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Hawaiian Luau on the Big Island in Hawaii. Life List #101: Get lei'd in Hawaii. - Getting a lei at a Hawaiian Luau on the Big Island in Hawaii.
January 25, 2013
in Hawaii, Life List, North America, Round the World, travel, United States

Life List #101: Get lei’d in Hawaii.

If there is one thing that an adolescent addiction to family sitcoms had taught me (and, lets face it, it taught me many things), it is that in Hawaii they hand out leis like they're going out of style. You arrive at the airport: you...

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Whale Watching in Hawaii
January 24, 2013
in birthday, Hawaii, North America, Round the World, travel, United States

A whale of a tail.

Some months ago, my friend Jen asked me if I wanted to come to Hawaii with her for her 30th birthday. Considering the fact that my birthday just happens to be the day after hers that meant that I too would then be spending my...

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Fruit stand at Big Island, Hawaii
January 23, 2013
in Hawaii, North America, Round the World, travel, United States

fruit party.

I'm starting to think that there are no actual beaches in Hawaii. Because we certainly didn't find any. Well, we found beaches, but not the kind you want to sit at and tan while reading Eat, Pray, Love and drinking a Mai Tai. I'm starting...

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Big Island, Hawaii
January 21, 2013
in Hawaii, North America, Round the World, travel, United States

Aloha! Traveling to Big Island, Hawaii.

Aloha from Big Island, Hawaii! I'm spending a week traveling around the Big Island and have been pretty much non-stop touristing since arriving last Wednesday. I've never been to Hawaii before, and it sure is nice to be away from the freezing cold Chicago winter. And...

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Waffles at Perch in Brooklyn
July 7, 2011
in New York, North America, Round the World, travel, United States

Brooklyn.

I am not on vacation. It's something that is both easy to grasp and hard to understand. If I were on vacation I would need to fill all of my precious time with something new and exciting. Going to New York would mean Central Park...

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Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest
July 6, 2011
in competitive eating, New York, North America, Round the World, travel, United States

Joey Chestnut doesn’t hate me!

Going to Coney Island on the Fourth of July is a miserable experience. Inevitably I am standing next to a drunk guy who dances to everything and bumps into me and steps on my toes every other second. Inevitably I am next to a group...

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Gargiulo Burger at Brennan and Carr
July 5, 2011
in New York, North America, Round the World, travel, United States

Day one.

When I arrived in New York on Sunday, after an hour-delayed-due-to-thunder-in-New-York flight, I had to make my first important decision: do I take a cab like I normally would do or pay much less but take an hour longer with a bus and two trains....

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TBEX 2011
July 1, 2011
in Canada, conference, North America, TBEX, travel, Vancouver

Top ten ways to write a top ten list about top ten lists.

I'd never been to a conference before, but I'd been looking forward to TBEX (Travel Blog Exchange) for a while. I first heard about TBEX through Twitter hashtags while it was going on in Chicago two summers ago. And then I didn't get my act...

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Times Square New York
July 8, 2010
in New York, North America, travel, United States

Don’t Want to Be an American Idiot…

Saturday morning I was on my own. Sadie and Jamie and Carrie were off to the Brooklyn Brewery but I a) don't like beer and b) had a ticket to Broadway. On my way out I witnessed someone almost getting mugged. It was this teenage guy...

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Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island
July 10, 2009
in competitive eating, Fourth of July, holiday, New York, North America, United States

No better way to spend July Fourth.

Saturday was the Fourth of July! For some that means fireworks. For others that means barbecues. For others that means marching in a band and joining the parade! But for me, the Fourth of July only means one thing: The Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating...

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Hi, I’m Val. I spent most of my 20s in a standstill, unable to pick which path in life I wanted to take. I wanted the nomadic life of a traveler but also wanted the husband, the condo, and the teal couch. Unable to decide which life I wanted more, I did nothing. I lived my life in limbo. When I turned 30 I’d had enough of putting my life on hold and decided to start “choosing my figs.” So, I quit my job and bought a one-way ticket to Europe. After 3 years on the road I’m back in Chicago, exploring the city, learning guitar, decorating my apartment in too much teal, cuddling my cats, and planning my next adventures.

            

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO IN YOUR LIFE?


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2006 –

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WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO IN YOUR LIFE?


Feeling stuck? Sick of living your life in limbo? Want to finally do all those things you always say you're going to do? Sign up for the Choosing Figs newsletter now to get a FREE e-book with tips on starting your own life list, inspiration for things to do in life, and worksheets to get your life goals out of your head and into action!


Your information will be used to send you our Life List e-book and subscribe you to our bi-monthly newsletter. View our full Privacy Policy.



            


MEOW | Is Val in Chicago?