Author:bluelollipoproad

August 2, 2013 In News & Updates

road trip!

It’s only been 2 weeks but that’s enough for me. I’ve got to get out of home base dodge already if I want to keep my spirit and sanity. (I can’t quit the road full cold turkey- I’m already feeling suffocated being mostly off the road as it is.)

5:30am wake up call, French press pot piping hot coffee, and I’m hittin’ the road off to the beach for the weekend to take some time in the salty air.

Sand in my toes, journal in one hand, book in the other- here I come.

July 31, 2013 In BLR Play It Forward 2013, People, Photos, Vermont

2nd annual blr play it forward wrap up coming soon

As I wait on the photographer for event photos so I can write my big event follow-up, here’s one fun photo that makes me smile:

Don’t tell anyone- but we dipped our blue lollipops in champagne after the game:)

That’s Tommi with me. Tommi has come and participated in Play It Forward both years, she used to be my “Big Sister” when I was on the varsity team. She’s still a killer goalie and a total blast. Tommi represents just one of the amazing alumni women who I love to see during our weekend of events. It’s such a treat to experience reconnecting and laughing together, as if a single day hasn’t passed since high school.

Thank you to all the incredible MAU women’s alumni who came this year. Love and Strong Mojo forever!

July 31, 2013 In Be active, Operation Charlotte

the sweaty misfit

I just had a thought:

Maybe most personal and world problems would be solved if everyone just exercised more.

Yours truly (known currently as fish out of water Diane) just spent the last 3 hours sweatin’ it out. As I woke up this morning again with my now daily “What the hell am I doing here?!/Why am I doing this again?!” first thoughts of the day, I jumped out of bed, strapped on my running shoes- and 5 miles I went. I got home in perfect time to speed-race to the gym for a booty shake till you drop Zumba class. By 10:46am I had sweat enough in the humidity of the southern morning to almost shut up that constant reel of second guessing my latest “move.” (Almost.)

I suppose whether this Nesting Nomad/Operation Charlotte thing lasts another 7 days or 7 months- at least I’ll be ripped by the end of it. Between my usually hearty I love food so much- especially chocolate, so can I please stuff my face every second possible with Oreos and Nutella appetite being squashed by the stress of forcing myself to try the average American life, and the fact that I’m attempting the “healthiest” way I know to manage anger, frustration, disappointment, and general ickiness (by running my ass off 30-50 miles a week and going to the gym for every aerobics-esque dance class that’s on the schedule)- I might be able to give one of those Olympic training hopefuls a run for their money pretty soon.

So there’s that.

In all reality, 2 days from now I could be singing a song of pure bliss in my off the road life. I could be writing here about how I’ve totally changed, about how I never want to sleep on another couch, in another guest bed, or in my car again. I could fall truly, madly, deeply in love with some spectacular company that has stellar, upstanding staff, pays me well and is all about being socially responsible. (Where are those companies again?) Perhaps just by chance and luck, I’ll meet a guy who makes me want to settle right into a perfect little life that includes spending Saturdays at Home Depot and “cutting the lawn.”

(Yeah, I’m highly doubting all of the above and laughing really hard too.) But! I thought it was a good idea to try the other side of life that I haven’t in the past several years- so here I am dripping sweat, and trying very hard to be “into” this experiment as I scratch my head wondering why in the bleep I really thought this all was a good idea.

At least exercising makes me feel better.

Don’t get me wrong, an amazing home base place, a job that makes me want to jump out of bed in the morning (or at least get out of bed in the morning), and a partner in crime who’s intelligent, experienced, honest and fun, and who thinks my bumps and bruises are beautiful are all fantastic sounding things I’d love to have. The catch is, balance, routine and that everyday comfort package must include some level of butterfly/fire in my belly/excited feelings on a regular basis- or I am simply not interested.

Unrealistic? You may think so- I don’t. Picky? Nope. I just know what I want.

#NestingNomad #OperationCharlotte #HappyAsAMisfit #HoldingOutForTheGoodStuff

July 30, 2013 In Live the life you want to live

break from the plug

I’ve never been a big TV watcher. “News” in the morning during my computer time and a late night Jimmy Fallon or Chelsea Handler 30 minutes (because they crack me up) and admittedly, Monday nights with The Bachelor/The Bachelorette (AKA: wine and catch up time with gal pals) have been part of my typical routine when I’m staying at a home and not in my car over the past couple of years. Other than those few shows- having the television on makes my skin crawl, especially since the beginning of July when I spent a dreamy week in the Adirondacks with no TV, internet, or cell service. (That week put me over the edge of a lot of things, and in more need of silence than ever before.) I’ve always preferred face to face time rather than Face-book time, being unplugged rather than all plugged up and in, and I’ll send an actual piece of paper thank you mail over a thank you email any day of the week. (If the US Postal Service ever decides they’re just too obsolete, my little blue lollipop heart might break in two.)

I was the last of my friends to get a cell phone back in the day, I never had a MySpace account, and I didn’t even have a Facebook page until long after most everyone else. For someone who does what I do, for how much I love people and being social, and for how incredible I think social media platforms are for business and initial connections we wouldn’t normally have access to- they all drive me pretty nuts.

While I had the “news” (quotes because I’m not sure it should be allowed to be called news) on this morning during my after run-French press coffee-organize to-do list for the day-routine, a story came on: How much is too much with social media? Are we so busy “capturing the moment” on our iPhones, iPads, and other to be present and actually live in those moments?

Yes. Totally.

The story ended with with the point that It’s as if we’re all living our lives behind screens. (Yuck.) Hence the inspiration for this post.

I’ve been guilty of the every second photo. (All who dined out with me a couple years ago when I was completely obsessed with writing about every last thing I ate, and you got to the point you’d just roll your eyes and say “Geez Di! Can we just eat already?!- as I staged my mini photo shoots, I owe you big time for putting up with me.) I’ve also been guilty of the every day social media post, and the wait-just-a-minute I have to check in here, or announce that there. The constant push push push. Necessary to get the word out at times- but how annoying!

So why would I bite the hand that “feeds me” as I use those many resources to keep putting BLR on the map and pushing to have my voice heard? Well, I’m not exactly biting as much as regulating, as I encourage myself as well as others to chill out and take a break from every second electronics, dude.

How do I practice being less annoying to myself and others in a best attempt to live a real in the moment life rather than an online life? I run every morning in silence and let myself think about anything I want to. I drive without music and let myself daydream about everything that’s possible, and I write a lot of letters. I’ve written 7 Thank You/Happy Birthday/Here’s a note just because I love you and think you are awesome cards already today and I wrote 3 yesterday. These things are like my regulation therapy, and completely necessary to check myself because falling off the healthy bandwagon is all too easy- even for the most disciplined of us.

I would challenge anyone out there today, to turn off the boob tube (as my cute Grandpa calls it) for a few minutes, put the Twitter feed, Vine, Facebook, Pinterest board, Instagram away for 5 minutes and write a letter to someone you’re thankful for. Go for a walk, or a run, or a drive in quiet. Call your Grandma or your sister and tell her you love her. Ultimately we will be much more fondly remembered for that personal time or personal touch- rather than incessantly posting “selfies” or sharing about what we just ate for lunch.

Now, stepping away from the computer…

#OperationCharlotte #WriteALetter #GoUnplugged

July 28, 2013 In Inspiration, Live the life you want to live, North Carolina, Photos

you can take a girl off the road, but you can stop (her mind) from exploring

It is no mystery that I love travel. It excites me, gets me to jump out of bed in the morning, makes me hopeful, curious, energized, and is that subject that makes me want to hurl myself over the bar top table to the other side of a room at a cocktail party if I overhear someone talking about it in a conversation I’m not yet in.

Oh travel, no matter how much I try to not want, need, love you- I do.

Even when I’m enjoying the time and place of my first Sunday balcony breakfast plate of local farmers market fresh food at my new apartment:

…my mind drifts imagining myself sitting on some cobblestoned street in Spain or Italy sipping coffee with interesting company, or ponied up to the diner seat in middle of nowhere Nebraska chatting with that 86 year old local who’s lived there his whole life.

Ahh-yes, cultivating the nesty and the nomad. Sounds like a perfect balance to me.

It’s a good thing that “travel” doesn’t have to mean a plane ticket or 600 mile drive somewhere. It’s a good thing we can all find new things to explore- even in our own neighborhoods. My daydreaming mind of places far and wide are going to have to do for a while as I stay local during my Blue Lollipop Road home base challenge.

#OperationCharlotte #NestingNomad

July 24, 2013 In Funny signs, North Carolina, Photos

signs that make me turn my car around

Blue Lollipop Rule #36:

Never drive by anything that makes you laugh out loud without taking a photo. Hello Wednesday afternoon!

#OperationCharlotte #AlwaysExploring #GetOutSeeStuff

July 24, 2013 In News & Updates

operation charlotte

Huge BLR Play it Forward event weekend in Vermont, a drive south 900 miles, shop ’till I drop so I have things to sleep on, eat off, and slice with (did I mention I hate shopping and spending money on “stuff”?), furniture assembly-ville (my daughter of a builder I can do it myself because I am woman hear me roar thankyouverymuch has been in full swing), days filled with teetering feelings of excitement/fish out of water/this is great/what the hell am I doing?!/Yay for a new place to explore/wtf?! (insert every overwhelming feeling under the sun here) and long early morning runs in the mega-heat and humidity past places like the NASCAR Hall of Fame. (I know. I’m laughing too. Northern girl lost? Maybe…)

And It’s only been a week since my last post.

If you’re reading this I hope you’re ready for some doozey writing coming coming soon to a BLR near you. (That means right here.) I’m prepping for when you’ll visit here over the next few months and think- did she seriously just write that and post it on the internet? (Think vintage 2009 BLR when I consistently wrote about what I now lovingly call “The shit-show of 2009”.) Remember that shit-show? Otherwise known as girl sharing dirty laundry style life stuff that happens because she has a lot to say, feels overly comfortable showing her ass, and totally believes (whether we admit it or not) that EVERY SINGLE person can relate in some way to the growth, the struggles, the thoughts, the feelings that happen as we all continually figure life out. (I have to say it feels great to be able to giggle about that 2009 shit-show now, because the last thing I was thinking about back then was giggling. Oh the memories:)

I’m always pushing for people to step out of their comfort zones because there’s nothing like jumping into the unknown and scrambling to fly so you get to know your inner badass. This time I am turning the tables on myself. I’ve just launched into a wildly uncomfortable and completely new situation that I’ve never been in before. Yes, my choice- so why choose the hard way? The way that feels so incredibly foreign? Well, let’s say an experiment to get to know the other side of myself that I’ve paid little attention to during the past 18 years, to stretch my limits so I keep learning, to attempt to scratch the biggest bucket item off my ongoing list, and mostly, because under all the weirdness and discomfort- it feels like the right time.

Welcome to Operation Charlotte; You can take a girl off the road, but you can’t stop her from exploring.

Here we go!

*(BLR Play It Forward 2013 event follow-up is coming, I’m waiting on photo edits so visit back soon.)

July 16, 2013 In BLR Play It Forward 2013

blr play it forward 2013 success!

Our event was yet again fantastic this year and I can’t wait to share about it all. Stay tuned for photos and posts here this week!

Thank you so much to everyone who came out for this amazing weekend for the second year in a row!

More soon…

July 12, 2013 In BLR Play It Forward 2013, Donations, News & Updates, Photos, Thank you, Vermont

it’s blr play it forward event kick-off day!

Wahoo! Could I be any more excited? It’s been go, go, go since my arrival back from the Adirondacks and I am loving every minute of it.

Today is Friday July 12 and time for Play It Forward round 2!

I’ve picked up jerseys (pink and blue) for registered alumni, and the t-shirts (white) we will be selling tomorrow:

(Kids white tees $10 and adult white tees $15.)

I’ve picked the lollipop supply (Thank you for the donation for the second year in a row Willy’s Bakery & Variety Store!):

(We might force you to eat one when you come to the field tomorrow:)

I’ve picked up the farm fresh goodies. (Thank you for the donation for the second year in a row Clear Brook Farm!):

(Of course I had to test out a couple of my recipes last night. Twist my arm sampling such yummy locally grown food! Guests at Howard Park tomorrow get ready for some good healthy eats!)

I have the Vermont Voltage coming tomorrow to hand out free tickets to their July 17th Premier Soccer Club game at Apple Jack Field:

Finally, We have picked a winner for the 2nd Annual Blue Lollipop Road Memorial Scholarship that’s awarded in honor of teammates Maria Green and Brandy Brown who we lost in 1994. This scholarship winner will be announced at 1pm tomorrow during the Strong Mojo Summit at Howard Park before our 2pm Alumni Game. I’m thrilled to give another travel scholarship to a deserving current female soccer player from my hometown, and I can’t wait to reconnect with all the inspiring alumni who come out to play, and all the great old friends, teachers, neighbors, and other wonderful community members who come out to support BLR!

We kick-off the weekend of fun events tonight at the Welcome Back Party at 7pm at Madison’s Pub and Brewery, so come one and all! Husbands, wives, partners, friends, soccer players, non-soccer players, everyone from the community is invited! Madison’s has agreed to donate a % of bar sales after 7pm back to Blue Lollipop Road! Yay!

Tomorrow night (Saturday) we have Celebration Cocktails at Pangea Lounge at 8pm to wrap up our weekend. Pangea has generously offered to donate 10% of all sales from BLR Play It Forward event traffic, so please come out to join us for some specialty cocktails created by their staff just for us!

Donations from all of you out there during the year are what keep BLR/BLR Play It Forward/The Blue Lollipop Road Memorial Scholarship Fund going and growing, so a huge thank you to everyone for such amazing support to help this dream come true again in 2013! Together we can encourage people of all ages to stay curious, to maintain a healthy & active lifestyle, and to be fearless in pursuit of goals.

Here’s to a most fun and memorable weekend for the whole community!

July 9, 2013 In Be active, BLR Play It Forward 2013, Vermont

free vermont voltage soccer tickets to everyone who attends blr play it forward this weekend!

Here’s a sweet deal:

Come out to Howard Park in Shaftsbury, VT this Saturday July 13th, be our guest at BLR Play It Forward and get a ticket to attend the Vermont Voltage game on July 17th- free!

I was thrilled to learn about the Bennington Sports Center as I’ve been spending time back in my hometown this summer. Owner of this facility and the Vermont Voltage Premier Soccer Club Bo Vuckovic welcomed me to drop in for a tour last month after I emailed him about hanging up event posters. The instant I walked in I was impressed; the space, Bo’s vision, his positivity and obvious drive to create this incredible community space for sports and more in Southern VT are in a word- awesome. If you are reading this and are like me, who always had the desire to stay active and entertained growing up as a small town kid but often felt “bored”, you know what mean when I say- I wish this kind of place was around when I was young! In fact, I would love to see this kind of place available in every town in America and beyond! The Bennington Sports Center has taken over a gorgeous old elementary school and renovated it into this clean, beautiful, and inspiring place that I believe will change lives, and keep kids healthy & active for years to come. BLR is all about that!

Bo was quick to offer any help I needed with BLR Play It Forward (for this year and the future) as he toured me around the grounds. I thought the free ticket to the July 17th Voltage game was a perfect idea for this years Play It Forward event. I hope to work with Bo on future BLR events. He is definitely my kind of people. It was very clear to me from the minute we met that he really cares about doing good for the community. Three cheers for that!

Come out this Saturday and cheer us on as we play soccer and award a scholarship to a local youth female athlete at Play It Forward, and get your ticket to go see the Voltage play next week!

Thanks to Bo, The Vermont Voltage and The Bennington Sports Center!