30 by 30: Final* Report

You'll note the * next to "final" and probably realize that I didn't get my 30 by 30 list finished.  No worries, I will continue working on the items that I didn't quite get knocked off and add one more and we're going to now call it the 31 by 31 list!  Fake it 'til you make it, kids! 

For this final* report, let's look at what I did complete and what is still remaining:

Completed Items

 

1.  Cook 10 new recipes.  I did 24.  Overachiever, I know!  You can see all of the recipes that I made by clicking here and scrolling through the blogs.

 

2.  Go camping.  Crossed this baby off this summer at the lake with the family and the Boy from Texas.

  

3.  Run another half marathon.  I ran the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon last April with Loud Oklahoma Girl and loved it!  There has been talk about doing it again next year...
 

  

4.  Check 5 items off my bucket list.  Done times 5.  They were: give a stranger $100, visit Auschwitz, take a great trip for my 30th birthday, dancing at Billy Bob's in Ft. Worth and getting an article published in a magazine.

 

8.  Send a little gift to my friends once a month.  This was one of my very favorite list items and I hope that my amigos enjoyed it as well!

 

9.  Eat in 10 new restaurants.  I pulled off 16.  Clearly food is not an area where I fail to make my goals.

 

13.  Create a gallery wall.  I did three--two at home and one at the office.
 

My bedroom gallery wall.

 

15.  Go to church every day for a week.  I really enjoyed this list item and think that I might incorporate it in again!

 

16.  Visit 2 new states.  Michigan and Washington are now off my list!
 

College Roomie's wedding in Washington.

 

17.  Take Little Cowboy on a Tiff/Little Cowboy Day of Fun.  We did this baby and ended up with a whole list of funny Little Cowboy quotes to share.

 

20.  Take a day off work just because.  Honey, please, I took 2 months.

 

21.  Try a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks.  Did it, drank it, felt kinda jittery, not sure what all the rage is.

 

22.  Send money anonymously to someone at Christmas.  This was my absolute favorite item.  I was even able to see a post that the recipient did talking about the anonymous gift and what it meant and it just made my heart smile.

 

24.  Finally buy a duvet.  Did that and love it.  Not quite as much as I loved the big fluffy white one I cuddled up in on cold nights with the window open in San Francisco, but I love it anyway.

 

26.  Ride the tram.  Did this one with Loud Oklahoma Girl right before I moved away from NM.

 

28.  Get one of my photos printed on canvas for myself.  I printed 3 and hung them in my office.  Looks pretty good if I do say so myself!

 

29.  Bring home a bouquet of flowers once a month.  I do love me some fresh flowers in the house. 

 

30.  Pray a voiceless prayer.  Did this at Notre Dame a couple of months ago. 

 

 

 

Remaining items

 

5.  Get a draft of Uncle Black Belt's book put together.  I am so excited about this list item and I just have to make time to sit down and get to typing.  I've enlisted some design help from ND Friend and we're going to have this baby set up in no time!

 

6.  Do my 2011 and 2012 scrapbooks.  If I'm honest, I'm not sure I am going to do this.  I did one for 2010 and it was cool.  But I don't know if I think it's cool enough to spend all the time doing it...plus I have my blog which kinda serves the same purpose....I'm on the fence.

 

7.  Read 24 more books.  I only got to 13.  I guess I was too busy, you know, changing up my entire life and spending time with a cute boy from Texas to keep my reading up to snuff.

 

10.  Apply to The Amazing Race.  Y'all.  I've got to get this done.  My family votes for Cousin Swiss Mister to be my partner, but after seeing him catch the tailgate on fire and try to break a fire log over his knee, I'm less sure about that then ever!

 

11.  Set a new 5K PR.  I don't even think I ran an official 5K during the last year.  I'm on this one.  Seriously, this is one that will happen!

  

12.  Listen to the New Testament on my iPod.  Again, I just have to make time to do this one.  And figure out how to get the files from a cd to my iPad.

 

14.  Learn to parallel park.  Well big fat fail here.  Once I bought my truck, I pretty much gave up on this.  I have, however, identified an expert teacher.  One Tiny Dancer....

 

18.  Work on a family tree.  No excuse.  Just didn't do it.

 

19.  Take my quilts to a quilter.  One quilt is at a quilter.  The other is not.  Stand by...

 

23.  Take a kid trick-or-treating.  I don't own a kid and was out of town for Halloween.  Whatcha gonna do?

 

25.  Read a classic.  I need to apologize to my mother and The Godfather now.  I have failed.

 

27.  Host a themed cooking party.  Why did I put this on here?  I'm not as cool as ND Friend!  Crap.

 

 

The Newest Item

 

31.  Work out 30 days straight.  I've heard of people doing this and I like the idea of a challenge.  Plus, it will come in handy for me to get that dang 5K PR time checked off the list!


What would you put on your list??

 

 

 

 

 

 

30 by 30: Month 12

This is it, kids.  Over the last year, I've worked on my list and reported to you each month on my progress.  Today I'll be sharing the last monthly progress report and next week I will recap the entire 30 by 30 list and let you know what still remains (and how I plan to keep moving forward).

But, for starters, here goes the report for October!

1.  Cook 10 new recipes (24/10 completed).

I think that of all of the recipes I've made during the last year, this one is my favorite.  I found it on Pinterest (where else) and it's made with all fresh ingredients, which I like.  If you want to eat some awesome broccoli cheddar soup, check out the recipe here.

8.  Send a little gift to my friends once a month (12/12 completed).

This month, I had a house full of people come visit me.....and they included three of the cutest little boys in the world.  I decided we needed to have some goodies to give to them, so I put together a bag of fun stuff while they were at my house...balloons, silly string, balls, lots of candy....and some bags for the road when they left (books, snacks, suckers, more balls).  I don't believe in seeing a kid and not giving them some sort of present.  Bribery to like me?  Perhaps.  Oh, and I failed to take any pictures, but to see the fun that was had, check out Super Mom's blog here.


21.  Try a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks.

I had heard about the PSL for years....I have some friends who act like a little kid on Christmas morning when they come out each fall.  I'm not a coffee drinker at all (unless I'm in Europe), but I broke my rule to try the PSL.  And it just so happened that I did this with ND Friend, maybe the biggest coffee lover that I know, showing me the ropes. 

What did I think,  you ask?  Eh...I wasn't a huge fan.  The pumpkin flavor was good, but there must be a crap ton of sugar and caffeine in there because I felt all jumpy and jittery for a couple of hours after drinking it.  So while I'm glad I can cross this one off the list, I won't be a regular in the Starbucks line anytime soon.


29.  Bring home a bouquet of flowers once a month (12/12 completed).

I realized I forgot to report for the last month (a simple bouquet of colored daisies...purple, orange, green).  This month I mixed things up a bit and bought....tulip bulbs!  I've had "grow my own tulips" on my bucket list for years and I'm now starting that process.  I planted them in two big pots on my front porch and intend to get some planted in the flowerbed in my front yard soon!

30 by 30: Month 11

Good grief, we are down to just one more month to go!  I'll have to admit to you that I have accepted the fact that there is no way I will accomplish everything on my list by the time that November 1 rolls around.  Just not going to happen.  But, I'm still plugging along trying to cross off as many as I can!  Here is what I was able to check off in September.

7.  Read 24 more books  (13/24 completed).

In September I read a book recommended to me by SoulMate Friend called A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans.  It was really good--the writer is hilarious and it was fun to follow her journey to try different Old Testament commands and see how that impacted her faith.  Here were some of my favorite quotes.

Peace and joy belong not to the woman who finds the right vocation, but to the woman who finds God in any vocation, who looks for the divine around every corner.

Martha wasn't the first and she certainly won't be the last to dismiss someone else's encounter with God because it didn't fit the mold.

Be careful of challenging another woman's choices, for you never know when she may be sitting at the feet of God.

Knowing that God both inhabits and transcends our daily vocations, no matter how glorious or mundane, should be enough to unite all women of faith and end that nasty cycle of judgment we get caught in these days.

One need not be a saint, or even a mother, to become a bearer of God.  One needs only to obey.  The divine resides in all of us, but it is our choice to magnify it or diminish it, to ignore it or to surrender to its lead.

Why did the Jews have children after the Holocaust?  Why do women keep trying after multiple miscarriages?  It's our way of shaking our fists at the future and saying, you know what?--we will be hopeful; things will get better; you can't scare us after all.  Having children is, ultimately, an act of faith.

Faith isn't about having everything figured out ahead of time.  Faith is about following the quiet voice of God without having everything figured out ahead of time.

8.  Send little gifts to my friends once a month (11/12 completed).

This month I was super excited to send a college football themed package to three of my favorite kiddos.  I adore these little boys and think that everyone looks better in orange.  Super Mom did an adorable blog showing off the goodies, so to see that, click here.


16.  Visit 2 new states (2/2 completed).

After checking off Washington back in May, I was worried about getting another state crossed off the list.  But when Uncle Black Belt and I were on our way to Notre Dame, we made a quick detour to Michigan so that we could take a picture by the sign and knock this item out.  Contrary to popular belief (caused by Uncle Black Belt's post on Facebook that said, "How did we end up in Michigan??"), this was an intentional detour.

30. Pray a voiceless prayer.

This list item was inspired by my friend Dr. Kyra who told me a story of a time when she was desperate for an answer, so she went to a church and left an item on the alter.  It was her voiceless prayer.  Well I just loved that idea and knew I had to incorporate it into my project.  I thought I knew what I was going to do back in November when I put this item on the list, but a lot of things can change in a year.  Including the item I decided to use as my voiceless prayer.  So a couple of weeks ago, I got up early one chilly fall morning and made my way to the Grotto on the University of Notre Dame campus.  It was dark and cool and basically empty.  And there, amongst the candles beneath the Basilica spires and the golden dome, I left my voiceless prayer.  And then a bit later got a voiceless answer.  I'm not sure whether it is something I am going to blog about it or not...I'm still debating whether it's something I want to share, but suffice it for now to say that it was a beautiful, perfect moment for me.

30 by 30: Month 10

Good grief almighty, I've only got 2 months left before the big day.  And I've got a LOT of list items yet to check off.  Here's my report for the month of August.

1.  Cook 10 new recipes (23/10 completed)

One evening my running buddy Cowboy in Aggieland (she's a fellow OSU alum and lover of all things orange!) came over and we made a Pioneer Woman recipe of Pasta with Pesto Cream Sauce.  It was actually surprisingly easy and really, really good!  Highly recommend this one, folks.

Later I tried a couple of Pinterest recipes.  First up was corn fritters.  They were kinda like hoe-cakes ala Ski Trip Jerry, except with corn in them.  They were okay, but not great. 

Then it was time for crock pot chicken and cornmeal dumplins.  LOVED this recipe.  LOVED, LOVED, LOVED.  I can't wait to make it again.  Seriously, super healthy and super good.  You could easily add more or different veggies if you wanted to.  Oh, and I made mine with chicken breast instead of thighs because I'm a rebel like that (or I had them in my freezer...).

Lastly, I whipped up some of this cauliflower sauce that was supposed to taste like alfredo sauce.  It didn't.  I like cauliflower, so it was fine, but it sure as heck wasn't alfredo, kids.


2.  Go camping.

As you read about previously, I went camping at the lake back home for a weekend of fun in the sun and on the water.  I totally failed and didn't get a single picture of our camp site, but Aunt and Uncle Evil Kineval took great care of us and got us all set up!

8.  Send little gifts to my friends once a month (10/12 completed).

This month instead of one big gift, I did a few little ones.  I made two little gift packets that included trail mix and cheese its tied up with a bow.

The first went to my buddy Mr. FFA when he was in town staying in my guest bedroom (you visit here, you get a gift!) and the second to my friend Cowboys in Aggieland who was headed out to run the Pikes Peak Half Marathon.

I also saw the cutest saint bracelets (thanks to Super Mom's blog) for little kiddos and knew I had to order one for my sweet Goddaughter.  Pink, of course.  Her mama loves that!

29.  Bring home a bouquet of flowers once a month (10/12 complete).

This one took a little twist this month when Mrs. BFF gave me four outdoor plants when they moved away.  I promised to take good care of her plants and said she could have them back when she wanted.  One week later, I thought they were all dead.  It's possible that someone (cough cough, I, cough cough) forgot to water them.  But I've now gotten into a routine where I water them every other night out of my rain collection bucket.  It's a little bit therapeutic!

30 by 30 List: Month 9

Seriously, month 9!?!  How did that happen?  Three months from now is the big day....deep breaths, Tiffany.  Deep breaths.  For now, let's take a look at what I was able to knock off the list in July.

4.  Check 5 items off my bucket list (5/5 completed!)

That's right kids....5 bucket list checkmarks have been crossed off the list.  The final two were obtained in July when I went dancing at Billy Bob's in Ft. Worth and got two articles published in a magazine.  Love getting those checkmarks!

Billy Bob's Texas - July 2013

7.  Read 24 more books (12/24 completed).

Yikes.  I better get my reading in gear!  This month, I read a book by one of my favorite church figures--Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York--called A People of Hope. 

I thought it was fabulous.  I mean, seriously great.  Maybe the best explanation I've read on the Church's position on various hot button issues.  I'd highly recommend it to anyone who wants a better understanding of Christianity or the Church or Cardinal Dolan.  A few of my favorite quotes:

What I really believe is that God never calls you to do something without giving you the grace to do it.

I can never reduce another person entirely to his or her political positions.

I'm not the kind of guy who goes looking for conflict, but if you're asking me if I'm willing to take a stand sometimes in order to try to keep the Church's door open as wide as possible, then the answer is yes.

There aren't too many things that can't be solved, or at least calmed down, over a couple of beers and a cheeseburger on the patio.

It may plant a seed of reconciliation that will take  years to flower, but the fact that it's been planted is important.  Sometimes we can get so caught up in a managerial way of looking at things, concerned with efficiency and returns on investment and so on, that we forget to also look at our choices through the eyes of faith.  From the point of view of faith, time spent in reaching out to the lost and hurting is never lost time.

We need to constantly be reaching out, constantly be willing to talk, constantly striving to make our lofty language about the Church as a family a reality.

I think one of the things we should not be afraid to do is to let people know that we have struggles and we have doubts.

(Discussing his niece fighting bone cancer)  I never doubted that God was in charge, but I was really somewhat vexed at the way he was running this.

There are times you, Jesus, don't make much sense at all, and I just love second-guessing you, but I've come to believe that even though sometimes it doesn't make a lot of sense with you, it makes utterly no sense without you, and I don't know where else I'd go.

Question:  So it's not like Pope John Paul II, if I came to your chapel in the middle of the night, I wouldn't find you prostrate on the floor in the shape of a cross?
Cardinal Dolan's answer:  Not unless I had fallen out of bed because I had too many beers!

8.  Send little gifts to my friends once a month (9/12 completed).

The Boy from Texas sunburned himself twice in the last month.  Like, bad sunburned himself.  I told him to put aloe on it.  He said he didn't have anything in his house except for soap, toothpaste and deodorant.  Seriously, how has natural selection not taken care of every unmarried male on the planet?  Anyway, I decided that was not acceptable and put together a little care package of items that belong in a bathroom for injuries/sunburns/etc. I threw in a picture of us and some snacks for good measure and girlfriend bonus points.

9.  Eat in 10 new restaurants (16/10 completed).

Ahh, this one brings back happy memories.  It's amazing I don't weigh 500 pounds guys.  Seriously.  First, up is a sandwich/salad place here called Newks.  I went with one of Super Mom's friends for lunch and it was amazing.  I had seriously one of the best chicken salad sandwiches I've ever had on bread that must be what the angels serve in Heaven.  For real, it was that good.

Next up we have a place in Ft. Worth called The Woodshed that Ski Trip John recommended.  Oh.  My.  Gosh.  It was amazing.  Great bbq sandwiches, homemade chips, live music, a table overlooking the river, it was seriously an awesome lunch.  Plus, add in this little cutie who spent lots of time sitting with Aunt Tiff and it just couldn't have been much better!

Me and Mr. Animal House's family at The Woodshed

13.  Create a gallery wall (again).

Okay, I know I already checked this one off my list.  Twice.  But I put together a cute gallery wall at my office of canvas prints of some of my favorite photographs and wanted to share!

29.  Bring home a bouquet of flowers once a month (9/12 completed).

The flower purchasing continued with this pretty summer bouquet from HEB.  Fresh flowers just make a home a happier place!

30 by 30 List: Month 8

Well another month has come and gone.  I can't believe how quickly this year is going by!  Let's check out the 30 by 30 list progress made this month.  To see the full list, click here.

1.  Cook 10 new recipes (18/10 completed).

This month I added a couple more recipes to my list.

First up, summer squash casserole.  I love me some squash casserole, and this recipe is super quick, super easy, and relatively healthy for something that has cheese in it!  I'd highly recommend it.

Next, I tried this recipe for brown sugar garlic baked chicken.  It looked so good in the picture.  Mine did NOT turn out that way.  It was edible, but not great.  I don't know what I did wrong.  Fail.

Then, I whipped up some oven roasted cauliflower.  Y'all.  It was SO good!  Seriously, amazing.  The only thing I did different than the recipe was to use fresh lime juice instead of lemon because, well, I had a lime in my fridge to put in Seven and Sevens and I didn't have any lemon juice.  That's how I cook around here.  But it made no difference, it still tasted great.  This is going into the regular rotation for sure!

7.  Read 24 more books (11/24 completed).

Until I Say Goodbye by Susan Spencer-Wendel

This book was written by a woman who was dying of Lou Gehrig's disease.  She took the last year of her life and focused on really living, on making memories with the people who mattered most to her.  It's beautiful.  And heartbreaking.

As many of you know, Mr. Franklin also died of ALS.  And although I spent a lot of time with him while he was sick, and we had a lot of conversations during that time, we never talked about the disease or about him dying.  We both knew it was happening, but we just didn't talk about it.  I felt a little like reading this book gave me some insight on what he must have been thinking during some of our conversations, and what he was feeling during his last months.  Her stories of sitting in her back yards where he kids would come give her a hug when she could no longer hug them took me right back to Mr. Franklin's living room where I would kiss him on the cheek before I left for home after he could no longer lift his arms to hug me.  It was hard to read, but I think it was a little bit cathartic for me.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

Don't search for answers.  Live the question.  Enjoy life more because of the uncertainty.  Not less.

I have no idea the odds of being stuck by lightning.  Or the odds that I would be struck with ALS.  It doesn't matter.  It can happen to anyone.  Lightning strikes in the middle of paradise.  ALS cuts down a famous baseball player, an older man, a son, a daughter, a mother, in the prime of life.

Don't miss the old.  Embrace the new.

We live in the people we leave behind.

What do I do in such bright-line moments, where my handicap whomps me over the head?  Dwell in what there remains to be grateful for.  My hands are snarled, but I can still touch.  I cannot hold, but I can feel.  I have my connection to the world, which ALS will never take away.

Appreciate the life that comes.  Work and strive , but accept.  Don't force the world to be the one you dream.  The reality is better.

Fearing the possible is no way to live.

I will not return to my children, at least not in the flesh.  But I will, I hope, in spirit.  In the things they see and feel.  In the memories we made.  Look for me in your heart, my children.  Sense me there, and smile.  

8.  Send little gifts to my friends once a month.

So this month I owed a couple of guys some baked goods.  Problem is that they live way far away.  Pinterest to the rescue.....I found this recipe for muffins in a jar and this recipe for apple pies in a jar.  Looked like something I could probably do.

For the muffins, I whipped up a packaged mix (just had to add milk!), sprayed the jar with Pam, scooped mix in, and baked.  Easy peasy.

For the pies, I loosely (and by loosely I mean I didn't really) followed the recipe.  I sprayed the jar, but crust, put apple pie filling, then put a sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, a drop of vanilla, and a little butter.  Then I repeated that again.  I then cut strips of crust and put them on the top sort of in a criss-cross pattern.  Viola!

I hate to put words in their mouths, but I think that it's safe to say that The Boy from Texas and The Godfather were happy when they found these in their mailboxes.

9.  Eat in 10 new restaurants  (14/10 completed).

Fuego.  Dang BFF and Mrs. BFF took me here and now my waistline is not thanking them for it.  This place has killer tacos and even better queso.  SO yummy!

On the taco front, I am now equally obsessed with this restaurant here in town called La Bodega, which has the best steak taco that I have ever eaten.  I've been twice.  In a week.  And another time last week.  Three times, two weeks.  I may have a problem.

Lastly, we have Grub Burger Bar, which is a popular burger joint in College Station.  SO good.  I had a burger with some sort of chipotle sauce and guacamole.  It was amazing. Word is they have great milk shakes as well.  Come visit and I'll take ya!

13.  Create a gallery wall.

You guys already saw these and read about them in my House Tour blog.  I'm also working on one at work in my office, so I hope to have photos of that next month!

19.  Take my quilts to a quilter (1/2 complete).

My John Deere quilt that College Roomie's sweet mama made for me when I graduated from OSU has finally been delivered to a quilter and the quilting process is underway!  I cannot wait to see the finished product!

Sister Lisa and me with the quilter extraordinaire!

That just leaves a small t-shirt quilt (really I don't need a big quilt, more like a throw blanket) that I need to find someone to piece for me and then have quilted.  Any suggestions??

29.  Buy myself flowers once a month (8/12 completed).

I found my very favorite flowers--peonies--for super cheap at the local grocery store here, so you know that I jumped on buying those!  Even better, I was bummed that The Boy from Texas was leaving to go back home after coming to see me for the weekend, so I needed these to help cheer me up.  Even more reason I had to buy them.

30 by 30 List: Month 7

"Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don't be sorry." ~ Jack Kerouac

This month was a bit slower for 30 by 30 List checkmarks.  But since it was spent galavanting all over Eastern Europe and the Pacific Northwest and settling into my new casa, I don't mind that at all.  Here is what I have to report

4.  Check 5 items off my bucket list (4/5 completed).

-- Go on a great 30th birthday trip.  You've read more than you probably wanted to about my Eastern European Adventure.  When I came up with the idea for a great 30th birthday trip, I had no idea how much fun this would be.  Happy Birthday to me!

--Visit Auschwitz.  This item had been on my list for a couple of years.  It was hard. Heartbreaking.  Horrific.  There are things that I saw there that are permanently etched into my brain.  Baby shoes that were similar to my own.  A room full of human hair.  The view inside a gas chamber.  And I will never in my life forget the feeling when I stepped off of the bus at this place of such suffering and tragedy.  It has hard, but I believe it is something everyone should do if they have the chance.  I pray that these memories and the lessons from them will stay with me forever.

7.  Read 24 more books (10/24 completed).

This month I read He Liked Tuesdays Best by Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki, a book that caught my eye at the Pope John Paul II Center in Krakow, Poland.  Archbishop Mokrzycki was one of the papal secreteries of Bl. Pope John Paul II.  This book is all about Pope John Paul II and his every day life.  From conversations that they had, to jokes that he told, to his prayer schedule, this book is an amazing inside look at a great man (and soon-to-be saint!)  I loved reading about Pope John Paul II and felt that I learned a lot more about him while I was reading this book.  For any other JPII junkies out there, I'd highly recommend this book!

8.  Send little gifts to my friends once a month (7/12 completed)

Well those of you who read closely may have noticed mention of a certain boy named The Boy from Texas on my blog over the last couple of months.  Since I knew that I would not be able to talk to said The Boy from Texas for two weeks while I was in Europe, I decided to leave him a little gift while I was gone.  So I came up with the idea of leaving him a note to open each day that I was gone.  Some of them were just notes, while others included little gifts.  A couple of beers to open one Friday, a gift card to go get dinner...you get the idea.  I thought that they turned out super cute and I don't want to put words in his mouth, but I do think that The Boy from Texas appreciated my little gesture.

13.  Create a gallery wall.
  I was super excited to check this baby off as I was moving into my new house.  After thinking and figuring and trying to decide what to do and where to do it, I came up with the perfect plan.  I would do two of them.

The first (and larger):  OSU gallery wall in my home office.  All of the orange just makes my heart happy.  I think it turned out quite well!

The second is in my bedroom and includes some pictures of my favorite people and favorite memories.  It is a lot different than the OSU wall as far as design and layout, but I love it!

16.  Visit two new states (1/2 completed)

Thanks to College Roomie and her amazingly beautiful destination wedding (you will hear much more about this in a blog soon!), I was able to knock out a brand new state:  Washington!  I have to admit that the Pacific Northwest, or at least the San Juan Island area, is the most beautiful place I have seen in the US.  It is lush and green and quiet and pristine.  It was absolutely amazing and I am so glad I got the chance to visit!

American Camp, San Juan Islands, Washington

29.  Bring home a bouquet of flowers once a month (7/12 completed).

This month I went with a basket of flowers to hang on my back patio.  Which seemed like a good idea, until I left town for over a week and they died.  I'm back to tending to them now and hoping I can work some sort of miracle.  Stay tuned...

30 by 30 List: Month 6

“It is nothing to die. It is frightful not to live.” ~Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

Holy moly.....another month is down on the way to my 30th birthday!  I am now officially 29 1/2.  Time flies when you're having fun, huh??

For the record, here is the official total at the halfway point.  Of the 30 items on the list, I have completed 10 of them.  I'm halfway done (and therefore on track) with another 5.  That means that at the halfway point, I'm pretty on track.  Looking forward to the next 6 months and getting the rest of these babies off the list!

3.  Run another half marathon.

Loud Oklahoma Girl and I ran the half marathon at the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon.  You read all about that experience here.  I had so much fun checking this item off the list!

4.  Check 5 items off my bucket list (2/5 completed).

As you might remember from this blog, I gave a stranger $100 this month in honor of ND Friend's 30th birthday.  It was an amazing moment for me, and one that I will never forget.

7.  Read 24 more books  (9/24 completed).

This month I read My Sisters The Saints, a great book suggested to me by Super Mom.  It is a book about 6 different female saints and how they inspired the author during different seasons in her life.  It was amazing.  There was a chapter when she was about my age, living in DC, and trying to decide what path her life should take that really, really resonated with me.  I'd highly recommend this book to anyone!  Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

(Talking about bearing her cross in a season of waiting)  The waiting is the cross.

It takes humility to assent to follow God when He refuses to install floodlights on your path or tell you where it will lead.

God still allows evil in the world as the price of our freedom.  Yet through his suffering, Christ transformed our trials into a means of grace, a way that we can participate in his redemptive work on earth while awaiting eternal life with him in Heaven.

A woman's greatest strength comes from silent communication with God, and sometimes the most radical thing she can do is not rant and rave, but watch and pray.

Jesus cares more about the love we put into our acts than he does the acts themselves.

If childlike dependence on God is the mark of a great soul, then there are great souls hidden in all sorts of places where the world sees only disability, decay, and despair.

God loves us no matter what mistakes we make, and our confidence in his providence should be boundless.

Therese believed that the surest way to cultivate and express this childlike abandonment to God was to offer him small, everyday acts of love:  going out of her way to befriend the crankiest nun at the convent, refusing to complain when accused of a misdeed she did not commit, choosing to cheerfully and silently endure a frigid bedroom...

I had assumed that my bold, if badly executed, act of obedience to God's will would result in a shower of blessings.  Instead, I received some devastating family news shortly afterward that left me reeling with sadness.

8.  Send little gifts to my friends once a month  (6/12 completed).

I have the best friends and family in the world.  IN THE WORLD.  They are amazing.  My Cousin Whitney is a packing genie and she spent a big part of her weekend visiting me helping me frantically pack up my house.  I would never have finished without that girl!  Then, I had a painting crew consisting of College Roomie, The Bride, and Aunt Evil Kineval.  These ladies took time out of their busy lives to come down and help me make my new house my own.  I just can't believe how great they are.  And thank goodness they did, because I swear I would never have finished this project without them.  I had fun for about an hour, and then I would have quit.  They helped me for 3 days and we got it done!

So to thank them, I decided that I would make them a little gift that related to painting.  I ended up making my own pedicure kits---nail polish, files, tweezers, toe separators, you get the idea.  On the top of the jars I wrote a little message that said, "Thank you for helping me paint my house, now you can paint your nails!"  They turned out really well if I do say so myself!

9.  Eat in 10 new restaurants  (11/10 completed).

Well I was able to get this list item completed and continue on.  Please note that the two list items that I've more than accomplished involve eating....that's the chubby girl in me!

Casa de Benavidez:  You read about the amazing surprise going away party that College Roomie threw me before.  We went to this restaurant specifically for the sopapilla burgers, and the did not disappoint.  You can read College Roomie's recap about this menu item here.  It was excellent food and I'd highly recommend this if you are in the Albuquerque area!

Ranch House:  This is a super cute old school coffee shop in Canyon, Texas where I had breakfast with The Boy from Texas, Mr. Smell Good,  and Loud Oklahoma Girl.  I love me an old school coffee shop with the old men in boots drinking coffee and talking about cattle prices.  It just warms my heart.  Plus they had really good breakfast burritos!

Louie's:  This is a new bar and grill in Stillwater and it was amazing.  SoulMate Friend, her sister and I went there during an awesome girl's day of shopping in downtown Stillwater!  I had a turkey wrap that was amazing, with a side of roasted red pepper gouda soup.  The next time you're in Stillwater, give it a try!

17.  Take Little Cowboy on a Tiff/Little Cowboy Day of Fun.

I had so much fun checking this item off.  You read all of the details on this yesterday week.  He's just a riot.  All the time!  I'm so glad I got to spend some time with him.

20.  Take a day off work just because.

You might be asking yourself how I have time to check all of these items off.  Well....the answer is that I'm not working!  Instead of taking a day off work just because, I'm taking two months.  Go big or go home, I say.  I'm sort of flittering around, visiting fun people, doing fun things, and enjoying life.  I figured that this was a great time to do these things, so I just did it.  And I'm so glad I did!

26.  Ride the tram.

The tram is a total Albuquerque must-do and I had never done it.  So I figured that before I moved away, this was one I had to check off the list.  Luckily, LOKG was in town and willing to go with me.  It was cool---great views, it was really quiet and peaceful, and I had fun.  Would I do it again?  Probably not.  But I'm glad that I did it once!

29.  Buy myself flowers once a month  (6/12 completed).    

I mixed this one up a bit when instead of buying myself cut flowers, I bought myself a plant for my new house!  I figured a little splash of orange in my front yard was appropriate for this OSU alum.  I think it turned out pretty well---I hope I can somehow keep it alive!

Aunt Tiff/Little Cowboy Day of Fun

“When he worked, he really worked. But when he played, he really PLAYED.” ~Dr. Seuss

Last week I checked off one of my favorite 30 by 30 List items when we had a Little Cowboy/Aunt Tiff Day of Fun.  I do not have the energy to keep up with a 6 year old.  I don't know how my brother and sister in law do it.  That little dude is non stop.  We had so much fun----toy car races, book reading, driving lessons, riding in the car with his head out the sunroof (we were not supposed to tell the moms about that one), fried pickle and tacos for lunch, playing t-ball, shopping for "horse stuff----you name it and we did it.  Here are a couple photos and my favorite quotes from the event.

(Upon seeing a police officer in the post office)
Little Cowboy: If you're here to arrest me, you're gonna have to deal with my lawyer.  {Yes, he seriously said it.  And yes, I'm seriously a lawyer.  Ha!}

Little Cowboy: When I get older, I'm gonna drink whiskey, fight people in bars, and chase wild women. {Moments like this make me glad I'm just the aunt and not the parent!}

Little Cowboy:  My arm hurts.
Me:  Why?
Little Cowboy:  I got shot today.
Me:  Who shot you?
Little Cowboy:  Dang Yankee.

We were doing math in the car, so I as asking him addition questions.
Me:  4 plus 2?
Little Cowboy:  *Sigh.*  6.  That one's lame.

Me:  What do you want to do today?
Little Cowboy:  Fix fence.  {Said no one else.  Ever in life.}

(After my mom told him I spent the day before working on my taxes)
Little Cowboy:  I want to stay a kid my whole life so I don't ever have to pay taxes.  {Me too, kid.  Me too!}

My mom's friend:  Do you have any guns?
Little Cowboy:  Nope.  And don't try to jip me for money because I don't have any of that either!

Little Cowboy was eating chicken strips, french fries, and gravy.  My dad stole a french fry, which was okay.  But when he got another one and dipped it in gravy, Little Cowboy was not impressed.  He smacked my dad's hand and knocked the chicken off the fork.  He doesn't share his gravy, apparently.  Except with my mom.  Since they are best buds.

Little Cowboy:  I hate Taylor Swift.  And Carrie Underwood doesn't eat meat.  I'd rather eat dirt than listen to Two Black Cadillacs.
Me:  Well what singer do you like?
Little Cowboy:  Miranda Lambert.
Me:  Why?
Little Cowboy:  Because she's a wild woman.

(After pitching a fit that I was running the OKC Half Marathon because I would die like the people in Boston)
Little Cowboy:  Fine.  I don't want you to run.  But if you're going to, I am going to help you.  Four laps around the house.  Go!

(During our driving lesson when he was driving on the wrong side of the road)
Me:  What are you, in England?  We drive on the right side of the road.  That means the driver is always in the middle.
Little Cowboy:  So the other side is the English side?
Me:  Yep.  In England they drive on the other side.
**Later on, after we turned around and were about to go again**
Me:  Okay, which side of the road do we go on?
Little Cowboy (pointing to the right):  This one.  This ain't England.  'MERICA!

Little Cowboy: You're 29. That's not so bad. But then you'll be 30. Which is pretty much 40. That's old.

A Run To Remember

"We run to involve the community, the nation, and perhaps the world in the continuing progress of coping with the tragedy of the past.  We run as a step toward a better future."  ~OKC Memorial Marathon mission

Well as of Sunday at 9:14 am, half marathon number 2 is in the books for this girl!

Leaving the hotel on race morning at 4:45 am

That's right, I checked that off the 30 by 30 item list when I crossed the finish line at the Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon.  Not only was my time better than my first half marathon, but this time Loud Oklahoma Girl ran it was well and finished her first half!  It was so much fun to watch her accomplish the goal she set for herself after watching me cross the finish line in San Francisco two years ago.  She rocked it, and then she cried.  Just like she did for me in San Francisco.

Officially I finished at 2:30:05, which is an 11:27 pace, which beat my prior half marathon time by almost 5 minutes!  Plus I ran the entire race--no walking, no breaks.  I have to admit, I'm pretty proud of myself.

Crossing the finish line

For me, however, the best part of the OKC marathon was its purpose.  The marathon is run in remembrance of the 168 lives lost on April 19, 1995 when the Murrah building was bombed.  The race day began with a sunrise church service underneath the survivor tree, which was miraculously not damaged in the bombing.  From there, we made our way to the starting line, where there were 168 seconds of silence---one for each of the victims.  One second for each husband, mother, child, father, wife, friend, baby and loved one lost in the senseless attack.  Along the race course, there are 168 banners that bear the names of the fallen.

Sunrise service at the Survivor Tree

The day before the race, we went to the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial Museum.  If you have not been, it's a must see.  The Memorial itself is beautiful and touching.  A somber place set between walls portraying the before (9:01 am) and after (9:03 am) of the moment when Oklahoma City was changed forever.  There sit 168 chairs, one for each of the victims.  There are 19 smaller chairs, for the 19 babies who were killed in the daycare center.  At the museum, there are striking photographs, videos, and mementos that show the horror of that day.  I took pictures of just a few of them.  What struck me the most was the idea that April 19, 1995 was a normal day in Oklahoma City.  People drank coffee and kissed their spouses  dropped children off at daycare and went to the office.  And then all hell broke loose.  The museum does an amazing job of showing that idea.

Day care center Easter photo 5 days before the bombing.

"Here is the botton mline the way I look at it, if Tim McVeigh's legal
rights are protected, then yours and mine are.  If his aren't, then yours
and mine may not be.  Who wants to take that chance?"
--Stephen Jones (McVeigh's criminal defense attorney)

I can't recommend this race enough.  It truly is a run to remember.  To remember each one of the victims, to remember their families, to remember that horrible day in 1995, and to remember that even in the most senseless of tragedies, when the world is at its darkest, there is hope.  Combine that remembrance with finishing a half marathon---accomplishing a goal that (at least for me and LOKG) once seemed impossible---and you leave there sore, exhausted, and inspired.  That's running at its best.

Me and LOKG - 2013 OKC Memorial Half Marathon Finishers!