But after my divorce, I found myself experiencing what I can only playfully refer to as an "early life crisis". I grew bored with my day to day. My circles of friends seem to have shifted overnight into categories such as "married" or "with kids" and the social interactions took on a whole new feel. Fitting in as a divorcee felt odd. I grew restless for more. More life. More noise. More adventure. More like-minded friends. More. Just more.

In 2010 I decided to mix things up. "Live out loud" was my mantra but that didn't feel like enough. So I decided to challenge myself to experience one new thing every day for an entire year. I would step out of my comfort zone and put myself into new situations, meet new people, try new foods, visit new places and experience new things. Yes! This felt good. This felt right.

Until I realized exactly how difficult it was to experience something new EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. In theory it's an excellent plan. But the reality for a VP of Operations overseeing an expanding attraction company on the east coast looked very different. Days would slide by and it was all I could do to ensure I had three well balanced meals, much less squeeze in a new adventure. So I quickly learned the meaning of extending myself a little grace and adjusted things just a bit. So the 365 Challenge was born.  365 new experiences within 365 days. That HAD to be manageable... right?! It wasn't always easy, but I did it. And boy was it FUN!  In that year I tried Thai food for the first time, jumped out of an airplane, went ziplining and repelling, got up close and (very) personal with alligators on a private airboat swamp tour, tried moonshine, took salsa lessons and said goodbye to the year on a sunrise hot air balloon ride.   Looking back, it's one of my favorites.  An entire year spent with new and old friends (and family) making so many amazing memories.

So here we are. Seven years later and I find myself feeling restless again. It's in my nature I suppose. But after traveling to countless new places (near and far), moving back to my home state, changing jobs, loosing loved ones, making new friends, saying goodbye to many old ones and adopting a rescue pup (favorite of all)... I've decided it's time for a reboot.

2017. 365 days. 365 new experiences.

If you're reading this... whether you know me or not... I implore you to join me. It's difficult to describe how fun and addicting this challenge is. Your brain begins to shift with every decision. Instead of ordering your "typical" Friday night Chinese take-out, you opt to try that new Thai place. Sunny Saturday afternoons may not be spent lazily watching Netflix, but instead checking out a new hiking trail a few miles from home. New foods never tried. Recipes never attempted. Plays you've only heard about. Parks you drive past but never visit. There are SO MANY opportunities to infuse adventure into our day-to-day.

The only rules are: