In October, I added the following 7 states bringing me to 40. We're going to Louisiana over the holidays, so I'll actually hit 41 by the end of the year!
Maine
New Hampshire
Vermont
Connecticut
New Jersey
Rhode Island
Massachusetts
Get states visited up to 40
I'm a little late on updating this one, but I completed this in early October when we visited the New England States. I was at 32 when the year started and added Mississippi earlier in the year getting up to 33.
Sew something
No pictures here since it's a Christmas present. It's also pretty lame, but it's one of those things that you just can't see spending good money on, so I did it myself. Can't say more than that or I'll give it away:-)
Send Christmas cards
Okay, I didn't take any pictures here so you'll just have to trust me on this one. I sent them!!! I think it's been, oh, at least 7 years, maybe 10 or more, but hey, they got done this year and that's all that counts.
Make tamales
Yummo! Everyone said tamales are very time consuming. While they are time consuming, much of that time is just waiting, so they aren't as labor intensive as I had thought. Definitely need an entire day and I understand why many do tamale making parties. I can see how it would be fun to do with a group of friends.
I must also admit that these were the best tamales I've ever had. Thanks to http://www.makingtamales.com/ for the recipe and instructions. The only downside is I had twice as much meat as I needed. I just froze it for later use, but you can definitely cut the pork in half.
Install a closet organizer
This is one of those items that wasn't exactly fun, but the frustration of my unorganized closet was getting to me. I've never met anyone else who has 2 full size windows in their closet. While it may be aesthetically pleasing from the outside of the house, it doesn't exactly make a lot of sense. Although I guess my clothes get lots of fresh air.
Kind of hard to get a good photo inside the closet, but at least you can see that our shoes are no longer on the floor.
Eat roasted chestnuts
I had never eaten roasted chestnuts before, much less made them. Very easy to make, just clean and roast for about 20 minutes over an open fire. Everything I read said the skins would be difficult to peel, but they were actually pretty easy, you just had to wear gloves and do it while they were still hot. I wasn't a huge fan of them, but maybe they just needed a little salt?
Visit a new foreign country
Wow! We took an amazing missions trip to Guatemala. Way too much to write, so since a picture is worth a 1000 words, this video is a novel:-)
http://www.photoshow.com/watch/BK9JR6wc
http://www.photoshow.com/watch/BK9JR6wc
Playing in the rain
This picture was in Guatemala. Everyone else was already in bed and Kathy had a great recommendation that we go outside and fill my bucket list of playing in the rain! This photo was before we got too wet, but before the night ended we were literally rolling down the street in the water. Thank you girls for playing with me in the rain and having a little "young" fun again!
Send a message in a bottle
Spent the night in a lighthouse in Rhode Island so figured this was the best time to send my message in a bottle. After I threw it in the water, we were watching it float and it looked as thought there was a sandbar where it might get caught. So, the next morning, we went looking to see if it came right back to us or got stuck on the sandbar and this is what we found.....a message in a bottle! And it wasn't mine! What are the odds of that?
Ride a Segway
Segway tour of Portsmouth, NH. These things were SO much fun. A great way to have fun and see some historical sites at the same time. I want one!
Buy food for someone
I was having a rough day, so was treating myself to Taco Bell for lunch, or as we call it, "Fat Food". After paying, I realized it would be the perfect day for me to fill this item. I asked the cashier for the balance of the car behind me so I could pay it. He asked me if they were a friend of mine and I simply told him, "Nope. Having a crappy day, so figured maybe if I made somebody else's day good, mine would get better". I paid and drove off. At this particular Taco Bell, there's a bit of a drive to get back to the Hwy. As I was on the Hwy driving away, I looked back and the car had stopped in the Taco Bell parking lot and was trying to get my attention. They just waved and I drove on. It really did make my day better! It's funny how when life isn't going your way, how amazing it can be to take "you" out of the picture for a minute and focus on someone else. Suddenly, life doesn't seem so bad and you realize just how small your problem was that you were frustrated about. Life is grand!
This one may be off the list, but it's not done. When something so simple makes you feel so good, you need to repeat:-)
100% locally grown
With so many travels, it was hard to find a good week to try to pull this off. The goal was to eat 100% locally grown food for one week. I had one week before Sunniva arrived and I knew it would be almost impossible once she got here. To prepare, Brett & I made a trip to the Amish country in Ethridge, TN. I bought all kinds of fresh goodies to supplement our own items. Eggs from our chickens, beef from cows raised by our friends, lots of veggies in our garden. I was going to allow myself sugar, salt and pepper - everything else was to be local. We bought a lot more veggies - things like okra, potatoes and carrots and then also got molasses, butter and even milk, from the different Amish farms. I was set.
I did so good. And then Brett said I should take a vitamin. I don't normally take vitamins, and looking back, this would probably be some of healthiest eating I would experience in my life, so why I agreed I needed vitamins, I don't know. Anyhow, I took a vitamin and went to bed. Just a few minutes later I started getting nauseous. It came so quick, but I felt horrible! Brett came in and said he realized it was because I took a vitamin on an empty stomach. I needed to eat. But when you're nauseous, the last thing you want is veggies or creamy milk....you want bread! Being gluten free, there's no such thing as local bread that I can eat. I kept thinking, do I break my week or do I throw up? In the end, I chose to eat a gluten free bagel. And it never tasted so good. I know myself well enough to know that I wont try this again this year as I can't eat something different than everyone else in the house and trust me when I say Brett and Sunniva wont be doing it. So, this is going to be one of those where I must admit. "I tried. I failed. I'm not trying again."
Ahh...the joy of a good practical joke!
Poor Beau. He had been looking forward to a trip to the beach for months. Seriously. Every week, we heard how he wanted to go to the beach. And then it wouldn't happen. So, here he was, a week at the beach planned with friends. Room rented. Plane ticket purchased. Leaving tomorrow. Maybe not, if I had anything to do with it.
Jeremy thought it would be fun for me to tell him that because we were behind, we needed him to stay. I wasn't sure I could pull it off, but I got my game face on and called him in to meet.
Jeremy was there too as I explained to them that we couldn't let Beau go on vacation. I explained I had already discussed it with HR and we would reimburse him for any deposits or tickets he could not get refunded. I wouldn't do it if we didn't absolutely need to, but it just wasn't a good time. He started to barter with me, explaining how friends were going, everything was paid for, etc. In the end, we agreed that he could still go, but he would need to bring his laptop and be available to work during the days, but then at least he would still be able to go out with his friends in the evenings.
As we finished, I thanked him and handed him a piece of paper that I said listed the items I needed him to work on that week. He went to read it over and it was the email from Jeremy asking me to help him with this prank. Then, a personal note from Jeremy that said he promised he would always get the last laugh.
Ah...these are the things that make work more enjoyable. Good people. Good times. Sorry, Beau. And yes, I'm watching my back.
Hot air balloon ride
Well, I have nothing good to say about the company that we went with, but the trip itself was enjoyable. My first trip in July was cancelled due to a mechanical issue with the bus, the second trip in August was cancelled due to bad weather and when we got there today, we were told they didn't have us on the list and we couldn't fly as there was no room. Leaving home at 5:30 in the morning to be told no, again, did not make me happy. Luckily as we got in the car to leave and I told Sunniva we would not reschedule as I was going to fight to get my money back, they ran out to the car and a very gracious couple who lived nearby the flight company had offered to give up their spot today so that we could go. What sweet people!
So, after 3 months of trying, I finally got my balloon flight! It was a little windy, so we stayed fairly low most of the time. Our highest altitude was about 2000 feet (the balloon can go about 10,000 feet). It was beautiful and relaxing. Or at least, I found it relaxing. Sunniva had topsy turvy tummy the entire time. It didn't help that the pilot kept talking about the wind and what to do if we had to have a fast landing. All in all, I would recommend it, just not with the company we went with.
Award winning macaroons
I entered macaroons and oatmeal cookies in the fair. Brett kept saying I needed to enter them in the "other" category, since everything was gluten free. My response was that if they couldn't go up against the real deal, they don't deserve to win. Well....apparently, the oatmeal cookies didn't deserve it, but the macaroons made up for that by getting first place! Woot Woot!
Plant sunflowers
A bit late in the year, but I finally did plant sunflowers. This picture was a few weeks ago and I'm now starting to see very large buds. They'll probably bloom just before we see our first frost, but hey, they got planted.
Buy something without looking at the price tag
Some may call it cheap, but I prefer "frugal". I needed to see if I had it in me to buy something that was not on sale or that I did not have coupons for. Sounds easy, right? But if you're a frugal person, you know that if it's not on sale, you tell yourself to wait until it goes on sale. Because it will.
I did cheat a bit. I went to Dress Barn where nothing is outrageously priced to begin with. But then I had a bit of fun. Brett was on a 2 week roadtrip to CA, so I think in the end, I figured I "deserved" it and actually ended up buying several things....and didn't once check to see what the prices were or if they were on sale....and no coupons used. Success!
Now I need to go back to my frugal self though....too many trips planned this year, so I need to save where I'm used to saving so that I can have some fun:-)
One of my new outfits.
Motorcycle license
I did it! I got my motorcycle license!! I was worried about being the only girl in the class and having all the guys have to hold up until I figured things out. When we first got started, I couldn't get it into neutral if my life depended on it, but after that things ran smoothly. I was happy to be the first one done with the written test and to score 100%. The next day, we did the riding test and I only missed two! There is one part where you have to do a figure 8 inside a box and I went out of the box on one of the turns and then the final turn of test, I entered the turn too slow.
I had more fun than I expected, but I still don't see me riding on the interstates. I may be able to build up my own confidence, but all it takes is one person not paying attention. Maybe a trip down the Natchez Trace?
Sushi
Here's proof that I tried sushi. Even though I wasn't looking forward to it, I was hoping to like it. I mean, hey, isn't Sushi that "in" thing and if you like it, you're so much more sophisticated! Well, I guess I'm not meant to be sophisticated, I'll still take a taco truck over sushi any day of the week! Brett....now I can knock it since I've tried it!!
French Broad Outpost Dude Ranch
What a terrific week! We arrived last Sunday at the French Broad Outpost for a week of fun!!
Sunday: Checked in and met the other guests. Meals were served family style with the guests and staff so we got to meet everyone. After dinner, we had orientation where the owner gave us the basics. It was very informative and he explained several things that I had never been previously told. I liked the way he explained things- he didn't just tell you what to do, but why to do it. They only used Arabians and neither Brett or I had ever ridden an Arabian.
Monday: After breakfast, we met our horses and did some hands on training, then took a trail ride. We were assigned a horse for the week and for each ride, you were responsible for getting your own horse from the pasture and saddling up. They did not do any of that for you and it definitely helped you to learn. After lunch, we took another trail ride. Came back for dinner and then played some pioneer games. My first injury wasn't even from a horse - it was a 3 legged race gone bad and we took a nose dive!
Tuesday: Breakfast, cattle drive, lunch, whitewater rafting, dinner, team penning. My booty was a bit sore today:-(
Wednesday: Yeah! I woke up and nothing hurt today! A few of the guests left and a few more arrived. There was one other family that stayed for the entire week. Breakfast, trail ride, then after lunch we skipped out on the float trip because the weather was gloomy, so instead we spent the afternoon reading and playing games with our new friends.
Thursday: Breakfast, cattle drive, lunch. After lunch, I chose to take progressive riding lessons. There were 5 of us taking the lessons and 3 of us moved on from trotting to cantering. Afterward the other 2 were bruised and in pain. I was feeling pretty good that I wasn't hurting. Ended the day with dinner and games.
Friday: That feeling of excited about not being in pain after the riding lesson yesterday was definitely missing the moment I woke up:-( Good thing I brought some ThermaCare heat pads, there were muscles in my back and neck that I didn't know existed! Breakfast, Cattle drive, Lunch. After lunch, Brett went on a ride and I went with Kim to check out the small town of Hot Springs, NC, then back for dinner and a night of square dancing.
Saturday: After breakfast, we skipped the advanced whitewater trip so that we could go into town and meet up with Jen Brown, a friend of mine from High School. It was the first time we had seen each other in 21 years and she brought her son who just graduated High School. Time sure flies! We cut our visit short so that we could get back to the ranch for our last ride of the week, but on our way back, the weather got crazy and any riding for the day was cancelled. With that done, we spent the rest of the night enjoying the company of our new friends and listening to some live Bluegrass music.
Sunday: Breakfast, said good-bye to all our new friends and headed home!
The guests, wranglers, owners and staff were all superb and this week ranked as one of our best vacations. I also need to add that they went way out of their way to accommodate our gluten free needs. We ate just like everyone else, but they fixed several things separately and made them gluten free. They said they learned a lot and as much as they learned...we ate! We had spaghetti, chocolate chip cookies, peach cobbler, grilled cheese, spinach tortellini soup, brownies, buttermilk pie, waffles, etc. You name it, they rocked it!!!!
Beautiful view of the ranch from just outside our room.
Brett's horse for the week...Munchkin!!
My horse for the week, Tonamae.
Changing my oil & tire
The first thing I learned was that it was super easy which made me wonder why people pay others to do it. The second thing I learned was that it was HOT outside and I would gladly pay someone to do it for me....thank you God for Brett:-)
After changing the oil, I took off the front tire and put it back on. Again, not a big deal, but didn't know if I would know what to do if on my own. Brett taught me a few tricks, but I hope that I never have to use them!
Easter
Yes, I'm a little late with posting this, but better late than never.
We spent Easter at the Love Farm. Our friends, Heidi and Roddy Love do a fantastic job of hosting an annual Easter get together. Just like themselves, most of their guests are talented singers and songwriters, and everyone takes turns performing on the wrap around porch of their beautiful old farmhouse.
Great old fashioned fun! Thank you Heidi and Roddy for a great time!
Kentucky Derby 2011
Plans got a little out of whack this week. Won't go into everything, but the end result was that at the last minute, we didn't have a place to stay. We made the best of it though and saved some money while we were at it, by driving up and back the same day.
I had never been to Churchill Downs but the location was not at all what I expected. Very much in town and near the airport. I think I expected something a little more rural.
We made it!
Brett at the entrance statue.
Making friends in the wagering line.
And they're off! This was our view of the race. It may not seem like much, but it was exciting and we actually got a great spot for being on the infield.
The Derby really has 3 different zones. 1. The classy section that most people know about and vision when they hear about The Derby. 2. The family half of the infield. Think race car fans on a Sunday picnic in the park. 3. The party half of the infield. Think Bonnaroo meets Woodstock.
We had a great time and when we were leaving said that we would do it again. And then came trying to get out. It was a lesson in patience and God help you if you were claustrophobic. I had push my way to the outer edge a few times myself just to be able to breathe. All in all it took about 2 hours to get onto the shuttle bus. Standing in line doesn't bother me. I don't like it, but it is what it is. This however, was complete chaos and lacked any sort of logistics. After enduring that part, I think next year will be a Derby Party at home.
Tornado damage in Alabama
As most everyone across the United States knows, the south was hit by the 2nd deadliest spawn of tornado's in recorded history. Today we headed south to help our neighbors in need. There's not a lot to say, so we'll let the pictures do the talking. These are a home we worked at in Madison Co, AL.
Side of house.
Backyard looking at neighbors.
Garage
Looking across the street
Front of house. The car on the right did not belong to the homeowner. It was originally parked down the street.
Neighbors house. Apparently they have a good sense of humor. If you look close enough, you'll see they spray painted "For Sale. Fixer Upper. Cheap." on the front of the house.I surprised somebody!
...or rather I'm in the process of surprising someone. You're going to have to take my word on this one as I can't post it on here for obvious reasons. Oh, but I wish I could!!
This, that and the other
It's been over a month since my last update, so I need to remember what I've done. It's gonna be a quick update, but I need to blog! A couple of those weeks, I was out of commission from being sick and then having an allergic reaction to amoxicillin, but I'm trying to forget about that.
- In March, we had a date night with dinner and a Predators game. The plan was to go to two more Preds games in April, but sickness hit the house and that didn' happen.
. - Sips & Strokes with friends.
- We had a pregnant cat show up and decide this was her new home. So we now have 5 very cute kittens....but they need homes!
- Cooking class at Viking. Will definitely do that again. Very small classes of only 6 people, so it's very intimate and you can learn a lot. The class I attended was Gluten Free Gourmet. Some of the delicious stuff we made...crusty bread, fettucine with zucchini and parmesan(I'd never made homemade pasta before, much less gluten-free) and ganache filled cupcakes with vanilla buttercream. Tons of fun!!!
- 5 pounds down, so making progress on that goal as well.
Zumba!
I finally did it! I've been wanting to try Zumba for what seems like forever and I finally went tonight and loved it! The music is perfect. Anyone who really knows us, knows that latin music is a favorite in our house. I also tried a hip hop class earlier in the week. It was good, but Zumba was definitely better. Even though I'm crossing this one off my list, I plan to repeat often. Probably just need to give my calves a day or two to recover first:-)
It was a beautiful day today (low 60's!), so it was a perfect day for me to try my hand at shooting a rifle. Brett said a 22 would be a good starter, so he loaded me up and we headed out back. We have a target area set up, but it's kind of close to the donkeys and since this is still a new environment for them, I didn't think freaking them out with loud noises so close would be a good idea. We have a large burm that makes it perfect for shooting, so a simple target stapled to a tree and I was set to go.
Not exactly a bullseye, but I'm not complaining for my first try. It wasn't what I was expecting. I thought there would be recoil, so I was pleasantly surprised. In a lot of ways I liked it better than a handgun. Too bad a rifle doesn't fit well in your purse!
Been there, done that - another one off my list.
This is one of our new donkeys! We got 3 donkeys last week - a male, a female and a baby (female). Today, I decided to see if the male would let me lead him around the yard. For the most part, he was cool with it, but if he was done, there wasn't much I could do but wait until he was ready to go again. Other than that, there was no fighting me on it and in fact, he was being so docile that I decided to get on his back and see if he would let me ride him. I wasn't sure who was more surprised that I did that...me, Brett or the donkey! But he let me, so then we were all suprised! We only went a few feet as I don't fully trust him yet, but I'm excited now about how friendly he is.
We've had a lot of great suggestions for names but are still trying to decide - want to know their personalities first.
We received confirmation in the mail for our vacation this summer at the French Broad River Dude Ranch. Pretty stoked about that.
The rest of the week was pretty uneventful - work, home, sleep, repeat. Oh wait - we had snow this week, so it was work, sit in traffic, home, sleep, repeat.
Shrek The Musical at TPAC
This has been a very long week. I spent 4 days in Illinois for work. It was a good trip, but needless to say, I was happy to get home last night. Surprisingly, I woke up today wanting to go do something. I checked the TPAC website and found Shrek the Musical. We are fans of the Shrek movies, so decided to head to Nashville and make a day of it.
We hit the matinee showing so there were a LOT of kids! Just like the Shrek movies, there were definitely one liners that were more geared towards adults than the little ones. I do recommend the show as it's a lot of laughs, but know that some will not find it appropriate for kids.
Thanks to restaurants.com, we then went out to dinner at Commerce Grill and ended the day with some Creme Brulee:-) Overall, it was a great last minute afternoon!
TPAC performance now checked off the list....38 to go!
Mississippi - PCA Finals Rodeo
The first item off my list! We attended the PCA Finals in Philadelphia, Mississippi this weekend. There was still a lot of ice on the roads when we left Friday morning, so we took the long route to stay on major roads. We drove straight through except for a quick bite to eat at Taco Bell at one of the truck stops. While we waited for our order, I played a game of Ms Pacman. LOL! I'm pretty sure the last time I did that I was sporting feathered hair and rollerskating:-)
The rodeo was a lot of fun and we enjoyed spending time with good friends. I always get nervous watching the bull riders, but it seems the worst injuries we see are the bareback or saddle bronc riders. Our prayers go out to the young man who was injured this weekend. It's never fun to see someone in pain. Cowboys are the toughest of the tough!
On the way home today, we took the scenic Natchez Trace. It's much prettier in the fall when the trees are colorful, but it's still a great ride if you've never taken it before. Word to the wise though, there is little to no reception most of the way. Even though we drive a lot, I'm like a kid and get bored quickly so I'm usually on the computer. Having no reception made me a bit antsy!
When we did have reception, I bought our tickets to the Kentucky Derby! Then I started looking for rooms and realized I probably should have looked for rooms before looking for tickets. Most places are already sold out and others are pricey...LaQuinta is $450/night and camping at the Expo was more than $115/night with a 3 night minimum...Yikes!!! Luckily, we found a KOA less than 10 miles away for only $50 night. My list is expensive to accomplish in a single year so I need to find as many deals as possible.
1 down...39 to go!
Root canal
Not a good day - I had to have a root canal. The good news is we are going to Mississippi this weekend with friends to attend a rodeo. Brett's trying to figure out if we can make it to New Orleans in the same trip. I think we're going to have to hold out on that if we really want to take in and enjoy both places, but we'll see. Anyhow, too bad root canal wasn't on my list...I would love to have the pleasure of checking it off!
I'm actually a little farther from reaching any any of my goals than I was yesterday. I know this sounds completely contradictory, but since I was in pain, I consolidated myself with peanut butter cookies. I probably now have 21 pounds to go!
I'm actually a little farther from reaching any any of my goals than I was yesterday. I know this sounds completely contradictory, but since I was in pain, I consolidated myself with peanut butter cookies. I probably now have 21 pounds to go!
I'm turning 40 Bucket List!
I just had a birthday on December 30th...it was #39. I can't believe I'm going to be 40 this year. Not because that sounds old, but because my to do list is growing rather than getting shorter. The older I get, the more I learn about things to do and places to go that I had never even considered earlier in my life, and then I want to do those things and see those places.
Since moving to Tennessee 3 1/2 years ago, we have really slowed down and stopped doing as much as we used to. In some ways, that's because we love where we live and we're content. But I do still want to see and do more! So, since this is my 40th year of life, I've decided to do a Bucket List for the year. My goal is to do 40 of these things this year and one of those is to keep up this blog!
Here's the list. Oh, and yes, there are a few more than 40 items listed here...that's me planning ahead in case money or circumstances don't allow for a few of them:-)
- Go to the Kentucky Derby
- Make tamales
- Visit a dude ranch
- Rent a houseboat
- Install a closet organizer (may not sound exciting, but wait till you see pictures of our funky closet)
- Send a message in a bottle...and not get fined for littering
- Skydive
- Blog about this Bucket List all year
- Ride a train (I've ridden the Wine Train, but that doesn't count)
- Lose 20 pounds
- Take a hot air balloon ride
- Hang out at home for a full weekend and be content with my surroundings. No working!
- Shoot a rifle
- See the Statue of Liberty
- Volunteer at a soup kitchen
- Try sushi- This one's for Brett. Quite honestly, not looking forward to it.
- Eat Creole/Cajun food in New Orleans
- Visit a foreign country I have not been to
- Get a motorcycle license
- Take part in a flashmob
- Plant sunflowers
- Try Zumba
- Buy food for someone behind me
- Eat roasted chestnuts - We sing about them, but how many have actually eaten them?
- Actually send Christmas cards
- Attend an event at TPAC
- Keep up with monthly dates with my hubby:-)
- Learn to change a tire
- Learn to change the oil in my car
- Take a cooking class
- Enter something at the fair
- Finish the bathroom in the shop - Another one that isn't exciting, but I want to see it done!
- Sew something
- Start an annual girls' weekend - I miss our CA girls' weekends,so it's time to start a new tradition with new friends!
- Surpise somebody
- Meet interesting new people
- Learn the names and locations of all the countries
- Learn more about canning
- Play in the rain - I haven't really played in the rain since I was a kid. You know, where you are completely drenched and laughing to the point you can't stop.
- Eat 100% locally grown food for 1 week
- Make homemade ice cream
- Go to Mississippi- It's so close and I've lived here 3 1/2 years and I haven't made it- that's crazy!
- Ride a Segway- I know it's lame, but you know you want to as well:-)
- Play a good practical joke
- Buy a new outfit and not care how much it costs
- Get states visited up to 40 (I'm currently at 32)
- Spend more time with friends
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