News & Updates

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 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 6, 2013 In New York, News & Updates

simply thankful

I’m starting to wrap up a full week off the grid around Upstate New York in the Adirondacks and Finger Lakes. My trip has been far more glorious, freeing, and fun than I ever expected it would be. There are many thoughts and things that I’d love to share here now, but in an effort to fully take in my last day of not-so-connected, I will just say thank you to everyone I have spent time with during my adventures all of these years. Thank you for the constant lessons, the laughter, and the unexpected surprises that I will never forget.

Here’s to staying hopeful and enjoying the moment.

July 1, 2013 In BLR Play It Forward 2013, News & Updates, Photos

takin’ care of business

BLR Play It Forward updates in no particular order:

1.) Artist, coach, mentor and great friend Traci Molloy made a special piece of art for Play It Forward and still has a few prints available. The piece is titled “With love – Strong Mojo.” Size: 10×10 unframed. Material: Silkscreen on paper with hand coloring. Date: 2012. Edition Size: 30 (10 in each of the below editions are still available.) The prints are worth $250 but Traci would love people from our MAU soccer community to own them so she’s offering them for just $50! If interested please send me a note here, or email Traci directly: [email protected]

2.) BLR officially has Euro stickers. Whoop! Now you can help me blanket the earth with Blue Lollipop Road love and raise $ for Play It Forward & the Blue Lollipop Road Memorial Travel Scholarship fund! Click here and donate $3 or more and I’ll send your sweet sticker right out in the mail!

3.) BLR Play It Forward 2013 tees are being printed this week and are for sale! Available:
*Youth white tees sizes SM-L ($12)
*Men’s white tees sizes SM-XXL ($12)
*Women’s cut white tees sizes SM-XL ($15)
Please send a note to me: Diane(@)bluelollipoproad.com or call 804.339.6514 if you’d like to purchase any. Checks can be mailed to:
Blue Lollipop Road
PO Box 276
Shaftsbury, VT 05262
~or~
You can click here to pay with PayPal.

Without your support and involvement, BLR Play It Forward and the scholarship wouldn’t be possible, so as always- a huge THANK YOU for all donations and support!

June 25, 2013 In Great companies, News & Updates, Press

so many things to cherish

I meet a lot of people in my travels, but my favorites are the ones who are truly following their interests and passions like Alicia Mohr, Designer of Ali’s Collection. I connected with Alicia in 2011 when I was living in Chicago. Funny story, I used to babysit for her in Vermont over 20 years ago. We grew up in the same neighborhood. We never stayed in touch, but the power of social media brought us together and we quickly became breakfast buddies during my Windy City time. Let two foodie, travel-loving entrepreneurs loose in Chicago with all those great noshing spots? We managed to eat our weight in indulgent pancakes at places like Bongo Room many times as we shared stories of each of our adventures around the world and in business.

Alicia started a series about Female Entrepreneurs on her blog Things to Cherish and asked if I’d be interested in doing an interview. (Of course I would!) Here I am. I’m excited to be in the mix of interesting and driven ladies doing things they love. I’m equally excited to have reconnected with a fellow Vermonter unexpectedly, who’s creativity and savvy way are great example of what can happen when you work hard and believe in yourself.

Thanks Alicia! Here’s to following your dreams and making things happen:)

June 24, 2013 In BLR Play It Forward 2013, News & Updates

indeed eager for year 2

Check out the article in today’s Bennington Banner about Play It Forward 2013! We love support from the community.

Watch for me press soon. We’re less than 3 weeks from our big weekend!

June 21, 2013 In BLR Play It Forward 2013, News & Updates

i like good news

I really like randomly meeting strangers who are fun, doing great things, and willing to help support BLR and the Play It Forward Event!

Whoop!

This first day of summer brought an unexpected meeting that resulted in more good news for our July 12th weekend of fun. Happy me. I will share soon so stay tuned! 3 weeks from today kicks off my favorite weekend of the year and one I’m so proud of.

Here’s to doing work you love and never forgetting where you came from.

June 10, 2013 In BLR Play It Forward 2013, News & Updates

extra! extra!

Days fly by and lots happens before I get a chance to fully share here, so today’s post is a partial list of what’s been shaking in the world of the blue lollipop lately.

(In no particular order)

In BLR Play It Forward news:

1.) I had an interview last week on WBTN to share information about our event.
2.) The Town of Shaftsbury (VT) has generously donated the use of Howard Park once again. They’ve also posted information on their website to support us.
3.) Clear Brook Farm is once again our food sponsor. They will provide fresh organic foods for our event guests. (Yummy! We love fresh and local.)
4.) Price Chopper and Hannaford Supermarkets will again both provide gift cards so we can stock up on all the plates, napkins, bottled water, and other items we need for the big day.
5.) Willies Variety and Bakery in Bennington, VT will again be providing boxes of our beloved Blue Razz Blow Pops. (Get ready for blue tongues everyone! If you are coming to play in the alumni soccer game or watch from the sidelines, we might try to “force” you to eat one at some point during the day:)
6.) One of our Blue Lollipop Road Memorial Scholarship 2012 winners, Hannah Patterson will be sharing a guest post and some photos here on Blue Lollipop Road in the next couple weeks about how she used her travel scholarship funds.
7.) Mike Cutler will be volunteering his photography expertise this year to snap all event photos.
8.) Tracy Bushee (alumni/friend/designer of the Play If Forward logo) is whipping up an event poster again that will go up around Southern Vermont this week.

How awesome is it that so many of the sponsoring individuals and companies that helped make BLR Play It Forward 2012 possible, jumped at the chance to support us again this year? VERY. THANK YOU EVERYONE!

In other news:

1.) My work with AGA continues. I will be sharing information as we go. For now, if you are reading this and are a grant writer- we’d love to talk. Drop me a line: Diane(@)bluelollipoproad.com
2.) I’m going to be featured in a series about female entrepreneurs on a blog called Things to Cherish by Alicia Mohr. Check out her gorgeous jewelry designs. Stay tuned for link to my interview.
3.) I’ve been asked by the Women’s Sports Foundation to be on their Travel & Training Fund committee. In partnership with Gatorade, a total of $100,000 will be awarded for their 2013 grant cycle and I get to judge a few of the 94 applicants for this year.

How awesome is all of the above news? VERY.

Put your heart in the right place, work hard, then ask…and you shall receive.

June 4, 2013 In News & Updates

it’s radio interview time

Please listen in this morning at 8am Eastern online or on air to my radio interview with WBTN! We will be talking about BLR Play It Forward and the Blue Lollipop Road Memorial Scholarship. Our 2nd annual event is July 13th so we are just about a month away.

Thanks to David Lively and WBTN for having me on today and supporting Blue Lollipop Road and our community!

May 28, 2013 In BLR Play It Forward 2013, Inspiration, News & Updates

a cookie monster hailing taxi cabs

You know that after wedding, after a 3 day holiday weekend Tuesday thing when you feel a combination of happy, giggly, indulgent, and way behind on work, sleep and totally irresponsible but kind of Ok with it because you’ve just had so much fun? That’s today.

Hello after big weekend Tuesday!

Chicago has been a blast of a week and my past few weeks from Charlotte to Nashville to Columbus have been the same. As I sit in a Starbucks with my 50 fellow “I can work from anywhere-er’s” I feel like a mischievous kid who snuck too many cookies from the cookie jar: full belly, big smile, and wondering if anyone is going to “bust” me for feeling so good. There is a price to pay for feeling so good; I sleep in my car in between cities, I don’t own Manolos (mine are the same $15 strappy black ones that I bought at a Rack Room in 2004) I schlep boxes in and out of my car weekly because I usually don’t have a home, it is often exhausting I but I wouldn’t change any of it for the world because I really feel like I actually live my days.

From the Windy City I’ll be returning to the green mountains for the month of June for the last weeks of prep on my event I am so very proud of, I’ll get to spend time with more people I love (lucky me), reward another travel scholarship to a deserving soccer playing high school student (lucky them), and I’ll be working from countless other coffee shops like I do today between cities and towns where I make it all work to continue a life that most consider crazy. I have certainly slowed down a bit and shifted certain life wants and wishes over this past year or so, but the core of me will never change as I approach my mid-July new home base city because you can take the girl “off the road” for a little while, but you can’t stop her from exploring. (Yep- you know me well, there’s already a Blue Lollipop Road get’s a home base project that’s in the works.) Until I share more on that, I reflect on my 6 hour drive from Columbus to Chicago that started this fantastic week, when an old Alanis Morissette number came across the radio. The sun was hot beating on my left arm as the windows were down, and I blasted her tune that describes me pretty perfectly:

I’m broke but I’m happy
I’m poor but I’m kind
I’m short but I’m healthy, yeah

I’m high but I’m grounded
I’m sane but I’m overwhelmed
I’m lost but I’m hopeful, baby

And what it all comes down to
Is that everything’s gonna be fine, fine, fine
‘Cause I’ve got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is giving a high five

I feel drunk but I’m sober
I’m young and I’m underpaid
I’m tired but I’m working, yeah

I care but I’m restless
I’m here but I’m really gone
I’m wrong and I’m sorry, baby

And what it all comes down to
Is that everything’s gonna be quite alright
‘Cause I’ve got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is flicking a cigarette

And what it all comes down to
Is that I haven’t got it all figured out just yet
‘Cause I’ve got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is giving the peace sign

I’m free but I’m focused
I’m green but I’m wise
I’m hard but I’m friendly, baby

I’m sad but I’m laughing
I’m brave but I’m chicken shit
I’m sick but I’m pretty, baby

And what it all boils down to
Is that no one’s really got it figured out just yet
‘Cause I’ve got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is playing a piano

And what it all comes down to my dear friends, yeah
Is that everything is just fine fine fine
‘Cause I’ve got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is hailing a taxi cab

Here’s to being high but grounded, and free but focused.

What makes you feel like you’re really living your days?