Second Annual Bucket List Year In Review

"If you think back and replay your year, if it doesn't bring you tears either of joy or sadness, consider it wasted.” ~Unknown

It's that time......My Bucket List Year in Review! In case you missed the 2009 edition, check it out here! Although this year's accomplishments were a bit fewer in number, I can assure you that I had a complete blast completing each of them.

So without further adieu....I present the 2010 Bucket List Year in Review!

Surprise someone. (Read original blog here).
Back in January I flew to Tulsa to suprise SoulMate Friend at her baby shower....and it was awesome! She had NO idea that I was coming---we managed to all keep it a secret (and off facebook) so that when I walked through the door, she made the cutest face ever. I was the first one to know that she was pregnant (only because her husband was at a band concert....he found out a quick second) and being there for her baby shower seemed like a must!

See George Strait in concert. (Read original blog here).

I have loved George Strait (as has every other woman in the world) for as long as I can remember. When I found out that he was making a stop in Tulsa, I knew that this was not an opportunity that I could miss! I mean....George Strait, AND Reba, WITH the Oklahoma Girls and Cousin Whitney. It was an awesome experience!

Take a picture with someone famous. (Read two original blogs here and here).

Thank you, country music for getting me this checkmark. Twice! First I got to meet Alex Weeden, the lead guitarist for Miranda Lambert in Stillwater. He's the boyfriend of a friend and such a nice guy....he got off of his tour bus and came out to meet a bunch of girls who he didn't even know! And, after it was over, he said, "That attorney is quite a hoot!" (Let's hope that was meant in a good way!!) Then I got to meet three of the opening acts at the Brad Paisley Tour--Glorianna, Josh Thompson and (swoon!) Easton Corbin. Sigh.

Run Bay to Breakers. (Read original blog here).

Let me just tell you that this was honestly one of the most fun experiences of my life. I mean it could not have been more fun. On top of the fun, I pushed myself to run 7.5 miles, which still seems insane to me. Figuring out that I am stronger than I thought was an added perk to the Bucket List checkmark!

Donate my hair to Locks of Love. (Read original blog here).

This is something I had wanted to do forever! I finally grew my hair out. It was just a matter of time until I got sick of it. I'm pretty impulsive when it comes to hair. When that impulsive streak kicked in, I went right to the salon and made my contribution! It was a great feeling to think that I would be able to help a kiddo with a disease have a normal head of hair!

Go to a football game at Notre Dame. (Read whole week of blogs here...and here....and here....and here).

I really think it's all been said in the four prior blogs. But reconnecting with an old friend and getting to do something that I've dreamed about since I was 5 years old was the highlight of my year!

If you don't have your own Bucket List, I'd totally encourage you to create one. Even if you just start out with a few things...it's a great way to identify things you really want to do and get them done! I can't wait to see what checkmarks I can get next year! Oh, and for those of you keeping an overall count, I've accomplished 23 1/2 out of 61 current items. Here's to checking off the remaining 37 1/2 and counting!

Word for 2010: Awestruck

"Time is the same for everyone. We all get the same twenty-four hours in a day, the same seven days in a week, and the same 365 days in a year. We get to choose how we want to fill those days." ~Anna Greenlee

About a month ago, I read a great blog about the writer coming up with one word to describe her experience in 2010. (Click on the link above and read it--seriously, it's that good!) Because you know I'm a sucker for any year in review type projects, I knew I had to think of my own word.

I have decided my word for 2010 is "awestruck" which is defined as full of awe (thank you, dictionary, for that insightful definition) and as having a feeling of mixed reverence and respect and wonder.

This year, I was awestruck when:

I saw SoulMate Friend's face as I walked through the door at her baby shower to surprise her and she exclaimed, "What are you doing here? This is Oklahoma" before saying she thought her sisters' surprise might have been a stripper.

I watched George Strait walk out of the tunnel into the very room where I was sitting and my hands were shaking so bad from excitement that my pictures were blurry.

I got to hold Little Linebacker and Little Princess for the first times. For someone who doesn't consider myself a baby person, my opinion changed in about .2 seconds.

The Loud Oklahoma Girl's birthday party ended with mimosas in a hot tub. It never ceases to amaze me how much fun I have every time the four of us are together.

I crossed the finish line at Bay to Breakers after 7.5 miles and countless naked people. I hoped I could do it, but actuallyknowing I ran the entire race was an awesome feeling.

That my whole family came together to celebrate 100 years on our land. Sitting around visiting and listening to Great Uncle play the piano and dancing until all hours under the tent was one of the most awesome times of the year.

"Aunt Tiffany" got the call from the Crazy Canadian announcing that she was pregnant with the baby we had all been praying for (and I'll now be booking a 2011 trip to meet this little one!). There was a lot of screaming right into the mama-to-be's ear....

When a group of friends who didn't know each other all came together to celebrate my birthday. It's so great to know that you have people from different parts of your life who all care about you.

I set foot into Notre Dame Sadium. And fulfilled a dream I have had since I was 5 years old.

We only get one shot at living our lives. I plan to do my best at making every year the kind that can be summed up with a word like awestruck. Here's to an even better word in 2011!

Family Farm Friday #38: Fly Over States

"Down where I born it was heaven on earth..." ~Luke Bryan, "We Rode in Trucks"

Notre Dame Friend recently texted me about a great new Jason Aldean song. She knew it would be perfect for Family Farm Friday. She was right!

Here a few of my favorite verses.

A couple guys in first class on a flight
From new York to Los Angeles,
Kinda making small talk killing time,
Flirting with the flight attendants,
30, 000 feet above, could be Oklahoma,
Just a bunch of square cornfields and wheat farms,
Man it all looks the same,
Miles and miles of back roads and highways,
Connecting little towns with unknown names,
Who'd want to live down there in the middle of nowhere,

They've never drove through Indiana,
Met the men who plowed that earth,
Planted that seed, busted his ass for you and me,
Or caught a harvest moon in Kansas,
They'd understand why god made those fly over states,

On the plains of Oklahoma
Where the windshield sunset in your eyes
Like a watercolor painted sky
Where like a water color painted sky

You'd think heavens doors have opened
You'll understand why god made
Those fly over states
Take a ride across the badlands
Feel that freedom on your face
Breathe in all that open space
Meet a girl from Amarillo
You'll understand why god made
Why you'd want to plant your stakes
In those fly over states

Those of us who live in the flyover states---who live on land made up of squares of wheat fields and who have spent our share of time on thos back roads, and who have seen those sunsets know that the people on the planes flying over are missing out! I'm glad to have been born and raised in a fly over state! (And yes, the picture is of my childhood---from the air.)

You can check out the whole song here:

November Updates

"If you cannot be a poet, be the poem." ~David Carradine

Sorry this is a little late---I've had a lot of blogs popping into my head lately! But, better late than never, right??

Notre Dame Video!
You might remember from my blog about game day at Notre Dame my telling you about hearing the trumpets playing the fight song under the Golden Dome. Well, lucky for everyone, ND Friend caught this on her trusty iPhone camera! It's worth a listen....trust me! It'll make you want to go out and hit someone on a football field!




What I'm Reading...The High Tech Version.
I have blogged once or twice before about what I am currently reading. Well, a couple weeks ago The Bride introduced me to a whole new high-tech version of this! Meet Good Reads.

Not only does this let you check out what other people think of books before you read them, it also lets you keep a list of the books that you have read. And you can see what your friends are reading! I signed up last weekend (here is a link to my list) and have been uploading books ever since! If any of you create (or already have) your own site, let me know so I can link up with you!

Adding to the Herd.
I frequently talk on here about how I hate to shop. There is an exception.....I do love buying livestock! You'll probably remember me buying my cow and heifer this past spring, and my buying 8 ewes over the summer. A couple weeks ago, I added another ewe lamb to my herd.

People at the office deemed her "cute." Not sure that's what I was going for, but I guess it's not a bad thing either!

Quote of the Month.

We all know that it came from the Blonde Oklahoma Girl. I might as well call this segment "The Blonde Oklahoma Girl Quote of the Month."
Anyway, when we were talking about me going to visit Notre Dame, BOkG said that she loved Notre Dame when she was a kid too and that she even had a Notre Dame starter jacket. I asked if it was because of the football program and Rudy. Oh no.....it was for two reasons. One because a boy she liked in elementary school liked Notre Dame, and two becasue Regis Philbin liked Notre Dame. (Opposites must attract because she's one of my best friends ever and we're clearly nothing alike!) Anyway, as I got off the plane in Chicago, BOkG texted and said that she hoped I would meet Regis at the game. I said I'd keep an eye out. Then she responded with the quote of the month.

"Now, he's very little in real life. So if you see a little person, that might be him!"

Sadly I did not see Regis (nor did I see any little people).....but I did enjoy the quote of the month!

Notre Dame Trip #4: Lifelong Dreams and Lifelong Friends

"Whoever leaves Notre Dame hopes to see it again." ~Timothy Howard

I read that going to a football game at Notre Dame is one of the 101 things every sports fan should do in her life. I couldn't agree more.

My Notre Dame trip was one of the coolest experiences of my lifetime. And I was lucky to share with with several lifelong friends. So, I think those two concepts summarize my Notre Dame Trip: Lifelong Dreams and Lifelong Friends.

Lifelong Dreams

Going to a football game at Notre Dame had been a dream of mine since I was a little kid. I remember watching the games on tv. I remember hanging a pennant in my room, while most other little girls had pictures of princesses. I remember crying my eyes out watching "Rudy." So, understand that for me, this weekend wasn't just a great trip. It was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

And I'm not the only one. ND Friend said that she was on campus a few weeks ago when a man asked her to take a picture of him and his two kids. Somehow, my friend managed to get her thumb in the way of the photo, but didn't realize it. She told the man to look at the picutre to see if it was okay. He asked her if she would mind taking it again. Of course, she said would. Then the man said words that sort of give me chills. "I've waited 57 years for this picture and I just want it to be right."

I get that. And I got mine after waiting 27.

I'm sure that going to a Notre Dame game is cool for anyone, whether you are 7 or 27. But I think that it's even better when you have waited for it, dreamed about it, worked hard to save up the money to go.

And you know what? I think that's true for just about every dream. Part of what makes dreams great is the waiting and hoping and working towards them. So even if your lifelong dream has nothing to do with Irish football, I hope you are still somehow motivated to act on whatever it is after reading about my Notre Dame experience. Dream it, work for it, and do it!

Lifelong Friends

A huge part of what made the trip so amazing was getting to share the experience with several lifelong friends. ND Friend, High School Buddy, his dad, Mr. FFA (and The Bride in Chicago!) are all people who hold special places in my heart.
ND friend and I met through FFA when we were both in high school. After she graduated almost 10 years ago, we sort of lost touch. There was the occasional facebook message, but that was about it. But last weekend when we got together again, it was like nothing had really changed. We had the best time and have vowed that there will be no more 10 year spans of not seeing each other.

High School Buddy and I (obviously) went to high school together. Not only did we have that connection, but our families became really good friends through showing pigs for years at all of the fairs. Our families have been through good times and bad times and pretty much everything in between together. So getting to see Notre Dame with him and his dad was like seeing it with family!

And here is your "Family Farm Friday" tie in. I've written before that I think that growing up in rural America creates a type of family. Well the Notre Dame trip was a prime example of that. ND Friend and I went to school 2 hours apart, and we probably never would have even met had it not been for FFA speech and judging contests. Mr. FFA and I would never have met through Little Brother had they not both been State FFA Officers together. And High School Buddy and I might have known each other, but I would not have been nearly as close to him and his dad had it not been for showing.

When you grow up in a small school (blogged about this before) and are involved in FFA (blogged about this too), I don't think you even realize the lifelong benefits of being raised this way. It's only years later that you really start to appreciate them. The Notre Dame trip game me a great opportunity to be thankful for the lifelong friends that I have been fortunate enough to make.

Fulfilling a lifelong dream with lifelong friends. It's pretty hard to beat that!

Notre Dame Trip Week Day #3 - Here Come the Irish!

"We went to Notre Dame because we loved the place. We didn't go because of a coach. We didn't go to win championships. Because we loved the place, we always felt we had an opportunity to win. We were the University of Notre Dame and we belong here. We truly believed we'd win every time out." ~Former ND Player

And then, after all of the campus touring and pre-game festivities, visiting with my friends, and almost losing my ticket, it was finally time to walk into the stadium. As we were walking around the outside of the stadium to get to the correct gate, I told my friends, "This is just like Rudy when he was running around asking people for tickets in the movie!" It was awesome.

Walking into the stadium was unreal....I can't even describe how exciting it was! We, of course, had to get our first photos inside Notre Dame Stadium!

Just about the same minute we started walking to the entrance of the stadium, it started to rain. And it was cold (which necessitated hot chocolate number 3......so much for swearing it off the day before!) I was told by friends watching on tv that it looked like a monsoon.

Once while trying to clean the rain off my glasses, one of the lenses popped out. ND Friend was worried---I said, "It's okay, I can watch with one eye if I have to!" Yes, I am hard core. Luckily, I was able to fix the situation and got to see the game with both of my eyes in tact.

We had awesome seats on the 50 yard line. We were at the very top of the stadium, and I honestly think that those were the best seats in the house. Not only did we have a great view of the game, but we could also see the Bascilica steeple, golden dome, and Touchdown Jesus. It was like a movie. For the pre-game at the stadium, the band played the Notre Dame fight song again....Da na na na na na na na na.....you get the point. The bagpipers marched. The Leprechaun danced. I ate it all up. Then they had Senior day presentations where each of the Seniors was recognized with his parents on the field.
And then.....it was time. The gold helmets started to emerge from the tunnel. And then, the moment I had been waiting for.......the announcer says......"HERE COME THE IRISH!" and they burst onto the field! You'll notice that the pictures are blurry. I was so excited, my hands were shaking!
Many went to the end zone to say a quick prayer. (And this is why I need to marry a former Irish football player....they love football, gave flowers to their mama's on senior day, and pray before the game! Sigh.) Now I won't play by play the game for you (although I could!), but let me just tell you that Notre Dame KILLED Utah. It was a huge upset. The first time since 1996 an unranked ND team beat a ranked team. High School Buddy and I like to think that we are the luck of the Irish. We'll be informing Coach Kelly of that in hopes that he'll see it necessary to buy us season tickets.
The Irish won in extiting fashion. There was a great blocked punt, an interception that led to a touchdown, a fumble recovery on the first half kickoff.....it was just amazing! Utah only scored one field goal (which was in the first 7 minutes of the game) and the rest of the afternoon was all Irish!

The final score was 28-3. And the students rushed the field. They ran and danced and did zig zags in between the band members. It was great. And, I'll confess, had I been sitting anywhere near the student secton, I would have totally joined in! Luckily, Mr. FFA took part and I lived vicariously through him! And there would be more pictures, but my second set of batteries died at this point....
Oh, and one final thought. There were several guys sitting near us who had terrible attitudes the whole time. When ND had a good return on the opening kick off, the guy next to ND friend said, "It'll all be downhill from here." The guys next to me hated every play call. Anything that Notre Dame did that was good was "lucky" and anything that they did that was bad was the dumbest move ever made on the field. If you are going to have that attitude, stay home. Gripe at your tv. Be lucky we didn't smack you in the head, because it was discussed. Instead, we settled for ND friend looking at the guy next to her and responding, "So that wasn't really downhill now was it?" at the end of the game. Jerkface.

But don't you worry....these guys didn't ruin our fun. The game could not have been better and it was a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget!

Notre Dame Trip Day #2: Game Day Festivities

"I really believe that Our Lady watches over this place. I feel I ought to stop in and say thanks, and also pray that she keeps watching over it." ~Father Theodore Hesburgh, former Notre Dame President

You know how sometimes when you are so excited about something, you build it up so much in your head that it can never live up to what you expect? Well, I was really worried that 27 years of dreaming about game day at Notre Dame would ruin the experience. I was so wrong....it was better than I could have ever imagined!

ND Friend and I woke up super early and made the drive from Chicago to South Bend. Then we arrived, and I got my first glimpse of Notre Dame! I tried to keep reminding myself to breathe so I would not pass out.

Anyway, even though we got on campus around 8:30, there were already a lot of people milling around. Our first stop was the bookstore, where I loaded up on Notre Dame gear for myself and the family for Christmas (family: at surprised when you open your gifts). You will notice a quick wardrobe change in the following pictures...I purchased my official ND hoodie at the store, but in the end, I think I like the one the ND friend lent more more. Go figure....buyer's remorse!

Then we just walked around and toured the beautiful campus. The campus itself is smaller than I expected, but is more beautiful in person than on tv. The buildings are all made of a yellow-ish brick color. It's surrounded by trees and two lakes, St. Mary and St. John.
This tour even included a stop at the building where Rudy lived while he was in school...which brought another reminder to myself to "keep breathing!"
I think my favorite place on campus was the Grotto. If you've seen Rudy, this is the outdoor area where Rudy goes to light a candle and pray to get accepted into Notre Dame. It's very peaceful and quiet and moving there. There are two quotes that I think bear sharing.

First, Father Hesburgh said, "Every university has a place where students hang out for their social life, libraries where they study, and playing fields where they play sports, but how many have a praying place?" I love this idea. While I was there, students would come in from running around the lake and stop in quickly to light a candle, say a prayer and be on their way. People come as they are---in running shorts, in suits, in football jerseys.....none of that matters. They simply come to pray.

If you ask me, we need more Grottos in the world.

Second, there is a plaque reciting a beautiful letter from a former student, Tom Dooley, who wrote from his death bed: "But just now . . . and just so many times, how I long for the Grotto. Away from the Grotto Dooley just prays. But at the Grotto, especially now when there must be snow everywhere and the lake is ice glass and that triangular fountain on the left is frozen solid and all the priests are bundled in their too-large too-long old black coats and the students wear snow boots . . . if I could go to the Grotto now then I think I could sing inside. I could be full of faith and poetry and loveliness and know more beauty, tenderness and compassion." After lighting my own candle and kneeling to pray myself, I understood this letter much more. After the Grotto, we headed to the Bascilica of the Sacred Heart. It was absolutly beautiful. The football team all comes over for Mass prior to heading to the stadium for games. Love that!
One of the most recognized landmarks at Notre Dame is the Golden Dome that sits atop the Main Building. Definite photo op on my list!
As we walked around the crowd started to build. But what was different than crowds at OSU on game day was that these people were as excited to see the campus and take pictures at various places as they were about the football game. It was like being in Times Square or some sort of tourist attraction rather than at a tailgate. The bagpipers and the band wondered around campus and played for all of the visitors. It was awesome.

We also went past the law school building. As I said on facebook, I was just one BIG scholarship from going there myself! Sigh. I suppose my life has worked out nonetheless.

We ended our tour at Touchdown Jesus. Another classic photo op.

And this was where we met up with the other New Mexico folks who were visiting! My friend, Mr. FFA, is a current student at Notre Dame. He and Little Brother were State FFA Officers together and he's one of Little Brother's best friends. So I was excited to catch up with him! Also in South Bend for the game was my friend High School Buddy and his dad. So we all got to chat and catch up and spend the day together.
We grabbed a quick steak sandwich for lunch (we're all ag kids from cattle ranches you know!) and headed to watch the Notre Dame band plan on the steps of Bond Hall. Turns out this was a game day tradition.

After that, we rushed to the Main Building to stand under the golden dome. All of the trumpet players from the band filed in the levels going up into the dome and played several songs, including the Notre Dame fight song. It was awesome.....if you ever go to a game at Notre Dame, this is easy to miss, but it's something you have to do!

And then....it was time. We headed over to the stadium for the football game. On the way, I dropped my ticket. Thank goodness some nice lady saw me do it. I would probably have had a nervous breakdown had I missed the game. Not having a heart attack was added that to my list of things to be thankful for that day!