If You've Been Dying To Know...

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I'm going to finally give you some background around the name of my blog. 
Today, I am linking up with Casey over at Stress Case to talk all about why I blog.
I've mentioned before here and there about why I blog but I'll refresh your pretty little minds. And for all of you newbies who haven't read my blog cover to cover.
As a quick recap, I began blogging because I found myself unemployed with a lot of time on my hands. I had been following a few blogs and thought, why not create my own blog. That way I won't look like such a creeper reading other blogs. 
Initially blogging was sort of an outlet around my frustrations with not being engaged. I knew M didn't express interest in reading my blog but secretly I hoped he was reading. I created posts like this and this to sort of hint around at the types of rings I might like.
I then moved my focus to link-ups and daily happenings to try and meet people though the blogging community. I read that a lot of people had met great friends though blogging. 
Some days I would get down because my readership wasn't growing as quickly as I would like. I would see other blogs that were so big and I would get discouraged. Then I would remember blogging is not about the followers, but about me. I have one of the best followers out there, my mom!
Lately I'm blogging as more of a virtual scrapbook. In addition to my daily life and fun link-ups, I've been highlighting my past and present and preparing for what my future brings. I've found joy out of that, and the fact my blog keeps my mom updated.
So, how did by blog get its name?It all started with a Christmas present. 
The past few years my mom has thrown out the phrase "keep your sunny side up" whenever I've been down and out, stressed or struggling. She's said it here and there. 
This past Christmas, I received this present from my mom. The metal sign hanging on the wall in my room. 
I was in shock when I saw what it was. I thought she had it custom made since it was something she had said to me a lot. She actually didn't and when she saw it in the store just had to have it to give to me. I told her I'd treasure it always. 
The day I planned to start my blog I sat at my little ol desk thinking and thinking, racking my brain. I wanted something along the lines of "living by the salty sea". Although that seems so "me", it just didn't quite fit. I hadn't always and wouldn't always live by the sea. 
I was literally looking around my room to think when my eyes stumbled on the sign from my mom. It seemed like the perfect title to my blog. 
And that, my friends, is how my blog was named.

Where Have I Been?...

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It has been almost a year since I started this blog and it almost feels like its been as long since I've last posted. Since I started blogging, I have either put myself into it 110% or not at all. I was never a blogger who was able to find my happy middle. 
This morning I was thinking about my 2012 bucket list post and what from that list I have accomplished in almost a year. I thought it would be fun to come back and look back on my year and let you all know what I've done and where I've been. If you haven't checked out my 2012 bucket list, take a look and see what I had planned for myself.

-Plan a snowboarding trip to Mammoth
In January I crossed the first thing off my 2012 bucket list and made a snowboarding trip to Mammoth. I recapped the trip here.

-Plan a snowboarding trip to Lake Tahoe
In February, I was lucky enough to make it to Lake Tahoe. I recapped our trip here, here and here.

-Go wine tasting in Napa
I did make it to Napa. However, I didn't get the chance to wine taste in Napa. We drove through Sonoma and Napa as we made the road trip out of California back to Michigan. We did get the chance to visit Russian River Brewery which I can not put into words how excited I was. I also went wine tasting in Temecula countless times this past summer.

Sour beers at Russian River Brewery

Birthday wine tasting at one of my favorite wineries in Temecula

-Road Trip on the Pacific Coast Highway
This was the number one priority on my bucket list and I am so happy to say that I made it up the coast. Our road trip through Big Sur to Monterey was one of the most incredible things I've done. And I've done some cool stuff. It was so amazing we took that route a few weeks later on our trip out of California. Words can not express the beauty and serenity and I could post pictures for days.

-Visit Sequoia National ParkUnfortunately I didn't get the chance to see Sequoia National Park. Getting a chance to see the redwoods in Big Sur made up for this loss though.Redwoods in Big Sur

-Get a certain piece of left handed jewelry
On June 30, he asked and of course I said YES! Ok, so maybe this was the number one priority on my bucket list. I got engaged this summer!

-Be home for the 4th of July
So I didn't make it home for the 4th of July this past summer but that was because we had bigger plans in store for the very near future...
Showing off my bling on the 4th of July on our balcony in San Diego

-Learn to use my Nikon DSLR
I definitely had the opportunity to play around with my DSLR. Pictured in order the San Diego Zoo, La Jolla shores and the Golden Gate Bridge. 

-Move Home to Michigan
On August 1st we crossed the Michigan border, almost 6 years from the day I left Michigan. 

This past year sure has been a wild ride. I wouldn't change a second of it. It is nice to look back at the things I wanted to accomplish and see how many of them I actually did. It has been a successful year. 
I have a lot of plans in store for 2013 and I hope to create another bucket list. Although I may not blog as much as I did starting out, it will be interesting looking back in another year to see where I am. 
Stay tuned...

Clive Roux Appointed New CEO of SEGD

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Washington, DC, USA (December 6, 2012) -- Clive Roux, an industrial designer and former CEO of the Industrial Designers Society of America, is SEGD’s new CEO effective December 3.

Roux brings significant experience in building and running global multi-disciplinary creative and business groups. Prior to serving as IDSA CEO from 2009 to 2012, he spent 15 years leading creative units for Philips Design, the product design arm of Royal Philips Electronics, The Netherlands.

As CEO of IDSA, Roux led the world’s largest industrial design association from a shrinking membership and financial position to a strong growth track and reinvention for the 21st century. His approach focused on setting clear operational and financial goals, redesigning the budget and strategic planning process to create realistic targets and focus on member needs, adding new and strengthening existing educational programs, and redesigning IDSA’s digital presence, resulting in more than 50% growth in traffic and added member promotion platforms.

“Clive brings an amazing skill set to SEGD,” says Amy Lukas, SEGD President and Partner with Infinite Scale. “We’re thrilled to welcome him to our community and look forward to seeing SEGD benefit from his broad experience in managing business, creative, and marketing functions across the spectrum from a design association to a large multinational corporation.”

A native of South Africa, Roux graduated with a bachelor of technology in industrial design from the University of Johannesburg. He started his industrial design career at Philips’ Eindhoven headquarters as senior designer, large screen television. In 1993, he relocated to Hong Kong as part of a turnaround team tasked with bringing Philips’ portable audio business back to profitability. From 1993 to 1999, as Branch Manager and then Senior Design Manager for Philips Global Audio, Roux developed multidisciplinary design studios in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Vienna, and a satellite studio in India. During this time, he introduced a research-based, consumer-focused, analytical approach to design that gained the trust of the business and trade alike. He was instrumental in defining the visual design language of Philips audio products and packaging and achieving global market-share leadership in four of the seven audio market categories for Philips.

In 2000, Roux became Senior Design Director for Philips Consumer Electronics in the U.S. In this role he supported the development of the Philips brand in the U.S., and was responsible for creating visual communications and websites supporting the introduction of new products and technologies. From 2003 to 2007, he was Senior Director of new business and design research in the U.S., creating a successful sales and marketing function to drive the development of design consulting with companies outside of the Philips group. He also developed thought leadership in the area of retail and a U.S. voice for the global design research team. In this role, he achieved new business growth of more than 100% a year for four years. Roux developed relationships with Fortune 500 companies including Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, and General Motors, delivering one of the biggest projects for GM in 2006, when he and a team of 50 completed a demonstration of the potential for future in-car consumer experiences in a fully working car prototype.

From 2007 to 2009, Roux was Chief Marketing Officer for Baumgartens, an Atlanta-based family-owned office products supplier. There, he applied his product management, design, and branding expertise to helping transform the company from a wholesale suppler to a consumer-driven, environmentally friendly brand-led supplier.

Roux will be based in SEGD’s Washington, D.C., headquarters.

“I’m excited to be able to contribute to the growth of SEGD,” says Roux. “ The intersection of communication and the built environment will become even more important in the near future. In the 1990s I did a lot of design research into the future of technology with Philips Design. We predicted smart handheld devices —and smart phones and pads delivered that promise in the early 2000s. It was predicted that these devices would then give way to intelligent environments as we continued to dematerialize our culture. This is one part of the intersection that SEGD represents as the world moves from devices to smart environments.”

“Exciting times lie ahead for SEGD and its members!” he continues. “We have to ensure that we have a stable, effective platform for SEGD to operate on. That is our first order of business for 2013.”

For more information, visit www.segd.org

SEGD is the global community of people working at the intersection of communication design and the built environment.

It's "Jingle Bugs" All the Way at the Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium

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New Orleans, LA, USA -- On December 8, 2012 Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium will celebrate the holidays with activities and treats for the entire family with its annual "Jingle Bugs" festival.  Admission is FREE for Audubon members.

Highlights include:

• Guests can test their knowledge of "winter bugs" with the GUMDROP HUNT.  They'll look high and low for the gumdrops to answer the questions. Guests can pick up game cards in the lobby and turn them in at the Metamorphosis Lab to enter for a prize
• Visitors can join Santa Claus for a Buggy reading of a local favorite book,Night Before Christmas, in BUG APPETIT.
• Guests have the opportunity to ample HOLIDAY TREATS all day— such as Peppermint Cricket Bark, Bug Nog and Fruit Fly Cake in BUG APPETIT.
• Meet SANTA CLAUS. Take your own photo or purchase from Amazing Photos.
• Meet PUPA NOEL in METAMORPHOSIS LAB--check out his sleigh and 8 tiny "Beetle-deer."  He’ll be ‘hanging around’ all day.
• Help trim the tree. Kids, visit the craft table between Hall of Fame and METAMORPHOSIS LAB to make your very own holiday ornament.

Visit http://www.auduboninstitute.org/jingle-bugs for more information.

Silver Dollar City In Midst of An Old Time Christmas Festival

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Branson, MO, USA (December 6, 2012) -- Silver Dollar City’s An Old Time Christmas festival in Branson, Missouri, continues to gather top accolades, recently being named to USA Today’s “10 Great Places to Put a Spin on Christmas Spirit” and Yahoo Travel’s “America’s Best Places for Holiday Lights.”

USA Today states “Christmas gets a razzle-dazzle makeover at this theme park with 4 million lights and 1,000 decorated trees, including one that's five stories tall and wired for special effects.” Silver Dollar City was spotlighted on the popular travel sites along with other top travel destinations such as Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia and the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival in Chicago, Illinois. Since its debut more than two decades ago, Silver Dollar City’s An Old Time Christmas has become one of the country’s most recognized events for spectacular lighting and world-class entertainment, profiled as one of the nation’s top holiday celebrations by CNN Travel, The Travel Channel, Good Morning America, AOL Travel, and MSN.com.

Silver Dollar City is open Thursdays through Sundays through December 23, closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and open daily December 26-30. Hours are 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. most days, with extended hours on Saturdays, including 11 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 8 – check the website for exact schedules. Information: visit www.silverdollarcity.com.

VIDEO: Stephen Colbert at Madame Tussauds

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Washington, DC, USA (December 7, 2012): In this two part video that aired on Comedy Central's late night show The Colbert Report on December 6, 2012, host Stephen Colbert sits down to be modeled for his wax figure and tours the Washington, DC Madame Tussauds location.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Stephen Colbert Wax On & Wax Off at Madame Tussauds Pt. 1
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Stephen Colbert Wax On & Wax Off at Madame Tussauds Pt. 2
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

Newest LEGOLAND Discovery Center Names Management Team

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Yonkers, NY, USA (December 6, 2012) Coming on the heels of one of the metropolitan area’s more unusual job interviews with its recent “Brick Factor” competition, LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Westchester, which opens at Ridge Hill in Yonkers March 2013, today announced the trio of executives leading the tri-area’s newest destination for children and families: General Manager Chris Mines, Marketing Manager Monique Perretti and Finance Manager Charles Graytok.

“Whether it’s a four-year-old building their first fort out of LEGO® DUPLO® bricks or an engineering-minded nine-year-old testing the strength of his or her just-built LEGO skyscraper on our Earthquake Tables, LEGOLAND Discovery Center Westchester will provide children and families with a unique and enriching experience that cultivates creativity in an exciting and safe environment,” said Mines.

Further details on the executive team follow:

• Chris Mines, General Manager – In the six years prior to joining LEGOLAND Discovery Center Westchester, Mines served as Head of Operations at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas and as Commercial Manager for Madame Tussauds New York. Before crossing the pond, earlier in his career Chris was the Business Manager for all retail at the then known, British Airways London Eye in London. He graduated from Bradford University with a Bachelor of Science degree in History and Politics, and earned his Master’s in Heritage Management from Birmingham University.
• Monique Perretti, Marketing Manager - A Westchester native, Perretti comes to LEGOLAND Discovery Center Westchester following positions as Marketing and Entertainment Manager at the Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway and Marketing Coordinator for Wusthof-Trident of America Inc. She has also worked for several media companies, including VH1 and Track Entertainment. Perretti graduated from Manhattanville College with a Bachelor’s degree in Arts Management and Communications, and is currently pursuing her MBA in Communications & Media Management and Marketing from Fordham University.
• Charles Graytok, Finance Manager - Charles Graytok started his career with Merlin Entertainments in January 2011 at Madame Tussauds New York before coming on board at LEGOLAND Discovery Center Westchester. Before Merlin Entertainments, Charles worked for various companies in the entertainment industry, including Blue Man Group and Manhattan Theatre Club. He graduated from Wheeling Jesuit University with a Bachelor’s in Business Management and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Accounting.

“LEGOLAND Discovery Center Westchester will offer guests a unique experience, providing a fertile environment for creativity and discovery, where family fun and learning go hand in hand,” said Perretti. “I feel privileged to be part of providing a new interactive and educational destination as an option for children and families in the tri-state area.”

“It is a pleasure to be working with a brand that is dedicated to encouraging and providing a platform for children to explore and discover their creativity,” said Graytok. “We are working hard to ensure we provide an experience that families and children will cherish long after their initial visit.”

Recently, the attraction held a two-day competition called “Brick Factor,” pitting metro-area LEGO enthusiasts against one another in exciting and fast-paced building challenges against the backdrop of cheering spectators. The hands-on interview/competition resulted in Putnam County’s Michael Tocidlowski being named and hired as the LEGOLAND Discovery Center Westchester’s Master Model Builder, a full-time salaried position. In the position, Tocidlowski will be responsible for developing new features and exhibitions, building new models, as well as working with thousands of children and families expected to visit the attraction.

For more information about LEGOLAND Discovery Center Westchester, visit www.legolanddiscoverycenter.com/westchester.

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Westchester is a $12 million, 32,300 square-foot indoor attraction featuring more than 3 million LEGO bricks, geared towards children ages 3-10 and their families. Its range of interactive attractions will include hands-on play areas, a 4D cinema, master classes led by Master Model Builders, two LEGO rides, special party rooms and MINILAND — the venue’s signature re-creation of landmark locations and buildings throughout Westchester County and New York City, made entirely out of LEGO bricks.  Follow us at www.facebook.com/LDCWestchester and www.twitter.com/LDCWestchester. LEGOLAND Discovery Center is part of the Merlin Entertainments Group.