30 Before 30

Run Forest Run!

2010-07-14T21:44:00.004-05:00

Or not... Well, let's be honest here. The 1/2 marathon wasn't going to happen. I chose to go to the Caribbean rather than run the Lincoln half and there haven't been any others that I was looking to sign up for. I did however, do a 10k in January and a 5 mile Memorial Day run AND I was signed up for another 10k this coming Saturday. I figured those collectively could suffice for a half marathon... right?

But, alas, my plans were squashed. I had be training for the race, hoping to beat my January 10k time. I was running 5 days a week but last week, I started having a pain in my ankle on the interior side. Nothing major, just a small irritation. I thought it was due to my running shoes that were overdue for replacement. I got a new pair last Wednesday and did a run around the lake by my house on Thursday, then decided to take Friday off. Saturday I decided to go for a run around a different lake that was less hilly than the one by my house. I set out and was making great time until.... my ankle decided to scream at me in pain. I stopped and walked for a few yards before deciding to suck it up and finish the run. More immediate screams of pain from my ankle forced me to stop. At this point my walk was more of a hobble and I started calling friends to see if someone could pick me up. No luck. No one was answering their phones. (I luckily run with my iPhone which has not only music but a handy app called RunKeeper that tracks your run via GPS and chirps your pace and distance in your ear... but I digress) Finally I get a call back from my friend Jay. Once again, using my glorious iPhone, I was able to direct him to my location using Maps and he came and picked me up.

Skip to Monday. Still in pain. Still wanting to run on Saturday, I go to the doctor for a solution. Unfortunately said doctor didn't have a clue what was wrong and sent me on my way with an ACE wrap. I guess sprains are typically on the exterior of the ankle and mine was on the interior. X-rays didn't show anything and he was visible confused...

Skip to Wednesday. Still lots of pain so I call an Orthopedist. They get me in today and the doctor looks at my ankle for about 30 seconds before saying it's fractured but he wants to take x-rays to confirm. X-rays are taken (again) and he saids their is nothing visible but the hazy area on the x-ray plus the symptoms indicate a fracture. It is then that I am placed in this gorgeous piece of footwear:

Long story short, I have to wear ole club foot here for a while and was told I can't run for 8-10 weeks. Well, there's always next year half marathon.

Well, Hello, look who's back!

2010-07-12T18:05:00.004-05:00

I looked at my blog today and realized I hadn't made an entry since March. It's July. That's sad. Or it just means I am really busy. Life has indeed been a whirlwind this year. Travel, work, and a zillion other things seem to have consumed my time. Lucky for all of you (well, any one left who has interest in reading my abandoned blog), I have injured my ankle and am stuck on my sofa. So, where to begin. I've checked quite a few things off the list that I have neglected to blog about/mark off the list. Let's start back March with the Lobster party. More specifically, the BYO Lobster party. I decided to kill two birds with one stone and have a dinner party with friends and cook a live lobster at the same time. I call that 30 before 30 efficiency. This video pretty much says it all:

Ok, so all the video says is that I am scared of live lobsters. They look like gigantic bugs and I hate bugs...

Adventures in Mali - Part 2: The road to Koutiala

2010-03-11T14:06:00.007-06:00

Day 2… err 3. Yeah, pretty sure it was day 3 after all of the traveling! Anyway, day 3 we got up and began preparing to leave for Koutiala. Although we had 2 large vans, we had to pack the luggage on top of one of the vans. In addition to our 12 person team and the 2 missionaries driving us, we had 2 additional people to transport to Koutiala. Bob, one of the missionaries, has obviously become an expert at loading luggage on vans with precision and skill!

While loading the vans, I took the time to photograph myself… Nice bandana huh.

This guy is paid to sit here all day and open the gate when someone comes. He is basically the garage door opener/security system.

After the packing was complete, we had breakfast provided by 2 missionaries in Bamako, Dusty and Julia. Then, we were on our way!
Here are some random pictures as we left Bamako.

All of the round-abouts had different monuments.

Nice day to take your goat for a walk.

A couple hours in to the drive, we pulled to the side of the road to grab lunch and take a potty break. We had packed sandwiches back at the mission house and had what I found out was pretty much the only kind of chip you can get in Mali, Pringles! I debated for a while about the potty break part and finally decided to give in. That's right, you heard it, I peed outside! I am going to use this to check of #10 the list. I know, I wasn't camping but I really think peeing outside while in Africa trumps peeing outside while camping! Sorry, no pic of that feat folks. :)
During our stop, a few of our team members became fascinated with this weird purple mushroom thing they found.

We were soon back on the road and headed toward Segou, a city about half way between Bamako and Koutiala.

In Segou, we made another stop at a hotel for another potty break and a soda! The soda in Mali is all Coke products however it is a bit different than what you get here in the US. It is in a glass bottle and is sweetened with real sugar. I also noticed that it seemed less carbonated. I really liked it developed a bit of addiction to it while in Mali. Towards the end of the trip, I was drinking 1 a day! Might not seem like much but that is a lot of soda for a person that maybe drinks one a month!

Soon we were back on the road and before we knew it, we were in Koutiala. When we got to Koutiala, they unloaded the luggage and we had time to settle in before all of the local missionaries came over to welcome us and have dinner. It was great to meet everyone at once!

The night ended quietly and with anticipation for the next day ahead, our first day at the hospital!

Stay tuned, more to come…

Adventures in Mali - Part 1: In Transit

2010-03-09T12:46:00.008-06:00

It is hard to believe that my trip to Mali has already come and gone. When I signed up to be on the team back in October, it seemed so far away. When I was there, it felt more like 2 months than 2 weeks. Now that I am back, it seems like my time there was so short! Ah!

I thought it would be fun to take you through my time in Mali with a number of posts instead of just one. One of the other team members actually wrote on a consistent basis on his blog while we were there. Smart. To be honest though, I was pretty homesick while I was there and so tired at the end of the day, my posts would have just been a bunch of random jibberish… though not that they aren't now…
Any who, we will begin at the beginning. The team departed from Epply on February 14, 2010. Yep, Valentine's day. Steve was heartbroken but I told him to suck it up and be a man. I know, I am so kind. Steve took me to the airport after a mad scramble of last minute packing and a quick breakfast and my mom met us there to send me off as well.

The monkey in the picture is one of my Valentine's day gifts. Well, actually he is a Gibbon. I would tell you the back story of the Gibbon, but Steve might kill me, so onward we go.

We flew in to Chicago and then from Chicago to Paris. When we boarded the flight to Paris it was HALF EMPTY! Score! Most of my team members were smart and grabbed rows of center seats so they could completely stretch out but I was dumb and stayed in my seat on the side of the plane so I only had two seats to lay across.

Let me just say, AirFrance is awesome. The food is pretty good, they give out fresh baguettes, and there is unlimited free beer, wine, and champagne! No, I didn't get toasted, this is a missions trip after all folks. But it was nice to know that the option was available!
I ate, watched My Sister's Keeper, got a good laugh at the "Special Steve" category for entertainment…

then tried to get some shut eye. I actually took a couple of NyQuil and slept a little, but not well. Overall the flight went by quickly though and before we knew it we were in Paris!
Being in Paris = very cool. Being in Charles De Gaulle airport for 8 hours = not so cool. Our fearless leader had decided before the trip that we should stay in the airport and not go sightseeing in the city during our layover. He was just concerned that if someone missed the flight to the Bamako, it would throw off the whole schedule which is a valid concern. A) To my knowledge, there is one flight to Bamako a day -- if that. B) Once in Bamako, we had to take a 5 hour van ride to Koutiala which would be delayed had someone missed the flight. I could see the concern. HOWEVER, about 2-3 hours into the layover, that natives got restless… Four of us decided to make a break for it and go see the Eiffel tower anyway. We consulted our fearless leader's wife (fearless leader was sleeping) and she assured us that he wouldn't be "too mad" if we left. So we did. Kind of. I would love to tell you that we made it to the Eiffel tower, but we didn't. By the time we got to the train (we went some round about way that took forever) we found that the ticket machines only took coins and credit cards. We had already stopped to get cash and no one having called their banks ahead of time, could use their card again. We had a bunch of Euros and no train tickets. At this point I was getting tired… and aggravated… and not in the mood to mess with it anymore. We couldn't seem to find a place to get change and so we gave up. Time was ticking and we didn't want to have to rush that much at the Eiffel tower plus everyone was getting a wee bit punchy. So we went back. Oddly enough, we went a different route that took us half the time. Well, at least I got a stamp on my passport that says Paris!
After we got back, we acted like nothing was amiss. Even now, I am not sure if our leader knows that we tried to make an escape!

This is a pic of our failed escape!

Boarding time came and we were expecting another light flight like the one from Chicago. So not the case. Evidently Bamako is quite the hot spot (or there aren't many flights that go there) because our flight was packed. Luckily, our team was seated together so I didn't have to sit by a complete stranger for 5 hours. The flight was pretty uneventful. (Although the guy behind me wouldn't let me recline my seat back…) More food, free wine, a little nap. It wasn't until the end where it got interesting. The guy sitting behind me decided to go to the bathroom and freshen up. He was gone a pretty long time and when he came back, he reeked of cologne. Seriously, the guy must have taken a bath in it! We were gagging and hence forth came the following pic…

After we landed in Bamako, we started the long, hot process of gathering our luggage… Bamako airport is nuts! There are so many people crammed into a small hot space. And there are only 2 super tiny luggage carousels. It took at least 2 hours to get our luggage and get out of the airport. After you get your luggage, you have to wait in a long line and run it through an x-ray machine. A 100 year old x-ray machine where the operator barely looked at the screen. Then you had to give these people your luggage claim tickets to match up to your bags. Even then, they pulled some bags to search more thoroughly… Now that I think about it, it might have taken closer to 3 hours to get everyone out of the airport and loaded in the vans. I wish I could have taken pictures, but you aren't allowed. We were told that if we took pictures, a security guard could take our camera. Not take our camera, delete the pictures, and give it back. Just take the camera.
Once loaded in the vans, we went to a CMA guesthouse in Bamako for the night. By this time, it was after midnight. The next morning we would get up to make the voyage to Koutiala!
More to come...

Back from Mali!

2010-03-05T21:32:00.003-06:00

I have been so bad at blogging and really need to get back in to it. Life has been such a swirl of activity lately though that I feel like I never have time to sit down and write!

That being said, this isn't my official post about Mali but I thought that I should inform you that I have gone on my trip and I got back last Saturday! My mind is in such a cloud about the experience and I definitely haven't finished processing it yet. It really was an amazing experience and I hope to return someday. I will say that I am more blessed than I ever realized to live in the United States. It is almost hard to deal with the fact that we have so much at our fingertips and so many of the people there have relatively nothing. It has created quite an internal struggle for me that I am not really sure what to do with at the moment...

More to come on Mali including pics and video!

I'm never going to finish this post so posting as is! AKA Checking off #19!

2010-01-04T16:49:00.011-06:00

Christmas this year was great! It's not like it was that incredibly different than any other year, it was just that for the first time in a long time, I was truly in the Christmas spirit. That being said, this post really should be about crossing #19 off the list but I am going to share my entire Christmas experience with you as well! Lucky you! A post just about decorating would be boring anyway.

My mom was a key player in my Christmas décor. I didn't want to do the same old thing and so we went to Michael's and got poinsettia stems and magnolia stems for the tree and the garland going up the stairs.

The wreath above my fireplace was actually a Costco purchase. (As you know, I have an addiction.)

To be honest with you, I wasn't very good about taking pictures of the decorations so this is really all I have and now most of them are put away. So on to the Christmas festivities!
I kicked off the Christmas season by throwing a party! Not just any party though. One where I could wear a fun party dress (with pockets) and some shiny red shoes! The party was a huge success and throughout the night, I had about 40-50 people. Here are some pictoral highlights of the evening!

My incredibly short mom and I in front of the tree. By the way, I really need to get a taller tree next year. Maybe I will switch to a real one since I have never had one...

My friend Carmen and I.
This is just a funny picture and it shows off my red shoes!

The weekend after the party, I went with some friends to the symphony for their Christmas performance. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't just instrumental (not that that would have been bad) but there were 4 main singers and then a bunch of dancers! It was truly entertaining and a lot of fun. I will definitely go back next year. After the symphony, we went ice skating! You can check out that experience in this post.

Then of course, there were family festivities. My mom and Glen had a Christmas party (the same night as ice skating) and Steve and I stopped by for a while.

On Christmas Eve we went to my church this year. I am so glad that they still had services because tons of churches in town canceled because of the massive snow storm that hit the midwest! My mom and Glen ended up driving to my house and then my brother came over and drove everyone in his SUV. The service was great. It was all about light and darkness and I would LOVE for you to hear it, but it isn't online!

After church, we came back to my house and started a new Christmas Eve tradition. Pigs in a blanket. They were delicious.

On Christmas day, the roads were horrible. There was so much snow and the worst part was that it was blowing and drifting everywhere. There was no way my little Civic was going to make it across town to my mom and Glen's house so my brother came and picked me up. We were ok on the main roads and interstate but my mom and Glen's neighborhood was horrible! My brother and I got stuck multiple times and I wanted to give up and go home, but he was determined. On our third new route through the neighborhood, we finally made it. It was stressful and I was pretty burnt out by the time we got there. It didn't help that we had both of our dogs with us and mine decided to act like a maniac the entire car ride which seriously stressed out and annoyed my brother.

I was pretty anxious to get home because of the weather so we only staying for a couple of hours before making the trek back across town. Basically enough time to eat, open gifts, and give the dogs a little treat!

My Christmas day ended with a quiet evening at home... and then being snowed in for the next few days.

Ice + Butt = Big Bruises!

2010-01-03T19:43:00.008-06:00

December 19, 2009 marks the day I FINALLY made it to the ConAgra Ice Skating rink. Luckily I was able to bring a good group of friends with me to witness my awesome skating skills, and let me tell you, they were amazed. Ok, that's a lie. They were astounded... at the grace I have when I fall.

We got to the skating rink around 5:30 and rented our skates. As you can see here, my lovely assistant Steve is a pro at lacing skates.

The ConAgra rink is pretty small, and a little bumpy, and there are a TON of little kids, but it was really a lot of fun. Although I almost took out a few kids, they were fun to watch, especially the little ones skating around with cones. Proof however that the cones don't always prevent falls, my friend Charles captured this picture of a little girl starting to fall backwards. Sad!... but funny!

The highlight of the evening was racing (and beating) Steve around the rink. As you can see from the video, I am so fast that even though I fell twice, I still beat him. (Make sure you have your audio turned on when you watch it.)

Pretty awesome huh. I believe the crash at the end to be the source of the gigantic bruise I sported on my butt for about 2 weeks!

In the end, bruises and all, a great time was had by all and I officially checked #18 off the list!

Where to start?!?

2010-01-03T19:40:00.002-06:00

Once again I have been a blogging slacker. Not for lack of material, but sheer laziness. Well, it's a new year and time to stop being lazy! Now get ready for some blogging madness!

A letter to you!

2009-12-01T14:10:00.005-06:00

I am so excited to share with you that I will be going on a short-term mission trip to Mali, West Africa from February 14-27, 2010! I am absolutely thrilled that God has given me this opportunity and am so excited to begin preparations for my trip. I have felt that God has been calling me to go outside of my comfort zone for a long time. So, when my church, Christ Community, announced that they were looking for volunteers, I jumped at the chance! I am nervous, excited, and down right thrilled to be serving God through this trip and I look forward to sharing my journey with all of you!

Our team will be doing construction on a hospital in the city of Koutiala which is a five-hour bus ride (across the sub-Sahara) away from the capitol city of Bamiko, Mali. Mali is located on the western side of Africa and is the 7th largest country in Africa. Over half of the population of Mali lives below the international poverty line of $1.25 a day and over 70% of the population makes less than $2 a day.

Mali also has one of the highest infant mortality rates in all of Africa. This is one of the reasons why the Koutiala Hospital for Women and Children has been constructed. The goal of this hospital is to demonstrate the love and compassion of Jesus Christ to the people of Mali through the provision of quality, specialized health care. My construction team will be working on a 3rd hospital building at the Koutiala Hospital for Women and Children, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2010. The other 2 hospital buildings have been open since 2006 and there have already been over 5,000 healthy babies born. Here are some startling statistics:

1 of 15 Malian women die in childbirth
12 babies die for every 100 births
1 out of 4 babies born will die before the age of 5

Those statistics are changing for the better because of this hospital. The infant mortality rate in the city where the hospital resides has been reduced by 90% since its opening! Feel free to visit the website dedicated to the Koutiala Hospital for Women and Children at www.koutialahospital.org .

Given the nature of such a trip there are two areas that I would appreciate your support. First, your prayers – safety and health for the construction team, for our work and for the safety of our families back home. Secondly, for your financial support – there is approximately $3,000.00 worth of expenses for each team member taking the trip. Airfare will be around $1,700.00, meals are approximately $40.00/day, and lodging, bus transportation, immunizations and other expenses will come to approximately $500.00.

If you would like to support me financially please make your check payable to Christ Community Church noting on the memo line that your donation is for the “Mali Construction Team”. Each team member who is raising funds has an account with the church office to hold donations. Click here for a Tax Deduction form that you can use for your contribution.

Thank you in advance for your prayers and financial consideration. I am so excited to see what God has in store for me and how He will use me on this trip!

Sonja

Immunizations and such

2009-12-01T12:30:00.001-06:00

Time for a Mali update! As I mentioned in a previous post, there are A LOT of immunizations that are either required or recommended when going to Africa. Last Tuesday I went to the Department of Health to get said immunizations. Turns out, you can't go to your regular doctor. They don't carry all of them because they don't use them fast enough. I guess there isn't a huge call for Yellow Fever vaccine at the regular MD!

I made my appointment about a week in advance and they mailed me a very large packet of information and paperwork I had to fill out prior to my visit. When I got to the Department of Health, I met with a doctor and he went over all of my options and gave me a prescription for Malaria pills and some diarrhea medicine (just in case). Then came the shots! Five total:

Polio
Meningitis
Hepatitis A/B
Typhoid
Yellow Fever

It was funny because when the nurse went to give me the shots, she seemed concerned that would have I have a hard time. I asked her if many adults do and she said some absolutely freak out! If anyone knows my medical history, I was in and out of hospitals so much as a child that a simple shot doesn't phase me. She did 3 in one arm and 2 in the other and I was done. It really wasn't even until later that evening that my arms started to hurt and I had to put ice on the right one. I thought I was totally in the clear…

Then came Wednesday morning… I woke up around 5am with quite possibly the worst flu like symptoms I have ever had. My whole body ached and I felt like I was going to die. I called in sick to work and slept most of the day. Funny thing is that Mollie (my dog) can always sense if I'm sad or not feeling well. She kept trying to snuggle up to me but I was so hot that I couldn't stand to have anything, let alone a warm body, next to me! By Thursday, I was pretty much back to normal.

Sunday was our second mission team meeting. This time, the whole team was there so it was really nice to finally meet everyone. The best part of the meeting was learning some Bambara, the predominantly spoken language in Mali! We learned a few phases such as, "I ni sogoma" (Good Morning), Ala ka duba l ye (God bless you), I ni ce (Thank you), and also learned what to say in a brief exchange when some greets you.

K'an ben (Good bye) for now. I have a lot of other blog updates to post so stay tuned!

Pay it Foward

2009-11-27T08:39:00.002-06:00

Ah, Thanksgiving. What a perfect time to give thanks, tell someone you care, and... buy someone's food at McDonald's! Yep, I checked off #22 on Tuesday and bought the meal for the car behind me at McDonald's. You see, I have been quite lazy when it comes to buying groceries and bringing my lunch to work lately and have been forced to eat fast food on multiple occasions. On Tuesday I decided to run through McDonald's and grab a quick bite. Going at 11:30, I did not expect the place to be that busy. Um yeah, I was wrong. It was packed and it was even one of the double lane drive thrus. I ordered my food and started to pull forward towards the window when I remembered my goal. Suddenly I felt nervous! I don't know why, but feels a little odd to buy a strangers food at McDonald's. I approached the window and asked the cashier if I could pay for the car behind me. He gave me a bit of a dumbfounded look but then said sure. I told him just to tell the person behind me "Happy Thanksgiving".
I have no idea who's meal I purchased or if it was for more than one person (the total was $11.11 so I hope it was 2 people!). All I know is that the car was a tan color and they had a handicap tag hanging from the rear view mirror.
Now comes the irony of the story. I got back to the office and hadn't checked my order to see if it was correct. I sit down to eat and find that McDonald's had screwed up my order. First they didn't give my Honey Mustard for my fries and then I opened my sandwich to find that it was fried instead of grilled like I had ordered. Booo! My co-workers thought I should call McDonald's and complain or drive back over there but I didn't want to bother. I just hope that the person's meal I paid for was correct!

I need help!

2009-11-15T17:15:00.001-06:00

First of all my long awaited livingroom furniture is here! Yay!!!

Funny thing is, now that there is furniture in the room, the walls look even more blank! Knowing that my furniture was coming though, I planned ahead! A few weeks ago I used my Pottery Barn rewards to purchase the frames for my little art project. Remember my inspiration? (Courtesy of Pottery Barn of course!)

Instead of doing the metal frames though, I got the wood gallery frames. Also instead of 6 squares, I did 6 rectangles in black... I'll just show you!

The openings in the large frames are 8x10 and the small ones are 5x5. The small ones will be set out from the wall with these nifty frame risers.

Now is where I am at a loss. I don't know what to put in the frames! My original intent was to do pictures of my flowers from my mom's old back yard. She had taken a bunch prior to selling the house. Turns out there aren't as many as I thought and I don't know how well the colors would go with the room. The are more bright and the room is warm colors. Should I do them in black and white? Then I was thinking that they would just be bland. The rug in the room actually has tan, gold, burn orange, light and dark green, and even dark purple (purple is hard to see in the picture).

So I need help as to what to put in the frames! Any (reasonable) suggestions are welcome! Here are some of the pictures I have. I tried to crop some in interesting ways with Picassa but I still have the original versions too.

Ouch!

2009-11-03T16:07:00.001-06:00

So I had to get a shot in the arm yesterday. Why, you ask? Well I will tell you. Dummy that I am, I jabbed a steak knife into my hand and cut it open. Gross, I know. I had decorated sugar cookies on Saturday and didn't have time to clean up all of my piping bags, etc. so I was doing it Sunday. One bag was still full of icing but in a disposable piping bag so I decided to cut the bag away and throw the icing in the trash rather than wash it down the sink to get the plastic piece (called a coupler) inside the bag out. It's the piece that goes in the bag so you can screw the icing tip on the outside. I had cut the bag next to the coupler but I still couldn't get the small piece of the bag off that was still tightly on the coupler. So what did I decide to do? Slide a sharp, serrated steak knife between the plastic and the coupler of course! Wouldn't you?

Yeah, not a good idea. The knife slipped and went into my left hand. Actually didn't hurt that much at first but man did it bleed! I held in under the water for a bit and then took a paper towel and put pressure on it. After a few minutes the bleeding still hadn't stopped so I called my mom. I have never had stitches so I didn't know how bad of a cut would require them. She told me to wait and see if the bleeding stopped and if it didn't, to go in. Problem was, I couldn't drive AND put pressure on the cut at the same time! Lucky for me, the bleeding stopped.

Skip to Monday. Man did my hand hurt. The cut didn't start bleeding again but the skin wouldn't stay closed and my index finger had a numb tingly feeling. I, of course, turned to Google for what to do and then decided to go into the doc and get it closed up. I guess with cuts though, you have to have them closed within a certain period of time so when I got there, they told me to keep it dressed and to use and antibiotic cream that they prescribed. Then they gave me a tetanus shot. Now, I consider myself to have a pretty high pain tolerance, but that shot hurt a little! Not like pain that makes your eyes water but just unexpected pain. The nurse didn't even warn me!

So this brings me (finally) to my point! At least the positive in all of this is that I have one shot done for Mali! I really don't know all of the shots we need and I am sure we will find out on Sunday, but I looked it up online and these are what is recommended:
Hepatitis B
Diphtheria
Tetanus
Measles
Mumps
Rubella
Polio

These are HIGHLY recommended:
Hepatitis A
Meningococcal meningitis
Rabies
Typhoid

This one is REQUIRED:
Yellow Fever

Plus you have to take Malaria pills. Fun stuff! So if I had to do ALL of these, that would mean I would need 12 shots! My arm is pretty sore today so I can't image getting 12! I am sure I would spread them out, but still, that's a lot! I am pretty sure that Diphtheria and Tetanus are one shot though and I am guessing that I won't have to get ALL of these. Watch out guys, I might end up glowing green prior to leaving for Mali!

PS - I apologize for my excessive use of exclamation points. I am really excited about Mali and feel the need to yell it at you. You'll just have to deal with it until February. Thanks! :)

Big News!

2009-11-02T10:48:00.002-06:00

I have some awesome new to share! No, it isn't about Harry Potter or doing push ups, its way better!!! I have a plan to complete #30 on my list, Volunteer and do something I have never done before. My thoughts around this goal have been doing something along the lines of volunteering in a nursing home or with the elderly in some sort of capacity or doing something with the Special Olympics. I really enjoy elderly people and the stories they have to tell. I didn't grow up around my grandparents so when I have been able to visit them, I love to go through old pictures and have them tell me about them. I also think working with the Special Olympics would be a really cool experience. Those kids have so much heart and take so much joy in life.

But neither of those are it. (Though I would still like to do both.) This is bigger.

Let me start by saying that I have always wanted to go on a mission trip. I even thought of putting it on the list but decided against it because I didn't know how feasible it would be. I have just felt like God has been calling me for a long time do something with missions. Well, a few weeks ago, the missions coordinator at my church got up during the service to talk about a short term mission that was being planned for February 2010. Right away, I felt compelled to volunteer. They had handed out cards to fill out if you were interested on the way in to church that day but I had come through a different door and not received one. I thought about the trip for a few days and decided I needed to apply. I emailed the coordinator and then went ahead and filled out the application and sought out references. The next day I hadn't heard back from the coordinator so I called him. By this time, I was really anxious and excited. He told me that prior to submitting the application, I would need to interview with the lead for the trip and that he would call within the next few days. I waited and finally on Sunday, he called. After we talked, he told me to go ahead and turn in my application and the deposit for the trip. Yeah! That didn't mean I was in, but it was the next step.

Then the wait began. This was towards the beginning of October and they said they would make final decisions on the team at the end of October but that they had an overwhelming response and number of applicants. I was so excited that I went ahead and got my passport! Then yesterday, I finally got the call. I am on the team!!! I am so thrilled and excited and can't wait to see what God has in store for me. Now I bet you want to know where I'm going, don't cha?! Well……

I'm going to Mali, West Africa!!! Koutiala, Mali to be specific. Have I mentioned how excited I am?!? Over the past 3 years, my church has been involved with work at a hospital in Koutiala. This trip is to continue construction on a couple more buildings for the hospital. There is also a medical team going to provide additional care for patients in need. There are a total of 14 of us going between the medical and construction teams and we will be gone from February 15-28. This coming Sunday, we will meet as a team for the first time to begin preparing for the trip. They said the first meeting will be going through administrative items.

So now the countdown begins! I am excited to start planning and hopefully, I can restrain myself from beginning to pack for the trip until at least February! I'll keep you updated as things develop!

29 Things to leave in my 20's

2009-09-23T18:06:00.000-05:00

In the spirit of making lists, and thanks to the idea from Debbie at On the Refrigerator Door, I have made a list of things I want to declutter from my life and leave behind in my 20's when I turn 30. Some of these items are wishful thinking but some are things I really hope, and will strive to, part with. (I will let you be the judge of which one is which!)
At any rate, these are definitely things I can live without when I hit my 30's!

Allergies
Fake "Friends"
What if's
Doing it my way (verses God's way)
Ironing
Bad relationship choices
Shoes that hurt my feet
Migraines
Holey underwear
Lint attracting dress pants
Procrastination
Split ends
Door dings
Negative influences
Know it all's
Bad hair days
Itchy sweaters
Odd socks
Sinus Infections
Dust Bunnies
Dropped calls
Junk mail
Cases of the Mondays
Impulse buys
Excuses
Old ghosts
Unwanted belly fat
Regrets
Ramen Noodles

And just as a side note, I was telling my mom about this list last night and the first thing she said was "Bad Relationship Choices". Thanks mom, already on the list!

Awesome Girl Award

2009-09-23T13:54:00.006-05:00

Thanks to Danielle over at Delightfully Sweet, I have received an Awesome Girl award! With that I need to share 10 things about myself. Danielle used the list from the person before her but I think I will just list some random things about me!

I love marshmallow Peeps. Especially at Easter. I have been known to make special Peeps creations such as these from this past Easter. I also like to eat them stale. My mom and friends who buy me Peeps, always open the package in advance so they can crisp up a bit for me.
I like to play with my hair and do what my mom likes to call, fluffing my face with it. Some say it's a nervous habit which at times it is, but I also do it when I am bored, sitting in traffic, reading a book, etc.... It's soft. I like it.
People who whistle in my office drive me nuts. If you have a song stuck in your head fine, but I don't want to hear it. Seriously, this is one of the things I find most annoying ever.
My favorite food is artichokes. They are yummy. Steamed and dipped in clarified butter... mmmmm....
Back to Peeps. I sleep with a purple plush one. Although my dog loves plush toys and likes to chew them up, she doesn't dare go near my Peep!
I think LOST is the best show ever.
I am not a morning person. My old roommate and I used to co-exist in the kitchen each morning, getting breakfast or whatever, and wouldn't speak the entire time.
I am horribly afraid of snakes. Even a small garden snake will make me scream.
I have a little dog named Mollie and I like to think that she enjoys when I carry her around like a baby.
I love Costco.

Okey dokey, now I get to pass the award on to five bloggers I think are awesome girls and they get to write 10 things about themselves. I choose....

Random thoughts on my next goal

2009-09-14T13:44:00.008-05:00

So I am trying to decide what to do next on my list. As my friend Tara pointed out a week or two ago, I have to complete 2.5 items a month to be finished with my list by my birthday. So far, I have completed 2. That's not to say I'm not working on anything else. I am reading the bible (trying to catch up to where I should be), doing push ups (um, sometimes), and of course, watching Harry Potter movies. Those all take more time and effort though and I am looking to do a couple of quickies.
Last week I went down to Husker Hounds on 84th and Center to get a shirt to wear to the game on Saturday and afterwards I stopped at McDonald's to grab some lunch. The place was absolutely overflowing with old ladies! Too bad the drive thru line was so incredibly long that I opted to walk in instead. That place would be awesome to buy the lunch for the car behind me due to the odds of having an old lady behind me. If you haven't read my commentary, I am hoping to buy lunch for a little old lady verses a family of 20. Economics here people...
I keep thinking I need to start teaching Mollie to shake too. I just keep forgetting.
One thing I have been looking at is the art project. I have an old Pottery Barn catalog with a picture of a cluster of framed art that I have always liked. Just today, I found an even better picture than what was in the catalog, online.
The part I think is really cool is where they use the riser for the smaller frames. Much more interesting than just being flat on the wall.
My mom took a bunch of close up pictures of her flowers in the back yard prior to moving out of the house and my friend Tara has some pictures too. I am thinking I want to do black and white or the black and white photos of flowers were one little piece of the picture is color. Not really sure yet. Placement is the other decision. In the picture from Pottery Barn, they put it above the bed. I don't think that would work since my bed is so tall. I am thinking I could do it on the wall the sectional sits on in the basement. Problem here is that the room is done in red and gold tones. I think the black and white would be ok, but if I bring out color in the photos, I feel like it would need to be golds, yellows, reds, etc. and I wouldn't be able to do pinks, purples, etc. I suppose I could change the color if photoshop, however I don't even know how to do the black and while with a little bit of color as it is. I really don't even know much about photoshop but I have a really old version that my dad gave me a long time ago.(Sorry for the crappy photos taken with my phone, this room really isn't this yellow looking.)
The other factor in placement is wall space. All of the rooms upstairs have high ceilings. Vaulted in the living room, dining room, kitchen, and then high ones in the bedrooms (9ft I think) so a larger display like this might be better upstairs. I have large blank walls between the windows in the living room and in the dining room.
(By the way, the chaise will soon go to the office since I FINALLY ordered a real sofa and chair last weekend. Going this weekend to by my curtains and coffee table and end tables at - none other than - Pottery Barn)
I definitely want to do square frames, but I suppose they don't have to be as large as the ones in the Pottery Barn display. I plan on shopping around to see if I can find some more cost effective frame as the Pottery Barn ones are pretty pricey. I can see spending money on certain items at Pottery Barn like furniture, most most of the decorator items I can find for less elsewhere.
So that is my rambling for the day. Any placement or design suggestions are welcome!

My love affair with Costco

2009-09-10T17:43:00.000-05:00

I admit it. I have an obsession with Costco. I don't want to call it unhealthy because there is nothing unhealthy about Costco (other than the fact that you can buy gigantic bags of candy and other junk food in bulk) but I admit that it is kind of odd that a 29 year old single gal who doesn't have children, roommates, or dependents (other than Mollie, my dog) of any kind does a good portion of shopping there. I'm not really sure what the cause of my obsession is though I do like to buy things in bulk. I like knowing that I'm not going to run out of toilet paper or paper towels. Plus I have plenty of room to store stuff, so what does it matter! I don't even know if I save money buying in bulk verses the regular size at the grocery store. Never took the time to do a comparison!
I love how the Costco Triscuit box dwarfs the regular size of (generic) Triscuits!

I almost made Costco part of my list. The only things I thought of were to 1) spend and entire day at Costco and eat all my meals there from the sample stations, or 2) refrain from going to Costco for a month. I was afraid with #1, I would get really bored and have wasted a day or that they would throw me out of the store for loitering. Can't have that. And #2, well, that's just out of the question.
I would like to say however, that although it is a warehouse store, there ARE items you don't have to buy in bulk. A list of non-bulk items I have purchased at Costco:

Pink fuzzy bathrobe
Winter coat
Hibiscus tree
47'' flatscreen tv
Roomba
Toaster
Kitchenaid mixer
Wine
Comforter
Mattress and box springs
Cuervo Gold margarita
Bathroom rug
Air mattress
Tires for my car
Lighted magnification mirror

Look at that selection! It is a one stop shop! Who else can say that they can sell you tires for your car, a mattress, and liquor! (Well, Walmart I guess...) I buy food there too of course though the fun of Costco is seeing what new things they have in the center area of the store. That is where they suck you in. I would say a third of the items on my list are impulse buys...
Ah, Costco my friend. What would I do without you! (probably save a lot of money!)
Just to prove that I am not a freak, here are a few others that have Costco obsessions:
http://costcoblog.wordpress.com
http://addictedtocostco.com
http://www.costcob.com
http://www.ilovecostco.com

I've been a lazy slug...

2009-09-08T17:20:00.000-05:00

Ah, shoot. I am already behind. I knew that this was going to happen but today I realized how extremely behind I am. First I am behind on my bible reading. I picked a 365 day plan that I have actually started a couple of times in the past. Given I wanted to "do this right" I started once again at the beginning. From day 1 I was behind as I didn't actually start on my birthday but a week or so later. I have had a couple of days where I read multiple day's readings at a time, but sadly I have found that I am 23 days behind! Ahhh! How did this happen?! I am only just over a month past my birthday! Well, given I am on day 12, this is definitely believable.
The really sad part is last night, I spent from 9:30-11:30 reading the 2nd Harry Potter book. That's right, 2 hours of reading Harry Potter when I could have been catching up on doing my bible reading. I admit it, that is sad, and I do feel kind of bad about it. Given each day's bible reading takes about 10 minutes, I could have almost been caught up in the time I took to read Harry Potter. Maybe I should go whack myself in the head a couple of times as Dobby would...
I definitely need to get back on track and put down the Harry Potter books - at least until I get caught up. My plan of attack is to read at least 3 day's readings each day until I am caught up. That would take me a few weeks to get back on track. Ooohhh, don't know if I can go that long without Harry Potter! (Just kidding :) ... or am I)
The second thing I am off track on is my push up program. It all started the week grandpa died and I haven't gotten back on track since. This means I am 2 weeks behind as I didn't do any of it while I was in South Carolina (by the way, I didn't do any of my bible reading while in South Carolina either). When I came back from South Carolina, I actually tried to get back on track right away but when I got to my 5th set, I couldn't hit the minimum number of push ups you are suppost to do so I gave up. Well, I didn't give up for good, just for the day. Unfortunately, I have never picked back up. I am hoping my weaklingness (I may have just made up that word) was due to being so tired after the trip. I was seriously exhausted for most of the week and didn't really get back to feeling myself until around Friday. Saturday though, I went to the 9:15am Muscle Madness class at the gym and sucked royally when we did push ups. I was ok for the first few but my arms started to give way after a while and especially when we did the "around the world" push ups. Prior to "around the world", we did a bunch of regular push ups and then a bunch with one hand on your step and one on the floor (each side got a turn). For "around the world", you started on one side of the steps we were using and did a push up beside it, then you did a push up with one hand on the step and one on the floor, then both hands on the step, and then back down the other side with one hand on the floor and then both hands on the floor.... and then reverse..... 8 times. It didn't help that the teacher went super fast. My push ups are slow as it is so I didn't keep up at all. The teacher is really good and really kicks our butts, I just wish she taught on a day (at a later time) that I wasn't half asleep like I am on Saturday morning.
So tonight, along with doing my bible reading, I plan to get back on track with the push up plan. I will just start back where I left off on week 4 and hope I can hit the minimum for the 5th set. Wish me luck!

A Harry Potter Obsession?... Noooo....

2009-09-07T19:34:00.003-05:00

I must admit, I have become quite intrigued by the Harry Potter series. Finally, I see what all the hype is about! They are all good but I must say, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has been the best so far. First of all, the pace is much faster. Sometimes it even seemed a little too fast to get everything and I am guessing the book gives a lot more detail. It was a little odd to see the kids having changed so much between the second and third movies, but I guess there was a 2 year gap in between.
I see the trend now that the Professor of the Dark Arts changes each time. Guess I will expect that trend throughout the rest of the series. Maybe they should just give the job to Snape. He seems to want it pretty badly and he likes to stick around! I really liked the professor who had the role this time though. You could tell he was a good guy from the beginning and trying to help Harry. So sad he was a werewolf and had to leave...
There were a couple of things I found really odd about the movie though. First when they finally come in contact with Sirius Black, he seems like a deranged maniac that is going to kill Harry. Quickly we find, he is really after Scabbers the rat who really is Peter Pettigrew. He was shaking and acting erratic however a few minutes later when they are back outside the whomping willow, he seems like a normal guy and wanting Harry to come live with him. The switch was just really odd for me. Even the way he carries himself seems to change far too quickly. If you have been in prison for 12 years, you don't just get over it in 5 minutes.
The second thing I though was odd is that when Harry and Hermione go back in time to save both Harry and the crazy bird/horse thing, they don't also capture the rat! Why not? They changed other things. Why not be hiding with a cage where the rat ran off to and grab him! Given this fact, I don't think we have seen the last of Peter Pettigrew.
Although the movie was action packed, I think my favorite scene was when Harry filled his aunt with hot air and she flew away. So glad he got to get away with that one!
So, I have a confession to make about my Harry Potter goal. I know that I said I had no desire to read the books, however when I was in North Carolina last week, Becca lent me the first three. I actually read the first one in one day when we were traveling back to Omaha. I am almost done with the second one. I really like the books and they seem to give a lot more detail and depth to the story. I am thinking before I watch the 4th movie, I might read the book first. I might also watch the 2nd and 3rd movies again after I read the books. I know, I am becoming obsessed...

A Trip to the Zoo

2009-09-01T18:30:00.001-05:00

I've been slacking. I checked an item of my list well over a week ago and never wrote about. This is partially due to how absolutely boring this particular item ended up being, and the fact that I was out of town for a week. Oh well, excuses aside (as I know you are just soooo excited to find out what I checked off - HA!), Saturday before last I made a little trip to the zoo and visited the Butterfly and Insect Pavilion. Yippee!
To be honest with you, this was kind of a filler item on my list. When I was looking for things to put on it, I went to a Nebraska tourism website and looked for random things I hadn't done or places I hadn't been to. I really did think the Butterfly and Insect Pavilion would be cool. (Incidentally, "Go to the Wildlife Safari in Ashland" is also an item I added randomly when trying to find things on the tourism site. Hopefully it isn't as lame as the butterfly pavilion though.) I don't mean to bad mouth the zoo or anything as the pavilion was a nice exhibit, it just wasn't all that exciting. Ohhhh, butterflies - done. Really though, there weren't as many butterflies as I though. For the first section of the exhibit, you walk in to a tiny glass room that has a door on each side. This is to keep the butterflies from escaping the exhibit. After walking in the room and they close the door, they give you some brief instructions like not to touch the butterflies. Then the door leading to the exhibit opens and you can walk in. It was pretty short and there really weren't many butterflies flying around. Most of them were up against the window, clamoring to get out!At the end of the exhibit, you went in another room with 2 doors but this one had mirrors on the walls. You had to check yourself for hitch hikers. It also had fans blowing from the ceiling to blow off any potential escapees. Again the door on the other side was opened and you were let out. The other part of the exhibit had other types of insects but these were all contained in displays. Nothing all that interesting and we breezed through and got out pretty quickly.
There was one BIG highlight to this exhibit though. The fact that there were NO STROLLERS ALLOWED! If you have ever been to Henry Doorly Zoo on a Saturday, you know that many exhibits are bottle necked with strollers. The Aquarium in particular was a real pain to get through. I really appreciated the people that opted for the baby backpack thing rather than ramming their tricked out stroller into the ankles of innocent bi-standers. Totally understand the convenience of the stroller at the zoo, but some areas are just too small to have 50 strollers crammed in to at once... (I reserve the right to retract my statement someday when I have kids and want them to ride in style as they look at the fishies...)
So that's it. #16 successfully checked off. I actually thought of replacing this one with something more interesting or challenging but I think I will just play the lazy card and consider it done! Plenty more to go anyway!

Photo of me in the exhibit for posterity's sake.

Spiders and Snakes - Oh My!

2009-08-29T10:30:00.006-05:00

Wow, what a crazy week! Last night though I was able to watch the second Harry Potter movie with my good friend Becca. "Becca?" you say? Yep I am in the lovely state of North Carolina right now. So prior to getting in to the meat of the post, a little background. I have actually been in South Carolina since Tuesday and was able to drive up to North Carolina last night to see Becca for the evening. My grandfather passed away suddenly on Sunday night so my family has been in South Carolina for the funeral and to spend time with my grandma. I have been sleeping on the floor since Tuesday due to the lack of beds at Grandma's so coming to Becca's to sleep in real bed has been quite a treat! Today I will drive back to South Carolina for one last family gathering and then I will head back to Omaha tomorrow morning. What a crazy and tiring week! (I keep forgetting what day it is!)
So that is why I am in North Carolina and was able to watch Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets with Becca. I must say, this Harry Potter was far better than the first one. Maybe it was the 2 margaritas at dinner and then 2 glasses of wine during the movie... but really it was good. First of all, there was no jello in this movie - which was good (see my post about the 1st Harry Potter movie). The movie did have two things I absolutely hate though. Snakes and spiders. GROSS! The scene where Harry and Ron are in the spiders den is absolutely disgusting. Kind of funny how Herbie made a cameo appearance though... Speaking of cameos, nice of Dobby to make an appearance after his role in Lord of the Rings. Man that guy is being type cast. Good thing he was a bit less creepy in this movie and not so obsessed with finding a ring...
I found it kind of odd that the entrance to the chamber was in the girls bathroom. Kind of wonder who came up with that one. Moaning Myrtle was pretty funny but kind of annoying. Must suck to have to live in a bathroom though. For a while, I thought Gilderoy Lockhart was going to be the bad guy in this one. Kind of cool how it ended up being Tom Riddle.
Of course in the end though, the help of Dumbledore saved the day. Well, his bird. I am finding it quite funny how Dumbledore seems to step in somehow and save the day in a round about way. My theory is that he is related to Harry in some way. Maybe his great grandfather or something.
Well, I have to get on the road so I have to cut this post short. Overall, I was very pleased with this Harry Potter movie and I am looking forward to the next one. Too bad I can't watch it with Becca :(

Té Bella , you tease!

2009-08-19T19:00:00.002-05:00

I received an email today from Té Bella Medspa advertising a Mother/Daughter special. Now, I don't frequent Té Bella, I am just on their mailing list because I went there once when I had been given a gift certificate. For me, it is a little awkward. I mean you have a perfect stranger in a dark room with you while soft music plays... For some reason that makes me feel more tense than anything. I had a facial and my eyebrows waxed. Kind of odd to have your face massaged and poked at too. Incidentally, massages are a bit weird for me. I have only had 3 ever and only paid for one. I had a gift certificate once, had one at my cousin's wedding, and went with my friend Becca when I visited her last time in North Carolina. I am getting more relaxed but it is still odd for me to get under a sheet half naked (yes, this girl keeps her underwear ON!) and have a stranger touch my body. And it's expensive!

Anyway, got the email from Té Bella and it said the following:

"Spend quality time with your daughter while giving her the gift of great skin!

Mini Facial-After thoroughly cleansing the skin, your skin care concerns will be addressed and skin care recommendations will be made.
Full Make-up Application-You will receive a full make-up application with Jane Iredale skin care minerals. Tips will be given on how you can enhance your unique beauty.
Fantasy Airbrush Tan-Learn the value of sunless tanning with our fabulous spray tan.
Paradise-following your time with us you will enjoy a $10 gift certificate to Paradise Bakery
Special discounts -by attending our event you will receive special pricing on our products and services.

$60 for two
(Regular price $190)"

"Hmmm", I thought, "I could check off my spa day!" Plus it didn't sound too bad. The description on their website of the mini-facial required less poking and I actually like make-overs. I'm ok with the spray tan if I can wear a swim suit. Plus a $10 gift certificate to Paradise! Lunch! I quickly emailed my mom and she was in so she called to make a reservation. ALL BOOKED UP! Sad. They said due to the popularity, they were going to do the special again in September (it was only for one day) and that they had a waiting list. My mom put us on the waiting list so we will just have to wait and see.

Darn! I was thinking the spa thing was going to cost me a couple hundred dollars and here I was going to get away with only paying $30! I guess the problem is, I don't know if this constitutes as a full spa day. I assume this would only take an hour or 2. Frankly, I don't want to waste my day away at a spa though. Maybe I am spa illiterate and a "spa day" isn't really an entire day. Who knows.

Progress on #2 - Alternatively titled, Sonja's Bulging Biceps

2009-08-18T19:23:00.000-05:00

Here we are at the beginning of week 3 of the 100 push ups plan. I am actually a day behind and completed the last day of week 2 yesterday. I was so sore last week from doing what I like to call now, The Triple Threat. It is a TurboKICK! class, ABSolutely ABS class, and Urban Yoga class all in a row at my gym. Two hours of fitness fun! Ha ha, yeah right, more like 2 hours of insanity and torture! Didn't help that I did a Muscle Madness class the day before and then (because I didn't feel like the class did a whole lot of good) I decided run and walk in intervals for 45 minutes. My legs were sore from that since I haven't run at all for about a year.

*Slight detour for a moment* I have had a problem with my left leg for a while that no one seems to be able to diagnose. My calf will get super tight and my lower leg will swell. Was even sent to the ER because I called the doc and he thought I had the symptoms of a blood clot. Thank goodness it wasn't but it was a bit of a scare. Since then I have had to dump hundreds of dollars into an MRI and physical therapy that my insurance won't cover completely. Still no diagnosis (other than a small Baker's cyst behind my knee which I am told is not the culprit) and the problem seems to baffle both my doctor and physical therapist. I stopped PT and was referred to a specialist, but at this point, I am sick of the medical bills. The problem is really more of an irritation than anything though it was really painful if I tried to run. I have noticed a decrease in frequency of the muscle tightness and swelling though since I started doing more strength training. I stopped going to Bikram too (mainly because of the cost) but that seems to be helping too. I kind of wonder if I had some sort of injury that stretching in intense heat would irritate even more and since I have stopped, it has started to heal. I sure hope so. I miss Bikram and would like to take classes every once in a while. (If you have no idea what Bikram is, click here.) *End of detour*

So anyway, soreness kept me from push ups but now I am back on track. This week is an exhaustion test so basically I needed to see how many push ups I could do at once to tell me what column to use for training this week. 16 -20 push ups is column one, 21 - 25 push ups, is column 2, and over 25 is column 3. Also, I am doing this round of the program in a modified push up so my guess is I will have to complete it a couple of times before I can do enough full good-form push ups to meet the requirements of the program. Then I will move on and repeat it with good-form push ups and repeat weeks if need be. Good thing I have a year!

In addition (as stated above), I have started my gym's Muscle Madness class. I have found that the Thursday evening and Saturday morning teachers are the best at kicking my butt! I was like jello walking out of there on Saturday! The class is a strength class for your entire body though, not just arms. We do a ton of squats and lunges!

So (drum roll please) at the end of week 2, I am maxed out at 14 push ups but could do 18 during my exhaustion test. When you max out each day, it is after doing 4 sets already though. I think that is pretty good given the minimum for the last day of week 2 to max out at is 8. It is also good because when I started, I could only do 5. That tells you how freaking wimpy I am. The only bad thing about all of this is I have gained weight. I just tell myself it is muscle mass though!

I'll be buff before I know it! Grrrrrrr!

The Entire List - With Commentary

2009-08-18T19:00:00.000-05:00

Write a blog detailing my adventures of trying to achieve 30 things before 30 - Well, I have started that so I think I am on a good track!

Do 100 consecutive push ups - Yes, my arms are weak. I know this. But thanks to my good friend Charles, I stared the 100 Push Ups program. http://www.hundredpushups.com/ Doubt me if you will but I WILL accomplish this. I actually started a little before my birthday but considering I am doing modified (girl) push ups right now, I will probably have to do the program a few times before getting to 100 real good form push ups. After day 2, I am able to do 10 modified push ups in a row.

Visit Mount Rushmore - Just think it would be fun. Road trip anyone?

Plant and cultivate my own vegetable garden - So this summer I became addicted to grilled zucchini and squash with a citrus grill seasoning I have. I am tired of going to the grocery store to pick them up though because they don't tend to last very long in the fridge. Solution, grow my own! I would like to plant some other veggies too and maybe some herbs.

Go on a mother/daughter vacation to somewhere sunny and beachy - This would just be fun! And I never go on vacation. Seriously, the last real one I went on where you stay at a resort was Spring Break, sophomore year of college. Sad. Plus it would be quality time with my mom!

Read the entire bible - I have tried but always failed. Now that I have a blog to hold me accountable, I have to do it!

Cook (then eat) a whole live lobster - So my dear brother tried to scare me away from this one saying the lobster will scream and try to claw it's way out of the pot. I have found the screaming to be a myth. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Do_lobsters_really_scream_when_you_put_them_in_boiling_water As for the clawing their way out, well as Tim said, that is what the lid is for. Now he is on board and wants to know when this event will happen so he can join me. Think you're getting free lobster eh Tim?

Watch all of the Harry Potter movies - I know it is shameful. I haven't read the books either. Not planning to. The books can go on my 40 before 40 list.

Treat myself to a spa day - Many of you know that I am cheap and I would rather pay for tangible things rather than experiences. Hence why I rarely go to concerts. I guess I will just have to suffer through a spa day...

Pee outside while camping (in honor of Tara K) - Yeah, I have stage fright if I try to pee outside. Tara tried in vain last year at the Niobrara to get me to but I would rather use the stinky, bug infested porta potty and risk being attacked in the dark by deranged campers.

Go to Worlds of Fun - I really have never been. Always wanted to go, but it just never happened. This year, it will!

Run a half marathon - This one will be tough with the problems I have had with my calf but I think with the proper training, I can do it!

Visit a Nebraska winery - Another one of those always wanted to things, but never did.

Play paintball with my brother - As many know, my brother is quite in to paintball. We'll call him a paintball enthusiast. I am a little frighted that he will try and cover me head to toe in a shower of paint balls but I am hoping his girlfriend will come to my aide. By the way, Tim has offered to allow me to bring friends!

Attempt/learn to water ski - I have snow skied but never water skied. First time for everything!

Visit the Butterfly and Insect Pavilion at Henry Doorly Zoo - Seems like a fun thing to do.

Go to the Wildlife Safari in Ashland - I actually never heard of this until today when I was looking for things in Nebraska I could do. Seems pretty fun and there are trails you can walk too.

Go ice skating at the ConAgra ice skating rink - Yeah, I know. I worked there for 5 years and never went. In my defense, it was only open 1 or 2 years when I worked there...

Decorate for Christmas - Some know that I stopped doing this a while back when I hit a rough patch in life. In reality, I was only really down one Christmas but I just haven't decorated since. Last time was 2005 and that is far too long. This year I want to go all out! I may even get a new tree since I have high ceilings in the new house!

Go fishing at Standing Bear Lake - Live by a lake, might as well fish in it!

Submit a concoction to http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/ and have it published to their website - I know it sounds bad but if you check out the website it is pretty funny. People come up with crazy, horribly fattening dishes and then take a photo of them. Some sound and look pretty gross but some actually sound quite yummy. Take the Corn Dog Pigs In A Blanket. Those sound great!

Go through the McDonald's drive thru and buy the meal for the car behind me - Hopefully the person will see this as a nice act and not think I am hitting on them. If I am lucky, it will be a nice old lady. My luck though, it will be a family of 20 or someone picking up hamburgers for their entire youth group and I will end up with a huge bill. Better bring a lot of cash when I do this!

Learn to drive a standard - Nope, never learned how. My brother tried to teach me once when I was buying my first car. It was between a little black Civic which was a standard and a Neon which was an automatic. I was too nervous about learning to drive the standard so I ended up with the Neon. Yeah, I know. Bad choice. I bet I would still have that Civic!

Go to a rodeo - Well given I live in Nebraska, I think I should go to at least one.

Milk a cow - Not really sure how to accomplish this. Maybe at the rodeo? Do they let you do that there? Or maybe they have a cow milking exhibit at the zoo? Anyone I know have a farm???

Teach Mollie to shake - So lots of people seem to think my dog is dumb. She isn't the brightest but she isn't that dumb and what she lacks in brains she makes up for in cuteness! She knows, "Go home", "Sit", "Lay down", "Leave it"... I think that's it. Hopefully I can teach her a new trick!

Make a large art project for the house - Not sure yet what I am going to do but as anyone who has visited the new house can attest, I have nothing on the walls. I am thinking a big photography project where you do 9, 12 x 12 frame and hang them on the wall in a large square shape. Or maybe I could take a painting class and make a large painting. We'll see. I guess I should hit up some DIY websites for ideas or start watching HGTV again!

Host a dinner party for a few close friends - No, I will not make you lobster. You should all know I am too cheap for that. A nice dinner though where I cook everything and others can just enjoy!

Swim in the ocean and/or make a sandcastle with Becca - Yes, this is just an excuse to visit Becca and go to the beach. It's my list! I can do what I want!

Volunteer and do something I have never done before - I have done clean up stuff, Habitat, stuff with kids, fostered a dog etc. I want to do something new. For instance, I have never worked the elderly or homeless people.

Harry Potter and the Cherry Jello Sorcerer's Stone

2009-08-17T20:50:00.000-05:00

I got started on my goal to watch all of the Harry Potter movies this weekend by watching the first in the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Thanks to my friend Angie, I didn't even have to rent it! I must admit at this point, I have seen another of the Harry Potter movies. I watched the 5th one, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, a few weeks ago which spurred my interest in the series. Sadly though, I was a little disappointed in the 1st one compared to the 5th. I have been told they get darker though as the series goes on so I guess that means I like "dark" movies. Mmmm, maybe that explains my addiction to True Blood and Lost…

I just though this one drug on a little. It also seemed like Dumbledore could have prevented everything. Isn't it ironic that he decided to move the mirror and it ended up where the stone was? And how did the bad guy get down there without having to play chess? AND if both Harry and Snape thought something bad was going down, why didn't either of them go to Dumbledore? Wait, I think Harry might have tried but Snape didn't. That guy is kind of creepy by the way. I knew I had seen him in another movie before but I couldn't place it. Looked it up today and he was in Robin Hood: Price of Thieves. Pretty sure he played a bad guy in that movie. Haven't seen it in a while but I liked that movie. Or I just liked that Brian Adams' song "Everything I Do, I Do It for You". Quite possible I had the soundtrack because of that song… I digress, back to Harry Potter.

I was disappointed in the actual Sorcerer's Stone. I was expecting something magnificent and glowing but instead it looked like a chunk of cherry jello without the wiggle. Voldemort's face on the back of the other guy's head was pretty creepy. Thought it was a bit lame that the "love in Harry" made the bad guy crumble away. Maybe I judge because I saw Harry with a little more spunk in the 5th one. He just seemed so sheepish to me in this one. I did however, like Hermione. That girl has quite the sassy attitude!

Overall the movie was good though. It will be interesting to see how the characters develop in the next one. I was sad at the end when Harry had go back to his "muggle" family. He should just stay with Hagrid!

Mollie vs The Toy Bin

2009-08-14T17:04:00.000-05:00

Mollie wanted a toy out of the toy bin but wouldn't just stick her head in and get it. Instead, she sat by it and cried.
As you can see, the bin is not very tall and Mollie could easily reach in and get something.

Even if the toy was at the bottom and she couldn't reach it, she could knock the bin over. Instead she decided to lay down and cry some more.

"Maybe if I sniff the bin, the toy will come out."

Finally, I got sick of listening to her cry (it got louder if I went in the other room) and knocked the bin over for her. Such a spoiled dog...

I like lists

2009-08-14T11:28:00.000-05:00

It's true. I like to make lists. Obviously I have my 30 before 30 list but this definitely wasn't the first. I make little lists of things I would like to do over the weekend or chores around the house. Random stuff too. Stuff that doesn't need to go on a list but I put it there anyway. For example, here is part of a list I have from weekend before last (also I just add to lists until the piece of paper is full and then I throw it away so they are often kept for weeks at a time).

Make bed

Walk Mollie

Shower

Grocery List

Grocery store

Make marinade

Pick up clothes

Vacuum

Dust

Take out trash

And it goes on... I do realize now that I actually put on a list, to make another (grocery) list. Seriously, I don't think I need to put make my bed or shower on my list. I do those things every day. I guess it just gives me a sense of accomplishment to cross things off the list. I play this little game with myself that for each item I cross off, I add another but I try to accomplish 5 items in a row before adding more. You know, as not to overwhelm myself :)

You shouldn't be surprised that I also have a list app on my iPhone. It's for shopping and I can put the amount of each item in so as I check stuff off, I have a running tally of what is in the cart. It even adds tax. Pretty nice for the items I buy regularly because I know how much I will spend prior to going to the store. There is a website too where you can manage your lists or share them with others. List heaven.

So I see now that I might be sounding a little OCD. Really I am not. I'll get to the real point of the post (if there is one). Making my 30 before 30 list has actually spurred me to make even MORE lists. Crazy I know. These aren't to do lists or shopping lists though. They are little ones in my head as I reflect on the things I have done in my life and the things I would still like to do. For instance, I realized there are a lot of things I would like to do sometime in my life that aren't quite feasible for my 30 before 30 list. Or things I have accomplished that I am pretty darn proud of! Those are lists to blog about on another day though! My point is, this whole 30 before 30 thing is already evolving past just a list. It is making me think of life in general and how much I can take it for granted, not enjoy it to the fullest, or just plain not appreciate what I have! So often we make lists in our heads of what we want, what other's have and we don't, how we have been cheated in life, etc. We often look past our blessings because we are consumed with a list of things we don't have. I hope as I complete my list, God will continue to open my eyes and let me see all of the wonderful things I have already checked of my lists!

Finally, the list in it's entirety!

2009-08-11T21:15:00.000-05:00

Here it is, the last items to add to the list!!! I am officially at 30 and can focus on checking things off!

27. Make a large art project for the house - Not sure yet what I am going to do but as anyone who has visited the new house can attest, I have nothing on the walls. I am thinking a big photography project where you do 9, 12 x 12 frame and hang them on the wall in a large square shape. Or maybe I could take a painting class and make a large painting. We'll see. I guess I should hit up some DIY websites for ideas or start watching HGTV again!
28. Host a dinner party for a few close friends - No, I will not make you lobster. You should all know I am too cheap for that. A nice dinner though where I cook everything and others can just enjoy!
29. Swim in the ocean and/or make a sandcastle with Becca - Yes, this is just an excuse to visit Becca and go to the beach. It's my list! I can do what I want!
30. Volunteer and do something I have never done before - I have done clean up stuff, Habitat, stuff with kids, fostered a dog etc. I want to do something new. For instance, I have never worked the elderly or homeless people.

More additions

2009-08-09T20:56:00.000-05:00

23. Learn to drive a standard - Nope, never learned how. My brother tried to teach me once when I was buying my first car. It was between a little black Civic which was a standard and a Neon which was an automatic. I was too nervous about learning to drive the standard so I ended up with the Neon. Yeah, I know. Bad choice. I bet I would still have that Civic!
24. Go to a rodeo - Well given I live in Nebraska, I think I should go to at least one.
25. Milk a cow - Not really sure how to accomplish this. Maybe at the rodeo? Do they let you do that there? Or maybe they have a cow milking exhibit at the zoo? Anyone I know have a farm???
26. Teach Mollie to shake - So lots of people seem to think my dog is dumb. She isn't the brightest but she isn't that dumb and what she lacks in brains she makes up for in cuteness! She knows, "Go home", "Sit", "Lay down", "Leave it"... I think that's it. Hopefully I can teach her a new trick!

#13 CHECK!

2009-08-09T18:08:00.000-05:00

This afternoon I officially checked #13, visit a Nebraska winery off the list. My friend Tara had the kick-off to her birthday celebration today at the Soaring Wings vineyard in Springfield, Nebraska http://www.soaringwingswine.com/. We started the afternoon by picking up some lunch and eating on the the large patio at Soaring Wings. The day was beautiful other than a few rain drops.

After finishing lunch, we headed inside to do a wine tasting. They had a few good ones and I purchased a bottle of Dragon's Red. I know, I look drunk in this picture but this is actually before I tasted any wine!

After that we headed back to the patio. This is when it really started to thunder, lightning, and pour rain. Just added to the ambiance and fun though.

I have to admit, it was pretty funny when Craig, Jen, and Sharon got stuck in the gazebo during the down pour. If they would have tried to run back to the patio, they would have gotten absolutely soaked!

This trip was a great way to get started on my list and I think I might have to go back to this vineyard again or maybe visit others around Nebraska and Iowa. Who knew the little treasures you could find right here in Nebraska!

A couple of additions

2009-08-07T18:02:00.001-05:00

Conjured up a couple more! This will leave me 8 to think of to have my entire 30 before 30 list.

21. Submit a concoction to http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/ and have it published to their website - I know it sounds bad but if you check out the website it is pretty funny. People come up with crazy, horribly fattening dishes and then take a photo of them. Some sound and look pretty gross but some actually sound quite yummy. Take the Corn Dog Pigs In A Blanket. Those sound great!
22. Go through the McDonald's drive thru and buy the meal for the car behind me - Hopefully the person will see this as a nice act and not think I am hitting on them. If I am lucky, it will be a nice old lady. My luck though, it will be a family of 20 or someone picking up hamburgers for their entire youth group and I will end up with a huge bill. Better bring a lot of cash when I do this!

Here we go!

2009-08-06T21:40:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is. My first post. I guess not much explanation is needed for a 30 before 30 list so I will cut to the chase. The list as it stands so far. As you can see, it is more of a 20 before 30 list right now so suggestions would be great!

Write a blog detailing my adventures of trying to achieve 30 things before 30 - Well, I have started that so I think I am on a good track!
Do 100 consecutive push ups - Yes, my arms are weak. I know this. But thanks to my good friend Charles, I stared the 100 Push Ups program. http://www.hundredpushups.com/ Doubt me if you will but I WILL accomplish this. I actually started a little before my birthday but considering I am doing modified (girl) push ups right now, I will probably have to do the program a few times before getting to 100 real good form push ups. After day 2, I am able to do 10 modified push ups in a row.
Visit Mount Rushmore - Just think it would be fun. Road trip anyone?
Plant and cultivate my own vegetable garden - So this summer I became addicted to grilled zucchini and squash with a citrus grill seasoning I have. I am tired of going to the grocery store to pick them up though because they don't tend to last very long in the fridge. Solution, grow my own! I would like to plant some other veggies too and maybe some herbs.
Go on a mother/daughter vacation to somewhere sunny and beachy - This would just be fun! And I never go on vacation. Seriously, the last real one I went on where you stay at a resort was Spring Break, sophomore year of college. Sad. Plus it would be quality time with my mom!
Read the entire bible - I have tried but always failed. Now that I have a blog to hold me accountable, I have to do it!
Cook (then eat) a whole live lobster - So my dear brother tried to scare me away from this one saying the lobster will scream and try to claw it's way out of the pot. I have found the screaming to be a myth. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Do_lobsters_really_scream_when_you_put_them_in_boiling_water As for the clawing their way out, well as Tim said, that is what the lid is for. Now he is on board and wants to know when this event will happen so he can join me. Think you're getting free lobster eh Tim?
Watch all of the Harry Potter movies - I know it is shameful. I haven't read the books either. Not planning to. The books can go on my 40 before 40 list.
Treat myself to a spa day - Many of you know that I am cheap and I would rather pay for tangible things rather than experiences. Hence why I rarely go to concerts. I guess I will just have to suffer through a spa day...
Pee outside while camping (in honor of Tara K) - Yeah, I have stage fright if I try to pee outside. Tara tried in vain last year at the Niobrara to get me to but I would rather use the stinky, bug infested porta potty and risk being attacked in the dark by deranged campers.
Go to Worlds of Fun - I really have never been. Always wanted to go, but it just never happened. This year, it will!
Run a half marathon - This one will be tough with the problems I have had with my calf but I think with the proper training, I can do it!
Visit a Nebraska winery - Another one of those always wanted to things, but never did.
Play paintball with my brother - As many know, my brother is quite in to paintball. We'll call him a paintball enthusiast. I am a little frighted that he will try and cover me head to toe in a shower of paint balls but I am hoping his girlfriend will come to my aide. By the way, Tim has offered to allow me to bring friends!
Attempt/learn to water ski - I have snow skied but never water skied. First time for everything!
Visit the Butterfly and Insect Pavilion at Henry Doorly Zoo - Seems like a fun thing to do.
Go to the Wildlife Safari in Ashland - I actually never heard of this until today when I was looking for things in Nebraska I could do. Seems pretty fun and there are trails you can walk too.
Go ice skating at the ConAgra ice skating rink - Yeah, I know. I worked there for 5 years and never went. In my defense, it was only open 1 or 2 years when I worked there...
Decorate for Christmas - Some know that I stopped doing this a while back when I hit a rough patch in life. In reality, I was only really down one Christmas but I just haven't decorated since. Last time was 2005 and that is far too long. This year I want to go all out! I may even get a new tree since I have high ceilings in the new house!
Go fishing at Standing Bear Lake - Live by a lake, might as well fish in it!

So that's my start! Any suggestions for the remaining ten will be taken in to consideration. I am excited to get started and start knocking things off the list!