64. Visited Montreal.
65. Went to the top of the CN Tower.
66. Watched the Fourth of July fireworks on the National Mall in Washington DC.
67. Explored Boston on foot.
68. Walked a pound puppy.
69. Took a wellness retreat.
70. Took a yoga class.
71. Did yoga outside as the sun was rising.
72. Grabbed the wrong passport and didn’t realize it until I reached the security checkpoint at the airport.
73. Visited the Riviera Maya.
74. Learned about composting.
75. Was paid $1.00/word for an article.
76. Kayaked through mangrove trees.
77. Swam in a ceynote.
78. Swam in a Mayan cave.
79. Rode in a hot air balloon.
80. Learned how to do stand-up paddle boarding.
81. Attended the International Camel Races in Virginia City, Nevada.
82. Rode the V&T Railroad.
83. Began a juicing breakfast diet.
84. Attended the invite-only, women-only Mighty Summit.
85. Flew Virgin America.
86. Crossed the Golden Gate Bridge.
87. Attended the Travel Media Show.
88. Learned about the April 19, 1995, Oklahoma City bombing.
89. Visited the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma.
90. Attended the Visit Europe Media Exchange.
91. Flew in and out of a city in a single day just to attend a conference.
92. Went to a lingerie football game.
93. Seriously spent time learning how to design a room.
94. Attended a roller derby bout (and crossed it off my Life List!)
95. Flew stretch class on Frontier Airlines.
96. Ghostwrote a book.
97. Began an advent tradition.
98. Found an interest in graphic novels.
99. Redacted.
100. Saw a baby turtle head out to sea.

There are birthdays and lunches in. And anniversaries, retirements and days where people bring in snacks just for the heck of it.

And, as a result of all those cookies, slices of cake and piles of chips and dip, there are a lot of overweight people in offices across the nation.

The United State’s growing size (in pounds, not people) is a hot topic. Processed food, sedentary lifestyles and a myriad of debates about what makes a person healthy have all helped in causing a national health crisis. With nearly half the population on a diet at any given time, and mass media messages telling us we need to be thin while still pushing frozen, partially hydrogenated meals filled with high fructose corn syrup designed for quick preparation, it’s no wonder people are so confused. When the Atkins diet fades into the South Beach diet and then moves into the counting-points-on-odd-numbered-days-when-you-buy-our-$30-a-meal diet, I really think people would be better off if they just ignored the advertisements and listened to what their bodies said they needed. Instead of dropping thousands of dollars on diet supplements and plastic surgery, that money could be saved for a weekend trip away from the stress of sorting out an onslaught of mass media messages.

We live in a complicated world, and our desire to save time, eat more and leave the rest up to miracle cures or point systems is no way to treat the human body.

That’s probably why I stand out. At five feet, two inches tall, I weigh 115 pounds. My body mass index is 21.0. I have never, ever been on a diet. You read that right: I am the perfect size, I have never been on a diet and I am happy with my body. I am normal.

In a world of conveniences and quick fixes, this isn’t always an easy thing, but I’ve made a conscious decision to live a long, healthy life. My husband and I are primarily pescetarians (seafood-eating vegetarians) who generally don’t shop in the middle aisles of the grocery store. We plan our weekly menu in advance, shop for our food daily, cook an actual meal every night and only make single portion servings. We eat lots of produce and wheat-based grains and pastas. We drink a juice breakfast. We work out at throughout the week and frequently take nightly walks. We set healthy goals and work to achieve them. We don’t smoke and only drink occasionally, and we have healthy relationships with our family, co-workers and friends.

Oh, and my favorite food is macaroni and cheese, my husband loves cinnamon rolls and, though I know longer work in a typical office setting, we’ve both been known to indulge in the occasional food day at work.

As a normal-sized person who still enjoys an awesome home-baked chocolate chip cookie, I often hear that I am “so lucky” about how “skinny” I am and that I should eat another cookie just because I can.

Growing up, I was taught that it was inappropriate to comment on other people’s weight. In today’s society, this generally means not pointing out people who are overweight or obese or those who are abnormally underweight. As a normal-sized person who is “lucky” to be my size, I’d also like to add that it’s terribly rude to comment on a person who weighs just the right amount. It is one thing to compliment someone on healthy weight loss or gain, but to comment on my size like I got a new shirt isn’t appropriate. It’s not exactly considered kosher to say to someone else, “Hey, you’re overweight. Don’t eat another cookie or you’ll put on a bit more fluff.” So why are people quick to say to me, “You’re so skinny. You can definitely eat another cookie.”

It certainly isn’t my intention to dig up compliments on the way I live my life. Many people might argue that they can’t afford fresh produce or have the time to work out. Everybody makes choices. My choices result in being healthy in the way that is right for my body, but I don’t need the world to remind me that I’m actually an enigma in today’s society. Staying healthy takes work and effort. It also takes willpower and sacrifices to do it without miracle diets and liposuction.

I don’t fit the bill for a cover model, and I certainly don’t encourage the use of mass media to plant “idealistic” and truly unrealistic images in the minds of Americans telling them what they should look like. But I do think that we need to start taking responsibility for the choices that we make.

Being a normal-sized person is something everyone should try to achieve, preferably through natural means. That is, healthy eating, actively exercising and making positive lifestyle choices. The only true diet is one that a person can continually stick to, so why not choose the eat-what-your-body-says-is-healthy-when-it-needs-it diet?

I am not skinny. I am healthy. I am normal. And I shouldn’t be an anomaly. I know weight is a sensitive issue, and I don’t comment on overweight or underweight people, especially to their faces. Please offer me the same respect.

Now, please pass me a cookie. But I only want one.

I love Christmas. I love just about everything about it:

Drinking flavored hot chocolate

Playing music that’s only acceptable for one month out of the year.

Decorating the tree.

Wearing warm fuzzy slippers.

Ripping open wrapping paper.

Stuffing stockings.

Making candy with my husband.

Reading holiday stories (The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a particular favorite).

Spending time with family (though this doesn’t happen often enough).

When the calendar flips to December 1, the giddiness kicks into full gear.

Our tree is up. Mannheim Steamroller is playing in the background. Whipped cream is on stand by to top off the cocoa. A weekend has been set aside for candy making.

Sure, I can skip the long lines at the stores and the ridiculous ads that start piling up mid-November and the fact that Santa Claus showed up before Thanksgiving this year, but those things don’t define the meaning of the holidays for me. It’s about so much more.

As a kid, one of my favorite traditions was the advent tree. It was a little tiny Christmas tree—no more than a foot tall—that sat in an esteemed place on a shelf in the dining room. My mom wrapped 24 itty bitty ornaments and put them in a little basket. Each morning for the 24 days leading up to Christmas, my sister and I alternated in choosing an ornament for the tree. I always hoped I would get the tiny teddy bear, and I didn’t like to get the flat ones, so I used to feel the packages carefully before choosing my ornaments. It was a tradition we did for many, many years, and ultimately it didn’t matter what ornaments were chosen on each day because by December 24, the tree was absolutely perfect just the way it was.

Inspired by the Mighty Maggie and her advent grab bag, Cory and I are trying out a new tradition this year. It doesn’t have a name yet, but the idea is this: We’re in the country for 20 days prior to Christmas, so we’ve limited our new advent activity to those 20 days. We each bought ten gifts for $3.00 or under for the other person, then wrapped said gifts in similar wrapping paper (gifts for him are wrapped in blue, and gifts for me are wrapped in snowmen) and stuffed them in a basket. Like with the ornaments, we alternate days, each getting little gifts—just a tiny tease of the awesome holiday at the end of the month.

Will this be our new tradition? Maybe, maybe not. But this year we’re embracing it!

What traditions do you celebrate throughout the month of December?

“Life is about the journey, not the destination.”

Words are skewed all the time, so I don’t know if my favorite travel quote was actually anyone’s quote at all, but the message is one I take to heart.

My life journey to the present day is riddled with questions, airplanes, deep sleeps and wild dreams, hard work, long lines, nerve-wracking phone calls, uninspired moments, quiet hiking paths and sleeping bags. It’s taken me across the country several times (by plane, train and automobile) and around the world a few times. My path has made stops in Midwestern towns thick with arts and culture, college towns laced with late nights, metropolitan hot spots that harnessed my wanderlust, dusty villages in remote corners of Africa and studio apartments in Asia (this was really my husband’s stop, but I stayed there anyway).

On my journey to where I am today, I’ve done some wicked awesome things—whitewater rafting down the Nile River, interviewing artists and authors, eating with my hands out of communal dishes, squeaking by with minimal local language, snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, falling in love, volunteering with animals, trekking the Inca Trail, shopping in foreign markets, indulging in beignets for the first time. I’ve also journeyed through some sad, scary and anxious moments too—the death of my childhood cat, waiting to hear if we won the bid on our house, several car accidents, losing my job … twice, wandering around in the rain in Vietnam looking for my hotel.

But isn’t that what life’s about? Learning to navigate those moments along the way and learning from those moments once they’re distant memories? I don’t know where I’m going, but if the destination is even half as incredible as my journey has been, then I’m excited to reach it …

… but not too fast, for I still have a lot of journeying to do first.

Posted in conjunction of BootsnAll’s 30 Days of Indie Travel Project.

Here’s why: I don’t know the first thing about music, but I know what moves me, both literally and figuratively.

To prep for this post, I turned on some Robert Miles and went for a long walk, letting my feet move to the beat of the music. I still listen to music on a Zune, so I held the monster of an MP3 player in one hand and my water bottle in the other as I made my way past the mommy play date at the park, the pair of guys who fly kites every morning, a man laying in the grass while his puppy ran laps over him.

I let the hypnotic rhythm of “Children” lead me, just like I often let music lead me when I travel.

I don’t know the first thing about music. I am a pop culture failure, but I know what I like, and I let that gut reaction make decisions for me. In fact, more than television shows, books or other people’s stories, music inspires me to travel.

There is something about certain beats, sounds, emotions and strength engrained in particular types of music that moves me. When I listen to Celtic music, elecetronica, ambient, Peruvian flutes or Asian tunes, I literally feel something that pushes me forward. I ache to move, to dance, to act, to be a part of the music.

To write this post, I turned on my Caravane radio station on Pandora. How many of you can say you’re listening to Scottish techno fusion right now?

I know nothing about it, and yet I’m compelled to listen. Just like when I travel, I have no choice but to be in the moment.

I've pretty much decided that I'm in control of my destiny.

I am the queen of goal setting.

I like lists, and I like knocking stuff off those lists. I make lists for shopping, packing, chores, work and just about anything else that can be compiled in a linear fashion.

I also set goals, and I LOVE New Year’s Eve for this reason (though my husband is anti-goal setting and only half-heartedly puts up with my lists). Every year I set new goals, and periodically throughout the year I revisit, revise and review them. I think life is a journey, not a destination, though, so I also give myself permission to remove any goals from my list that just don’t make sense anymore.

And since it’s my list, that’s okay.

Last year, I set two perimeters for goals: My professional goals and my travel goals. Midway through the year, I set a list of personal goals as well (some of which I’m currently working through with Linda Formichelli and her new wellness coaching program).

To give you a rundown:

My Professional Goals:

I had three of them:

1. To reach a certain financial goal with my writing, which was more than a 30% increase over last year’s goal. I have met this goal with invoicing, but a few more people need to pay up before the end of the year in order for my bank account to reflect this achievement.
2. To publish in three new print publications. I not only met this goal, but I far exceeded it with clips appearing in Pathfinders Travel, American Way, Vegas Magazine, waka-about and others.
3. To send out one editorial query per work day this year. I took the month of July off while we traveled around the United States, and I don’t count that against my goal. It was simply impractical to keep pitching while I was traveling so much. Other than that, I’m on track to meet this goal by the end of this year.

My Travel Goals:

It’s only fitting that I revisit my travel resolutions for 2011 today since it’s the first day of BootsnAll’s 30 Days of Indie Travel Blogging Challenge, which encourages people to take a peek into the past year. I had four travel goals this year:

1. To continue to see the world in wide-eyed wonder. My travels took me to two new countries this year (Costa Rica and the Cook Islands) as well as Mexico, Canada and large portions of the United States, and I took the time to suck up the little details that make a place special. Traveling by car through much of the U.S. helped me appreciate the trip all that much more. I also visited places I never would have thought to explore before, such as Oklahoma City. This is a goal I will continue to pursue as long as I travel.
2. To step away from my work. On two of my trips this year, I made a very conscious effort not to work. When others were racking up internet fees in the Cook Islands, I was reading a book on the beach. And when I traveled with my dad to Costa Rica, I checked in every once in awhile, but the vast majority of my time was spent enjoying the country with him. I still struggle to separate work from relaxation, but I’ll be sending off the year with a trip to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico with my husband, and my computer is not invited.
3. To learn how to tip. I still don’t think there’s a magical formula for this one, but I’m much more prepared for any situation now with a handful of small denomination coins and bills whenever I travel. When others don’t tip, I still leave a little something behind. Nonetheless, tipping when I travel is something I need to keep working on.
4. To help others reach their travel goals. This is one of those immeasurable goals, but I like to think that when people ask or email me for advice on travel-related topics that I’m flexing my goal-oriented muscle. Earlier this year I wrote a blog post about the two rims of the Grand Canyon, which has turned into an advice column of sorts (see the comments) regarding information on the national park. It’s times like these that I think I’m achieving what I set out to do.

My Personal Goals:

These tend to be a bit squishy and are ongoing things that I attempt to do to live a longer, happier and healthier life. These include:

• Drinking more water.
• Stretching every hour.
• Stopping work at a decent time every day.
• Reading for enjoyment.
• Embracing change.
• Writing what I enjoy.
• Being great (and grateful).

So what’s in store for next year? It’s still too early to say. I have another two months to think about it, but instead of looking too far forward, I’d prefer to continue to live in the present.