I certainly have come a long way, haven’t I? I bet you’re as surprised as I am to see a full two dozen items ticked off my bucket list. I can now swim, meditate and salsa without falling on my face—much. I may or may not have had success with love, but never fear—you know […]

A million things to do and only one lifetime to fit them all in. Decisions, decisions—what deserves to be on my bucket list at all? And am I missing something? I will say that I’ve learned a lot from my first few challenges—mainly areas where I lack self-control, activities at which I’m woeful at and […]

That Isaac Newton guy was quite bright. He said that “what goes up, must come down.” This may sound right to you, but there’s been far too many times I’ve looked at the scales and disagreed. Then I proved him right and dropped seventy pounds! Excellent. But then I came across another law – “Every […]

It all started with a list. When Samantha Bradford looks in the mirror, she sees a beautiful woman staring back. But the world just sees a big girl with a long list of crazy dreams. She’s tired of letting what other people think hold her back. And today – all that’s about to change. Look […]

Max and Blue. Blue and Max. When will I get them out of my mind? It’s time. I’m ready for love. Finally, I feel it in every part of my being—the one thing I know I need in my life now to feel fulfilled—well, not that I’m not okay on my own, but you know […]

I’ll admit it. I may have been a tad influenced by a certain someone—Max—who made this dance look like something out of a soft porn movie. I wanted to be that woman in his arms—spun, shaken and held tight as he went in for the dip. It took my breath away, honestly, and may have […]

If you would have asked me three months ago, I may have said that I had no interest in leaving my job at the Fluff and Stuff—that I was comfortable there and really enjoyed working with people every day. But this year is all about getting out of my comfort zone and—shocker—I’ve actually discovered that […]

I’ve got the perfect flowy poet’s shirt, wooden beads that remind me of nature and a blue stone that promises mystical powers—I’m sure this mediation thing is going to be a breeze. Babbling brooks, peaceful pagodas, lovely serene whale sounds—I may or may not have caused a slight disturbance while trying to learn the art […]

I’ve had a secret for years… Well, it’s not really a secret, but I don’t announce the fact that when it comes to swimming, I really only ever managed to barely learn to doggie paddle. I don’t even think that Max knows how NOT a good swimmer I am. So, the class is in order […]

I’m not at all sure what I’m doing here. I thought this retreat was going to be enlightening—that I was going to break through my fears—find a little inspiration for my writing. But my feet, touching something hot…on purpose? This can only go wrong!

It’s the small victories that make life special. That’s why every time I’d lose a pound of weight on all my previous diets I’d do a lap of honor around the kitchen, then have a cake to celebrate. My Mom wasn’t impressed by that. “You have to keep going,” she would say. “Consistency is essential […]

I admit I can be unduly influenced by TV shows. In fact, I would go so far as to say that TV shows are largely to “blame” for many of the items on my bucket list. Every time I switch channels a new wonderful idea comes to mind. And any show that involves delicious food […]

Tramp al la stamp? or sophisticated body art? What is a tattoo? I’ve always been intrigued by the better tattoos and repulsed by some of the attempts gone wrong. Then there’s the worry that the cute little pony tattoo of today may transform into a devilish horse monster if I ever put weight back on. […]

I’m going to tell you that I’ve never cheated in my life! Except every time that I’ve been on a diet—and once at a three-legged race when I picked up little Jessie and ran with her. And — I’ve never cheated on a man in my life. That’s mainly due to the fact that I’m […]

Some things in life really confuse me—and other things really scare me. It’s not often that two things combine to terrify me and confuse me in equal measure. What terrifies me? Narrow seats on airplanes, turnstiles at amusement parks (I will never get over being stuck in one for ten minutes with a crowd taking […]

I have a problem. Well, to be fair I have several (dozen) problems—and one of my multitude of multiple problems is allowing myself to be pampered. I’d look at the photos of beautiful people lying on massage tables in beautiful spas and wonder – would that table take my weight? And then I would think […]

It’s good to know your limitations. I know I’ll never grace the front cover of a magazine, unless it’s a “most wanted,” type. Every time someone looks at my ID card, I hold my breath, waiting for their reaction. Ma Barker has nothing on me when I’m wearing my serious face. So a career in […]

Well Max did warn be about being a movie extra. He did say it was a bad idea to answer the advertisement in the newspaper. I think he feared I would end up in some dodgy set somewhere hanging from a ceiling playing the part of the dead. Or maybe even an extra in an […]

My best friend, Max, is a great partner in crime – whenever I can pry him away from his girlfriend long enough. And this week he better help me out – I want to crash a wedding party. I have a brand new dress and I really want to show it off, so I can […]

Mentoring – I can do that. I did learn from the yoga class that we have to be mindful of the needs of others. Maybe I’m sometimes a bit too, ahem, mindful of other’s needs, but that’s another story. So I’ve volunteered to be a mentor and I know exactly what I have to do. […]

What’s the point of a bucket list if it doesn’t involve a real challenge? And let me tell you wrapping my legs around my head is a real challenge indeed. Oh, the pain – the torture. And everyone else in the yoga class is sitting there looking so composed, so – mindful. The tranquility wrecked […]

Beep – I’ll have to do something, my love life is like the Sahara. Dry, barren and waiting for rain to fall so it can bloom. Beep – So my pal suggested online dating and now I’m feeling like the most desired woman in the world. My laptop keeps announcing amorous messages all day and […]

Not a chance – no way, nada. Under no circumstances am I going skinny dipping. Some things should never be seen in public. But then that Inner Voice starts nagging about “what’s the point of a bucket list if it doesn’t involve risk?” Well, excuse me Inner-Voice, I’m quite aware of that, but it’s not […]

I’ve decided that the creative arts are not for me. I still can’t boil spaghetti and I think there’s an arrest warrant out against me for public indecency. So onward now to a new challenge—running a marathon. I’ve decided that there will be safety in numbers and no matter how ridiculous I look in lycra, […]

I’ve decided to make my mark on life. I don’t need fame, fortune or the way I’m going—notoriety. I just need to create one little ripple that people will appreciate for years to come. So I joined an art class and learned how to paint. I have visions of grand vistas, beautiful lilies, and stunning […]

Oh, it’s such a cliche – Italian chef seduces a pupil at his top class cooking school, reducing her to a quivering jelly and releasing her inner sexual goddess. Just show me how to boil spaghetti, why don’t ya? You would think that by the age of thirty-two I’d be able to even do just […]

Note to self – stop asking intense people for help. All I wanted was a blog, just a nice, simple straight-forward blog where I could express the occasional opinion and post a photo of a kitten. How hard can that be? Oh no, Little Miss Intensey-Pants next door decided that I needed a blog where […]

Pole dancing – that’s it. I can do that. I used to be a gymnast as a kid. Well I used to run around in the garden with a long ribbon pretending I was a gymnast during the Olympics…that’s just the same, right? Well, I just need to tone up a little and lose that […]

It all started with a list. When Samantha Bradford looks in the mirror, she sees a beautiful woman staring back. But the world just sees a big girl with a long list of crazy dreams. She’s tired of letting what other people think hold her back. And today – all that’s about to change. Look […]