Hertan Adventures

Volunteer at a soup kitchen

2012-01-22T20:10:00.000-08:00

I have always wanted to volunteer at a soup kitchen and admittedly felt a little guilty that I was all talk and no action. So I finished off my year by waking up very early and working at breakfast at the Nashville Rescue Mission on my birthday. It was the best thing I did that day! After serving, Brett and I stayed and had breakfast with some of the guys in the recovery program. We were able to learn more about the mission and how the recovery program works and were very impressed. I'm excited to say that it will not be the last time we will work with them. For anyone who has ever thought about it - don't wait till your 40th birthday. You will be just as blessed as those you are serving:-)

Homemade ice cream

2012-01-22T19:53:00.000-08:00

Figured I would try my Blentec to make my homemade ice cream. Consistency was more of a frozen yogurt and it tasted okay, but I'll still be getting my ice cream at the grocery store. Still think it's pretty cool though that I can make both ice cream and soup in a blender - that thing definitely gets a work out in our house!

Shop bathroom

2012-01-22T18:43:00.000-08:00

Ok, let's admit it, there were a couple of items on this list, that I had no "hand" in. My part was simply to nag until it got done. Such was the case with the bathroom in the shop. And apparently, I had to nag all year. The bathroom literally got done on the last day of the year...and that was after I compromised and said all but the shower can be done. I'm not sure how often we'll actually use a shower out there anyway.

Looking on the bright side, we now have a cute and functional bathroom with a working toilet and sink and even hot water. Amen! I think the funny part is now that it's done, we put an offer today on piece of land. It looks like somebody may be getting a whole new honey do list!

Finishing the year...and the list

2012-01-22T17:51:00.000-08:00

My 40th birthday was quickly approaching and I had a few items left to complete to hit 40 things by the end of the year, so....

On December 23rd, we took Amtrack to New Orleans. I had never taken a train like that and I really enjoyed it. We had our own roomette and it was worth the extra money for a 7 hour trip, especially considering it includes your meals. I have to admit though, that next time I'll take along some motion sickness medicine as Brett and I were taking turns in the seat that faced forward since we were both a little nauseous.

We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in New Orleans. The city is both beautiful and interesting and I would have like to have had more time to really take it in. The Bourbon St thing is not our thing, but we did experience it. Been there, done that, no need to do again. I completed my "eat Creole/Cajun in New Orleans" at a oyster restaurant on Bourbon St. It didn't take me long to realize I'm not a fan. That makes two new foods for me this year and I didn't like either one(remember the sushi? I think I'm a simple meat and potatoes country girl!

On Christmas Day, my longtime friend - and by longtime, I think we've known each other for 32+ years!, came down to New Orleans with her family. It was so great to see her and spend the holiday with her and her family.

The next morning, we boarded the train for home and I had 7 hours to focus on learning the locations of all the countries in the world. I had the Western Hemisphere down, but had a long way to go to know all the countries. Luckily, we found a great app for Brett's phone and it made learning the rest of them very easy. By the end of the day, I could easily tell you where every country was in the world. Now, how long that info actually stays in my brain is left to be seen.

All in all, a wonderful trip and 3 more items off my list!!

Get states visited up to 40

2011-12-12T19:34:00.000-08:00

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.

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

Sew something

2011-12-12T19:31:00.001-08:00

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

2011-12-12T19:28:00.001-08:00

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

2011-12-12T19:11:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-12T19:03:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-12T18:28:00.001-08:00

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

2011-12-12T18:21:00.000-08:00

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

Playing in the rain

2011-12-12T18:13:00.000-08:00

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!

Statue of Liberty

2011-11-27T06:11:00.001-08:00

No words can describe.

Send a message in a bottle

2011-11-27T05:33:00.000-08:00

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

2011-10-23T06:10:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-23T05:46:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-18T17:13:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-09-18T17:03:00.001-07:00

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

2011-09-18T16:49:00.001-07:00

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

2011-09-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-18T16:31:00.001-07:00

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

2011-09-18T16:15:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-19T19:41:00.001-07:00

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

2011-06-19T19:15:00.001-07:00

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

2011-06-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-19T16:20:00.000-07:00

This was one of the items on my list that definitely wasn't glamorous, but I wanted to know how to do it. My dad was an auto mechanic who had his own shop and between him and Brett I never needed to know how to take care of my own car, but I figured that just because I didn't need to do it, didn't mean that I shouldn't know how to do it.

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

2011-06-19T15:53:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-08T16:04:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-04-27T19:44:00.000-07:00

...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

2011-04-16T06:16:00.001-07:00

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!

2011-03-10T18:54:00.000-08:00

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:-)

2011-02-13T16:22:00.000-08:00

On target!

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.

2011-02-12T14:21:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-29T18:44:00.001-08:00

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

2011-01-23T15:53:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-17T20:20:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-01-16T16:51:00.000-08:00

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

Coupons part II

2009-08-24T05:43:00.000-07:00

For my FB friends who wanted to know how I got my deals yesterday. I have already learned that you don't buy what you need when you need it, but buy it when it's cheap so that you have it when you need it and wont have to pay full price. My purchases yesterday were not needed right now, but at these prices I couldn't pass them up as they are all items that we will use.

I found the site, www.southernsavers.com to be awesome! She does most of the work for you and lists several different stores and the current deals. There are lots of these sites out there, but this one is great because it's lists stores close to me.

At Rite Aid, I had to have them ring them up in 3 separate transactions so that I could use 3 separate $5 off $25 purchase coupons.

Transaction # 1
Zyrtec (18.99)
Tylenol (2.99)
Kotex (2.50)
2 Trident (.99 ea on sale)

Used:
$5 off $25 purchase coupon (print off the internet)
$5 off Zyrtec Rite Aid coupon (Sunday paper insert)
$4 off Zyrtec manufacturer coupon (Sunday paper insert)
$1 off Kotex (Sunday paper insert or print off internet)
$1 off when you buy 2 Tridents (print off internet)
$2 off Tylenol (Sunday paper insert)

Transaction #2
Zyrtec (18.99)
Colgate Total (2.49)
Kotex (2.50)
2 Tridents (.99 ea on sale)

Used:
$5 off $25 purchase coupon (print off the internet)
$5 off Zyrtec Rite Aid coupon (Sunday paper insert)
$4 off Zyrtec manufacturer coupon (Sunday paper insert)
$1 off Colgate (Sunday paper insert)
$1 off Kotex (Sunday paper insert or print off internet)
$1 off when you buy 2 Tridents (print off internet)

Transaction #3
Zyrtec (18.99)
Glade Sense & Spray (9.99)
Duracell AAA batteries (8.59)
Duracell AA batteries (13.99 reg - on sale for $9.99)

Used:
$5 off $25 purchase coupon (print off the internet)
$5 off Zyrtec Rite Aid coupon (Sunday paper insert)
$4 off Zyrtec manufacturer coupon (Sunday paper insert)
$2 off Duracell Rite Aid coupon (Sunday paper insert)
$2 off Duracell Rite Aid coupon (Sunday paper insert)
$1.50 of Duracell manufacturer coupon (Sunday paper insert)
$.75 off Duracell manufacturer coupon (Sunday paper insert)
$4.00 off Glade Sense & Spray manufacturer coupon (Sunday paper insert)

Due after tax:
Transaction #1: $10.91
Transaction #2: $11.36
Transaction #3: $27.71
Total Spent: $$49.98

Rebates after logging receipts on RiteAid.com (one single check will be received for these):

Rebate # 138 Glade Sense & Spray $2.00
Rebate # 119 Colgate $2.49
Rebate # 97 Purchase $50 in Zyrtec, get $25.00
Rebate # 92 Duracell $5.00
Rebate # 50 Tylenol $2.00
Rebate # 40 Kotex $2.00
Zyrtec special: Buy 2, get $10 RiteAid Gift Card
Total back: $48.49

Net: $1.49!

After that, I headed over to CVS and purchased 4 packages of Carefree, 2 Glade Sense & Sprays and 2 composition notebooks, totaling @27.44. I used $10 in coupons and got back $20.14. (At CVS, they immediately give you a coupon that you use as cash for your next purchase and I received back $20.14. The cons about that are they must be used at CVS and they do expire. But let's face it, there's always items we need at CVS so those wont go unused.) My net after tax was $1!

Shopping was actually fun!

Coupons!

2009-08-23T18:54:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted. We have now paid off the Hummer so we're spending money again - sort of. A co-worker of mine was recently telling me about how his wife is one of those extreme coupon ladies and it intrigued me. I've always wondered how they actually get good deals. Everytime I've thought of using coupons before, I would clip one or two and stick them in my purse until they expired. I might have tried to use them but saw that the store brand was still way less expensive, so went with the store brand. But after hearing how much his family was saving, I figured it was time to learn how to do it right. It's been 3 weeks now that I've been couponing and this week I had my first REALLY good deal. Don't get me wrong, I have saved quite a bit over the past two weeks, but nothing like today.

Regular price of items purchased: $127.12
My price after coupons and rebates: $2.49 (and that's after tax!!)

I truly think this is the beginning of an obsession. It's like a game to find the deals and everyone who knows me knows that I love a good deal!

It's so hard to be good!

2008-12-02T18:37:00.001-08:00

Okay, here's the deal. Brett found out yesterday that he has a week of vacation that needs to be used by the end of the year. You're probably asking yourself "so what's the problem?". We are not ones to do the whole staycation thing... you know where you take a vacation but stay at home. That's just not how it's done in the Hertan house. We take full advantage of every vacation. So here was the dilema.

As a couple of DINK's (Double Income No Kids), we've been a bit spoiled. If we ever wanted to take a vacation, we would just do it, no questions asked. We are very frugal (ie. cheap) in other areas of our life. We have no problem going without cable, having cell phones that don't take pictures, using the library instead of buying the book, not going out to eat, buying clothes at Goodwill, etc., but when it comes to vacation, we don't hesitate.

The problem is that we made a pinky spit swear to each other a couple of months ago that we would not, under any circumstance, spend frivolously, until the Hummer is paid off. We have put off paying it off since it's a zero interest rate, but we want to not have that payment looming over us each month. We're getting oh so close to that day and here comes this vacation that must be taken.

Brett's family has their Christmas party that week and now we have the time off. Perfect timing. I checked ticket prices - ouch, maybe not so perfect. Next, I start playing on the internet just for fun and went to one of my favorite vacation sites and lo and behold I find a last minute 7 day cruise to the Bahamas for $199 per person!!! It's leaving out of Charleston, so it's within driving distance, which means no airfare! This cruise would be less than the flight to CA! I call to get more info. With taxes and fuel surcharge (don't they know gas prices went back down?) the rate ends up being $374 per person. Still WAY less expensive than just the flight to CA. Hmmm....should we do it? Do we break the pinky spit swear?

$374pp..that's crazy cheap when you think that it includes all your food. Of course, you have to pay for parking @ $15 day = $105. Charleston is a 9 hour drive, so add a room there and back and if you're lucky you can do that for another $150. Add the gas...$125. Of course, we'll want to attend the formal dinners....$100 clothes. We've got the TN honky white legs going on....$50 tanning. Excursions & food when in port @ $200 X 4 ports = $1000. We're now just under $2,000 and we haven't bought an alcoholic beverage or even played Bingo while waiting for a show to start (you cruisers know what I'm talking about).

In the end, the pinky spit swear wins out....we're going to try our first ever Staycation. Wish us luck that we're not bored out of our minds by Tuesday morning.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...

2008-12-01T15:41:00.000-08:00

We love Christmas, but it is seems like we're always moving this time of year. Last year we had just moved in and the year before we were in Cabo so it's been 3 years since we went through our decorations. We collect ornaments during our travels and put a tag on each ornament so that the occassion and date do not get forgotten over the years. It's also fun when friends come by and can walk through our life by reading the tags on the tree. As you can see, we have lots of memories! There are way too many to show them all, but here's a glimpse of what you'll see on our memory tree.

One of the traditions we miss most is spending St. Patrick's Day in Lake Tahoe with the Gaudy's. This ornament is from 2000 and the Goleno's also joined us that year. What fun we had!

As you can see, this one is from Carlsbad, CA in May 2004 when we spent time with Brett's brother Brad and his family.

This is an ornament given to me by my good friend, Erin Wheeler (aka Erin Wilson for those who knew her back when) in 1983! I treasure that our friendship has lasted through the years.

One of our many Disneyland trips. This one is from 2003 when we spent the week with Brett's brother, Bryce and his family. Bryce's truck broke down on the way there so we extended the stay an extra day. We were all trying to save some money so we used hotel points and 6 of us stayed in a regular room at the Radison on that last night. We had to stack the table and chairs so that the boys had room to sleep on the floor:-)

National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas 2005.

And of course, one of our all time favorites....The Spam Museum in 2005! I had never eaten Spam before this trip and after returning home, I thought I should give it a try. I made some Spam and eggs and presented it as breakfast to our niece, Elizabeth, who was 2 at the time. She ate all the eggs and wouldn't touch the Spam!

Date night

2008-11-30T19:07:00.000-08:00

Brett won tickets on the radio to the Grand Ole Opry. I know some of you are certainly not surprised by that. Brett is one of those guys who always seems to win. You can win contests on the radio station he listens to every 30 days, and he has won something the last 3 out of 4 months. In October, he was the right caller but had the wrong answer.

Anyhow, we've got the Dave Ramsey thing going on, so we haven't been going out much. Since he won tickets, we figured we would make a date out of it. Wouldn't you know it, I woke up feeling like I was getting a cold, but that wasn't go to stop me. I rested all day as I really wanted to go out.

We went to dinner at P.F. Changs for dinner since they have a separate gluten free menu that makes eating there easy. After dinner we went to Opryland and checked out the Christmas decorations. It's a sight to see. They use over 2 million lights in their outdoor decorations alone, 15 miles of garland, 15,000 poinsettias...you get the picture. If you love Christmas decorations, you have to check it out sometime. It's a good thing we had hours to kill as it was packed! The traffic driving up to the hotel was crazy and we started to get antsy in the car - thus the picture above.

The Opry was just okay this time but it was still fun to get out for the evening, although I do have to admit it made me feel really old to come in at 1am completely exhausted.

China worthy?

2008-10-19T18:45:00.001-07:00

When we moved from CA we pretty much sold everything. Let's face it, we pretty much had to as we needed the money to do our little adventure and why pay to store a bunch a stuff. And when you live in a 5th wheel and you have a total of 3 cabinets for dishes and food alike, downsizing is a necessity. We've been back in a house for just over a year now and we were still eating on our camping plates. You know, Corelle...the stuff that wont break or chip? Well, Brett dropped one of those plates, and they are right - they don't break and they don't chip. They shatter!

A few weeks ago, we had company over for dinner and even though we're still months away from Christmas, here I was eating on a plastic Rudolph plate. That was the night we decided we needed to buy some new dishes. But then we got thinking about the fact that we had plenty of perfectly good china in the attic. The more we thought about it, the more it made sense to use what we had and the whole idea of good china was nonsense. Why do we use our most expensive, most beautiful things only on special occasions? How often do you use your china? If you have both Thanksgiving and Christmas at your house, you probably use it twice a year. Our china is from Brett's mom and grandmother. Several pieces are chipped and there are quite a few pieces that are missing. We considered how we might feel if another piece got broken, but in the end we decided we would rather enjoy it everyday than not take the risk and only see it once or twice a year.

Aren't our friends and family the most cherished company? Shouldn't it be the people with whom we share our meals and not the date on the calendar that makes something special?
Our china has now been brought down from the attic and unpacked from it's many layers of bubble wrap and is now being "stored" in our kitchen where it is used everyday. Our cornflakes and meatloaf are now china worthy....or rather WE are now china worthy.

Titans

2008-09-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, I went to a Titans game with all of the Team Leaders from work. Our CEO very generously gave us Executive Suite tickets. This is the way to see the game.

Now that we've seen how the other half live, it will be hard to enjoy another game without such amenities. Private suite with comfy seats, great view, lots of food and good company - what more could we ask for?

I am so blessed to work with such a great group of fun and talented people!

Giftfest 2008

2008-09-23T18:14:00.000-07:00

Giftfest is a series of free events in Maury County that is sponsored by local churches and businesses. Saturday night we went and saw Phil Stacey perform at the local mall parking lot. He was an American Idol finalist in 2007.

We were also hoping to see Montell Jordan perform earlier in the day but we got sidetracked on the way when we saw an auction. Let's just say, we missed the concert and bought a few things we needed as well as a few things we didn't.

Chattanooga

2008-09-21T18:00:00.001-07:00

I'm a little late in posting this but we went to Chattanooga over Labor Day weekend. We went with Gary & Jenny, friends from church and we had a great time. It was nice to spend some time with them and get to know them better.

We first went to Ruby Falls. The falls are deep inside the caverns so it was a tough to get a decent picture.

After Ruby Falls, we went to Rock City. Rock City is where you can supposedly see 7 states from one place. Whether or not we actually saw 7 states is up in the air since you can't exactly see state lines so I guess you just have to believe.

We then hit the Incline Railway which has an amazing 72% incline!

All in all, it was a very busy day as we crammed several mini trips in and being Labor Day, it was a bit busy. We also noticed that a large percentage of the license plates were from Louisianna. I guess if you're going to evacuate, you might as well have some fun. I think another trip to Chattanooga is definitely warranted as there is still plenty that we didn't get to see.

Wynonna

2008-08-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

Brett won tickets on the radio for us to go to the Opry and then backstage with Wynonna. We had a great time. The Opry is kind of a joke between us. Brett would go every single night if he could and I on the other hand, well.....let's just say that I'm not quite as into it as Brett is. There are some nights when I have no clue who any of the artists are, but Brett always knows ALL of them.

This was one of the really good nights at the Opry; not only was Wynonna there, but also Trace Adkins, Martina McBride and Lee Greenwood. I know some of you are thinking that Lee Greenwood doesn't fit in with the others, but I've got to disagree. Hearing Lee Greenwood sing "God Bless the U.S.A. " was absolutely amazing! The best part about it was we weren't on a boat at Lake Berryessa....My parents and sister will completely understand what I mean by that:-)

Now mind you, I've never been a big Wynonna fan either, but what a voice that woman has! I think hearing her in person may have changed my mind about her. Brett also won her CD so I've been listening to it on my commute and I had no clue just how versatile she was.

I also have to mention the shoes incident. Brett got new sandals a couple months back and rarely wears them but when he does, he's like a little kid making sure I notice that he's wearing his new shoes. The first thing Wynonna said to us was that Brett was sure proud of his new shoes. I just lost it and started laughing. Poor Wynonna had no idea why I thought it was so funny so she looked at me and asked, "What are you laughing at?". I had to tell her that she was so right on about Brett being proud of his shoes. This was one of those times when you really had to be there to understand why it was so funny.

We got a Wii!

2008-08-04T17:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have to admit, I never would have thought that we would purchase a Wii, but now that we have.....it's addicting! And don't our Mii's look cute:-)

What a blast to be able to play tennis in your living room and when you start to get all hot & sweaty, you just turn up the a/c. Humidity- what's that? I think I can get used to this. And bowling....well, let's just say the competition is on. Brett & I have a bowlathon just about every night.

Now we can't wait to get the Wii fit and Rock Band, but let's just say that July was a very fun (ie. $$) month, so we're going to have to wait until September. Hey, hopefully by then, I'll have my gold medal in tennis, have beat Brett's high bowling score of 238 and be ready for our next challenge.

Maybe this is a sort of mid life crisis? Seeing how it is the first video game we've owned since playing pong on Atari and at that time, I was still sharing a bedroom with my little brother. But who cares? I mean even if it is, it's a heck of a lot better than seeing Brett drive through town with his shirt off in a new corvette!

Chicken in a pot

2008-07-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

Wow! I think this qualifies us as "country folk"! Yes, we've raised our own beef before but let's face it, you have a butcher come out and do all the work so it's just plain feeding a steer. Well, we got chickens a few months back and apparently one too many roosters. This guy was quite the problem child and we believe he was the direct cause behind two canibal deaths of his fellow coopmates. So, Brett decided to solve the problem and it looks like chicken is on the menu! I have to admit, I did absolutely nothing, unless you count filling the pot with water as participating. As much as I enjoy cooking, I still have Brett prepare the turkey at Thanksgiving and always buy boneless skinless chicken breasts, so this was a big much for me. Sorry, Brett, but if you want me to get into this country thing, it's gonna be baby steps. I love living without neighbors so I think that should qualify!

Infertility

2008-07-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

I learned today that a very dear friend of mine, whose been going through IVF, may have had a successful implant. So far, so good! I am so excited and scared for her at the same time.

Dealing with infertility is something that we have in common even though our situations are vastly different. While I cannot understand the emotions she is feeling now and has been ,as she has struggled with IVF, which was not an option for us, I can understand the girly emotions of wanting a baby and not being able to take the easy, natural route.

Reflecting on it now, I find it interesting how totally opposite the two of us have dealt with the situation. For Brett & I, we were very private about our quest for children and the steps we took. In fact, we shared very little with even the closest family and friends. Other than each other, she is the only person that Brett & I have have openly discussed the whole gamut of infertility with. On the other hand, she has been very open with their struggles and emotions. I don't think either option is better than another, just interesting how we are so different.

The one thing that we definitely agree upon, is that while we know in our hearts that everyone means well, it is amazing how many people say the wrong things. I know that anyone reading this that has also gone through infertility, is currently shaking their head with an emphatic "Yes". Of course, I don't put any blame on those people for a couple of reasons. One, you can't know what to say unless you've been in our shoes and two, everyone processes things differently and what may move one person to tears may be laughed at by another. Let's just face it - if you have kids and you're discussing babies with someone dealing with infertility, you're in a no win situation.

We are so thankful that God has granted us peace with the realization that children are not in our future. We know that He has a reason for it and that's enough for us. He has also given us 19 nieces & nephews and 8 great nephews! While some of these nieces and nephews are not much younger than we are, we still have plenty of little ones in our lives. Pictured above are just a few of them, including our newest great nephew who just entered this crazy world on July 6th.

Ambergris Caye, Belize

2008-07-24T22:03:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a vacation in Ambergris Caye, Belize and it was absolutely wonderful!

This is the view from our porch and the hammock where I spent a lot of time reading. Waking up early each morning while Brett slept, I would gather my pillow and book and read while the sun came up. That's my kind of vacation.

In addition to lots of relaxing, we also made good friends and enjoyed many adventures on this trip. Click here to see a slideshow.
http://www.photoshow.com/watch/js9cN6Yh.

Let it snow!

2008-06-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

We have snow! This is the first snow that actually stuck around more than a few hours. It was gone by the following afternoon, but it sure was pretty while it lasted.

Whale watching

2008-06-28T19:38:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity to go go whale watching in Guerrero Negro and couldn't pass it up. This photo is of a baby whale that let us pet it...what an unbelieveable experience. We saw dozens of whales in just a few hours.

Our new house!

2007-11-23T20:44:00.000-08:00

After 14 months in our 5th wheel, we have finally gone back to living in a house without wheels. We've been in Tennessee since early June and before purchasing, we looked at every piece of property and every home in our price range in several different counties before finding the perfect place.

We love it here! It's one of those places where even though we don't have furniture yet, it already feels like home.