Keeping this list motivates and inspires me to live a life that is adventurous and meaningful.

2024

  • January – Saw Neil deGrasse Tyson in Tampa
  • February – Celebrated my birthday with a fancy tea party
  • February – Went dumpster diving, and learned how to make quiche!
  • February – Saw Bazzar by Cirque du Soleil
  • March – Participated in the annual Historic Kenwood studio tour

2023

  • January – Went to Maui for two weeks
  • February – Celebrated my 50th birthday with friends
  • February – Started writing my second book
  • March – Gave FREE HUGS at the 10th annual Awakening Into The Sun festival
  • March – Saw They Might Be Giants at Jannus Live in St. Petersburg, FL
  • March – Gave FREE HUGS at the annual studio tour in Historic Kenwood
  • April – Was a guest on The Jar podcast
  • May – Got to meet author T.C. Boyle and get his latest book signed
  • May – Started helping gather signatures to get abortion rights on the ballot in Florida
  • June – Gave FREE HUGS at an event in Sarasota
  • August – Drove to Albany, NY via Chatanooga with one of my besties
  • September – Went to see Duran Duran in Forest Hills, NY
  • September – Went to see Love Lies Here in New York, NY
  • September – Visited the Ruben Museum and Mass MoCA
  • October – Visited my relatives in Virginia
  • October – Got rid of my TV… again
  • November – Finished a cross stitch project I started in 2019
  • November – Finished a certificate in Strategic Storytelling through Cornell University
  • December – Ate gourmet chocolate from an expensive advent calendar every day to stay in the holiday spirit
  • December – Went on two lighted holiday bike rides
  • December – Bought an empty lot in Troy, NY

2022

  • January – Traveled to Mérida, Tulum, Playa del Carmen and Cancún in Mexico
  • January – Wrote a guest post for the Invincible Hope blog
  • January – Appeared live on The Laura Shepherd Show in Gulfport, FL
  • February – My niece came to visit for my birthday
  • February – Took some online art classes
  • March – Participated in the Historic Kenwood Artist Enclave open studio tour with my FREE HUGS project
  • April – Got my fourth tattoo
  • April – Collaged my master’s degree!
  • May – Participated in a rally/march in support of Roe v. Wade
  • May – Attended a 5-day silent retreat in Marshall, NC
  • June – Helped save a young opossum in my neighborhood
  • June – Attended Pride festival and snuggled a skunk
  • June – Put a down payment on my dream!
  • August – Launched the 5000 Hugs project
  • September – Finally got Covid!
  • September – Took a staycation night in Clearwater
  • September – Evacuated to Lutz for Hurricane Ian
  • September – Appeared in a TV commercial for Charlie Crist
  • October – Went to my first public showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show
  • November – Went to Virginia to visit family for Thanksgiving
  • November – Finished the first draft of my first novel!
  • December – Gave FREE HUGS at Winter in the Wood

2021

  • January – Started co-hosting the Punk Rock Politix podcast
  • January – Hired a second life/business coach
  • February – Started writing The Brompton Diary
  • February – Went axe throwing for the first time!
  • March – Spent a long weekend in St. Augustine, FL
  • May – Drove to Vermont and stayed for 6 weeks
  • May – Wrote and delivered my mother’s eulogy
  • June – Wrote and delivered my father’s eulogy
  • July – Almost bought a house in Vermont!
  • August – Started a course of ketamine-assisted therapy
  • August – Went to a cool new museum called The Fairgrounds in St. Pete.
  • September – Got new glasses!
  • October – Got to go out on a big boat twice and steer it!
  • October – Went camping for the first time in Stone Mountain, GA
  • October – Went to the Atlanta Botanical Garden and hiked Stone Mountain.
  • October – Went camping at Fort De Soto, FL.
  • November – Bought an adventure trailer!
  • November – Went camping in Santa Rosa Beach, FL
  • December – Moved my newsletter to Substack

2020

  • January – Went to my first silent disco! So much fun!
  • January – Launched Coffee With Strangers website
  • January – Traveled to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
  • February – My niece came to visit me in Florida
  • March – Coronavirus! Boo!
  • April – Post-apocalyptic photo shoot with Paul
  • May – Trip to Mount Dora. Stayed in tiny house.
  • June – Launched OurGreatestHopes.com
  • July – Photo shoot in downtown St. Pete with my friend Robert
  • August – Drove to Vermont with my sweetheart
  • August – Went to Savannah, GA
  • August – Hiked in North Carolina
  • September – Stayed in Old Orchard Beach for a week
  • November – Got my 4th tattoo
  • December – Hired my first business coach.

2019

  • January – Renamed and re-branded my business as Solid Red Studios, LLC
  • February – Was interviewed by ABC Action News about development in St. Petersburg, FL
  • February – Attended the 2019 Climate Action Conference in Tampa, FL
  • March – Attended a tiny home festival in St. Petersburg, FL
  • March – Attended the opera production of Pagliacci/Pulcinella in Orlando, FL, which featured my friend Suzanne from Vermont
  • April – Had a photo shoot with Herb Booth at Booth Studio in Sarasota, FL
  • April – Spent a long weekend in Philadelphia
  • June – Drove to Vermont for the summer
  • October – Met someone special
  • October – Saw Wayne Brady at Mahaffey Theater
  • October – Saw Randy Rainbow at Mahaffey Theater
  • November – Ate a dinner full of insects at Museum of Fine Arts

2018

  • Bought my first coffee maker – an Aeropress!
  • Saw Tango Fire at Mahaffey Theater
  • Paid off my car 5 years early!
  • Attended a tiny home festival in St. Petersburg, FL
  • Cured my migraines! (mostly)
  • May – Traded in my car for a minivan for roomier travel
  • June – Drove from Florida to Vermont with my cat
  • June – Visited family in Virginia
  • June – September – Spent the summer in Vermont
  • August – Converted my minivan for camping
  • September – Went on a cruise on Lake Champlain in Vermont with Bernie Sanders and some of his supporters
  • October – Saw David Byrne in concert at Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, Florida
  • December – Spent a week in NYC during the holidays

2017

  • My UrbanPathfinder app was the subject of an online article
  • Saw Victor Wainwright & The Wild Roots in St. Petersburg, FL
  • Saw Henry Rollins on his spoken word tour in Clearwater, FL
  • Participated in the MLK Jr. Day parade with Sierra Club
  • Joined over 20,000 people for St. Petersburg’s Women’s March
  • I was a guest on Henry Raines’s radio show discussing Syrian refugees in Rutland, Vermont
  • Gave a presentation about minimalism at the Tiny Home Festival in St. Pete
  • My mother and sister came to FL for a visit
  • Went on a 5-day solo trip to Cuba
  • Visited Vermont for 2 weeks
  • Saw Puddles Pity Party in St. Petersburg, FL
  • Acted in a commercial in downtown St. Petersburg, FL
  • Evacuated from Hurricane Irma
  • My niece came to visit for a long weekend
  • Attended a large tiny house festival in St. Augustine, FL

2016

  • Spent a few months working in Palm Beach Gardens, FL
  • Co-hosted the Tampa Bay Minimalist meetups
  • Road trip to Virginia
  • Visited Charleston, SC for the first time
  • Went roller skating for the first time in 20+ years
  • Voted for Bernie Sanders in the Democratic Primary!
  • Saw They Might Be Giants in St. Petersburg, FL
  • Organized volunteers to catalog the bike racks in downtown St. Petersburg, FL
  • Spent a long weekend with a high school friend I hadn’t seen in 25+ years
  • Began working on Urban Pathfinder, an app for urban adventurers
  • Participated in Hands Across the Sand with the Sierra Club
  • Visited family in Virginia
  • Visited Philadelphia for the first time
  • Attended my nephew’s wedding in Jay Peak, Vermont
  • Took the train to NYC from Vermont
  • Visited the Whitney Museum for the first time
  • Visited the Dia museum for the first time
  • Spent a week in Rutland, Vermont
  • Was a guest on Kenn Hayes’s radio show on WSYB in Rutland, Vermont
  • Took the train from Vermont to Florida in a sleeper compartment
  • Started writing my first memoir
  • Attended WordCamp Tampa
  • Volunteered at the inaugural Open Streets event in St. Petersburg, FL
  • Adopted a precious kitty named Libby
  • Was invited to write a blog post for international bicycle manufacturer Brompton
  • Was honored as Volunteer of the Year by ShiftStPete
  • Spent Christmas in Virginia

2015

  • Took an online writing course through The Poynter Institute
  • Read some of my writing aloud in public for the first time
  • Started outlining my first book
  • Spent my birthday in Sarasota, Florida at my favorite pub
  • Went on a literary pub crawl
  • Did a photo shoot with Daniel Perales at Booth Studio in Sarasota, FL
  • Saw The Indigo Girls with an orchestra at Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, Florida
  • Participated in the Tweed Ride in St. Petersburg, FL
  • Went kayaking for the first time
  • Attended a rally hosted by Nelson Campbell and T. Colin Campbell and and saw the premiere of PlantPure Nation in St. Petersburg, FL
  • Spent a week in Virginia for Apple Blossom Festival
  • Spent 10 days in Vermont
  • Was a guest on Kenn Hayes’ morning show on WSYB in Rutland, VT
  • Rented my dream apartment in St. Petersburg, FL
  • Organized International PARK(ing) Day in St. Petersburg, FL
  • Started the Coffee With Strangers blog/podcast
  • Was a guest on WMNF radio show in Tampa, FL
  • Bought a car after not owning one for several years

2014

  • Started a Rutland Uprising!
  • Wrote a twice monthly column for the Rutland Herald from January through July
  • Saw Main Street Dive at Higher Ground in Burlington, VT
  • Joined Project VISION
  • Started appearing twice each month on Kenn Hayes’ radio show on WSYB in Rutland, VT
  • Developed a following for Urban Mayhem Project
  • Spent a week in Winchester, VA
  • Saw Peter Mulvey perform in Middletown Springs, VT
  • Sat on a panel after the movie Medora at Rutland Free Library
  • Attended and helped with the annual Women Making a Difference Brunch at Mountain Top Inn
  • Acted as a Social Media guru at two events sponsored by the Vermont Digital Economy Project
  • Participated in NeighborWorks’ community asset mapping project
  • Started another website business
  • Went to San Diego, CA
  • Participated in the Mother’s Day 5K run/walk in Rutland, VT
  • Experienced a tornado-like storm in Rutland, VT and ended up on the news
  • Participated in the 100 Miles in 100 Days walking challenge
  • Landed back in St. Petersburg, FL
  • Invested in a Brompton folding bicycle!
  • Got my first facial
  • Spent a week in Edinburgh, Scotland
  • Participated in the People’s Climate March in NYC with 400,000 of my closest friends
  • Saw Puddles Pity Party in St. Petersburg, FL

2013

  • Attended the Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade in St. Petersburg, FL
  • Sold Women With Moxie to an amazing woman!
  • Got my third tattoo
  • Went to Key West for the first time
  • Turned 40!
  • Participated in the President’s Day climate rally in DC
  • Went to my first yoga class
  • Accidentally saw Naughty by Nature at Jannus Landing
  • Baked my first loaf of bread from scratch: beer bread!
  • Attended the Loyalty Day parade in Rutland, Vermont
  • Graduated from Vermont Law School with a Master of Environmental Law and Policy summa cum laude
  • Attended the Slow Living Summit in Brattleboro, VT
  • Marched in the St. Petersburg Pride parade with Planned Parenthood
  • Worked at SolarFest running the sponsor hospitality tent
  • Worked at Suncoast Waterkeeper for the summer
  • Saw Space Hog and Psychedelic Furs in St. Petersburg, FL
  • Presented info at a 12-hour meeting on proposed countywide regulation changes in Manatee County, FL
  • Attended Harvest Moon in Middletown Springs, VT
  • Rented an office in beautiful downtown Rutland, VT
  • Participated in 350.org’s Draw The Line rally in Middlebury, VT
  • Attended a lecture by Steven Pinker at UVM in Burlington, VT
  • Participated in the Zombie Outbreak in Rutland, VT
  • Attended the 17th Annual Women’s Economic Opportunity Conference in Randolph, VT
  • Attended the Woodstock Digital Media Festival in Woodstock, VT
  • Attended a Peter Mulvey concert in Randolph, VT
  • Attended the Vermont Web Marketing Summit in Burlington, VT
  • Saw Bonnie Raitt perform in Clearwater, FL
  • Volunteered at the Vermont Environmental Consortium annual trade show in Rutland, VT
  • Volunteered for Gift of Life Marathon in Rutland, VT

2012

  • Sold my website design/development business
  • Spent January and February in St. Petersburg, FL
  • Toured the Rainbow Warrior III, Greenpeace’s newest ship
  • Saw They Might Be Giants at Ritz Ybor
  • Bought my first hula hoop!
  • Vacationed in Bonaire
  • Participated in the e-Vermont summit on Vermont’s digital future
  • Became the Sponsor Coordinator for SolarFest
  • Attended the Slow Living Summit in Brattleboro, VT
  • Volunteered all weekend at SolarFest
  • Attended a week-long residency at Vermont Law School for my masters program
  • Met NPR’s Richard Harris
  • Passed the Vermont Hunter Safety Course
  • Was featured in an article in the Rutland County Express
  • Helped Middletown Springs, VT launch their town website
  • Spent 3 weeks in Europe (London, Prague and Paris)
  • Saw His Holiness The Dalai Lama speak in Middlebury, VT
  • Saw Henry Rollins in Montpelier, VT
  • Attended Noise Ordinance III in Sarasota, FL
  • Attended the 3rd annual Chillounge in St. Petersburg, FL
  • Participated in a photo shoot for Booth Studio

2011

  • Attended a black tie Christmas gala at Southern Vermont Arts Center
  • Visited my friends Matt and Buzz in Boston
  • Returned to D.C. for the “White House hug”
  • Saw Ben Taylor perform
  • Began my Master of Environmental Law & Policy at Vermont Law School
  • Was arrested during my participation in the Tar Sands Action in Washington, D.C.
  • Was a sponsor for and attended SolarFest in Tinmouth, VT
  • I was interviewed on Sarasota Talk Radio by Susan Nilon on 1280 AM
  • Volunteered at the Planned Parenthood booth at the Harvey Milk Festival
  • Sat on a panel about Economic Gardening held by Sarasota BarCamp
  • Attended the annual BCI Expo in Miami
  • Took a 2-week Permaculture Design Certification Course in Eugene, OR
  • Went stand-up paddleboarding for the first time
  • Saw Malcolm Gladwell and Adam Gopnik speak
  • Was photographed for and featured in SRQ Magazine
  • Was featured in an article in Venice Magazine
  • Saw Tony Blair speak
  • Assisted with registration for and attended a dinner featuring Cherie Blair
  • Snorkeled for the first time
  • Spent a week in beautiful Bonaire
  • Saw George Will speak
  • Met Greg Mortenson and saw him speak
  • Attended a Tiny House Building workshop in Orlando, FL

2010

2009

  • Met someone special
  • Did a photo shoot with Daniel Perales at Booth Studio in Sarasota, FL
  • Saw Cowboy Junkies in Orlando, FL
  • Saw Hungrytown in Sarasota, FL
  • Attended Greek Glendi in Sarasota, FL
  • Attended Beer Festival in Bradenton, FL
  • Attended the Scottish Festival in Venice, FL
  • Saw Kort McCumber and Jim Gilmour play at Dunedin Brewery in Dunedin, FL
  • Built my raised-bed garden and harvested lots of veggies
  • Went to Las Vegas, NV
  • Several trips to Vermont
  • Volunteered at SolarFest in Tinmouth, VT
  • Trip to London, Paris and Barcelona
  • Participated in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer in Sarasota, FL
  • Thanksgiving in Vermont

2008

  • Women With Moxie sponsored its first Member2Member event
  • Trip to Ireland for 10 days
  • My first helicopter rides over Ireland
  • Laura Gale and I interviewed by Cliff Roles
  • Grew peppers in containers
  • Women With Moxie celebrated its one-year anniversary
  • Saw Joe Biden at Booker High School
  • Participated in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer in Sarasota, FL
  • Fall trip to Vermont
  • Saw Barack Obama in Sarasota, FL
  • Volunteered at eFest in Sarasota, FL
  • Bought my first house
  • Spent Christmas in Virginia

2007

  • Was paid to act in a commercial that aired in several regions of Florida
  • Changed my business name to True Green Studios
  • Took a trip to Vermont in April (during which they had the equivalent of a hurricane)
  • Started SpreadKarma.org, a website for do-gooders
  • Interviewed by Cliff Roles
  • Saw The Police in Miami, FL
  • Weekend in South Beach
  • Summer trip to Vermont
  • Created Women With Moxie
  • Honored for my service to Democratic Club of Sarasota
  • Represented Women With Moxie at Rosemary Rising
  • Attended eFest

2006

  • SurlyChicks.com hosted a miniature golf tournament
  • Helped some friends with their booth at Lotusphere
  • Saw Martin Sexton at a dive bar in Ybor City
  • Co-hosted a radio show about Sarasota nightlife with Christine Alexander
  • Saw Jamie Cullum at Tampa Theatre in Tampa, FL
  • Flew to Denver, CO to see Pearl Jam
  • Met Jerry Springer at an event
  • Summer trip to Vermont
  • Selected as member of “40 Under 40” people to watch on the Gulf Coast by Gulf Coast Business Review
  • Helped judge the regional karaoke finals
  • Had high tea at The Ritz
  • Winter trip to Vermont
  • Took 13 of my closest friends out to a fancy dinner

2005

  • Andrew came to visit from Wales
  • Weekend trip to Las Vegas
  • Several trips to Los Angeles
  • Summer trip to Vermont
  • Steve came to visit from Ireland
  • Drank my way through the 80-beer club at Shakespeare’s
  • Created the website SurlyChicks.com, a pixel advertising site

2004

  • Started my web design business
  • Saw John Kerry & John Edwards in St. Petersburg, FL
  • Lived through Hurricane Charley

2003

  • Moved to Florida
  • Elected to Board of Directors of Democratic Club of Sarasota

2002

  • Went to Europe for 2 1/2 months on a solo, unscripted tour (England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland and Italy)
  • Saw The Cure in Rome
  • Got my second tattoo in London

2001

  • Flew to Washington DC to interview for a job
  • Saw U2 in concert at the Molsen Center in Montreal
  • Shaved my head
  • Volunteered at SolarFest
  • Became VP of the Rutland County Democrats

2000

  • Graduated from college with a B.S in Business Management summa cum laude
  • Planned and attended my 10-year high school reunion