Just Jot January - 2020 - Experience

Our prompt today from Dan to Linda to us is "Experience."   I've been trying to get more experiences in our lives, especially since the kids are grown. 




Experiencing concerts has become a passion.  Of course I like to get as up close and personal as I can but even being in the back and seeing the cellphone lights around the stadium is magical.

When I turned 60, I wanted to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.  Even though I've lived in the Bay Area all my life, I hadn't had that experience before.  

We took a helicopter ride for our anniversary.  Going through the Grand Canyon and having a picnic on one of the ledges was a terrific experience.   

I've been trying to experience more sunsets at the beach lately.  I live so close it seems a shame to miss them and they are free!

                                                              Getting our picture on the jumbo screen at AT&T Park was a pretty neat experience too!

In 2017 we had a really great time in Reno with a  Let's Roam Scavenger Hunt.  At that time it was called Big City Hunts but even though they have changed their name, they still offer great experiences in many different cities.  My Word of the year that year was Believe and you can imagine how moved I was when I saw it in the middle of the city in huge metal letters.  I actually cried.  

Valentine's Day is coming and I think a great experience you can give to yourself and your significant other is a Date Night Scavenger Hunt.  It doesn't matter if you have been together a short time and are just learning about each other or if you have been together forever as we have, the scavenger hunt can be such fun.  Even though we had been to Reno many times before, we found some new and very interesting spots while on the hunt for clues to the next stop. 

I particularly liked this experience because while you are using your phone to get the clues and answer the questions, it is pretty much self-guided and you can take your time to enjoy the scenery.  We found some spots that were not part of the hunt that we would not necessarily have seen if we weren't strolling through the city.  We got some really great pictures too.

It is also reasonably priced.  I think they are having a sale now and with the Date Night Scavenger Hunt you can add an option for a proposal!  How cool would that be? 

I do need to disclose that I am an affiliate for Let's Roam and may get some compensation if you use my link, but I was writing about the great experience we had even before I was an affiliate.  They also have regular hunts if you want to do it with friends or family.  They have Ghost Tours, Bar Hopping Tours, Bachelorette Party Tours and Birthday Party Tours as well.  Definitely worth it to check out the site and see if a city near you is included, or to add to a vacation you have planned somewhere else.

Also, special offer for anyone who does use my link and decides to go on a Let's Roam Scavenger Hunt, I'll be happy to make a mini-album of your adventure at a discounted price!

Have you been enjoying the Just Jot January experience so far? 

December Reflections - 2019 - Vision Cards Part 2

As promised, here are the vision cards I made for this year.  I have used basically the same six themes but tweaked them a little bit.  They are the same size as last year, an 8-1/2 x 11 piece of cardstock cut in half. 

Last year I had "Health" but this one is "All About Me" because now that I have lost a significant amount of weight, I know I need to focus on other aspects of my wellbeing.  It is time to do a little more exercise rather than just walking the dog.  I need to get some strengthening in my arms and tighten the core muscles.  I also need to focus on my mental health as well.  Self-care is an important thing that gets overlooked a lot. 

"Money" is now "Show Me The Money."  The goal is to get some of our debt paid down and continue to save for the things we want to do.  Hopefully more work and some attention to non-essential spending will help with that.  Fortunately we on Social Security got a raise!   

"Connect" is now "Making Connections" and I think it continues to be important to keep the connections with friends and family as a top priority.  Sometimes I get so caught up in the work that I don't take time to be with the family.  As an introvert, social gatherings are hard for me and I need to try and get over that a little.  

"Home" is "The Old Homestead" and again, we can't afford much but we do need a new fridge and could use a fence around the front yard so Benny can go outside sometimes and play.  I'm still holding out for my fire pit in the backyard too!  I love cacti as a garden because they don't need much care and can be really interesting.  

"Go Places" is now "Experiences" because the focus will be on new experiences in familiar places.  The beach is free and so are things like walking across the Golden Gate or just getting in the car and driving to the City to do touristy activities or down to Carmel and Monterey.  Even Yosemite can be relatively inexpensive.  Gotta get out there.  

Last but not least, "Craft" is now "My Crafty Business."  I loved the word Phoblographer because that encompasses a lot of things.  The goal chart is to help me get more specific with the direction I want to take my business in.  Plus, as part of the self-care, I have a lot of personal projects that I want to work on, not just to be sold.  The kids each have an album that is seriously behind and my concert album is certainly not up to date.  Those things are important too.  

If you are interested in making your own vision cards, I highly recommend the class by Jamie Ridler.   If you'd like to see some of my past years, here are the links:

2014, 2015, 2016 are in one post.

2017 and 2018

Again, one of the main reasons that I like doing these cards is to take the pressure off of having failed an attempt at a "resolution."  As you can see, some of the things that I wanted in 2014 are things I still want but there has been a lot accomplished in each area as well.  I know that Jamie makes 10 or 12 cards but I think six is about all I can handle, at least for now.  So what do you think?  What would your vision cards be about?  Love to hear your ideas.