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!

Bear for a Night

“And a special thanks for not burning up the whole ship. Including yourself, you daft bum-rag.” 
~ Scott Westerfeld, Leviathan

Cousin Swiss Mister is a Baylor Bear fan through and through.  I'm not sure that I've ever seen anyone be quite so proud of his alma mater.  So I wasn't all that surprised when he announced that he was going to fly 5,000 miles from Switzerland to attend the Baylor v. OU game last Thursday.  I was lucky enough to get an invite to this shindig.  Well, you know that I love all things college football AND Cousin Swiss Mister, so you best believe I was there!

We kicked things off with a little tailgating with some of Cousin Swiss Mister's friends.  This included a live 80's cover band and free bbq for everyone.  Hard to beat that!

 The best part of the night was when Cousin Swiss Mister, an admitted pyro, decided that the "redneck fire pit" needed another log.  (The fire pit was a metal bucket with charcoal and 1/2 a fire long in it to keep everyone warm.  Cousin Swiss Mister threw the half a fire log from across the tailgate to the bucket.  It was kind of like slow motion....you could see the disaster fixing to happen, but couldn't stop it.  Of course, the bucket tips over and catches the grass on fire.  Right next to a truck tire.  Cousin Swiss Mister tried to stomp it out with his tennis shoes.  We had no water (would beer have helped or make it worse?!?).  At one point he drugs his foot across it instead of stomping, which sent sparks everywhere.  Finally a nice guy in steel toed boots came over and helped stomp things out and someone else brought over some water to pour on the grass.  You literally never know what kind of disaster is coming next with this kid.

Then we headed to the stadium for the game.  Baylor did a black out and I have to admit I was impressed that just about every single Baylor fan complied and was decked out in black, myself included.

The game started out slow and kind of strange---I thought Cousin Swiss Mister might have a heart attack.  But in the end, his Bears pulled out the big W against Oklahoma and remained undefeated.  He was one happy camper. 

So that was my being a Bear for a night.  His Bears are on a collision course with my Pokes in two weeks....winner will have a huge shot at a Big 12 title.....so my green and gold days are limited!

Why We Show Up for Funerals

"It's all about respect, respect, respect.  It's about taking an hour or two out of your life to honor someone else's.  It costs so little and it gives so much back."  ~Bunny Terry

Last week I read a blog post by another Logan native and it absolutely blew me away.  The post is called, "Always Go To The Funeral - New Mexico style."  To read it, click here.

I have been to most funerals in my first 30 years than most people go to in their lifetimes.  I did a quick count last night and came up with 32 off the top of my head, and that was without really sitting down and thinking.  I've been to several of the same funerals that Bunny mentions in her blog.  I've sat in a packed gymnasium, in a tiny church on a hill, and next to a graveside by the interstate.  I've carried a casket and given two eulogies and cried countless tears.  It was at a funeral that I first saw my dad with tears in his eyes and first heard the song, "I Can Only Imagine," and have seen more examples of unfailing faith than I could even begin to describe.

But what I've learned from these experiences is that rural communities--especially those in rural New Mexico--pull together in hard times.   That starts with showing up for the funeral.  We manage to make something right out of situations that are nothing but wrong. We bring an enchilada casserole and wear our Sunday best.  We love and pray and support the families who have lost their loved one because even if not blood related, many times it feels like losing a family member of our own.

I don't wish the pain of losing someone who you love on anyone in the world.  But if that day comes, I do wish that everyone could have the support of the small towns in Eastern New Mexico where I grew up.  Because as I've said before, those communities are never finer than when the time comes to honor one of their own.  I've watched this sense of community pull people through their absolute darkest hour with prayer and encouragement and a helping hand.

That's why it matters.  That's why we show up for funerals.

A Weekend in Ft. Worth with the Boy

"She was struck by the simple truth that sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people..." ~Nicholas Sparks

At 3:00 on Friday afternoon, I got a call from a pretty excited Boy from Texas who said, "I'm on the way to Ft. Worth, get headed north!"  We were hoping to be able to meet up in Ft. Worth this weekend, but we had to wait to get the green light from a truck dealership where he had to pick up something for work.  I had pretty much given up hope, so I was beyond excited to get that phone call and hop in my truck for a little road trip.

Y'all.  I have the sweetest boyfriend in the entire world and we had an absolute blast.  I probably think this every time we hang out, but this might be one of my favorite weekends.  We ate a lot, saw some friends, caught up with Aunt Delta Dawn, did some shopping, watched some football....it was awesome.

With Ski Trip John at Rodeo Goat

 We also went on what we called our first actual dinner date.  It's true....we've been dating for over 8 months and Saturday night was the first time that we ever got dressed up and went to dinner, just the two of us.  At one point on the way to the restaurant, The Boy from Texas said, "You know, it's kinda weird spending time with you and not having 40 people following us around."  Ha!  To celebrate....fajitas for everyone!

I realize that this sounds cheesy and annoying and all of those things, but sometimes in this relationship I feel like I need to pinch myself to see if it's real.  More than once this weekend, I thought to myself, "Stop and look around.  This is what you wanted for so long and were sure you'd never find."

I waited for a long time for The Boy from Texas to make his appearance...but from where I'm sitting, that wait was worth every minute.


*Linking up with Weekend Shenanigans and This Weekend I... and Miscellany Monday.

The Voiceless Prayer and a Toy Airplane

“The truth is that God has a miracle planned for you too, if you are willing to expect it, look for it, and wait for it to play out in God's perfect timing.”   ~Tracie Miles

As you might recall, I checked "pray a voiceless prayer" off of my 30 by 30 list while I was at Notre Dame in September.  At that time, I wasn't sure whether I'd blog about that little event or not.  But over the last couple of months I've had several things happen that made me feel like I should share the story because it might speak to someone else in a way I couldn't know.  Anyway, I was still debating when Super Mom posted about her prayers being answered by St. Therese and a miracle flower appearing outside her church.  So, I figured if she could share, I could share.  Here we go.

Over the course of the year, I had several different ideas of what I might leave for my voiceless prayer.  In the end, I decided on praying my voiceless prayer at the Grotto at Notre Dame, which is hands down one of the most spiritual and beautiful places I have ever been.

 

Given the fact that I'm in this long distance relationship that you all are well aware of, I wanted to leave something having to do with that situation....something to ask that all of this work out to where The Boy from Texas and I can live, you know, in the same zip code (hopefully sooner rather than later!)  I decided that a toy airplane would be the proper item to leave at the Grotto as my voiceless prayer.  But, well, life got crazy and I got behind and ended up on the way to Notre Dame with no toy airplane purchased.  Never fear, Southwest Airlines to the rescue.  I decided that a bag of airline peanuts would serve the same purpose, so my plan was in place.

On a cold, dark September morning, I began a run around St. Mary and St. Joseph's Lakes on the campus of the University of Notre Dame under the shadow of the Golden Dome.  It is my absolute favorite place to run in the world.  I approached the Grotto and it was almost empty, save a man replenishing candles and another man praying. 

 

I lit a candle, knelt for a while, and left my peanuts on the railing.  If you've never done a voiceless prayer, I'd highly recommend it.  There is something special about offering up a tangible item and walking away, trusting that God hears and sees and understands.

 

 

So, then I continued my loop around the lakes and watched the sun begin to come up that morning.  As I finished the run, I was walking back along the path near the Grotto thinking about all the things we had to do that day.  As I walked, I glanced down and something caught my eye.  In disbelief, I knelt down.  A toy airplane.  No lie.  Just laying there.  I hadn't seen it on my way in and there was no one else around.  But there it laid.  I snapped this picture and continued on my way.

 

Well then about 5 minutes later, I realized that I should have picked up the airplane and kept it as a reminder to have faith in this situation.  (I'm a little slow, obviously.)  So I turned around and headed back down the path to pick up the plane.  And it was gone.  Nowhere to be found. 

I suppose that you could argue that all of this could have been pure coincidence.  That some kid dropped his toy and someone else picked it up.  After all, we are now 2 months down the road and The Boy from Texas and I still live in different zip codes.  Perhaps you could argue that it was nothing divine at all.  You could argue that....but I'll never believe it. 

 

When I left the Grotto that morning, as the sun began to rise over the steeples of the Basilica and the campus would soon be bustling with people and bagpipes and drumlines, I took with me a gentle reminder that God is there.  That He hears our prayers, even the voiceless ones.  That He answers them, albeit maybe not in ways that we would expect.  And that we must have faith in Him.  Even when we are left with no tangible proof that He listens, we must have faith that He does....listen, hear, and answer in his time.

Virtual Turkey Trot!

"Run, Forrest, run!" ~Jenny

I'm sure most of y'all have heard of a Turkey Trot.  In a lot of cool places (read: bigger cities!) they have a 5K run on Thanksgiving Day so that people can go burn off some of that turkey (and potatoes and gravy and stuffing and corn and pie and more pie...) that they plan to eat later in the day. 

 

Well, some of us don't live in big cities but still want to run.  So my friend Jen and I have come up with a solution.....a Virtual Turkey Trot! 

<center> <a href="www.almostgypsysoul.blogspot.com"><img border="0" src="http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y467/jendutton5/2013TurkeyTrotbutton2_zps4e17e791.jpg"/></a></center>

 

You just go out wherever you are and run (or jog or walk) a 5K sometime between Thanksgiving Day and the following Sunday (November 28 - December 1).  If your town has an official Turkey Trot and you want to do that, go for it and that counts too! 

Then we'll host a link up the following week and those of you with blogs can blog about the run and share your link.  If you don't have a blog, you can send your pictures/story to me or Jen and we'll include you in our recap.  Easy peasy.

 

And to provide some incentive and to do some good, if Jen and I can get participation from people in 10 states, we will both make a generous donation to the Salvation Army to kick off the Holiday Season!  So.....all you readers out there....get this on your calendar.

 

College Roomie, this means you, even though you'll whine that "this is NOT fun" all the way.  Loud Oklahoma Girl, this means you since you now have a blog!  (Go here to follow her!)  Make AB's Mama come with you!  Pharmer Girl, I know for a fact you have pretty new running shoes that need to be included.  Miss Livin It Right, you've been working out with a trainer and know you want to do this in our happy little hometown.  Mrs. Robertson, we need someone to represent in the Northeast!  The Hepburns, I think that a family run is in order down your dirt road!  Arkansassy, this will let you check a goal off your November list.  Chicken Plucker, you can eat some carbs with dinner if you do this!  Georgia Boy, your rock star wife can do a 5K in her sleep, have her do it for you.  Nomad, what else do you have to do on an island all day anyway?   Super Mom, your boys would love this and burn off lots of energy in the process! 

And the most excited person of all?  The Boy from Texas, who will have the pleasure of running down the gravel road amongst the wheat fields with me on Thanksgiving morning.  He can't wait.

   

Turning the Big 3-0

"A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun.  Enjoy the trip."  ~Author Unknown

Thank you all so much for your sweet birthday wishes last Friday!  I can officially report that I survived turning the Big 3-0! 

I was actually at an ag law conference in Madison, Wisconsin on the big day.  So my birthday consisted mostly of listening to presentations about ag law issues.  But then one of my law school buddies decided it would be a good idea to have the whole room full of people sing to me.  If you know me, you know I despise singing on birthdays.  Seriously, despise.  Somehow, however, it always seems to happen.  One year, my friend Leon had the whole law school Halloween party sing to me on stage.  Another, the same friend (note to self...no more spending birthdays with him!) had a Mexican food restaurant sing to me whilst making me wear a sombrero.  Anyway, this year was no exception and a room of about 250 ag lawyers sang me happy birthday.  And I almost died.  So yea, there was that.

Me and my friend NYC Ag Lawyer (yep, she has her own firm in NYC!)

Then, my dear, sweet, amazing friends ND Friend and Tiny Dancer came over from Chicago in order to take me out to dinner for my birthday.  For those of you who don't know Midwestern geography, that's a 3 hour drive.  One way.  Yep.  Friendship.  Right there.  And they showed up in style...party hats, horns, confetti being thrown in the streets.....seriously, it was like a parade!

 

 

First things first, however.  The night before my birthday, those two had some exciting news in the form of a big shiny diamond ring on a very important finger!  Yes, that's right, folks, ND Friend and Tiny Dancer are getting married!  I'm not sure I have ever seen two people more excited to be engaged and it was so much fun to get to share that with them.  I, suspecting that this was coming, had put together a little engagement gift basket and brought it with me from Texas for the happy couple.

Engagement basket:  magazine, journal, fun pens, coffee mug, ring pops

The happy couple!

For dinner, we went to this great little bar/restaurant on the square in Madison.  While there, I opened my present from ND Friend and her sister, Super Mom, and found this little baby.....

Once again, best friends in the world, I have.  I got seriously the most beautiful ring from Tiffany's.  Silver band with the Tiffany's blue in the middle.  It's amazing and I absolutely love it!  It came along with a bottle of wine and some of ND Friend's best in the world homemade chocolate chip cookies.  I kinda died and went to heaven.

Oh, one more thing.  No, two.  First, my parents sent me some birthday money to go shopping, so I bought a birthday outfit.  Check it out.  It's a emerald green shirt from Maurices, brown boots from Sears, and black skinny jeans from Stitch Fix.  Trendy, right?  (Connie J, excuse the bathroom picture....I forgot to have someone else take one and had to improvise!)

And the second thing.....The Boy from Texas has been harassing me with talk of a birthday present for months.  Well since I didn't get to see him on my birthday, I didn't get said present yet.  He has, however, given me a few clues about what were looking at.  I know the following:  (1) it is not an engagement ring (don't want anyone getting overly excited here); (2) it is not from Academy; (3) it is shiny; (4) someone else knows about it; (5) he bought it at the nicest store in Amarillo; and (6) it will make up for us having to be apart so much.  My guess?  Private jet.  Apparently that's not the right answer.  I will have to wait a couple more weeks to see what he's got up his sleeve....

The rest of the weekend was pretty low key....went to a bar in Evanston to watch my Pokes beat up on the Texas Tech Red Raiders (at which time I won two bets...one is a friend from Tech making a photo of him in an OSU shirt his profile on Facebook for a week, another lets me breed one of my ewes to my friend's ram....yep, country girls make these kind of bets!).  On Sunday we went to Mass at the most beautiful church in Old Town Chicago....and ND Friend and Tiny Dancer loved it so much that they are getting married there in July!  AHHHH!

I returned home to a homemade banana pie from New Roomie along with my very first Texas A&M shirt (which I have agreed to wear this Friday since the Pokes don't have a big game this week....I still feel a bit like Benedict Arnold!)

So there ya go.  That's what turning 30 looked like for me.  Pretty sure that it's going to be a good year, kids!

Don't Ever Waste It...

My 30 Things List: The Finale

Well, now that I'm 30 (and three days) I wanted to do a finale post for my list of the 30 things every woman should know and have by the time she is 30.  I was inspired to create this list while laying on a beach in Costa Rica reading a book where the author made her own list.  It's been fun thinking through the items and trying to ensure that I know and have these things.  As you've seen over the last year, I've written a series of posts detailing each list item.  If you missed any of the posts in the series, click here.

Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, 2012

Today, I leave you with my full list and the following quote:  "The man who views the world at fifty the same as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life." -- Muhammad Ali

In the world of Tiffany, by the time she is 30...

Every woman should know...

The difference between politics and people.

Her limit, be it alcohol sun or late nights.

How to manage her money.

Not to think she needs to marry someone to do things for her (ie. cars, money, tools).

How to keep a person's memory alive.

That it's okay to want things and go after them.

That even though friendships change they do not have to end.

Things she really likes to do versus things she wishes she likes to do.

How to dance without caring what anyone thinks.

How to do something by herself, be it dinner, a movie, a trip or a wedding.


The difference between being too picky and a deal-breaker.

Who her true friends are.

When its time to make a change in her life, and how to summons the courage to do it.

The difference between a good opportunity and the right opportunity.

How she likes her eggs (ala Julia Roberts in Runaway Bride).

That she cannot marry someone (or stay at a job) just so she does not hurt another person's feelings.

End every woman should have...

A passport.

An item that connects her to her past.

Good sheets.

A go-to perfume.

A favorite style of underwear.

A good pair of heels and the ability to walk in them.

Go-to songs for every event.

A cause that she is passionate about.

Pictures hung on her wall.

Read one of "the classics."

Bought something a little expensive just for herself.

A workout routine that works for her body.

An "I Voted" sticker from an election.

A go-to drink.

A comfort hoodie.

Me at 30

"Age has given me what I was looking for my entire life.  It has given me me. It has provided time and experience and failures and triumphs and time-tested friends who have helped me step into the shape that was waiting for me. I fit into me now.” ~Anne Lamont

Today marks the end of a chapter in my story, the one titled "Twenties."  And what a good chapter it was.  As I look back at the posts I wrote describing myself at 28 and again at 29, I can definitely see changes in the last two years, but as I think back to the day I turned 20, I hardly recognize that girl.

Me and College Roomie - Circa age 20

The last decade has changed me, hopefully for the better.  My twenties brought me laughter and friendship, heartbreak and loss, achievement and fear.  These years saw a nephew, a God Daughter, and a closet full of bridesmaid dresses.  It brought passport stamps and diplomas and a love for all things orange.  Before my twenties I had never run more than a mile, I had never set foot in another country, and I would never have dreamed of living alone in a big city.  Today, I've seen the sun set in 9 countries, I've finished two half marathons, and I've had the summer of my life living on a high rise apartment overlooking the San Francisco Bay.

Above all, this chapter has been one of change, which culminated in my 29th year.  In the last year, I quit my job.  I bought a house.  I moved to a different state.  I found a boyfriend.  I traveled to 4 new countries.  I sold a house.  I bought a new vehicle. I got an iPhone.  I worked hard on a 30 by 30 list.  To be honest, looking back at all of that makes me a little bit tired!

And so here we are.  Me at 30.  Who am I today?

I think I'm me.  Maybe more "me" than I have been before.  I know what I believe and what I am willing to fight for.  I know who I am and who I am not.  I know what I want and what I will do to get it.

I am happy.  That deep-down-in-your-soul-life-is-good-I-am-where-I-am-supposed-to-be kind of happy.

At 30, I've learned to embrace the wrinkles around my eyes and the pain in my back when I sit too long and the extra "cushion" around my waist.  These things--as annoying as they are--are a part of me and I have become comfortable with that.

At 30, I've experienced God.  While praying in the Sistine Chapel, kneeling before the bones of St. Paul, celebrating the feast of the Infant of Prague before the very statue, and lighting candles in a quiet grotto in South Bend.  But I've also seen Him in the laugh lines on someone's face, in words spoken by a friend, in a hospital room holding a brand new baby, in a little boy playing tree trunk drums, in a tiny run down church, and in enchiladas delivered before a funeral.  He is everywhere--in both the holy and the every day.

I'm someone who has spent a lot of money on tickets, be it for airplanes or football games or concerts.  And I do not regret spending a single penny on those experiences and memories.

And then there's this boy.  The one with the baby blue eyes who calls me honey and holds my hand.  He's helped to change me for the better.  With him I'm more comfortable and more confident and more relaxed.  Who he is has made me better at being who I am.

I am trying to live my life according to two of my favorite quotes, "Don't question the story that God is writing for you and don't discount the one He is writing for your neighbor."  and  "When God blesses, I can't complain that the details aren't the way I would have planned."

I've accepted that the timeline and picture that I had in my head is not what my life is going to look like.  And that was hard to swallow.  But now, if I'm honest, I really believe that the reality is better than the picture anyway.

Sadly, I'm also someone who has had to say too many goodbyes.  My twenties, as much as they were a decade of great things, were a decade of devastating loss as well.  There were heartbreaking funerals, a lot of tears, two eulogies, and being a pall bearer.  I said goodbye to some of my favorite people, mentors, and friends.  They impacted me in such a way as to change me forever, and I can only hope that the world can see some little part of them in me.

In the end, I thank God for the "Twenties" chapter.  I thank Him for the prayers that He answered in the way I asked, and probably even more for the ones He answered in far better ways.  I look back at the people who have loved me and supported me and believed in me during this last chapter and am completely in awe.  There could not be a better cast of people in my life, those who are still here and those who are in Heaven.

I'm still figuring out the plot, and so far, it's been a heck of a ride.  Here's to the "Thirties" chapter being even bigger and better.