YOB: #5. Go To The Beach In Winter

By Beth

I'm not a huge fan of the beach. Mostly because I'm not a size 2, but I also don't like sand getting stuck in places that never see the light of day, or sunburn, or sand fleas, or sweating buckets. I do like the feel of sun on my skin and the sounds and (most) smells associated with the beach though. So I would say it's a love-hate relationship. Ironically, most of the family vacations I've taken in the past several years have been to beach-y type places. These trips have obviously taken place in the summer when the beaches are most crowded, very hot and no matter how great the water pressure is in your shower, the chance of you emerging from the tub completely sand free are about the same chance I have of ever being a size 2. So when we put going to the beach on the list, we decided it needed to be in the winter, and that we had to build a sandcastle. We would successfully avoid sunburn in the winter as well as people who are a size 2 and sand fleas, most likely. There would still be the issue of sand everywhere, but not nearly as bad as it would be in the summer. Neither one of us was planning on actually wearing anything other than jeans and a shirt, sweatshirt and jacket if it was cold so our non-daylight seeing parts would be safe from sand intrusion.

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YOB: #4. Make Pretzels (Point/Counterpoint)

By Lara

One of the many things that I love about Beth is how she makes me aspire to excellence. Literally. She forces me. Sometimes she uses a sharp stick. Sometimes she tells me over the phone about the funny article that she has written about our pretzel making adventure.

Even if this article isn't as funny as hers, (and it won't be, I'm sure) I will at least be able to defend myself.

I made pretzels for the first time as a child. My grandmother had given my parents a recipe for soft pretzels, and my father thought it would be a good activity to introduce at the church Halloween party. Dad told me that I could be his helper. Being an only child in the home of a minister, I had already learned that being "helper" meant doing a lot of the work so other people could enjoy themselves. Making pretzels, however, was the exception.

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YOB: #4. Make Pretzels (AKA Pretzel Turds)

By Beth

I'd never made pretzels before, I've watched them being made at Auntie Anne's loads of times, made play-doh pretzels and sat like a pretzel in kindergarten but actually making edible pretzels was something I'd never done. I think we partly put it on the list because I'd never done it and because we needed some things that wouldn't cost millions of dollars and could be done on a whim, with very little planning. Plus, it sounded like fun.

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YOB: #3. Leave Random Gifts On Doorsteps

By Lara

Beth's 30th birthday was in January. She planned a large party for her friends and family. I managed to score an invitation to the event. I went to Philadelphia the day before to help her set up.

Some of the additional items that I brought with me were as follows: gift bags, tissue paper, and various leftover Christmas ornaments. I was prepared for item number three on the Year of the Birthday list. It was our plan to leave random presents on random people's doorsteps. Beth had a list of random people. We were set.

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Back To Real Life

By Lara

I got home from Alaska on Tuesday morning. Aside from a slight nap on the plane from Seattle to Newark, I was awake for 35 hours. I don't plan to do that again any time soon. The Peach Perfection Jamba Juice I purchased in New Jersey went a long way towards curing my hunger and bad attitude, but there are some negative aspects of travel for which there is no cure.

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