I was less inspired for 51-75, so this portion of the list has ended up with several things that: a) I may have already done but can't quite remember b) I've sort of done c) I've definitely done but would like to do again in a different way d) I don't really want to do, but they are worth putting on the list in case #50 happens.
51. know enough about one subject that I could write a Wikipedia article about it; snail racing, for instance
52. mix and serve a Mexican Martini that rivals Trudy's, only mine would come standard with a bottomless bowl of olives
53. ride a camel; I may have already done this in my life, it was either an elephant or a camel, but obviously I don't remember the experience clearly, so I'm going to put it on the list
54. ride in a hot air balloon; again something I've sort-of already done; when I was small, I got to get in a hot air balloon and go up probably 20 feet off the ground, the ropes weren't even untethered from the stakes in the ground; I think it was something a Real Estate agency was doing to promote the houses for sale in our neighborhood, "Come on out and visit our open houses, and your kids can ride in a hot air balloon!"
55. own a gas-electric hybrid vehicle
56. own a fantastic piece of furniture that will become a family heirloom
57. sing in the church choir, I sang in the church choir in high school, but I don't think I was very committed and it was at a church that was never really my home church, I just went there to be with my friends, 'cause I was cool like that
58. ski at least one Black Diamond run every time I go skiing; I have skied a Black Diamond, but not in a while; I mostly chicken out and stick to the easier slopes; I think maybe it's time to buck up and earn the right to check the "Expert" box on my ski rental paperwork
59. ride on a float in a parade; maybe I've done this, I have a vague memory of riding on a float with my Bluebirds troop.
60. pick a month and post on my blog every day that month; maybe I'll join NaBloPoMo.
61. read the Bible in its entirety, possibly in chronological sequence, not cover to cover. Wow, I wonder if the Bible is the only book that is not necessarily meant to be read that way?
62. learn to upholster furniture so Aaron and I can pick up even more trash from dumpsters and curbs and turn them into family heirlooms
63. have a custom designed California Closet with nooks and crannies and drawers and shelves and cabinets and cubbies and a chaise in the center where I can lounge and sip champagne while I decide what to wear to the grocery store
64. have a snocone in Alaska
65. Hula Dance and drink pina coladas from a real-life coconut at a real-life Luau on the real-life island of Hawaii
66. have a succulent garden on a window ledge in my house
67. sit in a circle with a bunch of people and sing 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall and really take one down and pass it around each time
68. go on a mission trip to Central America
69. toss a rose onto an Olympic Ice Skating rink
70. throw a tomato at a comedian who is making bad jokes
71. own all three Pirates of the Carribean movies on DVD; so far I only own The Curse of the Black Pearl, if you were wondering which ones I still need; by the way, do you say Car-a-be-an or Ca-rib-ean? I say Car-a-be-an when I'm talking about the movies; but Ca-rib-ean when I'm talking about my island home with large windows dressed in long white linen drapes billowing in the sea breeze
72. ride on the back of a fire truck while the sirens are whirring
73. drive a car through a red wood tree
74. find directions to Sesame Street
75. finish this list
March 31, 2008
March 30, 2008
JUST IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING
what Aaron and I were doing at 10:30 tonight, we were giving Sadie a bath in the back yard with the water hose because she got sprayed by a skunk AGAIN!
HERE'S YOUR SIGN
I really enjoyed our church sermon this morning, so of course, I have to blog about it. The pastor talked about the disciple, Thomas, who at first did not believe the other disciples when they told him Jesus had been resurrected and appeared to them. Basically ol' Tom said, "I won't believe it until I see it."
Well, a few days later, Jesus came to his disciples again, and this time Thomas was with the group. Jesus held out his hands for Thomas to feel the nail holes as a sure sign that he was indeed Christ and he was risen from the dead. Thomas replied that he didn't need to feel Jesus' hands; that he believed.
The point that the pastor was making this morning was that it is okay to need a sign sometimes. It's okay to need reassurance. Faith is a tough thing, and just because we may need a sign now and then, doesn't mean we doubt God or are losing our faith.
She ended by saying, however, that it is our job to look for and recognize the signs. She said, "It is our job to get under the spout where the glory comes out."
It reminded me of that story about the man who climbed to his roof as flood waters rose around his house. A person in a life raft came by and asked the man to get in, but the man declined saying, "My God will save me." Then the Coast Guard came by to rescue him but the man declined again saying, "My God will save me." Then a helicopter came, but the man refused a third time. Eventually the man was swept away and died. When he got to Heaven he asked the Lord, "Why didn't you save me? I put all my trust and faith in you." And God replied "I sent two boats and a helicopter; but you refused them all."
I am big on signs. I'm a pretty analytical person; I like facts and evidence. When I ask God to show me where he wants me to go or what he wants me to do, I need big blinking neon signs saying
"Go this direction"
"Left Turn Only"
"Stop"
"You are on the right track"
"46 miles to go"
"Exit 250B, for Gas, Food and Starbucks"
I look for them everywhere - in fortune cookies, the timing of a phone call from a friend, a song playing on the radio, horoscopes, books I read, people who come into my life, Yogi tea bags. . . I guess that's just how I work. I constantly look for signs of God listening to me and talking to me, answering my prayers, walking with me or carrying me piggy back. And you know what? I always find them. He's always there.
I understand that God wants us to have faith in Him and believe that he sent Jesus to walk among us and die for our sins and rise again so that we may have eternal life in Heaven. All this we must believe without seeing. But it was nice to hear Thomas' story (John 20:24-29) from the perspective of needing a sign of reassurance now and then.
So, I like you Thomas. And I'm sorry you got a bad rap as a doubter; but you teach us a good lesson. I'll see you under the spout.
Well, a few days later, Jesus came to his disciples again, and this time Thomas was with the group. Jesus held out his hands for Thomas to feel the nail holes as a sure sign that he was indeed Christ and he was risen from the dead. Thomas replied that he didn't need to feel Jesus' hands; that he believed.
The point that the pastor was making this morning was that it is okay to need a sign sometimes. It's okay to need reassurance. Faith is a tough thing, and just because we may need a sign now and then, doesn't mean we doubt God or are losing our faith.
She ended by saying, however, that it is our job to look for and recognize the signs. She said, "It is our job to get under the spout where the glory comes out."
It reminded me of that story about the man who climbed to his roof as flood waters rose around his house. A person in a life raft came by and asked the man to get in, but the man declined saying, "My God will save me." Then the Coast Guard came by to rescue him but the man declined again saying, "My God will save me." Then a helicopter came, but the man refused a third time. Eventually the man was swept away and died. When he got to Heaven he asked the Lord, "Why didn't you save me? I put all my trust and faith in you." And God replied "I sent two boats and a helicopter; but you refused them all."
I am big on signs. I'm a pretty analytical person; I like facts and evidence. When I ask God to show me where he wants me to go or what he wants me to do, I need big blinking neon signs saying
"Left Turn Only"
"Stop"
"You are on the right track"
"46 miles to go"
"Exit 250B, for Gas, Food and Starbucks"
I look for them everywhere - in fortune cookies, the timing of a phone call from a friend, a song playing on the radio, horoscopes, books I read, people who come into my life, Yogi tea bags. . . I guess that's just how I work. I constantly look for signs of God listening to me and talking to me, answering my prayers, walking with me or carrying me piggy back. And you know what? I always find them. He's always there.
I understand that God wants us to have faith in Him and believe that he sent Jesus to walk among us and die for our sins and rise again so that we may have eternal life in Heaven. All this we must believe without seeing. But it was nice to hear Thomas' story (John 20:24-29) from the perspective of needing a sign of reassurance now and then.
So, I like you Thomas. And I'm sorry you got a bad rap as a doubter; but you teach us a good lesson. I'll see you under the spout.
March 28, 2008
SCRAMBLED EGGS
Really, does it get any more precious than this?
And here's a photo from my fun weekend in Dallas. I went to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and Megan's birthday with these lovely ladies a few weekends ago.
And here's a photo from my fun weekend in Dallas. I went to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and Megan's birthday with these lovely ladies a few weekends ago.
March 18, 2008
ONE HUNDRED THINGS - PART II: 26-50
continued from Part I: 1-25 . . .
26. watch cliff divers in Acapulco
27. raise rodeo bulls, mean ones that all the cowboys are afraid to ride
28. work at Our Lady's Cup (if you don't know what this is, don't feel bad, only about 8-10 people in the world know)
29. zip on a zip line wearing a helmet-mounted video camera so I can relive the experience anytime
30. SCUBA dive
31. spit over the rail at Niagara Falls
32. take a road trip through New England in the Fall and gather leaves for pressing
33. see a ghost, hopefully a friendly one
34. be in a tornado, I know, it's weird, but I've had dreams (the REM kind) about being in a tornado since I was little, and I always wake up just before it actually hits; so I think I'm supposed to experience one for real. Plus I want to be cool like Helen Hunt in Twister.
35. speak French fluently
36. be at a taping of one of 'Oprah's Favorite Things' episodes and get some mad loot
37. Talk more, listen less. (I'm kidding; but wouldn't that be funny if I wasn't?)
38. be a professional Fortune Cookie writer
39. float in the Dead Sea (and gather some Dead Sea salt to bring home for future exfoliation)
40. win a Halloween costume contest (I'm open to suggestions)
41. teach a Bible class
42. be a Pilates instructor
43. visit all of the Smithsonian museums
44. take photographs of me doing each thing on this list so when I'm old I can have a shelf o' pictures showing what a full life I had (remember at the end of Titanic where you see pictures of young Rose fulfilling all the dreams she and Jack shared?)
45. go on a cruise (preferably one that doesn't sink, e.g. Titanic)
46.sing Perform the Star Spangled Banner at the opening of a sporting event
47. learn to meditate
48. throw a perfect 300 bowling game, even if it is on the Wii
49. bench press my current body weight; I might try to do this tonight so I can start marking stuff off this list; I will take a picture (see #44)
50. see every Cirque du Soleil show, and possibly be invited to perform as an extra, and then I could be interviewed on the Today Show as Cirque's biggest fan who was invited to perform and experience the thrill of showbiz and what that was like for a simple East Texas girl, and ohmygosh, then Oprah would want to interview me for her "Living Your Dreams" episode and her research crew would get their hands on this list and Oprah would surprise me and offer to send a camera crew following me around the world while I fulfill everything on this list, all expenses paid, plus she'll PAY ME, AND then I would write a bestselling book about the experience and THEN the book would be turned into amovie film and I would be asked to star as myself and I would win an Oscar for Best Actress and meet Johnny Depp at the E! After Party and they all lived happily ever after in the Land of Cupcakes where blueberry pancakes grow on bacon and doggies speak English. the end. thankyouverymuch.
26. watch cliff divers in Acapulco
27. raise rodeo bulls, mean ones that all the cowboys are afraid to ride
28. work at Our Lady's Cup (if you don't know what this is, don't feel bad, only about 8-10 people in the world know)
29. zip on a zip line wearing a helmet-mounted video camera so I can relive the experience anytime
30. SCUBA dive
31. spit over the rail at Niagara Falls
32. take a road trip through New England in the Fall and gather leaves for pressing
33. see a ghost, hopefully a friendly one
34. be in a tornado, I know, it's weird, but I've had dreams (the REM kind) about being in a tornado since I was little, and I always wake up just before it actually hits; so I think I'm supposed to experience one for real. Plus I want to be cool like Helen Hunt in Twister.
35. speak French fluently
36. be at a taping of one of 'Oprah's Favorite Things' episodes and get some mad loot
37. Talk more, listen less. (I'm kidding; but wouldn't that be funny if I wasn't?)
38. be a professional Fortune Cookie writer
39. float in the Dead Sea (and gather some Dead Sea salt to bring home for future exfoliation)
40. win a Halloween costume contest (I'm open to suggestions)
41. teach a Bible class
42. be a Pilates instructor
43. visit all of the Smithsonian museums
44. take photographs of me doing each thing on this list so when I'm old I can have a shelf o' pictures showing what a full life I had (remember at the end of Titanic where you see pictures of young Rose fulfilling all the dreams she and Jack shared?)
45. go on a cruise (preferably one that doesn't sink, e.g. Titanic)
46.
47. learn to meditate
48. throw a perfect 300 bowling game, even if it is on the Wii
49. bench press my current body weight; I might try to do this tonight so I can start marking stuff off this list; I will take a picture (see #44)
50. see every Cirque du Soleil show, and possibly be invited to perform as an extra, and then I could be interviewed on the Today Show as Cirque's biggest fan who was invited to perform and experience the thrill of showbiz and what that was like for a simple East Texas girl, and ohmygosh, then Oprah would want to interview me for her "Living Your Dreams" episode and her research crew would get their hands on this list and Oprah would surprise me and offer to send a camera crew following me around the world while I fulfill everything on this list, all expenses paid, plus she'll PAY ME, AND then I would write a bestselling book about the experience and THEN the book would be turned into a
March 17, 2008
SAY WHAT YOU MEAN
Those who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter."
Dr. Seuss
I realized over the weekend that the "Comments" application on my blog got turned off at some point in all my tweaking. Well I've turned it back on so if you have something to say, you can say it. I hope you will. Just click the little comments link at the bottom of a post and Say away!
March 14, 2008
ONE HUNDRED THINGS
I can already tell this is going to be a little bit tough. I was recently challenged to write down 100 things I want to do before I die - a "bucket list" if you will. It's going to take me a while to think of 100 things, so I'll post them in parts of 25 so as not to keep you in suspense. Or maybe so as to bore you only in small doses.
If you care and are still reading, here we go, in no particular order:
1. get my elementary education teacher certification (I can rhyme, I'm qualified)
2. visit Australia (Sadie kind of seems Australian to me sometimes, she has that laid back "no worries mate" attitude)
3. serve on the board of a non-profit organization
4. plant a vegetable garden and actually reap what I sow
5. plant a tree and watch it grow (not literally sit and watch it, just notice how it's grown over the years)
6. read all of John Steinbeck's books (not his personal collection, but the books he wrote)
7.be a mom be a damn good mom
8. have a signature recipe like AuntGi's Sliced Bananas or Grilled Cheese รก la AMB
9. read Gone With the Wind cover to cover (as opposed to reading it the other way books are meant to be read)
10. own a horse, and ride it occasionally
11. frolic in the Pacific Ocean
12. go skinny dipping, not necessarily in the Pacific Ocean
13. learn to knit so I can make scarves for my friends and afghans for babies
14. learn to hand embroider so I can spice up those dish towels
15. learn to sew for no good reason
16. own a children's bookstore
17. create a painting that I will hang in my home
18. rescue another dog. . .or seven. . .teen
19. celebrate my 50th wedding anniversary with Aaron (as opposed to celebrating it with Johnny Depp)
20. throw a surprise party
21. host Thanksgiving at my house, not necessarily cook the meal, but I would make some killer pine cone turkey centerpieces and everyone would wear Pilgrim and Indian costumes
22. take my nieces on a special trip
23. visit San Francisco and find out if Rice-A-Roni really is a treat there
24. design and build a green home, not one Kermit would blend with, one that is energy efficient, eco-friendly and sustainable. I guess technically Kermit might blend with that, I don't know his preferences. Who am I to judge?
25. have lasik eye surgery so I don't have to yell "I can't SEE! I can't open my eyes or my contacts will come out!" when I'm tubing behind the boat
Stay tuned. . .
If you care and are still reading, here we go, in no particular order:
1. get my elementary education teacher certification (I can rhyme, I'm qualified)
2. visit Australia (Sadie kind of seems Australian to me sometimes, she has that laid back "no worries mate" attitude)
3. serve on the board of a non-profit organization
4. plant a vegetable garden and actually reap what I sow
5. plant a tree and watch it grow (not literally sit and watch it, just notice how it's grown over the years)
6. read all of John Steinbeck's books (not his personal collection, but the books he wrote)
7.
8. have a signature recipe like AuntGi's Sliced Bananas or Grilled Cheese รก la AMB
9. read Gone With the Wind cover to cover (as opposed to reading it the other way books are meant to be read)
10. own a horse, and ride it occasionally
11. frolic in the Pacific Ocean
12. go skinny dipping, not necessarily in the Pacific Ocean
13. learn to knit so I can make scarves for my friends and afghans for babies
14. learn to hand embroider so I can spice up those dish towels
15. learn to sew for no good reason
16. own a children's bookstore
17. create a painting that I will hang in my home
18. rescue another dog. . .or seven. . .teen
19. celebrate my 50th wedding anniversary with Aaron (as opposed to celebrating it with Johnny Depp)
20. throw a surprise party
21. host Thanksgiving at my house, not necessarily cook the meal, but I would make some killer pine cone turkey centerpieces and everyone would wear Pilgrim and Indian costumes
22. take my nieces on a special trip
23. visit San Francisco and find out if Rice-A-Roni really is a treat there
24. design and build a green home, not one Kermit would blend with, one that is energy efficient, eco-friendly and sustainable. I guess technically Kermit might blend with that, I don't know his preferences. Who am I to judge?
25. have lasik eye surgery so I don't have to yell "I can't SEE! I can't open my eyes or my contacts will come out!" when I'm tubing behind the boat
Stay tuned. . .
March 11, 2008
FORTUNE
Well, here we are. I would say we've been on a rollercoaster, but we really haven't. It was more like the Log Ride. Tick, tick, tick, up, up, up, oh the anticipation! Then, whoosh! we take a speeding nosedive yet miraculously avoid whiplash because some engineer calculated the exact weight and amount of water and angle of impact and points of harness so no one would be sued, and get soaked because we were sitting in front and didn't duck, then exit the Log and walk around with wet pants and squishy shoes for a few hours. Yeah, it was kind of like that.
Luckily the Log Ride is pretty fun, and we'd do it again.
Aaron and I ordered Chinese food Saturday night and watched movies. That's one of our favorite things to do - order Chinese food and veg on the couch. Well, maybe not a favorite. After I wrote that, I realized it's really not a favorite, but it is something we enjoy quite a bit. Anyway, probably the best part about Chinese food is reading our fortunes. And no, we do not add "in bed" to the end of every fortune. Geez, don't be so immature. We've had some really great fortunes. If you look around our house you might even find a few posted here and there. I love fortunes because they are so generic, often ridiculous, and most always very applicable to your life at any given moment.
So Saturday night, I finished my last bite of General Tso's Chicken, wiped my mouth, closed up my styrofoam, and reached for my fortune cookie.
When I read it, Aaron and I both fell out laughing. As in uncontrollable, face contorting, tear producing, stomach cramping laughing. We'd start to compose ourselves, but as soon as we'd look at one another we'd die laughing again.
It was one of those blissful moments of marriage where you know that is the only other person in the world who is thinking and feeling exactly what you are. And you're so glad they are there; and you know everything is going to be okay.
My fortune on Saturday night: Don't give up. Your problem gets better next month.
in bed
Luckily the Log Ride is pretty fun, and we'd do it again.
Aaron and I ordered Chinese food Saturday night and watched movies. That's one of our favorite things to do - order Chinese food and veg on the couch. Well, maybe not a favorite. After I wrote that, I realized it's really not a favorite, but it is something we enjoy quite a bit. Anyway, probably the best part about Chinese food is reading our fortunes. And no, we do not add "in bed" to the end of every fortune. Geez, don't be so immature. We've had some really great fortunes. If you look around our house you might even find a few posted here and there. I love fortunes because they are so generic, often ridiculous, and most always very applicable to your life at any given moment.
So Saturday night, I finished my last bite of General Tso's Chicken, wiped my mouth, closed up my styrofoam, and reached for my fortune cookie.
When I read it, Aaron and I both fell out laughing. As in uncontrollable, face contorting, tear producing, stomach cramping laughing. We'd start to compose ourselves, but as soon as we'd look at one another we'd die laughing again.
It was one of those blissful moments of marriage where you know that is the only other person in the world who is thinking and feeling exactly what you are. And you're so glad they are there; and you know everything is going to be okay.
My fortune on Saturday night: Don't give up. Your problem gets better next month.
in bed
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