REFLECTING ON 25

Well, tomorrow I turn the age knob up one more dial. 25 was a most excellent year, for sure. Righteous to the core and full of surprises. Here's a look back at some of the goals on my "25 Before 26" list that I accomplished!

#1: Write, illustrate and publish a children's book. CHECK!...almost..

Back in January of 2011 I drove from California to Montana with a mission. I planned on spending a month there, visiting with my wonderful friend Sarah and dedicating my time to one thing: writing and illustrating a children's book. I didn't finish up the story I went to Montana to originally write, but I did finish a picture book called Hairphabet. I submitted the book idea to Chronicle Books, but heard nothing back from them. I sort of gave up on the book ever getting published until fate stepped in and I got hired by a comedian in LA to do some illustration work for her. It turned out that she was starting up a publishing house called Paradisiac Publishing. I asked her on a whim if she'd ever consider publishing a picture book and told her about my idea. Turns out that she was interested! So, although my book wasn't published in my 25th year, I'm excited to announce that it will be published in my 26th! Look out for it in the spring of 2012!

#2: Find a place to park my trailer/live in it/use it for a studio space. CHECK!

I found two places! The first was someone's driveway.. and the whole thing got old quickly. The second was amazing! I lived in an artist's community with my trailer for nearly six months. I couldn't have asked for a better place to live during this time of my life. It was the perfect combination of awesome and weird. Plus, this is where Picture Day got it's start!

#6: Road trip!!! (I can't get enough of them..) CHECK!

Wow, this goal far exceeded itself. I knew that I'd be roadtripping to Montana when I wrote my "25 Before 26 list", but I had no idea at the time that I'd be road tripping across the country in a food truck for a television show! Being a part of Seabirds Truck and getting to travel cross-country for The Great Food Truck Race with the great girls on the truck was definitely, without a doubt, a major highlight of my 25th year!

#7: Spend at least a month in Montana with Sarah (this is where I'm going to do all of the work on my book! I'm giving myself a 30 day deadline starting next week!) CHECK!

#10: Sip tea in a tea room like this one. CHECK!

Just a few days after I wrote this list I drove through Salt Lake City, Utah on my way to Montana and made it a point to visit the exact coffee shop that I referenced in my #10 goal. It was such a cute place! ...and I had the privilege of visiting it a second time while on the road with Seabirds for The Great Food Truck Race!

#11: Get really, really good at vegan baking. CHECK!

Okay, so I'm totally taking advantage of the fact that this is a blog created by me that's about my life.... and making this a "Oh! Oh! Look! I'm cool and doing things that are cool and stuff!" post. I don't mean for it to come off that way and I definitely think that there are cooler people than me out there, BUT I can say with confidence that I've gotten really, really, really good at baking vegan cookies in the past year. They're now delicious. Like deliciously delicious. Therefore, I'm going to brag just a little and show you that savory photo above!

#15: Be in the audience of The Price Is Right.. and a contestant if I'm lucky! CHECK!

Man, this was such a fun experience. I got to be a contestant on LINGO with my sister, Cynthia! I have always wanted to be on a game show. ALWAYS! I even planned a game show themed road trip after college that I had hopes of getting funded and made into a television show (hard to explain.. hah). I thought for sure that 25 would be the year that I made it to the audience of The Price Is Right.. I mean, I live in California.. just an hour from LA! Well, maybe LINGO isn't The Price Is Right, BUT it is LINGO!!! My sister and I made it all the way to the final round (we didn't win the grand prize of $100,000.. womp womp) and we walked away with a decent paycheck for one hours work!

#18: Get really good at the ukulele (like this kid) CHECK!..well, maybe not that good..

I bought my trusty ukulele just over a year ago while on Roadie tour with Roadtrip Nation. I got it on a whim, but knew that there must have been a reason why I was drawn to it. Turns out that it's the only instrument that I can actually understand! I've learned a lot of chords on it (primarily because most chords involve only pressing one or two strings at a time!) and I've even written a few songs (another goal on my list that I've almost completed!) So, to show you how skilled I am at the ukulele, please partake in the following highly cultured videos.

What about the other goals? Is that what you're wondering? I finished a few more, but there were also a few that I didn't complete this year that will probably transfer over to my "26 Before 27" list! I love the idea of a "so many goals before a certain age" list. It's great to focus enough at the beginning of a year of life that you can articulate the things you want to get done in a set period of time. I'm not sad that I didn't complete every goal on my list because I don't know if I would have completed (or actually exceeded in the case of LINGO and The Great Food Truck Race) any of them without my list. I got the idea from Elsie over at A Beautiful Mess. Such a smart way to put into words on paper (or the internet) what's really important to you for a years-worth chunk of time. Stay tuned for my "26 Before 27" list!

february 2, 2011 // neckache of the month

It's that time again.. It's time for February's Neckache of the Month! For those of you who don't know what that means, I'll be highlighting one person a month that inspires me creatively. Last month it was Jim Henson.. and this month it's.. drum roll

......................................... Daniel Johnston!

I first learned about Daniel Johnston back about two years ago on my first Roadie tour. We passed through Austin, Texas. It was my first time there and I was told that I had to visit the "Hi, How Are You?" frog on the corner of 21st and Guadalupe. Sadly, we didn't have to time to stop by.. When I passed through Austin again on my road trip from Connecticut to move out to California I made sure to visit the city landmark.

I didn't know much about Daniel Johnston.. actually.. up until a few months ago. An artist and musician, Johnston got his start recording songs on a $59 boombox. He started handing out tapes of his music for free. Austin record stores got a hold of the tapes and started selling them locally. His songs have heart and meaning and, though he never claimed to have a great voice, his music became increasingly popular in Austin and the surrounding area. He was eventually featured on an MTV show called "The Cutting Edge", which brought more attention to his music and made him a minor celebrity.

Daniel Johnston is also an incredible artist. He draws cartoons that are fun to look at, are sometimes crazy, but that usually also have deep symbolism.

Johnston has struggled with mental illness since his early twenties. A documentary was made about his life and creative career called The Devil and Daniel Johnston . I haven't seen the documentary yet, but I'm hoping to this month! Daniel turned fifty just a few weeks ago on January 22nd. I love how simple, yet meaningful his work is. Despite urging from friends and family to learn more practical stills, Daniel continues to push forward creatively. His fan base has continued to grow since his early days of fame in Austin and more as more people learn about his life and work.

I really admire his unique creative energy. This month I'm going to challenge myself to write and record five songs on cassette tape.. just the way Daniel Johnston recorded his first songs. I purchased an old tape recorder from Goodwill for $1 (it was half off - score!), which I'll use to record my songs. They'll most likely be awful.. but they'll be mine. One of my goals on my 25 before 26 list is to write and record five songs, so this will be a good challenge.

Daniel Johnston, you're inspiring! Keep up the great work that is uniquely yours!

january 3, 2011 // 25 before 26

A few weeks ago, I came across a blog post that I really enjoyed on A Beautiful Mess. Elsie (the brains behind the blog) compiled a goal list of 28 things to do before she turned 29. I love the idea.. there's something so intentional about writing down goals on paper. I looked at a goal list that I wrote the year after I graduated from college a few months ago and I was amazed at how many of the things I had actually done. These were goals that I had written down and never looked at again!

Crazy that just putting the goals out there for the world to see can make them that much more real. Anyway, I love Elsie's idea.. so, seeing as today is my day of birth..the day I came into this fine world...the day that I turn a quarter-century old.. I decided to make a list of 25 things to do before I turn 26. I'm sharing it here because I think that having it in such a public place will spur me on even more to complete my listed goals.

Here it is!

1.) Write, illustrate and publish a children's book

2.) Find a place to park my trailer/live in it/use it for a studio space
3.) Write and record five songs (I wouldn't classify myself as a musician in the least... but I want to try my hand at music just for fun)
4.) See at least one amazing concert
5.) Work a craft fair and/or sell some crafty goods on Etsy
6.) Road trip!!! (I can't get enough of them..)
7.) Spend at least a month in Montana with Sarah (this is where I'm going to do all of the work on my book! I'm giving myself a 30 day deadline starting next week!)
8.) Find a place that I want to live!
9.) Meet a nice boy... <3
10.) Sip tea in a tea room like this one
11.) Get really, really good at vegan baking
12.) Learn to cook at least three delicious vegetarian meals by heart
13.) See a movie at a drive-in (a real one!)
14.) Geocache!
15.) Be in the audience of The Price Is Right.. and a contestant if I'm lucky!
16.) Sew something that I can wear
17.) Stand up for a cause! (I've wanted to do a peaceful protest ever since I learned about sit-in in history class)
18.) Get really good at the ukulele (like this kid)
19.) Memorize five Bible verses
20.) Throw at least one awesome/epic party
21.) Do something special and memorable with my parents
22.) Get closer to my family
23.) Crochet a granny square blanket
24.) WWOOF!
25.) Take my trailer somewhere beautiful and camp out overnight!