Number 5 - "Hey Kenny (Rogers)!"
Number 4 - "Would you like some Roaring Rion?"
Number 3 - "BTW...LOL...OBGYN!"
Number 2 (runner up) - "Take off your pants!"
And the Number 1 quote from the Reno Trip (in a Jersey accent, of course) - "Forget about it!"
Monday, December 28, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Tiger Woods Joke
I just now remembered this joke that one of the dealers in Vegas told me last week when we were there.
HIM: Did you hear about Tiger's new nickname?
ME: No...what is it?
HIM: Cheetah!
I think it's hilarious and is my new favorite joke.
HIM: Did you hear about Tiger's new nickname?
ME: No...what is it?
HIM: Cheetah!
I think it's hilarious and is my new favorite joke.
Damn dog!
Okay, so James and I are leaving tomorrow for Reno. His grandparents live out there and have been trying to get us to come out for Christmas the past couple years. We've never been able to, either because of financial reasons or just being busy. Well this year, they gave us an offer we couldn't pass up. They told us they'd pay for our trip....airfare and hotel. So we leave tomorrow and will return on Sunday. I'm looking forward to it.
Whenever we leave town, we usually have James' brother stay at our house and watch the dog. However, since he's also going with us, I had to give my mom a call. When I asked her if she'd be able to watch Kahlua for about a week, she was incredibly excited. My mom loves our dog and will actually take off work to watch her (even though I've told her a million times it's okay to leave her alone).
Anyway, today I traveled to Emporia to meet my mom to drop off the dog. It was a good half-way point for both of us. I met her at the Flying J, a truckstop there right off the highway. When I got there, she was already waiting. Kahlua was, of course, very excited and was ready to get out of the car, but her leash was in my trunk with the rest of her stuff. I popped the trunk and got out...pushing her back into the car as I shut the door. I went to the trunk and grabbed her leash. On my way back to the car, I heard a familiar clicking sound....the sound you hear when you lock your doors. Sure enough, while jumping at the door, Kahlua managed to jump down onto the lock button of the car. My keys, of course, were sitting right next to my dog on the driver's seat. So here my dog and my keys are locked in my car along with my coat and my purse. My mom and I just looked at each other like "What the hell?" So of course, I did what anyone else would do...tried to get my dog excited again so she'd jump up on the door and unlock the door. This didn't work. All she did was stare at me.
So we then spent the next couple minutes looking through my mom's car for something we could use to break into my car. She didn't have a clothes hanger, but she did have a flyswatter. So we took it apart and got to work trying to get into the car. We figured it wouldn't be too hard because the door wasn't completely shut. Of course, neither of us had ever broken into a car, so after about 15 minutes of trying (and Kahlua barking at us), we gave up and went inside the truckstop to see if we could find someone to help. We asked a couple of guys but they didn't seem too interested in helping us. Then one of the guys behind the counter said to ask the "guy in green" who was filling the coolers. We asked the guy and he came out to help us. It took all of 2 minutes for him to break into my car. I thanked him and then grabbed my dog and let the poor thing go pee. After visiting with my mom for a while, we both went our separate ways...her with the dog.
I must say, I'm glad I had my mom with me today. I don't always handle stuff like that very well and she's really good at staying calm. It's also much easier asking strange men to help you when you're not by yourself. But I was able to do that with my mom. I'm also really glad it wasn't any colder than it was today. I was left outside without a coat and I would have felt really bad for my pup if she was trapped in a car in 10 degree weather. But everything seemed to work out.
And now that it's all over, I can laugh about it.
Whenever we leave town, we usually have James' brother stay at our house and watch the dog. However, since he's also going with us, I had to give my mom a call. When I asked her if she'd be able to watch Kahlua for about a week, she was incredibly excited. My mom loves our dog and will actually take off work to watch her (even though I've told her a million times it's okay to leave her alone).
Anyway, today I traveled to Emporia to meet my mom to drop off the dog. It was a good half-way point for both of us. I met her at the Flying J, a truckstop there right off the highway. When I got there, she was already waiting. Kahlua was, of course, very excited and was ready to get out of the car, but her leash was in my trunk with the rest of her stuff. I popped the trunk and got out...pushing her back into the car as I shut the door. I went to the trunk and grabbed her leash. On my way back to the car, I heard a familiar clicking sound....the sound you hear when you lock your doors. Sure enough, while jumping at the door, Kahlua managed to jump down onto the lock button of the car. My keys, of course, were sitting right next to my dog on the driver's seat. So here my dog and my keys are locked in my car along with my coat and my purse. My mom and I just looked at each other like "What the hell?" So of course, I did what anyone else would do...tried to get my dog excited again so she'd jump up on the door and unlock the door. This didn't work. All she did was stare at me.
So we then spent the next couple minutes looking through my mom's car for something we could use to break into my car. She didn't have a clothes hanger, but she did have a flyswatter. So we took it apart and got to work trying to get into the car. We figured it wouldn't be too hard because the door wasn't completely shut. Of course, neither of us had ever broken into a car, so after about 15 minutes of trying (and Kahlua barking at us), we gave up and went inside the truckstop to see if we could find someone to help. We asked a couple of guys but they didn't seem too interested in helping us. Then one of the guys behind the counter said to ask the "guy in green" who was filling the coolers. We asked the guy and he came out to help us. It took all of 2 minutes for him to break into my car. I thanked him and then grabbed my dog and let the poor thing go pee. After visiting with my mom for a while, we both went our separate ways...her with the dog.
I must say, I'm glad I had my mom with me today. I don't always handle stuff like that very well and she's really good at staying calm. It's also much easier asking strange men to help you when you're not by yourself. But I was able to do that with my mom. I'm also really glad it wasn't any colder than it was today. I was left outside without a coat and I would have felt really bad for my pup if she was trapped in a car in 10 degree weather. But everything seemed to work out.
And now that it's all over, I can laugh about it.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
I find this really interesting...
I subscribe to my hometown newspaper, The Marion County Record. I like to keep up on what's going on. Marion is such a small town, so I inevitably know someone who was arrested or married or whatever.
Anyway, one of the articles led me to the Marion County website. On the website was a picture of the Marion County Courthouse. James happened to be sitting by me while I was looking at it and asked "Is that the courthouse in Manhattan?" I told him it was not and he insisted it looked just like the Riley County Courthouse. I told him that probably all courthouses look the same and that it wasn't that big of a deal.
Well, I decided to look up the Riley County Courthouse and sure enough...it's almost identical! The similarities are astonishing. I did some historical research and what do you know...both courthouses were built in 1906. Coincidence? I think not. They were clearly designed by the same architect. I don't know why, but I think this is very interesting.
Marion County Courthouse
Riley County Courthouse
_County_Courthouse_1.jpg)
Anyway, one of the articles led me to the Marion County website. On the website was a picture of the Marion County Courthouse. James happened to be sitting by me while I was looking at it and asked "Is that the courthouse in Manhattan?" I told him it was not and he insisted it looked just like the Riley County Courthouse. I told him that probably all courthouses look the same and that it wasn't that big of a deal.
Well, I decided to look up the Riley County Courthouse and sure enough...it's almost identical! The similarities are astonishing. I did some historical research and what do you know...both courthouses were built in 1906. Coincidence? I think not. They were clearly designed by the same architect. I don't know why, but I think this is very interesting.
Marion County Courthouse
Riley County Courthouse
_County_Courthouse_1.jpg)
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
I feel better now
After many responses on Facebook to my Rudolph note, I'm now feeling a lot better. All my friends last night had me feeling like a crazy person because I sing it the "fudge face---football---Columbus" way. It turns out...a lot of people (outside of the Taylor family) sing it that way too!
It took a few people stepping up to say something to help me get my reindeer pride back. But I'm no longer living in red-nosed fear. I will stand proudly and sing that holiday favorite from the top of my lungs. And I will not say "Pinocchio". I will not say "Monopoly". And I will not say "George Washington"! I will sing it the way I learned it and I will not be ashamed.
I also decided to google "rudolph the red-nosed reindeer like fudge face" and found this:
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (reindeer)
Had a very shiny nose (like a lightbulb)
And if you ever saw him (saw him)
You would even say it glows (like a lightbulb/flashlight)
All of the other reindeer (reindeer)
Used to laugh and call him names (like Pinocchio/fudgeface)
They never let poor Rudolph (Rudolph)
Join in any reindeer games (like Monopoly/football)
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say (Happy Birthday/Ho-ho-ho!)
"Rudolph, with your nose so bright,
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Then all the reindeer loved him (loved him)
As they shouted out with glee: (Yippee!)
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, (reindeer)
You'll go down in history! (like Columbus/Mickey Mouse/George Washington/The Yellow Pages)"
It took a few people stepping up to say something to help me get my reindeer pride back. But I'm no longer living in red-nosed fear. I will stand proudly and sing that holiday favorite from the top of my lungs. And I will not say "Pinocchio". I will not say "Monopoly". And I will not say "George Washington"! I will sing it the way I learned it and I will not be ashamed.
I also decided to google "rudolph the red-nosed reindeer like fudge face" and found this:
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (reindeer)
Had a very shiny nose (like a lightbulb)
And if you ever saw him (saw him)
You would even say it glows (like a lightbulb/flashlight)
All of the other reindeer (reindeer)
Used to laugh and call him names (like Pinocchio/fudgeface)
They never let poor Rudolph (Rudolph)
Join in any reindeer games (like Monopoly/football)
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say (Happy Birthday/Ho-ho-ho!)
"Rudolph, with your nose so bright,
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Then all the reindeer loved him (loved him)
As they shouted out with glee: (Yippee!)
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, (reindeer)
You'll go down in history! (like Columbus/Mickey Mouse/George Washington/The Yellow Pages)"
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
After surveying an entire bar full of people, I realized yesterday that all my life I've been singing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer totally wrong. I'm trying to figure out how this could have happened. Is it a family thing? I called my sisters and they sing it the same way I do...
Or is this a regional thing? Perhaps all Marionites sing it this way?
I'm distraught. Can you please help me out with this? Fill in the blanks below so I can perhaps get to the bottom of this.
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer (reindeer)
Had a very shiny nose (like a light bulb)
And if you ever saw it (saw it)
You would even say it glows (like a light bulb)
All of the other reindeer (reindeer)
Used to laugh and call him names (like _____________)
They wouldn't let poor Rudolph (Rudolph)
Join in any reindeer games (like ______________)
Then one foggy Christmas eve
Santa came to say (Ho, ho, ho!)
Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?
Then all the reindeer loved him (loved him)
As they shouted out with glee (yippee!)
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer (reindeer)
You'll go down in history (like _______________)
Or is this a regional thing? Perhaps all Marionites sing it this way?
I'm distraught. Can you please help me out with this? Fill in the blanks below so I can perhaps get to the bottom of this.
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer (reindeer)
Had a very shiny nose (like a light bulb)
And if you ever saw it (saw it)
You would even say it glows (like a light bulb)
All of the other reindeer (reindeer)
Used to laugh and call him names (like _____________)
They wouldn't let poor Rudolph (Rudolph)
Join in any reindeer games (like ______________)
Then one foggy Christmas eve
Santa came to say (Ho, ho, ho!)
Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?
Then all the reindeer loved him (loved him)
As they shouted out with glee (yippee!)
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer (reindeer)
You'll go down in history (like _______________)
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Disgusting, yet humorous
Yesterday, James and I went over to Paige and John's place to watch the K-State/Nebraska game. Lisa made chili and so we brought over some fritos and beer and all watched the game. Paige and John have a dog, Raleigh, and they were dogsitting for Ali's puggle, Charlie. Lisa's been dogsitting for Mandy, so she brought Roxy over. So we had 4 dogs running around. I was actually pretty impressed with Kahlua's behavior. She's a good dog, but isn't very social with other dogs. For the most part, she did a good job around the other three dogs.
Especially Charlie.
Oh boy! Apparently my dog doesn't realize she's a girl. She spent all night trying to hump Charlie. It got a laugh out of everyone, but poor Charlie was traumatized. And I....well, let's just say I was disgusted. My little girl should know better!
Especially Charlie.
Oh boy! Apparently my dog doesn't realize she's a girl. She spent all night trying to hump Charlie. It got a laugh out of everyone, but poor Charlie was traumatized. And I....well, let's just say I was disgusted. My little girl should know better!
Friday, November 20, 2009
101 in 1,001
***UPDATE: As of 1/2011, 33 items have been completed and 16 items are in progress. ***
101 in 1,001 - to be accomplished by August 16, 2012
Friends/Family
1. Sing “Mr. Jones” with my sisters (CO Trip - May 2010...karaoke with Nicole)
2. Visit my grandparents (Christmas Eve 2010 - Taylor side....still need to go visit Grandma Thornhill)
3. Celebrate the pup's birthday every year (2010...we didn't do much this year to celebrate, but we did get her some toys and Frosty Pawz ice cream, 2011...took her on a car ride to PetCo and picked out some treats from the Doggie Bar, 2012...got her some toys and doggie treats from PetCo)
4. Be a bridesmaid in a wedding (I was a groomswoman in Jeremy's wedding on Aug. 1, 2011....I'm saying it counts!), I was also asked to be a bridesmaid in Diane's wedding next April
5. Go out for sushi with a group of friends (went to lunch on one of our snow days (1/10) with Lisa, Jenni, and Diane...technically it was a Chinese restaurant, but they had sushi and Diane and I both ordered it, so I'm gonna go ahead and count this one, also I went to the sushi train restaurant with James and some of his coworkers 7/10).
6. Get a brother or sister for the pup (this is not going to happen....Kahlua simply just hates other dogs)
7. Have a "Love Actually party" (Dec. 2010 - had Jenni, Lisa, and Diane over for soup, hot chocolate, wine, and the best movie ever)
8. Call up an old friend (James and I called Ben and Kara - Christmas 2010)
9. Attend my 10 year class reunion (this one can't happen before Aug 16th because my reunion isn't until September...still planning on going though, despite the fact that I really don't want to)
10. Write a letter to an old friend
11. Send out Christmas cards every year (2009 - check, 2010 - check, 2011 - check) 12. Send someone flowers (1 - to Lisa when she was having a rough week, 2 - to Diane to show support when her grandmother passed away, 3 - sent a plant to a friend when her father-in-law passed away)
Love-life
13. Plan a surprise date night with the hubby (more of a "date day"...I took him to Shawnee Mission Park where we kayaked and rode paddle boats all morning then later that night we went to Julian at Brookside for dinner)
14. Stay at a Bed & Breakfast
15. Make breakfast for my husband on a work day (Russian Crepes)
16. Build something with my husband (washers set)
17. Sing a karaoke duet with my husband
18. Make out in the rain
19. Go on a walk with my husband and dog at least once a month (this is one that fell through the cracks this past winter....the weather was awful, but hopefully I can make it happen from here on out)
20. Get my picture taken with my husband in a photo booth (James' class reunion, Chrissy's wedding)
21. Tell my husband I love him everyday (I don't suppose I've actually kept track of this, but I'm pretty sure I've told him "I love you" every day)
22. Make a baby (it makes me sad to read this and not be able to check it off)
Health & Wellness
23. Run a 5K (April 2010 - Braden Hofen Benefit Run)
24. Run a 10K
25. Participate in a marathon relay
26. Visit a farmer’s market to buy fresh fruits and vegetables (summer 2012)
27. Go to the dentist twice a year, every year (twice in 2010 - check, twice 2011 - check)
28. Floss everyday for a month (Feb 2010)
29. Be able to do 50 push ups
30. Work out 3 days a week for a month (Feb 2010)
31. Continue to work out regularly after the month is up (April 2010)
32. Try on my wedding dress on each wedding anniversary…and have it fit (July 2010...though it was quite a bit tighter than it was the first time around. Time to get back in shape! 2011 - didn't happen, 2012 - didn't happen)
Betterment
33. Vote (Nov. 2010)
34. Clean out my closet and donate clothes (could probably do this a couple more times)
35. Donate money to a charity/good cause at least once every year (2009 - KC Arts Association, 2010 - Haiti Disaster Relief, United Way, 2011 - American Red Cross - Joplin Disaster Relief, 2012 - Rosebrook Domestic Violence Shelter)
36. Donate money to support the fight against breast cancer (Oct. 2010, Oct. 2011)
37. Volunteer at a food drive or homeless shelter
Traveling
38. Travel somewhere outside of the U.S.
39. Go on a trip with my girl friends (Table Rock Lake - June 2010, TRL - July 2011)
40. Visit Ben and Kara in South Carolina (summer 2012)
41. Visit Braden and Diane in Colorado (May 2010)
42. Visit Aunt Dal and Uncle John (December 2011)
43. Visit my cousins in Florida
44. Go on a multi-state road trip (KS-MO-IL: Chicago trip - Summer 2012)
45. Visit a state I’ve never been to
46. Go on a trip during Spring Break
47. Visit a national park
Personal Enjoyment
48. Go on another float trip (August 2010, July 2011, Aug 2012)
49. Buy a houseplant and keep it alive (though I didn't buy it, someone gave me a basil plant back in April....it's August and the parts of the plant that I haven't used up are still alive...it counts!)
50. Go through my stuff at the old house
51. Go on a strenuous hike (hiked the Armstrong Redwoods on our Cali vacation, but it wasn't exactly strenuous)
52. Go to Gate’s BBQ
53. Go on a bike ride
54. Blog at least once a month (ALMOST made it....missed June 2012)
55. Get a professional massage (October 29, 2010 - Par Exsalonce, July 22, 2011 - Mario Tricoci, 2012 - Zen Massage) 56. Visit at least 3 popular Kansas City attractions for the first time (Oklahoma Joe's, Kauffman Center, Royals Hall of Fame Museum)
57. Own a pair of cowboy boots (birthday present 2011)
58. Spend a night in Aggieville (Fake Patty's Day 2010, Paige's bachelorette party - Sept 2011) 59. Find and buy a pair of khaki pants that don’t make me look like a lesbian
60. Go to a shooting range
61. Go to a K-State game every year (Dec. 2010 - basketball game @ Sprint Center, Fall 2011 - KSU vs. MU football, Dec. 2011 - basketball game @ Spring Center)
62. Win a poker game (June 2010, July 2011, Sept 2011)
63. Ride a horse
64. Go on a hot air balloon ride (October 14, 2010)
65. Experience “Winfield” all three years (2010 - check, 2011 - check, WILL be going in 2012)
66. Go skiing (went WATER skiing for the first time at Table Rock 6/10 and 7/12...still doesn't count)
67. Own another Coach (I got a little brown wristlet as a Christmas gift from a student - Dec. 2009, and replaced my old black and gray everyday bag with a very cute black Peyton - Mar. 2010, got 3 super cute bags at the Coach Outlet in Osage Beach - Nov. 2010, August 2011 got a cute purple leather purse online)68. Visit a wine vineyard (Somerset Ridge Winery - Louisburg, KS - September 5, 2010, Seven Springs Winery at Lake of the Ozarks - November 2011, various wineries in Sonoma - December 29, 2011)
69. Visit a beer brewery (Blvd. Brewery - Dec. 5, 2009, Sierra Nevada - December 26, 2011, Old Mecklenburg Brewery in Charlotte, NC - Summer 2012)
70. Put together a 1000+ piece puzzle at least once every year (2009 - December, 2010 - November, 2011 - December)
71. Go snorkeling
72. Go on a picnic (surprise anniversary date 2011)
73. Go fishing
74. Clean out my inbox
Finances
75. Buy a house - It couldn't be more perfect!!!
76. Win big at a casino ($200 or more) I almost accomplished this when we went to Vegas...was $361 up. But then I lost it. I did win $80, but I guess that doesn't fit this criteria.
77. Pay off my Bank of America credit card (Nov. 2010 - yay!)78. Continue to put money into savings every paycheck So far I'm doing a good job of this. Instead of taking it out of every paycheck though, I've been doing it once a month. Whatever...it still counts.
Work
79. Have a student teacher (I met her in May....she'll start this August)
80. Do a random act of kindness for each of my fellow first grade teachers (bringing coffee/hot chocolate to everyone on a rainy day...not that big of a deal, but it was still nice!)
81. Share a great teaching idea with another teacher (summer school teachers)
82. Move over a column on the pay scale every year (2010 - check, 2011 - check, 2012 - check)
Smarts
83. Read at least 12 books every year (Year 1 - #1 - Twenties Girl, #2 - Holidays on Ice, #3 - The Lovely Bones, #4 - The Hour I First Believed, #5 - A Little Bit Wicked, #6 - A Reliable Wife, #7 - The Help, #8 - The Shack, #9 - The Secret Life of Bees, #10 - Eat, Pray, Love, #11 - The Apothecary's Daughter, #12 - The Hunger Games, #13 - Catching Fire, #14 - Mockingjay, #15 - Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea, Year 2 - #1 - The Art of Racing in the Rain #2 - Half Broke Horses, #3 - Ape House, #4 - One Day, #5 - Shiver, #7 - Matched, #8 - Room, #9 - Linger, #10 - Something Borrowed, #11 - How Starbucks Saved My Life, #12 - Delirium, Year 3 - #1 - Forever, #2 - Something Blue, #3 - Crossed, #4 - Like Water for Chocolate, #5 - Pandemonium, #6 - Sing You Home, #7 - 50 Shades of Grey, #8 - 50 Shades Darker, #9 - 50 Shades Freed...since 2012 isn't over yet, I think I can count this one! I know for a fact I'll read 3 more books before the end of the year!
84. Get my Master’s Degree - March 2010
85. Finish the Harry Potter series
86. Read the rest of David Sedaris’ books
The Arts
87. See a Cirque de Soleil show (December 13, 2009 - Mystere @ Treasure Island in Vegas)88. Go to a concert (Taylor Swift - April 2010 at the Sprint Center, Keith Urban, Dixie Chicks, & The Eagles - June 2010 in Chicago, Eric Church - Summer 2010 free concert at P&L, Luke Bryan - Summer 2010 free concert at P&L, Zac Brown Band - November 7, 2010 at the Sprint Center, Lady Antebellum - November 20, 2010 at The Midland, Cake/Mumford & Sons - June 3, 2011)
89. Go see a musical...OR 12! (Wicked - November 20, 2009, Dreamgirls - July 21, 2010, Beauty and the Beast - August 11, 2010, The Producers - August 25, 2010, The King & I - June 8, 2011, Guys an Dolls - July 13, 2011, Children of Eden - July 19, 2011, Cinderella - July 27, 2011, Into the Heights - June 6, 2012, Memphis -July 11, 2012, Peter Pan - July 25, 2012, Aida - August 7, 2012)
90. Write something and share it with someone
91. Play the piano in public (played at the church for my little sister's wedding)
92. Write a song
93. Sing karaoke…all by myself (May 2010 @ Monica's Graduation Party - Paper Gansta by Lady Gaga and Best Day by Taylor Swift, January 2011 @ Paddy O'Quiggley's - Busta Move by Young MC)
94. Do a weekly photo documentation of my pregnancy (this one won't be happening)
Culinary
95. Share a recipe with at least 10 people (7/10 - gave queso recipe to Jenni, pumpkin flush recipe at Thanksgiving to the fam, White Chicken Lasagna - shared recipe online when requested, blog-shared Russian Crepe recipe, shared stuffed mushroom recipe with family, Panera's broccoli cheese soup with Diane, white wine chicken with Diane)
96. Get (and try) a recipe from at least 10 people (10/10 - Kim's queso dip, Becky Keith's pumpkin fluff, Nordstrom Café Tomato Soup from Paige, Panera's Broccoli Cheese Soup from Nicole/Internet, Crock-Pot Chicken &nRotel from Sara Froese, Bangin' Shrimp from Diane, banana bread from Diane, cream cheese coffee cake from Diane, Bacon Dip from Lisa, Monterey Chicken "shared" from Pinterest)
97. Help cook a Thanksgiving turkey - I cooked my first bird Thanksgiving 2011 for James, Margie, Martin, Madison, Jen, and Juliana. It turned out to be delicious!
98. Cook something on the grill
99. Host a dinner party (“Italian Thanksgiving” 11/25/09 and a number of backyard BBQ's since we've moved)
100. Bake an apple pie from scratch
AND...
101. Donate $5 to a charity for every goal not accomplished
101 in 1,001 - to be accomplished by August 16, 2012
Friends/Family
1. Sing “Mr. Jones” with my sisters (CO Trip - May 2010...karaoke with Nicole)
2. Visit my grandparents (Christmas Eve 2010 - Taylor side....still need to go visit Grandma Thornhill)
3. Celebrate the pup's birthday every year (2010...we didn't do much this year to celebrate, but we did get her some toys and Frosty Pawz ice cream, 2011...took her on a car ride to PetCo and picked out some treats from the Doggie Bar, 2012...got her some toys and doggie treats from PetCo)
4. Be a bridesmaid in a wedding (I was a groomswoman in Jeremy's wedding on Aug. 1, 2011....I'm saying it counts!), I was also asked to be a bridesmaid in Diane's wedding next April
5. Go out for sushi with a group of friends (went to lunch on one of our snow days (1/10) with Lisa, Jenni, and Diane...technically it was a Chinese restaurant, but they had sushi and Diane and I both ordered it, so I'm gonna go ahead and count this one, also I went to the sushi train restaurant with James and some of his coworkers 7/10).
6. Get a brother or sister for the pup (this is not going to happen....Kahlua simply just hates other dogs)
7. Have a "Love Actually party" (Dec. 2010 - had Jenni, Lisa, and Diane over for soup, hot chocolate, wine, and the best movie ever)
8. Call up an old friend (James and I called Ben and Kara - Christmas 2010)
9. Attend my 10 year class reunion (this one can't happen before Aug 16th because my reunion isn't until September...still planning on going though, despite the fact that I really don't want to)
10. Write a letter to an old friend
11. Send out Christmas cards every year (2009 - check, 2010 - check, 2011 - check) 12. Send someone flowers (1 - to Lisa when she was having a rough week, 2 - to Diane to show support when her grandmother passed away, 3 - sent a plant to a friend when her father-in-law passed away)
Love-life
13. Plan a surprise date night with the hubby (more of a "date day"...I took him to Shawnee Mission Park where we kayaked and rode paddle boats all morning then later that night we went to Julian at Brookside for dinner)
14. Stay at a Bed & Breakfast
15. Make breakfast for my husband on a work day (Russian Crepes)
16. Build something with my husband (washers set)
17. Sing a karaoke duet with my husband
18. Make out in the rain
19. Go on a walk with my husband and dog at least once a month (this is one that fell through the cracks this past winter....the weather was awful, but hopefully I can make it happen from here on out)
20. Get my picture taken with my husband in a photo booth (James' class reunion, Chrissy's wedding)
21. Tell my husband I love him everyday (I don't suppose I've actually kept track of this, but I'm pretty sure I've told him "I love you" every day)
22. Make a baby (it makes me sad to read this and not be able to check it off)
Health & Wellness
23. Run a 5K (April 2010 - Braden Hofen Benefit Run)
24. Run a 10K
25. Participate in a marathon relay
26. Visit a farmer’s market to buy fresh fruits and vegetables (summer 2012)
27. Go to the dentist twice a year, every year (twice in 2010 - check, twice 2011 - check)
28. Floss everyday for a month (Feb 2010)
29. Be able to do 50 push ups
30. Work out 3 days a week for a month (Feb 2010)
31. Continue to work out regularly after the month is up (April 2010)
32. Try on my wedding dress on each wedding anniversary…and have it fit (July 2010...though it was quite a bit tighter than it was the first time around. Time to get back in shape! 2011 - didn't happen, 2012 - didn't happen)
Betterment
33. Vote (Nov. 2010)
34. Clean out my closet and donate clothes (could probably do this a couple more times)
35. Donate money to a charity/good cause at least once every year (2009 - KC Arts Association, 2010 - Haiti Disaster Relief, United Way, 2011 - American Red Cross - Joplin Disaster Relief, 2012 - Rosebrook Domestic Violence Shelter)
36. Donate money to support the fight against breast cancer (Oct. 2010, Oct. 2011)
37. Volunteer at a food drive or homeless shelter
Traveling
38. Travel somewhere outside of the U.S.
39. Go on a trip with my girl friends (Table Rock Lake - June 2010, TRL - July 2011)
40. Visit Ben and Kara in South Carolina (summer 2012)
41. Visit Braden and Diane in Colorado (May 2010)
42. Visit Aunt Dal and Uncle John (December 2011)
43. Visit my cousins in Florida
44. Go on a multi-state road trip (KS-MO-IL: Chicago trip - Summer 2012)
45. Visit a state I’ve never been to
46. Go on a trip during Spring Break
47. Visit a national park
Personal Enjoyment
48. Go on another float trip (August 2010, July 2011, Aug 2012)
49. Buy a houseplant and keep it alive (though I didn't buy it, someone gave me a basil plant back in April....it's August and the parts of the plant that I haven't used up are still alive...it counts!)
50. Go through my stuff at the old house
51. Go on a strenuous hike (hiked the Armstrong Redwoods on our Cali vacation, but it wasn't exactly strenuous)
52. Go to Gate’s BBQ
53. Go on a bike ride
54. Blog at least once a month (ALMOST made it....missed June 2012)
55. Get a professional massage (October 29, 2010 - Par Exsalonce, July 22, 2011 - Mario Tricoci, 2012 - Zen Massage) 56. Visit at least 3 popular Kansas City attractions for the first time (Oklahoma Joe's, Kauffman Center, Royals Hall of Fame Museum)
57. Own a pair of cowboy boots (birthday present 2011)
58. Spend a night in Aggieville (Fake Patty's Day 2010, Paige's bachelorette party - Sept 2011) 59. Find and buy a pair of khaki pants that don’t make me look like a lesbian
60. Go to a shooting range
61. Go to a K-State game every year (Dec. 2010 - basketball game @ Sprint Center, Fall 2011 - KSU vs. MU football, Dec. 2011 - basketball game @ Spring Center)
62. Win a poker game (June 2010, July 2011, Sept 2011)
63. Ride a horse
64. Go on a hot air balloon ride (October 14, 2010)
65. Experience “Winfield” all three years (2010 - check, 2011 - check, WILL be going in 2012)
66. Go skiing (went WATER skiing for the first time at Table Rock 6/10 and 7/12...still doesn't count)
67. Own another Coach (I got a little brown wristlet as a Christmas gift from a student - Dec. 2009, and replaced my old black and gray everyday bag with a very cute black Peyton - Mar. 2010, got 3 super cute bags at the Coach Outlet in Osage Beach - Nov. 2010, August 2011 got a cute purple leather purse online)68. Visit a wine vineyard (Somerset Ridge Winery - Louisburg, KS - September 5, 2010, Seven Springs Winery at Lake of the Ozarks - November 2011, various wineries in Sonoma - December 29, 2011)
69. Visit a beer brewery (Blvd. Brewery - Dec. 5, 2009, Sierra Nevada - December 26, 2011, Old Mecklenburg Brewery in Charlotte, NC - Summer 2012)
70. Put together a 1000+ piece puzzle at least once every year (2009 - December, 2010 - November, 2011 - December)
71. Go snorkeling
72. Go on a picnic (surprise anniversary date 2011)
73. Go fishing
74. Clean out my inbox
Finances
75. Buy a house - It couldn't be more perfect!!!
76. Win big at a casino ($200 or more) I almost accomplished this when we went to Vegas...was $361 up. But then I lost it. I did win $80, but I guess that doesn't fit this criteria.
77. Pay off my Bank of America credit card (Nov. 2010 - yay!)78. Continue to put money into savings every paycheck So far I'm doing a good job of this. Instead of taking it out of every paycheck though, I've been doing it once a month. Whatever...it still counts.
Work
79. Have a student teacher (I met her in May....she'll start this August)
80. Do a random act of kindness for each of my fellow first grade teachers (bringing coffee/hot chocolate to everyone on a rainy day...not that big of a deal, but it was still nice!)
81. Share a great teaching idea with another teacher (summer school teachers)
82. Move over a column on the pay scale every year (2010 - check, 2011 - check, 2012 - check)
Smarts
83. Read at least 12 books every year (Year 1 - #1 - Twenties Girl, #2 - Holidays on Ice, #3 - The Lovely Bones, #4 - The Hour I First Believed, #5 - A Little Bit Wicked, #6 - A Reliable Wife, #7 - The Help, #8 - The Shack, #9 - The Secret Life of Bees, #10 - Eat, Pray, Love, #11 - The Apothecary's Daughter, #12 - The Hunger Games, #13 - Catching Fire, #14 - Mockingjay, #15 - Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea, Year 2 - #1 - The Art of Racing in the Rain #2 - Half Broke Horses, #3 - Ape House, #4 - One Day, #5 - Shiver, #7 - Matched, #8 - Room, #9 - Linger, #10 - Something Borrowed, #11 - How Starbucks Saved My Life, #12 - Delirium, Year 3 - #1 - Forever, #2 - Something Blue, #3 - Crossed, #4 - Like Water for Chocolate, #5 - Pandemonium, #6 - Sing You Home, #7 - 50 Shades of Grey, #8 - 50 Shades Darker, #9 - 50 Shades Freed...since 2012 isn't over yet, I think I can count this one! I know for a fact I'll read 3 more books before the end of the year!
84. Get my Master’s Degree - March 2010
85. Finish the Harry Potter series
86. Read the rest of David Sedaris’ books
The Arts
87. See a Cirque de Soleil show (December 13, 2009 - Mystere @ Treasure Island in Vegas)88. Go to a concert (Taylor Swift - April 2010 at the Sprint Center, Keith Urban, Dixie Chicks, & The Eagles - June 2010 in Chicago, Eric Church - Summer 2010 free concert at P&L, Luke Bryan - Summer 2010 free concert at P&L, Zac Brown Band - November 7, 2010 at the Sprint Center, Lady Antebellum - November 20, 2010 at The Midland, Cake/Mumford & Sons - June 3, 2011)
89. Go see a musical...OR 12! (Wicked - November 20, 2009, Dreamgirls - July 21, 2010, Beauty and the Beast - August 11, 2010, The Producers - August 25, 2010, The King & I - June 8, 2011, Guys an Dolls - July 13, 2011, Children of Eden - July 19, 2011, Cinderella - July 27, 2011, Into the Heights - June 6, 2012, Memphis -July 11, 2012, Peter Pan - July 25, 2012, Aida - August 7, 2012)
90. Write something and share it with someone
91. Play the piano in public (played at the church for my little sister's wedding)
92. Write a song
93. Sing karaoke…all by myself (May 2010 @ Monica's Graduation Party - Paper Gansta by Lady Gaga and Best Day by Taylor Swift, January 2011 @ Paddy O'Quiggley's - Busta Move by Young MC)
94. Do a weekly photo documentation of my pregnancy (this one won't be happening)
Culinary
95. Share a recipe with at least 10 people (7/10 - gave queso recipe to Jenni, pumpkin flush recipe at Thanksgiving to the fam, White Chicken Lasagna - shared recipe online when requested, blog-shared Russian Crepe recipe, shared stuffed mushroom recipe with family, Panera's broccoli cheese soup with Diane, white wine chicken with Diane)
96. Get (and try) a recipe from at least 10 people (10/10 - Kim's queso dip, Becky Keith's pumpkin fluff, Nordstrom Café Tomato Soup from Paige, Panera's Broccoli Cheese Soup from Nicole/Internet, Crock-Pot Chicken &nRotel from Sara Froese, Bangin' Shrimp from Diane, banana bread from Diane, cream cheese coffee cake from Diane, Bacon Dip from Lisa, Monterey Chicken "shared" from Pinterest)
97. Help cook a Thanksgiving turkey - I cooked my first bird Thanksgiving 2011 for James, Margie, Martin, Madison, Jen, and Juliana. It turned out to be delicious!
98. Cook something on the grill
99. Host a dinner party (“Italian Thanksgiving” 11/25/09 and a number of backyard BBQ's since we've moved)
100. Bake an apple pie from scratch
AND...
101. Donate $5 to a charity for every goal not accomplished
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Thanks, Paige!
Okay, I didn't do so well with my daily list of something I'm thankful for. Whoops. So, I'm going to try something new. My friend Paige did this on her blog and she's inspired me to do the same. I'm going to post a list of 101 things I would like to accomplish within the next 1,001 days. I actually made my list tonight. However, I can't post it quite yet. It needs to be organized first. Hopefully, it'll be up tomorrow!
Thanks for the idea, Paige!
Thanks for the idea, Paige!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
I've been inspired
My sister, Margie, inspired me to do this. I'm going to attempt to share one thing I'm thankful for everyday between now and Thanksgiving. We'll see how it goes....
I'm thankful for my little pupper. She is honestly the cutest dog ever and she's really good at keeping my feet warm.
I'm thankful for my little pupper. She is honestly the cutest dog ever and she's really good at keeping my feet warm.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Hot Air Balloon Ride
Many of you who know me well, know that it's always been a dream of mine to ride in a hot air balloon. It's something I've wanted to experience ever since I was a kid. Many of you also know that my husband is deathly afraid of heights and thus, I figured if I were to ever do it...it wouldn't be with him. Well, just about a year ago...he asked me to take a certain Friday afternoon off of work. He said he had an early Christmas present for me. So I called in a sub for the afternoon and met him for lunch. Then we proceeded to head out of town to Parsons, KS (pop. 11,000). At the time I had no idea what we were doing. It turned out he had planned to surprise me with a hot air balloon ride (and a diamond ring). However, when we got there, the guy who was going to take us up notified us that it was too windy and we wouldn't be able to go on our hot air balloon ride. I was bummed, but James was even more upset. His "perfect proposal" was ruined. We ended up going for a drive around town and found ourselves at a park. He asked me to marry him there....on the back of a green rocking dinosaur. It was perfect.
Anyway, I bring all this up because we've spent all fall trying to reschedule our balloon ride. It's paid for, so we definitely still want to do it. The last couple weeks we've been trying to get ahold of "Balloon Guy" but have had little success. Well finally, he called us back yesterday. He said we'd be able to do it at 7:00 AM Sunday morning. Well, Parsons is two and a half hours from where we live, so we weren't too sure about it, but we finally decided to go for it.
So we woke up at 3:55 this morning, hopped in the car and headed south to Parsons. About 45 minutes outside of Parsons "Balloon Guy" calls us and tells us the wind has really picked up and he wasn't sure if we'd be able to go up. We weren't happy, but decided we'd driven that far...we might as well take our chances and drive the rest of the way...just in case. So we got there around 6:30 and sure enough, he tells us it's too windy. HELLO DISAPPOINTMENT! So we got back in the car and drove for another two and half hours. Now, here we are at home. It's 9:30 AM and we've been up for almost six hours. I'm totally bummed.
"Balloon Guy" says we'll have to give him a call in the spring. Sigh...
Anyway, I bring all this up because we've spent all fall trying to reschedule our balloon ride. It's paid for, so we definitely still want to do it. The last couple weeks we've been trying to get ahold of "Balloon Guy" but have had little success. Well finally, he called us back yesterday. He said we'd be able to do it at 7:00 AM Sunday morning. Well, Parsons is two and a half hours from where we live, so we weren't too sure about it, but we finally decided to go for it.
So we woke up at 3:55 this morning, hopped in the car and headed south to Parsons. About 45 minutes outside of Parsons "Balloon Guy" calls us and tells us the wind has really picked up and he wasn't sure if we'd be able to go up. We weren't happy, but decided we'd driven that far...we might as well take our chances and drive the rest of the way...just in case. So we got there around 6:30 and sure enough, he tells us it's too windy. HELLO DISAPPOINTMENT! So we got back in the car and drove for another two and half hours. Now, here we are at home. It's 9:30 AM and we've been up for almost six hours. I'm totally bummed.
"Balloon Guy" says we'll have to give him a call in the spring. Sigh...
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Great Fall Weekend
The weather is really starting to get cool and it's starting to look and feel like fall. I love this time of year. This weekend in particular was really great. Yesterday we went to the K-State/Iowa State game at Arrowhead Stadium. We had a decent sized tailgate....probably about 20 people. It was the first game James and I have been to this year, so it was nice that we won. Sunday, we went to the Johnson's Farm Pumpkin Patch with our niece Juliana and James' brother and his girlfriend. We had a lot of fun. I've been there the past two years with my first graders, but because of budget cuts we no longer get to go on that field trip. We spent the rest of the afternoon eating delicious Thai food and carving pumpkins in Rory's garage. I'm quite proud of our final product...
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Jingle jangle
So, Sunday afternoon James and I went with a group of friends to the Somerset Ridge Winery in Louisburg. We had a really good time...did a wine tasting and ended up sticking around for a while drinking the wine we bought, munching from our meat and cheese plate, and enjoying live jazz music out on the patio.
And....that's about all I remember from the night. I apparently I drank a bit too much wine and let's just say the night's a bit foggy for me. I do remember, however, going to Diane's parent's place afterward and hanging out. We sent James to go get Kahlua (our dog, not the liquor) and when she got there, our friend Brandon took her on a walk. Apparently she got loose and her "jingles" fell off her collar. She has two tags on our collar (one rabies, one ID) and they always jingle whenever she runs around...thus the reason we call them her "jingles". We ended up finding them that night, but the ring that attaches them to her collar ended up getting lost.
So poor Kahlua has been without her jingles for the last three days. You wouldn't think this would be a big deal, but I really think she missed them. I guess we kind of missed them too...it's always nice to hear her coming. So tonight James and I found a little keyring and we reattached Kahlua's beloved jingles. You would've thought it was Christmas for this pup. She was so excited, she jumped and ran around for like 5 minutes. It was cute.
And....that's about all I remember from the night. I apparently I drank a bit too much wine and let's just say the night's a bit foggy for me. I do remember, however, going to Diane's parent's place afterward and hanging out. We sent James to go get Kahlua (our dog, not the liquor) and when she got there, our friend Brandon took her on a walk. Apparently she got loose and her "jingles" fell off her collar. She has two tags on our collar (one rabies, one ID) and they always jingle whenever she runs around...thus the reason we call them her "jingles". We ended up finding them that night, but the ring that attaches them to her collar ended up getting lost.
So poor Kahlua has been without her jingles for the last three days. You wouldn't think this would be a big deal, but I really think she missed them. I guess we kind of missed them too...it's always nice to hear her coming. So tonight James and I found a little keyring and we reattached Kahlua's beloved jingles. You would've thought it was Christmas for this pup. She was so excited, she jumped and ran around for like 5 minutes. It was cute.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Still in the honeymoon phase...
I'm come to the conclusion that James and I must still be in the honeymoon phase of our marriage. On Thursdays I always leave for work early because I have meetings before school. So yesterday morning when I left the house, James was still in the shower. I popped my head in to say goodbye. Instead of just saying goodbye like a normal person, he pulled his wet body out of the shower, dripping all over the floor, and kissed me goodbye. Most people probably would've been annoyed, but I thought it was cute.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Let's get personal...
Okay, so two funny things happened today. One....I decided to wear a white skirt to work (should probably wear as much white as possible while I can...Labor Day is coming up). Anyway, my skirt wasn't like super see-through, but it also wasn't the type you'd wanna wear with polka dot undies. So, I was going through my underwear drawer and couldn't find any white undies (probably because I don't really own plain white underwear). But I really wanted to wear the skirt, so I picked out a pair of white underwear with hot pink polka dots...and I wore them inside out. I've never purposely worn my underwear inside out, but it seemed to work out just fine. You couldn't see the polka dots at all. The funny part was that I totally forgot about all this until I came home and peed at like 5:30....apparently I hadn't been to the bathroom since I'd gotten dressed this morning. Impressive, huh?
And the other funny thing about today? When I was driving home from work I saw this massive obese man walking his dog. The guy had long "Hurley" hair and was wear big baggy black clothing. Can you picture him? Anyway, you know how people always say that people look like their dogs? Well, that's not always true. This guy was walking a tiny little teacup chihuahua in a pink shirt. I just thought it was funny...
And the other funny thing about today? When I was driving home from work I saw this massive obese man walking his dog. The guy had long "Hurley" hair and was wear big baggy black clothing. Can you picture him? Anyway, you know how people always say that people look like their dogs? Well, that's not always true. This guy was walking a tiny little teacup chihuahua in a pink shirt. I just thought it was funny...
Friday, August 28, 2009
I'm tired, so what?!?
School has been wearing me out...more so than usual. Thus, I've been falling asleep every night at like 9:00, which is really early for me. My husband thinks this is a good reason to constantly make fun of me. He doesn't realize that a lot of normal people go to bed before midnight during the work week, and I'm really not all that weird.
Well, tonight (yes, it's a Friday night) I fell asleep on the couch at a record breaking 8:15 PM. Don't judge me, it's been a long week! So, he proceeded to get drunk...technically I guess he wasn't "drinking alone" because the dog and I were both passed out a couple feet away. Anyway, he thought it would be funny to video tape me sleeping.
Not nice.
And now, he has gone to 810 Zone to play with his brother and I have caught my second wind. I suppose I'll read my Gillian Flynn book about the girl who witnessed her brother brutally murder her mom and two sisters with an ax when she was seven. This is probably a bad choice of literature considering I'm alone in the house and it's 12:30 AM. But...I'm going to do it anyway.
Well, tonight (yes, it's a Friday night) I fell asleep on the couch at a record breaking 8:15 PM. Don't judge me, it's been a long week! So, he proceeded to get drunk...technically I guess he wasn't "drinking alone" because the dog and I were both passed out a couple feet away. Anyway, he thought it would be funny to video tape me sleeping.
Not nice.
And now, he has gone to 810 Zone to play with his brother and I have caught my second wind. I suppose I'll read my Gillian Flynn book about the girl who witnessed her brother brutally murder her mom and two sisters with an ax when she was seven. This is probably a bad choice of literature considering I'm alone in the house and it's 12:30 AM. But...I'm going to do it anyway.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Kids are funny
One of my 1st graders was sitting in his chair yesterday with his head tucked under his arm. When I asked him what he was doing, he said he was smelling his armpit. I asked him why and he said they smelled good. I gave him a questioning look and he told me he put on his mom's deodorant that morning.
Kids are funny.
Kids are funny.
Monday, August 24, 2009
My "yay" list
- The stretchy glue stuff on the back of new credit cards...I kinda want to apply for another credit card just so I can experience that wonderfulness of that stuff.
- Watching my dog try to roll over...HILARIOUS!
- Massages. I'm sure most people love massages. But I love them more. I really like to be touched.
- Bubble wrap...I have no self control when it comes to bubble wrap.
- Stuffed foods. Food just seems to be better when stuffed with something that's delicious and bad for you. Think about it....stuffed mushrooms, stuffed jalapenos, stuffed olives...
- Really, just food in general. I love it. A lot. I really should be a fat person...
- The movie "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"...if you don't think it's the funniest movie of all time, then we can't be friends.
- Jamocha shakes from Arby's.
- Black and white photography...I dig it.
- Getting places on time. This doesn't happen very often for me, so I'm always excited when it happens.
- Embarrassingly horrible reality TV shows (namely, Kendra, Keeping up with the Kardashians, & Denise Richards: It's Complicated)
- Eyeliner...I'm neither goth nor emo, but I always have to wear eyeliner. I think it's because I have a red freckle on my right eyelid that I feel I always need to cover up.
- Appreciative parents (not so much my own parents, but the parents of my students).
- Reese's Pieces...by far the best candy ever.
- Bottled water...the one thing I can say I'm high maintenance about. I just won't drink tap water. Eww.
- Happy hour with my coworkers. I work with fun people and I feel bad for people who don't.
- Hot air balloons. My husband still owes me a ride!
- Live sporting events. I really don't like to watch sports on TV...I just don't have the attention span for it. But I love going to baseball or football games. Probably because of the tailgating...
- Mario Kart on the Wii...I'm always Donkey Kong.
- Peeling James' back when he has a sunburn. He never lets me do it though. He says it's gross. What's gross is having all that dead skin just hanging out on your body.
- Board games...I'm convinced that James and I have more board games then pretty much anyone else we know. What can I say? We're fun people.
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