Bucket List – Page 6 – Budget Bliss: Bucket List

Tales from Abroad: Life Unbound

Published on January 10, 2025December 7, 2024 by BudgetBlissLeave a comment

I had the privilege of spending a semester abroad in my academic studies. For five months, I was halfway across the world, in a non-English speaking country for the most part on my own with limited support. This was a world before smart phones and easy roaming charges. I was for the most part armed with a local flip phone for emergencies, my wits and conversational German. It was just as daunting and fun as one imagines.

I suppose it was this experience that really solidified my adventurous spirit. How many times have I thought to myself “If I can get lost in the middle of Paris and still catch the train back to Marburg how hard can this be?” It instilled in me a sense of confidence to be able to navigate foreign places, solve problems on the fly and still be successful. There were certainly challenges.

There were the physical challenges that Germany presented me on day one. I thought I was a fairly experienced traveler having flown numerous times in the United States and I figured that Germany being another Western Country wouldn’t be too different. Stairs are apparently a thing everywhere in Germany and pose a much more serious problem than in the US when it comes to traveling with multiple bags. I had packed my bags anticipating the ease of traversing an airport with multiple rolling bags that I had in America, but Germany wasn’t as accommodating when it comes to rolling suitcases. Luckily, I did have some help in that I was traveling with a group of students, but they weren’t always the most helpful.

First, getting the bags down the escalators was a nightmare. I distinctly remember one of our bags just tumbling down the escalator as a complete hazard. Second, the trains had stairs. I had never encountered trains with stairs. I don’t even think I had seen such things in movies. Now, it does seem that since I’ve been in the country the train system is not as ruthlessly efficient as I remember it being. However, when I went, the trains were almost always on time and they did not wait for you to finish boarding, you had to get on or you would be left behind and the staff would not wave to the conductor to hold for you.

So there I was tossing my bags up onto the train and trying to get myself on with probably less than two minutes to get myself on board. The stairs were more akin to ladders than stairs, so I was trying to frantically climb onto the train with my bags. Being a naturally clumsy person, in a situation where balance was particularly challenging, I of course started to fall backwards. Luckily for me, the train doors shut just as I was about to stumble back onto the platform. Had I fallen back sooner, I would have been left on the platform with my bags on the train in a strange country and no real way to contact anyone. Had I not managed to get my bags on, I would have been on the train with the bags left behind! Certainly not my best moment! The saga of the stairs did not end there, there were stairs everywhere with almost no elevators to speak of, my legs looked amazing my the end of the trip and I do recommend the Germany Stair Master 5000, 5 month workout plan to you aspiring models.

My face at seeing that I had to climb yet MORE stairs!

I faced the challenge of navigating a truly arcane system for signing up for classes. I had never seen such a discombobulated, uncoordinated system in my life. Some classes you signed up for in person, some were online, some you had to practically hunt down like some sort of secret cult meeting. I’m still not exactly sure how I managed to actually sign up for my classes, but I somehow squeaked by with the requirements and managed to get myself in courses I felt i could handle with my level of German. Although Frankfurt in Mittelalter was more than I could chew since the first day they wanted me to read latin and I had to read 15th century German documents for a research paper. Essentially, it was like handing a non native speaker of English the original Canterbury Tales and telling them to have at it. I may have spent 3 days researching the history of the German language in order to translate what I was reading before attempting to write anything.

While I was there, I independently traveled to Paris, Dublin, Nuremberg, Cologne, Frankfurt, and Rome. I planned every part of those trips from booking the plane tickets, navigating transportation to and from the airports, found the hostels and traversed the cities learning the unique public transit of each one. I went with a group of school students on a trip to Berlin and joined Brethren Colleges Abroad for trips to Vienna and Strasbourg. These trips did not involve how to get there or where to stay, but I did have to traverse them on my own, figure out which sights I wanted to see and ensure that I was on time for the checks in.

While there, I bought my own groceries on a strict budget (most of my money went to my trips rather than to food). I cooked my own food learning how to use a gas oven which terrified me the first time I used it because I had never had to light an oven with a match before. I had to learn how to sort trash like the Germans and all the quirks of their culture. I learned to navigate a completely arcane university system as well as see the world a little differently. I met a fantastic travel companion, a fellow American who shared my love of reading. I wish I could say we stayed in touch and are still best friends, but sadly like many adult friendships it did not last much beyond our semester in Germany as we were from and returned to different parts of the country.

While I was in Germany, I took advantage of the relatively cheap travel through Ryanair and checked many things off my list. I will say that for the most part I was unable to savor the cities that I visited as I often only had 1 ½ to 2 days in which to see them. That did require me to at times semi-race through places focusing on the absolute “musts” rather than casually strolling through as I may have liked. The Louver itself is a whole day affair if one is to truly take it all in. Sadly, I only saw the highlights rather than everything it had to offer. Which is really what can be said of several of the places I visited (Paris, Dublin, Berlin, and Strasbourg) other places I like Vienna and Rome, I had an entire week to see which allowed me to do much more. I even took a day trip to the beach while in Rome, so I can say that I swam in the Mediterranean. It is unsurprisingly much like swimming in the Atlantic, at least just outside of Rome it is. Also, after Paris I was much more able to navigate the foreign public transit system as I had very little experience prior to coming to Europe

Through all my adventures, I was required to bring a “can do attitude” and resourcefulness. I managed almost all my mistakes or set backs with grace under fire with one exception. But even that turned out well.

I got to know so many people in my travels. I listened to their perspective and saw how the different parts of the world views America and by extension me as an American. Some of them were harsh criticisms, others were high praise. I was baffled by the Spaniard who was insulted that I hadn’t chosen to learn Spanish rather than German. I was embraced by a very drunk Irishmen who was just thrilled to death about Obama’s recent election after George Bush. I got to witness a student protest over tuition which blew my mind because back home we all just sort of shrugged with a “what can we do?” when faced by yet more college fees. I listened to young and old shared their lives, their hopes and their thoughts.

Traveling abroad expanded my horizons, strengthened my character and taught me resilience. It reinforced my spirit of adventure and voracious appetite to learn about places, experience things and know new people.

Myself and my travel buddy Erica whom I met in Marburg

How can you live abroad?

For many people this is a Bucket List item. Although, I suspect it was mostly put there by people who are much richer than the rest of us. If you aren’t a college student, this is a much more difficult prospect as the semester abroad only cost me $600 more than staying at college (not counting the extra trips I took). To me it was well worth the $600 extra investment on top of the investment I was already making in my education. Otherwise living abroad can be quite costly without gainful employment and how many of us realistically are going to find jobs where we can work in another country? I have seen some groups which advertise house sitting in Europe which would help take care of your accommodations, but there’s still pesky things like food that you need to pay for and if you’re house sitting you can’t really travel around all that much. Plus, what about your own house back home and your job?

That doesn’t mean that all is lost. One of the principles of the thing is that you’re willing to put yourself in a fairly unfamiliar situation, with limited access to outside supports forcing you to navigate unique challenges and overcome. A solo road trip through the United States where you just jump in the car and go, may present you with similar challenges.

The other principle is that you’re interacting with a lot of different people from around the globe with a willing and humble spirit to be shown their perspective. I continue to do both things in my life. Taking a short week backpacking in Mexico or Peru can be just as challenging if not more than navigating a semester in Germany. Talking to someone online who’s from Beirut may expand your understanding of the world far more than talking to someone you met in France because of the greater cultural differences.

Just living abroad does not necessarily confer these challenges either. It is easy to wall yourself off in an English speaking enclave and never leave depending on where you go. Had I gone to Germany, only hung out with American students, taken classes in English and never left my dorm, would that have given me the same experience? No, I may as well have stayed in America for all it did for me other than give me some social clout to say “I spent a semester abroad”. Remember, dear readers, we do not marry the principles of what we desire to the thing itself. Our desires can manifest in many forms and be just as satisfying if not moreso.

Still if you truly desire to do so, then my recommendation is to learn another language and start applying for jobs abroad. You obviously don’t need to learn another language, but it is certainly helpful. As of this writing the best jobs abroad are teacher, volunteer, medical industry, tour guide, yachting, au pair, scuba dive instructor, yoga instructor, working for an international company and obtaining a working holiday visa. As you can see many of them are easier said than done and do require some sort of specialization. So do your market research and consider what it would really mean to go abroad. After all you only live once, why not live it a little unbound?

Completed: Spring 2009

Cost: $600

Miles from home: about 4,000

Full disclosure: As stated above, it was only $600 in addition to my college tuition, so I’m not counting the cost of tuition as I would have paid that one way or the other. I also didn’t include my additional travels but all told they probably cost me about $1500. Two of those trips were covered in the cost of my studies.

Spa Days & Self-Care

Published on January 3, 2025December 7, 2024 by BudgetBlissLeave a comment

If someone had told me that I would be one of those women who get massages every month, I probably would have laughed in their face about the foolishness of such a self-indulgent and frankly expensive habit. I never dreamed that the words “I’m sorry I have my massage that day, I can’t,” would escape my lips. However, that was before I discovered the many health benefits of massage.

I believe I’ve shared my mom’s health issues and how at the age of 46 she suffered a stroke which left her disabled. For almost twenty years, she has had over twenty surgeries, dozens of hospitalizations for various infections, has developed diabetes and other autoimmune disorders and at one point was in a wheelchair. To say that I started taking my health very seriously is an understatement.

For me, massage and other spa related activities are to help prevent having serious issues. Despite the expense of the monthly massage my logic is rather simple for the budget minded (as we all are here on this blog). My mother spends well over $100 every month for her medication and is in near constant pain. I can spend $70-$100 each month on a massage and feel great, look great and enjoy my life to the fullest. This isn’t to say that people with chronic illness can’t enjoy full lives – just, it’s a lot harder when you’re sick and I don’t think a single one of them reading this would argue that point. I think most of them would say, “pick the massages!” over the medications and pain.

Besides feeling great, massages are known to reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep, lessen pain and muscle tension, improve immune function and help the facia system. You might not be familiar with the last one on the list. Facia is connective tissue around our joints, muscles and organs which helps provide structure and allow for fluid movement. When our facia isn’t well cared for it can cause many painful conditions. Something they found massage does is help to ensure the facia fibers are nice and straight instead of a tangled mess. That knotted muscle? May actually be “knotted” facia!

Photo by Photo By: Kaboompics.com on Pexels.com

Fun family side note, my mother was diagnosed with mixed connective tissue disorder which affects her facia which explained the twenty surgeries in twenty years. Her joints were literally falling apart because her facia couldn’t hold them together and since she’s starting going to a massage therapist regularly she hasn’t needed another surgery on her joints. It has a pretty strong genetic component, so there’s a significant chance that I will have issues with my own joints if I’m not careful.

I have found this seemingly self-indulgent habit has been key to keeping me healthy and active, along with a healthy diet and regular exercise. Each month it’s an appointment with myself one hour to truly relax and unwind. I enter the spa greeted by friendly faces who have come to know me well. I sign some paperwork, they review any changes and then my neck is wrapped in a warm towel until my massage therapist is ready for me. She reviews my history, checks to see if there has been any changes. I find it’s important to communicate anything that has stressed my system out whether that’s a lot of time spent in the car, extra gardening or stress at work. Together we formulate a plan, she relying on my own experience and me relying on her expertise of how to address the problems (usually a tense right shoulder).

After she leaves the room, I underdress to my comfort level and slip into the luxurious blankets, warmed by the heated table. I take a nice deep breath in and hold it before letting it slowly out. Tranquil music plays overhead in the dimly lit room. Already, the stress and tension begins to leave my body and for the next hour, it’s all about me. No one can reach me with my phone turned off and my smart watch tucked away in my purse. There is nothing to interrupt the time I have set aside for my own self-care. Alexandra makes adjustments as needed from the temperature of the bed to the pressure she uses, checking in with me and asking for feedback. Parts of me which ached and protested movement release under her careful administrations leaving me in a state of blissful tranquility where the stress of daily life has melted away.

Imagine sinking into a comfortable, cushioned table as skilled hands begin to work their magic. The pressure varies from gentle strokes to deeper kneading, melting away any tension you might be holding. The sensation of the massage is both calming and invigorating. As the therapist’s hands glide over your muscles, you might feel a warm, soothing release, almost like a wave of relaxation washing over you. Time is almost suspended as she works over each part of your body. The scents of the oil waft into your nose transporting your far away from the world. Your mind drifts between reality and a dream. Then what could have been an eternity or mere moments, she whispers ever so softly that it’s time. She slips out of the room and you begin to move your heavy limbs, stretching them out as if testing them. You take one more deep breath in and out, before slipping back into your clothes and re-entering the world.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

I have gotten several different kinds of massage from the classic swedish, to the hot stone, to himalayan salt stones to even alternating between hot and cold. My favorite is the hot stone because the heat sinks deep into the tissues allowing Alexandra to work the muscles and facia more easily to maximize her effectiveness.

There is something to be said about setting aside time each month for yourself as a “mini-vacation”. For one hour, I completely disconnect from the outside world and focus on nothing else but relaxing. There is no one else to intrude upon it and I can either strike up a conversation with Alexandra or tell her that I want a quiet session where I can focus on my breathing or half doze. I am obliged to no one, not required to think or decide, it is truly a getaway. So many times our trips and free time get filled up with activities that while fun are not necessarily restful and rejuvenating. That is precisely what my monthly appointment entails. There are few other places that bring me the same level of relaxation.

I think we often overlook self-care and the things we need to do for ourselves as indulgences or even selfish. It is not an indulgence for me to say that given my family history, I need to take extra preventative steps for my physical health. It is also not an indulgence to say that I have a stressful job as a social worker and that carving out untouchable “me-time” is not being selfish. Caring for ourselves is as important as caring for others, after all if we don’t care for ourselves, eventually we will be the ones needing the care. It’s not an indulgence or selfish to do things for yourself.

I liken it to when the oxygen level drops suddenly on an airplane. You are to put your own oxygen mask on first before assisting others. The reasoning is perfectly logical, if you end up passed out from lack of oxygen while trying to help someone else, chances are there will be two people in medical distress instead of one. You do no one any good passed out from lack of oxygen! My mom despite the improvements still isn’t healthy and still needs help around the house. I have to be able to care for us both, which means taking the time to take care of me. Part of that self-care, is the monthly massage.

How can you get a massage or begin a monthly self-care routine?

Luckily, there are many options available for a massage from a one time fee to a monthly membership. I happen to have a monthly membership with Hand and Stone for about $70 each month. Which is probably about the cost of most people’s daily coffee habit. The membership fee covers the cost of a one hour massage and if I miss a month it rolls over into the next month, so I never need to worry if I am unable to make it in that I will have “wasted” my money.

Even if you cannot make it a monthly habit, it is good to indulge in yourself occasionally with spa days or even just a massage occasionally as it is a readily accessible mini-vacation that can fit into almost any schedule no matter how busy.

However, whether you indulge or not in them, I still recommend making a habit of self-care. Schedule meetings with yourself where you take time to stretch, meditate, drink tea or just lie in bed and snuggle your cats. Turn off your phone, listen to relaxing music and just be for a small period of time. Get a spa kit for home and indulge in that way. If you have a partner take turns giving each other neck rubs. There are books and resources to help you learn some of the techniques of the massage therapists.

Completed July 2017 (ongoing)

Cost: $70 with membership (ongoing) or one time fee $120

Miles from home: 3

A Wickedly Good Time: A Broadway Musical in New York

Published on December 27, 2024January 3, 2026 by BudgetBlissLeave a comment

Considering the movie version is at its height of being popular, It seems that now is the perfect time to write about my very first Broadway Musical experience, Wicked (from my Reverse Bucket List).

I must confess my confusion that after 20 plus years of being on the stage, the musical is still so beloved that it should have such a large fanbase that has flocked to the theaters to see it and sing along. It certainly is a good musical, catchy music, compelling characters, interesting plot, and full of deeper themes that will stand the test of time. However, I just hadn’t heard much about it since it first debuted back in 2003 which followed on the heels of the 1995 book. Seeing all the excitement surrounding the movie version of it has made me reminisce about my Broadway experience.

I was in my senior year of high school when the music department was able to schedule a trip up to New York city in order to see Wicked the musical. As our high school was about a 3 hour drive from New York, it wasn’t too far for us to do occasional class trips. As it happened, this trip was scheduled for the day after another trip to New York to see the Darwin Exhibit – so I happened to go twice in one week (but a post for another time). I had recently read the book from my library, curiosity finally winning out to discover what precisely had everyone in such a frenzy of excitement. As my school had done the Wizard of Oz musical in my freshman year, i was extremely curious to not only read the story from an alternative point of view but see the story from an alternative point of view.

Our field trip actually began in the later part of the school day as the performance would not be until the twilight hours. We piled onto the charter bus as a group of exuberant, nerdy teens ready to take on the world. For most of us, this would be the first time seeing a Broadway musical and for some it was their first time going to New York. The air was palpable with excitement which soon wore off after the initial jostling for seats and everyone settled into their places for the long trip up. There was the usual chatter, the occasional flirtatious glance between people, whispered gossip and playful teasing for which groups of teens are known for.

I was no different sitting with my friends and giggling most of the way uncertain of exactly what I was in for. I had of course heard of the infamous broadway and grew up watching various performances of musicals recorded on video. I didn’t know precisely what made Broadway so special other than that was where musicals were born. Even though I had just seen the famous city, I had not yet visited when the daylight fades and gives way to the bright lights of the streets. Would it really transform itself as I had been lead to believe?

As the bus rolled along, we began to start seeing signs for New York and signs for Wicked. The excitement on the bus began to build once again. The energy was barely contained within the seats. For myself, I remember half bouncing up and down in glee. Shortly – though not nearly quick enough – we had arrived in the big city. We were given leave to divide ourselves up into groups and we were taken to have pizza.

I remember walking through the streets taking in all the sites. The daylight had just started to fade, turning the sunlight to rose. There seemed to be too much to take in at once. Buildings towering over us. Music blared over the cacophony of sounds, traffic, horns, and construction. We spotted a street performer. Cars were everywhere, some of them quite unique like the limo humvee which alternatively amused and baffled us as quintessentially New York. Looking up we saw the famous billboards and lights, soon they would light the night and block out the stars and moon.

We were ushered into an upscale restaurant which was known for its pizza, though to this day I cannot quite recall its name. But I recall the atmosphere quite well. Like most upscale restaurants, the lighting was dim which only accentuated the richness of the dark wooden panels on the lower part of the walls. The upper half seemed to be a lighter cream though the shadows obscured the truth. I distinctly recall that we ate on the upper level looking down over the rest of the patrons. Perhaps, knowing that they would play host to rambunctious adolescents they wisely seated us away from their other customers lest we became a disturbance. If we were, I did not hear of it, though I cannot quite imagine that we were not at least slightly disruptive. However, most of us had been raised with at least decent enough manners, the problem of course is that when in the company of other teens, those manners seem to get forgotten.

I will fully admit that while yes, I had the infamous New York pizza, it didn’t really taste all that much better than the pizza I order from down the block monthly. Granted, the pizzeria is owned by a 2nd generation Italian immigrant whose grandparents owned a restaurant in Italy, so I may be a bit spoiled when it comes to Italian food.

What I remember most about the evening after arriving at the theater was that it was both exactly what I expected and not what I expected at all. First, dear reader, you must recall that a Broadway musical or really any theatrical performance “on Broadway” could take place on any one of 41 stages in New York City which can seat 500 or more persons. There are in point of fact only three theaters located on Broadway itself: Broadway Theater, Palace Theatre and Winter Garden Theatre. So even though one might picture Broadway and one of these three theaters, one might find oneself in a theater several blocks away.

Prior to going to a Broadway production, my theater experiences consisted of the Fulton in Lancaster and the Hershey Theater, neither of which are architectural sisters to those in New York. So while I had a vague notion of what a theater looked like from pictures and movies, it was still in juxtaposition to the Hershey which was designed after a cathedral in Venice and the Fulton which was designed as a Victorian Opera house. What struck me most was the sheer amount of red velvet that they had at the entrance. It seemed quite a bit odd while still ornate. I remember thinking that the entrance was a bit smaller than I had imagined as we were ushered into what seemed to be too small a space before opening up into a larger area.

To be honest, the venue vaguely reminded me of a posh movie theater. It had a more modern flair and everything was a rich dark red and black accented with golds. Sound was softened by the lush carpet so that the conversation of the crowd swarming inside was a hushed murmur around me. Everywhere I looked people were smiling with an eagerness of anticipation. Once inside the theater, the air positively hummed with the activity of people quickly seeking out their spots. I was situated stage left towards the middle of theater close enough to see well enough but not to really see the more subtle expressions of the actors.

It hardly mattered, from the moment the curtain rose and the first notes rang out, I was transfixed. Glinda floated down in a sparkling blue dress singing that no one would mourn the Wicked Witch. I remember watching the Wizard dance around the stage with Elphaba’s mother singing and giggling with one another, a slight deviation from the book already. By the second song of Dear Ol’ Shiz, I was taken up into the story which asks what makes someone wicked? The very same question that first led me to explore psychology and later a career in social work.

It’s hard to exactly describe the sheer spectacle of a broadway production from the sets to the costumes; everything is meticulously crafted to convey subtle messages and create impressions which help tell the story. Scattered throughout were small references to the original Wizard of Oz while still firmly establishing the differences from the source material. It began to take an almost dreamlike quality where your mind begins to fill in the holes that the set leaves open, a few trees become a forest, a few mock houses spring into a whole town until your mind is sort of tricked into thinking there was more than there really was.

It could be that it’s the songs that help weave the enchantment for there is ever magic in song. It makes it easy to slip out of solid reality and into the dream realm. After all, it’s really only in dreams that people would be singing and dancing to tell a story. Perhaps, the music really does help place your mind in an altered state allowing you to more fully experience it. The choreography only adds to dream as people twirl about the stage becoming whirls of color. During the songs with larger ensembles it becomes too much to take all in, your eyes unable to drink in each movement and the lyrics blend together in your ears.

However, just like the spells woven in the musical, so too, does the spell the cast holds over the audience eventually shatter. The last song sung, the last line spoken and as if on cue the audience breaks into applause the thundering of hundreds of hands slapping together creating a wave of discordant sound which rouses them out of their half dazed slumber. Half stumbling out into the night and slightly stiff from sitting too long, the crowd begins to dissipate. Each person with a sort of half glazed look in their eyes as if they aren’t quite free from the enchantment of the stage. Patrons speak excitedly to one another, a few hum, fewer still hum on key. A number of them will most likely find themselves in bars later drunk on more than just showtunes. For a group of rowdy teens, the only thing left to do was to be herded back onto the coach bus.

Considering the lateness of the night, we returned in relative quiet, the lights were turned low to allow us the opportunity to sleep. I was never one to really sleep during transportation, did not. Although the next day, I was exhausted for yet a third field trip with my German class, but that is a post for another time. I recall mostly stumbling into my bed in the wee hours of the morning resigned to the idea that in only a few short hours I would have to return to the waking world. Still, as I lay in my bed the songs played over in my mind and my dreams were swirls of color.

Years later, I went to another Broadway Musical, this time Kiss Me Kate, a retelling of Shakespear’s Taming of the Shrew. The magic that was cast was as real as the first time. Time once again was suspended and I was overtaken by the spell of the theater.

How can you see a Broadway Musical?

If you are lucky enough to be relatively close to New York City, then it is quite easy for one to get there. You can either be like my music department and secure transportation for the same day knowing that you may end up crawling back into your bed in the wee hours of the morning utterly spent and exhausted or you can arrange to stay overnight like I did when I went with my sister with a hotel close by. The latter option is of course far more expensive.

However, my sister and I had tacked on an evening in New York as part of a larger trip as we were departing from New York. We had determined that rather than trying to get to New York the same day as departure we opted to go the day before to ensure that we did not miss our cruise ship. This is certainly an option I encourage you to consider when traveling, dear reader. If you find that you need to arrive to or depart from a city you otherwise would not travel to, consider if it’s possible to extend your trip by a day in order to enjoy the sights. My sister did this in Barcelona as well and I hope to do so in London. If one is going to be there anyways then it is far cheaper in the long run to spend a little extra on a day rather than spending even more later on a separate trip.

Still, not everyone will be traveling in and out of New York nor is everyone able to travel to it on a lark for a day trip. Then the principle of the thing is what one must turn to. Now a Broadway production is a grand thing, but it is not the only way to enjoy a Broadway Musical which is a genre rather than the thing itself. There are many beautiful and glorious venues which put on performances of musicals. Take the earlier mentioned Hershey Theater which is a masterpiece of architecture. The quality of performances that have graced its stage are certainly equal to New York’s Broadway or London’s West End. Some performances may even surpass what one may see on Broadway depending on the quality of the actors, costumes and set pieces.

There is after all nothing inherently magical about a particular venue, Broadway just happens to be the place where most musical productions are developed and debuted. It is the place to go if you want to see the newest musicals; it is not the only place with capable of phenomenal performances. This is great news, as you, dear reader, are almost certainly within a reasonable distance of a grand theater which hosts performances. I encourage you to go forth to your nearest performance hall and find yourself lost in the magic of musical theater!

Completed: Spring 2006

Cost: Current cost $100 – 200 per ticket

Miles from home: 150

Be sure to check out my other Bucket List items whether my current list or my reverse list.

Christkindlmarkt: A 700 Year Old German Tradition

Published on December 20, 2024December 7, 2024 by BudgetBlissLeave a comment

Since the 1300’s small pop-up markets have been part of the Christmas season in Europe. These small December markets intended to allow people to stock up on meat and other necessities at the beginning of the winter season. These markets grew overtime to allow toy makers, confectioners and other craftsmen to set up stalls under the name “Saint Nicholas market”. They also began to sell roasted chestnuts, nuts and almonds. This tradition spread throughout the German Speaking world. It was later renamed Christkindlmark during the Reformation and the tradition continues to this day.

Each December stalls are set up to showcase various wares for either a few days or for weeks depending on the event. Along with the wares, food vendors come out to sell traditional foods like currywurst, potato pancakes, gulasch, sauerkraut and of course Gluhwein (a mulled red wine). Those stalwart enough to brave the cold can enjoy pursuing these outdoor markets by the light of twinkling lights.

So popular and beloved are these markets, that there are entire river cruises devoted to taking tourists along the Rhein to visit them during the Christmas season. These visitors bring back tales of the delicious food, sparkling lights and of course carefully crafted wares. After seeing photos of these places, one might begin to think that the magic of the season is best found abroad and start to dream of flying over to the old country. However, dear reader, as you have no doubt already guessed, these coveted markets are not only found across the vast expanse of ocean but rather can be found right here in the United States. Like their European counterparts, there are the larger and more famous Christkindlmarkts, such as the ones found in Grand Rapids Michigan or Bethlehem Pennsylvania. However, just as there are smaller markets in the smaller towns of Germany, there are smaller markets here in the United States.

So it was early in the evening that I set out with my work partner, Nicole, to visit the Reading Liederkranz Christkindlmarkt. We choose that time because the market would just be getting dark and the lights would really pop against the darkness of the sky. The city of Reading is situated along the Blue Mountain Ridge of the Appalachian Mountains and so part of our journey included going up the side of the ridge overlooking the city. As we climbed above the urban center, the city gave way to suburban areas covered with trees, reminding us both of our time in Marburg, Germany. Up, up, up we went, passing houses that vaguely resembled German architecture and it was if we had been transported across the sea. Suddenly on our right the forest gave way to a small piece of Germany, the Reading Liederkranz.

For those not in the know a Liederkranz is a German singing and cultural society which was established to promote and perpetuate German singing, dancing, music, language, foreign exchange and culture. Branches of Liederkranz can be found throughout the United States with many of them established in the mid to late 1800’s. There does not appear to be one overarching society which oversees all the branches, but rather each branch is independent of the others. Like many branches, the Reading Liederkranz hosts various german festivals throughout the year to mirror the ones in Germany. So, just like their German counterparts the Christkindlmarkt of the Reading Liederkranz occurs for a few short days during the Christmas season with stalls set up outside for customers to shop for unique gifts for their loved ones.

In addition to unique gifts, some of them imported from Germany and Austria, they offered traditional German food that can be found at the markets. I naturally had to buy some choosing to partake in the Currywurst, and potato pancakes. I was a little disappointed that the potato pancakes did not come with the traditional applesauce but instead came with sourcream. It is possible that they were simply sold out of the applesauce. I noted there were some items crossed off the menu as no longer available. As it was cold, I could not pass up the opportunity to sip on some warm Gluhwein. Gluhwein is a mulled red wine served at almost every Christkindlmarkt and I highly recommend it as a part of your Christmas tradition.

Not every stand was exclusively German, many of the stands featured local artisans and craftsmen selling their wares. I managed to find a few treasures while I was there for both my loved ones and myself. I picked up a few business cards for later reference. I met Santa Claus giving out Candy Canes and hopefully made it to the nice list (fingers crossed). Nicole found a book that she promised I could borrow from her later and her own gifts.We enjoyed looking at the different wares and meeting the sellers which is not something one can often do these days when looking online or shopping at a big box store.

It was not a huge Christkindlmarkt, certainly not like the larger one in Bethlehem, PA which mirrors more closely those larger markets of Vienna and Munich and is open from Mid November through late December Friday through Sunday. It’s a sprawling market of hundreds of stalls, dozens of food vendors, authentic German artists, ice skating, St. Nicholas, music and more. It’s known as one of the top holiday markets in the world rivaling its European counterparts.

However, as I have said in other places, I’m not a huge fan of crowds and sometimes it’s better to enjoy something on a smaller, more intimate scale. After all, the towns of Germany often have their own smaller celebrations and what could be more authentic than a homegrown festival? So I spent about an hour or so wandering bundled up against the cold, sipping my Gluhwein and enjoying the piece of Germany they’ve carved out on the side of the mountain. I will certainly have to see what other festivals they bring across the ocean for us to enjoy here in the states. It may not have been perfectly authentic after all, I didn’t have to stumble through my half forgotten German to order my food, but to two people who lived in Germany it certainly got our stamp of approval. Just proving once again that one doesn’t need to book a ticket to see the world, sometimes the world comes for a visit in a nearby town.

How can you visit a German Christkindlmarkt?

The first step is to obviously wait for the right time of the year, it is after all a Christmas Market. Most of them take place between Thanksgiving and Christmas with a few occurring earlier in November. The smaller ones often only occur on one weekend with the larger markets spanning the entire season. There are of course the more famous ones such as the one in Bethlehem but there are smaller ones like the one I went to in Reading, PA and the one in Lancaster, PA (which I am told has even better food).

Travel websites are a useful tool to get a start as they will often name the “best” ones. Keep in mind these “best” are subjective and will be prone to more tourists and crowds. If you’re looking for a smaller, more intimate version, then google searching Christkindlmarkt or Weihnachtsmarkt (another name for these markets) may yield some good results. As always, I keep an eye out on my Facebook events page. I haven’t found other social media formats that so easily showcase events in my area.

Completed: December 2024

Cost: $30 for admission and food

Miles from home: 30 miles

Below is a small list of Christkindlmarkts in the United States. It is by no means a complete list but it is a good place to start especially if you’re in these areas. The dates vary each year and there is often a ticket price associated with entry.

Arlington, TX Texas Christkindl Market

Atlanta, GA Atlanta Christkindl Market

Augusta, NJ German Christmas Market of NJ

Baltimore, MD Christmas Village in Baltimore

Belleville, IL Belleville Christkindlmarkt

Bethlehem, PA Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem

Cambria, CA Cambria Christmas Market

Canandaigua, NY Canandaigua Christkindl Market

Carlinville, IL Carlinville Christmas Market

Carmel, IN Carmel Christkindlmarkt

Charlotte, NC Charlotte Christkindlmarkt

Chicago, IL Chicago Christkindlmarkt

Chicago, IL Christkindlmarkt Wrigleyville

Cincinnati, OH Germania Christkindlmarkt

Dayton, OH Dayton Liederkranz Turner Christkindlmarkt

Denver, CO Denver Christkindlmarkt

Des Moines, IA Christkindlmarket Des Moines

Elkhart Lake, WI Old World Christmas Market

Ferdinand, IN Ferdinand Christkindlmarkt

Frankenmuth, MI Frankenmuth Christkindlmarkt

Georgetown, CO Georgetown Christmas Market

Harmony, PA Harmony Museum WeihnachtsMarkt

Helen, GA Helen Christkindlmarkt

Holland, MI Holland Kerstmarkt

Lake Worth, FL The American-German Club of the Palm Beaches Christkindlmarkt Leavenworth, WA Leavenworth Christkindlmarkt

Mifflinburg, PA Mifflinburg Christkindl Market

Minneapolis, MN Holidazzle

Mountain View, CA German Holiday Market

Nevada City, CA Nevada City Victorian Christmas

New Orleans, LA New Orleans Deutsches Haus Christmas Market

New York, NY Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park

New York, NY Union Square Holiday Market

New York, NY Columbus Circle Holiday Market

Oconomowoc, WI German Christmas Market of Oconomowoc

Philadelphia, PA Christmas Village in Philadelphia

Pittsburgh, PA Peoples Gas Holiday Market

Poughkeepsie, NY Germania Club of Poughkeepsie Christkindlmarkt

Reading, PA Reading Liederkranz Christkindlmarkt

San Francisco, CA The Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party

Solvang, CA Solvang Julefest

St Paul, MN St Paul European Christmas Market

Tomball, TX Tomball German Christmas Market

Tulsa, OK German American Society of Tulsa Christkindlmarkt

Washington DC DowntownDC Holiday Market

Being Okay With Missing Out

Published on December 17, 2024November 10, 2024 by BudgetBlissLeave a comment

In the spring of 2024, a wonderful and amazing phenomenon occurred. The Northern Lights were visible throughout much of Northern America, even down as far as Puerto Rico. Not only was it visible, it was visible on a Friday night, meaning that one was free to stay up late and really enjoy the rare visual display so far south. Unless you were where I lived. Where it was cloudy for miles. Unfortunately, I did not have the capacity to go drive for miles just to see them, though the temptation was certainly there.

The level of frustration that I felt the next morning seeing thousands of pictures flooding my feeds and social media was astronomical. It seemed that everyone else had gotten to enjoy my dream, but me. People who had not even cared about ever seeing the Northern Lights got to see them, but not me, a person who has been dreaming about it since she was a young child! It is always cloudy during major astronomical events at my house from the planetary alignment, to the comet to this! It was unfair! It wasn’t right! Stupid weather! Stupid sky! Stupid sun! Grrrrrrrr!!!

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and reminded myself of all the times the universe had responded to my hopes with a no and how often those “no’s” had led to bigger and better things later. I would trust in the process of life. Had I not just experienced a total solar eclipse in Vermont after missing one almost seven years prior? If I had not missed out on the one, would I have gone to Vermont or New England? Perhaps, not. Did the “no” not open up something wonderful, even if seven years in the making?

I could continue to dwell on it, cursing the decision I made to not drive in the middle of the night to go see them. But then would I have even enjoyed them, being tired and stressed out from rushing to see them? Would I have cut my experience short, because of the obligations I needed to meet the next day? Then having “crossed it off the list” no longer consider trying to go and see them to really enjoy them? A bucket list dream come true or a check in the box? There is a reason I opted not to jump in my car and rush to go see them. There is a reason, I choose to wait for the right time, because trying to force an experience often robs us of fully enjoying it. And truth be told, there have been several more instances since May of the Northern lights gracing the skies, only for it to be cloudy. Every. Single. Time. At this point, it’s just comedic, and I just laugh at the universe remembering that now is not the time to force things.

When we try to force things, it’s like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, it just doesn’t work. There’s all these gaps around the peg where something is missing and it’s a tenuous hold at best. We rush through the experience, we don’t savor or enjoy it. The anxiety and stress of trying to just “make it work” is what we remember rather than the end journey. In our faulty human ways, we may end up sabotaging ourselves and robbing the future us of something much better. We miss the blessing that was being given to us in that moment, rejecting both the current one and the future one.

It can be difficult to accept missing out, especially when it is something you really wanted. It can be even more so when it seems that everyone else got it. The question becomes when is it my turn? When is it my time? Why can’t I have it right now? Don’t I deserve to have it? The answer may be not yet, it may even be not ever. That last one can be a difficult truth to swallow. Sometimes the “no” is unchanging and we will never get what we’ve asked for. We cannot know the reason for this, but focusing on the no, blinds us to all the times we hear yes. It robs us of the joy of what we have and the gratitude for all the blessings that are still coming. The not ever may be because we were meant for a bigger blessing than the one we were asking for, but if we constantly reject the blessing because we are so focused on the thing we wanted, then we may get neither.

No one likes missing out, and it is a perfectly human response to be frustrated and sad. However, we should not swim in these feelings, building up anger and resentment. Imagine if I had spent my time shaking my fist at heaven for a missed “blessing” when I had only a few weeks prior experienced an awe inspiring total eclipse? How quickly we forget the things we have, when we sit in a moment of lack. How fleeting those moments become when we let them slip through our fingers when the next obstacle comes into our path? If instead we focus on the blessings we have received, we bring those blessings forward with us into the moment. We instill hope for the future and begin to look forward to what surprises the universe may have in store for us. We find ourselves enriched rather than lacking.

The moment of frustration passed, leaving me sipping my coffee and reminiscing about my recent trip to New England. I relived the awe of seeing the sun slip behind the moon, the way the day turned to twilight, the sudden drop in temperature as the darkness took hold. The northern lights will come again and I will see them when the moment is right. Until then, I will continue to cultivate a bucket list life in all the moments between and continually recall the blessings I have received. I certainly don’t need to wait for the lights to check the other things off my list. After all, if I am become too laser focused on the lights, I may miss other opportunities for bigger and better things. Whatever blessings that are in store for me, I want to be there with arms open to receive them.

Koizer’s Christmas Village: Let There Be Light!

Published on December 13, 2024December 7, 2024 by BudgetBlissLeave a comment

It seems almost impossible to think about Christmas without thinking about lights. In Western culture almost no other holiday is so linked with light, which is appropriate considering it is celebrated at the darkest time of the year (for those of us in the Northern hemisphere). There’s just something so mesmerizing about small points of light holding back the dark. They always bring a smile to my face. I especially enjoy seeing larger displays where people can showcase their creativity and transform an ordinary place into something extraordinary, and Koizar’s Christmas village is exactly that sort of place!

Since 1948, the Spring Lake Dairy Farm has been delighting people. Originally, a display created for the enjoyment of his wife Grace and their four children, it quickly expanded front he original house and barn. People soon began to flock every year to see the display at the locally named “Christmas House.” Eventually, Koziar began to admit visitors while still operating the dairy farm. Overtime, the dairy farm and even the house were abandoned to the ever expanding light displays. For over 75 years, the farm has been literally lighting up the night as the lights can be seen from miles around. It has even been named Best Outdoor Christmas Display in the World by Display World magazine (according to Wikipedia anyways).

It takes approximately 90 minutes to walk through the many displays which run the gambit of themes from beloved classic tales like the Nutcracker to Bible scenes from displays showing Christmas traditions around the world to prehistoric dinosaurs. There were plenty of places for photo ops, tucked in various places and with such frequency most of them were without long lines. There are panoramas, a kissing bridge, gift shops and snack shops. One can warm up with a hot beverage like apple cider or hot chocolate while munching on popcorn or chocolate chip cookies. There is one place which serves more substantial food such as pizza and burgers. It is almost entirely outside, so dressing warmly was a must for this particular outing.

How does one capture in writing what 8 acres of over a million lights looks like in simple words? Even the pictures I share here, dear reader, are only the smallest snippets of the sheer magnitude of that many lights. Each area held a new delight and theme, some had seamless and natural transitions, others were abrupt and almost disjointed side by side.

What most delighted me was how simple and even outdated everything was. There were wooden decorations clearly from the 60’s and 70’s. There were handmade items which had been lovingly repainted over the years. It was in stark contrast to so many of the other light displays that one could go see, because it felt organic and human. It was clearly a labor of love untaken over decades. There were many store bought displays but they were interspersed with homemade characters and storyboards. It was simultaneously a display of Christmas lights and a museum of decorations over the decades. One of my favorites was the Wild West section with the christmas buffalo. There’s even a whole section featuring a model train. Despite being a professionally run tourist attraction, it still felt like a display cobbled together by your overly enthusiastic neighbors, perfectly capturing the nostalgia of seeing Christmas lights.

My sister and I ambled through the lights, taking time to soak in the array of themes. We stopped to study the displays, finding small touches which brought us smiles of delight, like the angel fawn near a nativity or the zoo train with the tigers. We stopped to enjoy hot apple cider and churros. I also bought a pair of gloves having realized I accidently left mine at home. There were only a few places where we could slip into to escape the biting cold of the evening, but we were lucky that it wasn’t too cold. Eventually we ended up passing through a large garage which proudly displayed the history of the village before going into the final gift shop. We left fully satisfied and well in the Christmas spirit.

How can you see amazing displays of Christmas Lights?

Luckily, this is something that you can see almost anywhere during the Christmas season and there is almost always a place nearby with overly enthusiastic neighbors. Some may be drive through places, others may be like Koziar Christmas Village where you can walk. It depends on whether you wish a slow meandering stroll in the cold where you can stop and really take in each display or if you wish to remain warm in your car. There may be ones that are put on by professionals such as Candy Lane at Hershey Park or family affairs with all their quirks like Kozier’s Christmas Village. You can also find a local neighborhood and walk around to see everyone’s displays. In the last few years, my home town has been holding a contest which has helped to revitalize people’s interests in putting up lights. You could even start a contest in your hometown if you’re feeling particularly entrepreneurial.

Completed: December 2023

Cost: $13 per person (It would have been an extra five dollars to attend on a weekend or the week of christmas)

Miles from home: 26 miles

Visiting History: Gettysburg Battlefield

Published on December 6, 2024December 7, 2024 by BudgetBlissLeave a comment

The battle of Gettysburg was one of the defining moments of American history. The Union’s victory over the Confederate army was the turning point in the Civil War, leading to the restoration of the union and ensuring the end of slavery. The battle took place over the course of three days from July 1st to July 3rd, almost coinciding with our nation’s 86th birthday. It was also one of the bloodiest most devastating battles in our history.

Visiting the site of this place can be a bit surreal. Today, the fields lay semi-empty. The dead have been given proper burial. The gunfire has long since ceased and it only returns for reenactments and salutes to honor the fallen. To the educated eye one can still see the evidence of the battle and how the lay of the land was shaped by it and helped to shape the battle itself. For example, one can still see clearly how the Union’s superior position of the high ground helped them win despite having less troops.

It is now home to many monuments to the fallen from all over the states. Naturally, the Pennsylvania monument is absolutely massive, but others are smaller. Some are dedicated to large groups, but then there are more specific battalions and legions remembered. It is easy to forget that each of the men who perished on the field had a name, a story and purpose to be there. It is not easy to take up arms against one’s own countrymen.

In the surrounding town, they offer various walking tours highlighting moments of history. They talk about the miracle that only one civilian died in the fighting, they point out bullet holes. What is really striking though is the sheer amount of death the residents saw, the description of pools of blood from the surgeries and piles of limbs that had been hacked off to try to save lives. They describe the stench that lingered for weeks in the hot summer. They whisper of ghosts still lingering on over a century later. If one believes in such things.

Still in among the ghost stories, there is real history being remembered. There was a high cost to pay to preserve our country more than the cost to form it originally. It answered the question of whether we truly were a nation of freedom for all or only for some. A question that will need to be periodically asked and answered as we continue to navigate conflicting rights and values. It is a place that when visited demands at least some reflection of the cost that had to be paid for today’s America.

Despite growing up relatively close to it, I had not really visited the battlefield until I was an adult. The annual classroom field trip that year had been replaced with a trip to Philadelphia to see the visiting display of the Russian Tsars. When my family did finally visit, I was a teenager and the thought of tramping about a field in the heat of summer with my father was unappealing, and I opted to go elsewhere with my mom and let my brother and father walk about the fields. So in the fall of 2018, I finally went with my boyfriend to see where it all happened, put history in perspective and learn more about this monumental event in our nation’s history.

I can’t say that I necessarily learned anything new about the battle that I hadn’t already heard in the classroom or seen in documentaries, but what I did know was brought to life by seeing the physical artifacts from the battle and hearing the intimate stories of the people who were there both solider and civilian on both sides of the war. There’s something to be said about seeing and interacting with physical objects that allows our minds to form a more emotional connection with the knowledge or at least enhance our knowledge through other senses.

It is always strange to visit the site where tragedy took place and one must acknowledge the Civil War was tragic. It was tragic for a nation to be ripped apart and that the effects of that can still be seen over a hundred years later. It is also tragic it took a civil war to confer the basic human right of freedom from slavery to all living under our nation’s flag. On one hand, it is a place of history that should be remembered and respected, a place where people died to give other people freedom. On the other hand, it’s a site of enjoyment and relaxation. People come to visit on their vacations and for a day off of school. They enact the battle for entertainment, as well as to keep the stories alive. Children run through the fields laughing and playing around the cannons. Tourists take goofy pictures in front of memorials. For me the juxtaposition of both is important, because in some ways it means healing has taken place and is a testament to the resilience of people and our nation.

How can you add this to your own bucket list?

Unfortunately, this is one of those things that cannot be substituted easily if going to the actual Battlefield of Gettysburg is on your list. It’s in PA and unless you’re nearby, it won’t be cheap or easy to get here. In which case, may I recommend google flight tracker and hotels.com? This may be an instance of the principle of the item rather than the item itself. The principle behind visiting Gettysburg was to see an important site of our nation’s history that helped shape our identity and defined us. If you live in the south, there are many other Civil War battlefields that you can visit. If you live in the North East, especially in New England, then you can visit many sites from the Revolutionary War. In the South West, you have the Mexican-American War. California was home to the gold rush as well as the Japanese Internment Camps and the Watts-Riots. The Midwest is of course home to the west itself and the expansion of white settlers into the territories. I highly recommend seeing what is near your hometown. You may be surprised to find your seemingly insignificant part of the country actually helped shape us in the amazing country that it is today.

Completed: 2018

Miles from home: 75

Cost: Free to visit the Battlefield, Visitor’s Center. Museum is $15, Museum+ Film is $21

Living Out Your Values

Published on December 3, 2024November 9, 2024 by BudgetBlissLeave a comment

Our values are often reflected in what we do much more than what we say. The things we strive for and goals we want to achieve demonstrate what we actually believe. There’s a saying that goes “shut up and put your money where your mouth is” which is short is stop talking and actually sacrifice for what you believe in. Shouldn’t we consider this when looking to complete our bucket lists?

If the point of a budget bucket list is to help create a meaningful life where we’re at, then a meaningful life reflects our values, morals and ethics. I want to have a life that is well lived. One that aligns with who I am as a person and to be able to look back at all the things I have seen, done and accomplished and feel at peace. I don’t want to have regrets for things left undone, but also for things that I did that left me feeling empty or guilty.

When considering what I want to accomplish in my life, it’s not just about what might be fun to do, but also what I value. I took pride in my German and Irish roots, especially living in a German-American area like Lancaster, County. So, I learned German and studied abroad in Germany. I made certain to spend a little time in Ireland when I was over there. When learning the violin, I studied folk Irish songs. I took Irish step dancing in college. I said I valued those items and backed it up with actions. Those things were more than just learning a language or a dance style plucked at random, they reflected what was important to me.

Your values can inspire you to add things to your list. Do you value your heritage? Then maybe explore activities that connect you to your family’s past. Maybe you value being self-sufficient, then taking workshops to learn crafts such as woodworking and carpentry may be your jam, more than say spending a week in Bora Bora. Most of what I started with were the things that reflected what was important to me, nature, art, music, travel to specific places that held special meaning to me. Some of the things I’ve done have been in support of what was important to the people I do them with.

Sometimes, a value will prevent you from doing something. Do you value animals? Those animal encounters may be quite tempting but they are rife with exploitation and abuse of the very animals you claim to love. You cannot say that you value elephants and then go ride them. Even alternatives like bathing still involve a traumatic training known as the “crush” where young calves are separated from their mothers, isolated, deprived of food and water and beaten until they are broken. Elephant tourism is driving those numbers up. In almost every case, an interaction with an elephant means interaction with a traumatized elephant for your benefit. Not every animal encounter is a result of abuse, but it is important to be careful with them because abuse is so rampant, especially in underdeveloped countries.

I carefully researched this dolphin led encounter before booking and even consulted a friend who works at a zoo to help me ensure I was participating in an ethical encounter.

You will need to pick and choose your battles. There is almost no undertaking that does not involve murky ethical decisions in our modern world. Buying a cell phone? How were the minerals mined in Africa? How were the workers treated, who assembled it in China or Taiwan? Is the money that is going to the company being used to fund policies and politics that you disagree with? What about the environmental impact? That’s just a cell phone, what about attending a concert? Traveling to a festival?

When considering my budget bucket list, I started with my values first, understanding what I stood for and where the lines would be drawn. I was careful to do my research and pick my battles. I encourage you to also start with the things you value before writing down everything that comes to mind or taken from someone else’s list.

When you start out with guardrails, it’s easier to say no. Whether we intend to or not, when we see something “cool” that we want to do, we start to form an emotional attachment through our excitement. It can be hard to reel that back in. I don’t shop at places like Shein and Temu, but I see advertisements for them all the time. It makes it easier for me to not get tempted by the cute clothing or gatchet that I really want to have when I have set the boundary of “I will not buy from these places.” I said I will not exploit animals, and it made it easy to say no to interacting with baby tigers, even in the face of their cute adorable faces. Before I could even picture holding those sweet babies and petting their soft fur, the firm “no” stopped all thoughts of the activity. Whereas if I had written my list, saw the opportunity first, I may have been tempted to try and justify keeping it there or saying to myself “I’m just one person….”

On this blog, I will encourage you to drink richly from the cup of life and to follow my example of finding things in your own backyard to do. However, there are many different places that one can drink from, it’s up to each of us to be mindful of what we’re taking out of life and whether its right for us. It’s not up to me to dictate to you what values, ethics or morals you should have, that’s up to you to decide. I’m only here to remind you to think about them before you take a drink that ends up tasting bitter and gross.

Reverse Bucket List: Unicorn Tapestries

Published on November 29, 2024April 14, 2026 by BudgetBlissLeave a comment

Occasionally, I like to share items from my reverse bucket list or include tales from further afield. Not to stray from the purpose of this blog, but to present an honest picture of the life I am living and the goals I’ve pursued. I would be remiss to showcase only the things I’ve done close to home, as that would create the false impression that everything meaningful can be accomplished without ever leaving it.

Depending on where you are, and what you want from life, some travel may be required.

More importantly, I have no desire to present a polished illusion. I’ve watched enough influencers and internet personalities over the years to know that the truth has a way of surfacing. I do myself no favors by crafting a narrative that isn’t real.

Who knew honesty was the best policy?

This particular item belongs both to my reverse bucket list and to those adventures further afield.

It should come as no surprise, dear reader, that I love unicorns.

I know, you’re shocked. Completely blindsided. Never in a million years did you see this confession coming.

Sarcasm may be my second language, followed closely by questionable English and then German.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

I digress.

My love of unicorns began early. My very first stuffed animal, given to me the day I was born, was a unicorn named Rainbow. She doubled as a music box, playing Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and for years she was my constant companion. She even made the journey with me to Germany during my college days. Today, she still sits on a shelf in my room.

Growing up in the 90s, unicorns were not nearly as easy to find as they are now. That scarcity made each one feel special. My mother somehow always managed to track them down—books, toys, anything she could find. I devoured every unicorn story I could get my hands on, including one that introduced me to The Lady and the Unicorn.

This series of six medieval tapestries, now housed in the Musée de Cluny in Paris, is among the most famous examples of millefleurs design—literally “a thousand flowers.” The backgrounds bloom with intricate botanical detail, each thread contributing to a lush, almost dreamlike landscape.

Woven around the year 1500, likely in Flanders from wool and silk, the tapestries depict the five senses: touch, taste, smell, hearing, and sight. The sixth panel, bearing the phrase À mon seul désir, “to my only desire”, remains something of a mystery. Interpretations vary. Some see it as a renunciation of earthly pleasures, others as a declaration of free will, and still others as representing a kind of sixth sense.

I have always appreciated that it resists a single, definitive meaning.

Interestingly, the tapestries were rediscovered in 1841 at Boussac Castle after being hidden away for centuries. The novelist George Sand helped date them to the 15th century based on the clothing depicted—a reminder never to underestimate a woman’s eye for fashion.

Beyond their beauty, the tapestries reveal much about the world that created them. They reflect the relationship between artists and their patrons, with heraldic symbols woven into the designs. They echo the influence of the Christian church, as much of the art from this period does. Even the unicorn itself often carried symbolic meaning, sometimes representing Christ in medieval imagery.

They were not merely decorative. They were statements of wealth, power, and belief, while also serving the practical purpose of insulating cold stone walls.

Pardon the darkness of the picture, this was taken in 2009 and flash photography was not permitted

I almost missed them entirely.

When I traveled to Paris in April of 2009 during my study abroad, the trip itself was something of a last-minute decision. A friend mentioned he would be there, and so Erica, a fellow American and fellow fantasy enthusiast, agreed to join me.

There I was, in Paris, soaking in museums, history, and food (they did not lie, the food is exceptional), when I began noticing unicorn imagery everywhere. Bags, notebooks, pillows, souvenirs of every kind.

At first, I dismissed them as standard tourist fare.

It wasn’t until I found myself in Sainte-Chapelle, one of the most breathtaking churches I have ever seen, that curiosity got the better of me. I asked, somewhat casually, “Are those tapestries here in Paris?”

“Yes,” came the reply.

My excitement escalated rapidly.

“Where?”

“The Medieval Museum,” she said, kindly providing directions to what was clearly an overly enthusiastic American.

Erica, being an archaeology major, needed very little convincing. We immediately changed course and set off across the city. Did my feet hurt from walking nearly fifteen miles that day? Yes. Did I care?

Absolutely not.

There were unicorns to see.

(We will not discuss how we failed to navigate the subway system and instead walked nearly the entire historical district.)

It took considerable self-control not to sprint through the museum upon arrival. I made a valiant effort to behave like a reasonable adult, though I suspect I failed. While I attempted composure, I may have been not so quietly repeating “unicorn” under my breath.

I was twenty-one. Such enthusiasm was permissible. Although when exactly does that stop being permissible? I think I ought to be able to go through a museum excitedly bouncing up and down at all the artifacts and history regardless of age.

Finally, we reached them.

They were even more extraordinary in person than I had imagined.

Some works of art suffer from familiarity, diminished by reproduction. These did not. If anything, every image I had ever seen had undersold them. Up close, every thread becomes visible. Every flower distinct. The scale alone is impressive, but it is the detail that truly captivates.

It is impossible not to consider the time and labor embedded in them. Estimates suggest that a set of tapestries of this size could take dozens of weavers many months, if not over a year, to complete, not including the design work beforehand.

In today’s world, where we can purchase something decorative with a few clicks and have it delivered in days, it is difficult to fully grasp that level of craftsmanship and patience.

As I entered the dimly lit gallery, my excitement softened into something quieter.

Awe.

My breath caught as I approached. Time seemed to slow. I studied each panel carefully, tracing patterns, noting details, and wishing I had the botanical knowledge to identify every plant woven into the scene.

I said very little. What could be said?

No photograph does them justice. Images flatten them, shrink them, strip away their presence. Some things must be experienced in person to be understood at all.

Too soon, it was time to leave. There was still more of Paris waiting, and far too little time to take it all in.

Adieu, mon amour.

Perhaps we shall meet again.

How can you see tapestries?

Well, you don’t have to hop on a plane to France to see tapestries. There are museums here in the United States that display various tapestries from the Medieval and Renaissance eras. If you are particularly interested in seeing unicorn tapestries after reading me wax poetic about them, there is a set of them at the Cloisters in New York which are governed by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They are a set of seven tapestries, also from around the same period as The Lady and the Unicorn and are in the style of the thousand flowers. Just as with the tapestries in France, these also hold mysteries such as how to interpret the tapestries and even who they were made for. Depending where you are in the country, a plane ride may or may not be necessary.

I highly recommend if you ever get to either New York or Paris, to take time to see these masterpieces. Provided of course such things are of interest to you. You know by now, that I always tell people to skip that which holds no interest or intrigue to them. Life is too short to waste it on things you don’t enjoy.

What a Wonderful World: Cultivating a Vacation Mindset When You’re Not on Vacation

Published on November 26, 2024November 9, 2024 by BudgetBlissLeave a comment

I think one of the reasons everything seems so much better on a vacation is because we’re able to leave behind the worries, stresses, and responsibilities of everyday life. IWhen I do go on vacation, not only do I leave it behind, I almost always have a “flex” day for when I return, I make sure all bills are paid up early and I make sure my house is spotless before I go. This means that I don’t have to worry about returning to housework, everything is paid for and I still have an extra day where I’m not working. I have an entire day to prepare to “return” to the mundanity of life with all the worries, stresses and responsibilities of everyday life. It also means that I don’t have to begin to prepare to return until after the vacation is completely over thus “protecting” the vacation mindset. Another protection I give myself is having things fairly planned out, with room to change them if the need arises, but having done most of the decision making beforehand means that not even the worry of a decision can possibly bother me.

Sidenote: The flex day is usually spent snuggling my pets who missed me and ensures that I meet their emotional needs after being separated from me. It’s like a whole bonus vacation day and I love absolutely it.

Cat snuggles! My biggest problem is my lap is too small for all my cats!

Because we’re able to “set aside” our “real” lives while away, it means that we are much more able to focus on what’s happening to really enjoy what’s happening in the present and savor those moments. Vacations just feel more fun even if we’re doing an activity that we could arguably do at home.

Consider going to the beach or the lake. A day at the beach or lake nearby is lovely, but what about say going on a cruise and picking a day at a tropical beach. Objectively, a beach is a beach. Sand, check. Water check. Waves check. Yet, in comparison to my last day at the beach on the Atlantic coast vs my day at the beach on my cruise. The cruise one stands out as better. Why? Both trips, I spent time swimming in the water and then laid out under some shade to read my book. Perhaps it was less crowded, but I went to a less crowded beach before. Perhaps, it’s because I didn’t have to lug my chairs and towels. Maybe? Or perhaps it was the mindset I was in. I was mindful to be in the present. It seemed better because I was more relaxed and worry free. I simply was in the moment. All I was concerned about was the beautiful weather, the feel of sand between my toes and the gentle lapping of the waves as I sipped a drink and read. I was in my body in a way that I wasn’t really before.

I would hazard a guess that was the biggest difference, not the location, not the fact that I was on a cruise or whatever else, but my mindset. If I went away for a vacation and life followed me there, I probably would be miserable and perhaps, vow to never visit that location again having associated it with a terrible experience. No wonder we’re all looking to escape to far flung places rather than living where we’re at.

One doesn’t need to be on vacation to enjoy delicious food that with good presentation

So how does one cultivate a vacation mindset while doing things at home, perhaps on the weekend, a single day off or on an evening out? First, you must create some boundaries around those activities. For me, I may schedule a preparation evening the day before. One where I do a more thorough cleaning of the house or at least make sure it’s well straightened up so that when I leave to go do what I want to do, a bunch of housework isn’t lingering behind in my mind’s eye. I may look ahead of upcoming responsibilities such as bills or projects I need to get done and try to get as many of them done beforehand. My alternative is to have on my calendar a block of time dedicated to those activities. I find that when I block out time to get a task done, the stress associated with it diminishes greatly. Mostly because my brain is able to accept it will get done and then not worry about it. It also means disconnecting, airplane mode can be your friend or if you’re too afraid of that because you have children at home and you want to make sure you’re available in an emergency, setting your phone to “Do not Disturb” where you can still get phone calls in an absolute emergency. All of these things help me set a boundary to keep the outside world out of my leisure activities.

By setting a boundary with the rest of the world, it’s much easier to cultivate mindfulness. What do I mean by mindfulness? I mean being fully present in the moment, being aware of the physical realm around you and your own body. One could call it being grounded in your current reality without being distracted by things in the past and the future. This allows you to turn the mundane into something extraordinary. Consider a trip to the farmer’s market. Apparently, this fairly ordinary thing here in Lancaster is a coveted activity by many a tourist and don’t get me started on the “farm to table experience” that people pay an arm and a leg for or as I call it Wednesday night’s dinner.

When I go shopping, I am on a mission. I get in and out as quickly as possible, I have a list, I know where the items are at and I don’t want to spend a single moment lingering. I am busy and I have things to do. A tourist on the other hand, linger. They pick up the fruit and smell it. They admire the textures and colors of the different vegetables. They see the display baskets as quaint, harkening back to the days when all our food was sold in little markets and stands such as this one. They admire the baked goods, mouths almost watering in anticipation. They strike up a conversation with the farmer behind the counter asking curious questions. For them, this is their bucket list experience. For me it’s grocery shopping. The same place, the same activity, two completely different experiences.

A delicious tomato pie from a local farmer! Truly a farm to table experience.

What might I find if I scheduled some extra time in my busy schedule to meander through the aisles? What delights might my eyes see? What smells might make my own mouth water if only I would pay attention? If one can turn grocery shopping into a bucket list experience, what might happen if when one goes to an event like a festival, concert or museum one cultivates this same mindset? As for Wednesday night’s dinner, a trip to Root’s Farmers Market on Tuesday can yield a farm to table experience without the price tag. Buy direct from the farmer at their stand to make in your own kitchen.

If you take time to cultivate moments to be on vacation, even for an afternoon, you will find you are more refreshed and better equipped for the daily inconveniences and stresses of life. It is different than escaping into your phone which is merely a distraction and often fuels negative feelings about yourself. Unless you’ve carefully trained the Instagram algorithm to only show you cat videos – which I have intentionally from day one – scrolling on social media will not help you feel better. Being mindful connects you back to your body, relaxes you and allows you to cultivate moments of joy and gratitude even for simple things like a bushel of tomatoes.

It isn’t about what you’re doing, but how you’re doing it. We can create amazing moments in the ordinary if we only open our eyes to see what a wonderful world we live in.