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!

New Theme Days for 2011

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.” ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

A year ago I started doing theme days....Family Farm Friday and Throwback Thursday have been a lot of fun. Now as 2011 rolls around, I considered retiring these themes and starting new ones instead. But then some people seemed to think that was a terrible idea and I learned that my father only reads the blog on Thursdays and Fridays. So.....I re-thought that and have decided to go with a little bit of new, a little bit of old!

I'm going to stick with Throwback Thursday and Family Farm Friday, but will not be doing them every week. But they'll still be in the mix off and on (and hopefully my dad will keep reading the blog on those days!)

In addition, I'm excited (see below) to announce the theme day for 2011: Meet the Cast Monday

So, you may have noticed the quote that inspired my blog title. "My life has a fabulous cast, I just can't figure out the plot!" For a year and a half, you've been reading about this cast.....and I think it's time that you meet them for yourselves. So.....each Monday you will have a chance to meet one of the cast members. The Oklahoma Girls, College Roomie, SoulMate Friend, BFF, Cousin Kevin, The Crazy Canadian, Cousin Swiss Mister, The Bride, ND Friend.....you'll meet them all!

We'll do this by having them answer a few crazy, random questions about themselves. So....here is where you come in!! If you have specific cast members you want to meet, or if you have questions for specific cast members or for all of them comment now and I'll be sure to ask!

Hope you enjoy the new (and old) theme days in 2011!

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!

Hearing the Bells

"The greatest gift you will ever receive will never be found under a Christmas tree. It is far too valuable to be stored in any other place but in the depths of your heart." ~Anonymous

I recently heard the story behind an old Christmas carol, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. I'm constantly amazed at how learning the context in which something was created changes your perspective. (Remember the blog about Agora?)

The song is actually a poem, written by Henry Wordsworth Longfellow. It was written during the midst of the civil war, after the tragic death of his wife and shortly after learning that his son, a soldier, had been injured in battle.

The simple words remind us that even in the most chaotic, difficult times, God is there and offers peace. Talk about a Christmas gift.

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

Joseph's Lullaby

"Mankind is a great, an immense family. This is proved by what we feel in our hearts at Christmas." ~Pope John XXIII

Well because I have the day off, we are going to forget Throwback Thursday and have a Christmas blog instead.

I have discovered an awesome Christmas song and figured I would share with all of you. ND Friend recommended that I buy the Mercy Me Christmas cd while I was decorating my tree. Because she has good taste in music (this prior blog can be exhibit A), I followed her advice and went right on over to iTunes and bought it.

One of the songs, Joseph's Lullaby, is absolutely amazing. So many Christmas carols we have heard 100 times, so the words seem automatic. And there are a lot of songs written from Mary's perspective. But this one describes how Joseph may have felt that night in the stable. I thought this song was perfect as we prepare our hearts for Christmas.

Joseph's Lullaby

Go to sleep my Son
This manger for your bed
You have a long road before You
Rest Your little head

Can You feel the weight of Your glory?
Do You understand the price?
Does the Father guard Your heart for now
So You can sleep tonight?

Go to sleep my Son
Go and chase Your dreams
This world can wait for one more moment
Go and sleep in peace

I believe the glory of Heaven
Is lying in my arms tonight
Lord, I ask that He for just this moment
Simply be my child

Go to sleep my Son
Baby, close Your eyes
Soon enough You'll save the day
But for now, dear Child of mine
Oh my Jesus, Sleep tight

You can watch the a video and hear the song below:

A Me Weekend

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want." ~Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes

So while I was sidelined this weekend, I decided I needed some "me" time. I realize that some of you probably don't understand this and are thinking, "she's single and has no kids and no roomate.....her LIFE is me time!" But most nights when I get in from work, I have a whole list of things that I need to do before I can go to bed. That's not "me" time.....it's not relaxing (and makes me feel like I need to hire a life clerk).

So, I did run a few errands and finish up my Christmas shopping, but other than that, I spent a lot of time here:

Watching movies on this:

And enjoying the sight of this:

And eating a lot of these:

And wearing these:

The movie marathon included Couple's Retreat (which made me want to hop a plane to Bora Bora right now, and made me realize that I am in love with Vince Vaughn), New Girl in Town (which annoyed me because it portrays small town people as being all backwoodsy and strange, but I did realize that I am in love with Harry Connick, Jr.) and Love Actually (which is a great Christmas movie and I enjoy the fact that not all of the couples end up happy and together--that's real life, people!)

So, basically I vegged out and realized that I am in love with some man in just about every movie I watch. Productive weekend? I'd say so!

Because I'm a Planner

"Our marriage has always been a 50-50 proposition - with the possible exception of closet space." ~Gene Perret

College Roomie called me one night over the weekend. 2 1/2 hours later, our conversation ended when one (or both) of us fell asleep. Mind you, we talk by phone, text or email I would say at least 5 times a day. I think this is how you know someone is your best friend.

Anyway.....to the point of the blog. One of our conversations was about finances and marriage. (Ironic since neither of us is expecting a ring anytime soon....but we're planners, you know!) So we discussed the the complicated, un-fun stuff.....pre-nups, buying houses, etc. Then she brought up an issue I had never even thought of before. Joint v. separate checking accounts.

Turns out College Roomie is in favor of having separate accounts (with a joint as well). I have to be honest--I had never heard of this before and I was amazed! I had a million questions on how that works. College Roomie was amazed at the fact I was not a separate account person. Her theory was that people who get married when they are a little older and who are very independent are into separate accounts. I blew that theory for her.

I knew that there were two people I needed to talk to about this. One is my marriage advisor, The Bride. She and The Groom seem to have everything figured out, so I knew she would have info on this subject. Turns out, they have a joint and separate accounts. The separate accounts are sort of like an allowance---she spends hers on shoes and girls nights, he spends his on golf and video games. I had no idea.

The second person is Cousin Kevin. I almost hate to admit this for fear I'll never hear the end of it, but just about every issue that comes up in my life is taken to Cousin Kevin. That guy is smart, and I feel like we're on the same wavelength about things. Anyway, he was also in favor of separate accounts. Which is ironic because he also said that pre-nups "feel wrong" and that it seems like marriage should be "all in." (I guess "all in" doesn't mean joint checking).

Anyway, because marriage is clearly not anywhere in the immediate future (thanks to getting NO suggestions from any of you after the Most Elligible Bachelor blog), I don't suppose this is an issue that I need to resolve right away. But maybe it's like the farmer who puts the rain gauge out in the middle of a drought believin the rain will come. Perhaps this issue is my rain gauge for Mr. Right. Or perhaps not. But I would love to hear your thoughts and have your input! I am a planner you know!

Ready to Run

"My body could stand the crutches but my mind couldn't stand the sideline." ~Michael Jordan

I've been in sort of an exercise rut lately. You know there are some times when you go to the gym or running outside and you just feel it? You can't wait to go, even while you are there isn't too bad, and afterwards you feel like you could probably run a marathon or leap a building? Yea.....those times have been nowhere in sight.

Instead, getting to the gym or going for a run has been a drag. I've only been going a couple of times a week, and while I'm there, I am bored. When I get home, I'm tired. I think they call this a slump.

The exception to my rut has been kickboxing. So, last Thursday I headed to our TurboKick Christmas class (which means we wore glowsticks and got cookies afterward....woo hoo!!)

Then about halfway through class, it happened. I went to do a "sumo burpie" (you go from standing and jump down into a plank position) and something in my lower back popped and I felt instant pain. I've never had back problems before, but it's not fun. It's hard to sleep and hard to sit at work and hard to walk up stairs.

Anyway, due to this ouchie, I had to take the weekend off from working out at all. And now that I can't.....guess what? ALL I want to do is go for a run. Or lift some weights. Or hit the elliptical machine. Seriously---I was craving exercise all day. Where had THAT been the last month??

Apparently all I needed to break out of my slump was to understand what it's like not to be able to exercise. It's a good reminder......I take things like the ability to hit up the gym for granted. I blogged before about being more grateful for having this ability. Maybe I didn't take it seriously enough. Lesson learned. I'm ready to run!

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:

Throwback Thursday #42: Christmas Memories

"Something about an old-fashioned Christmas is hard to forget." ~ Hugh Downs

I've blogged before (here....and here......and here) about my Gran. She was hands down one of my favorite people in the whole world. She lived right next door, so my brother and I were lucky to have been raised by great parents and the best grandma ever. She's come up a couple of times on facebook in the last week (which is ironic because I don't think he ever even used a computer) and I decided I should write a blog about her.

Gran had lots of traditions---MASH every afternoon at 4:00, popcorn for dinner every Sunday evening, always watching Andy Rooney and listening to Paul Harvey, taking a walk every morning, wearing either her Big Tex beanie or her summer straw hat---I could go on and on. But in the spirit of the holiday season, I have been thinking about her Christmas traditions.
Every year, our neighborhood exchanges gifts. Usually they are something homeade to eat (hello Aunt Jean's cheesecake!) Gran would always bake loaves of bread and wrap them up in paper. Then she would go to her holly bush in the yard and cut a sprig of holly to tie on each package.

She also really loved candy. Every year she made Tiger Butter and chocolate covered peanuts. I've taken it upon myself to carry on this tradition (probably less about the tradition and more because I love Tiger Butter to be honest). And she would hoard those boxes of chocolate covered cherries she got for Christmas all throughout the year. They are not super tasty when they are fresh, so you can imagine them in July.

Gran, my brother and I always set up her Nativity set. She had a large wooden barn and several Nativity figures---animals, wise men, shepherds, Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus. Anyway, every year she would drag the barn out of the well house and we would set it up together. And, because we were ranchers, we would go to the barn and get some real straw for the figures to sit on. And finally my favorite part of Christmas with Gran was her opening presents. You know there are some people who no matter what you get them, they aren't super excited and say things like, "Ohhhhh, thaaaanks." Yea, Gran wasn't like that. She was the kind of person who even if you wrapped up some pinceone with paper glued to it, she would get super excited and say, "Hey Hey!" and act like you bought her a tennis bracelet from Tiffany's. I haven't found anyone else who is as much fun to give a present to.

I still miss my grandma every day, but I am so glad to have these kinds of memories with her. You notice none of these memories involve expensive gifts or fancy things; they involve our family spending time together.
Remember this when you're with your family this Christmas.....you never know when you're making memories worth more than any present wrapped up under the tree.