A Resolution

So, I might possibly be the *worst* blogger, ever. I have great intentions- really, I do! I love to write, but I have a very really issue with organizing my life (maybe that is what I really should be blogging about!) But, I've decided to take a bit of advice from my wise friend, Beth, and simply try to do better. No striving for perfection or rock star status, just do better. Well, here it goes- a summary of where I am at with my 101 Things in 1001 Days (and, I've surely missed documenting a few things- like some of the restaurants I've tried, books I've read, and dates Randy and I have managed to sneak away for!)

In October, Randy, Wyatt and I went to a Red Wings game! Wyatt had the chance to skate in Joe Louis Arena earlier in the day as part of his 6U hockey team (his first "real" game after practicing for a few weeks- not bad for a 6 year old!) and then we went to dinner and to see the Wings in the evening. It was a long, fun day- especially for Wyatt, who invited his friend Cory to come along, and we were also joined by my brother and sister-in-law, and some friends of ours.

Last winter was one of the coldest, snowiest in recent history. We FINALLY managed to take our kids sledding! It was great - and cold- and very short, but we did it and had fun and now are looking forward to a lot more sledding in our OWN backyard!

Which leads me to the fact that we did indeed, buy a new house (in May) AND sell our former house (in July) and have been enjoying more space and a quieter neighborhood, with just a few twinges of nostalgia every now and then of the house we lived in for just over 10 years.

My in-laws have even jumped on board to help with my project! Last winter (as a last Christmas gift) they bought us a terrific Nikon DLSR camera and I am having fun playing with it and learning to take some great photos (including a super fun photo shoot Gretchen and I did of the fall foliage- her on my iPhone, and I with the Nikon!) My mother-in-law also taught me to make creme brule at her home when we visited in the spring- it was fun (and delicious) and now I just need to replicate the feat entirely on my own!

This fall, my alma mater, Adrian College was holding a "Be the Match" bone marrow registry event, so I was able to get on the registry and now will wait to see if I am ever found to be a match for someone in need of a bone marrow transplant!

I went kayaking this summer (in Tecumseh- not super exciting scenery, but still very peaceful and it felt great to be on the water again!), and we also joined a CSA and enjoyed some really great, fresh produce all summer long (and made me realize I need to do a better job of finding ways to cook beets and cabbage and zucchini!)

We bought a king-size bed for our new house/bed room and it has been amazing- especially since we usually end up sharing it with at least one child for at least part of the night! I also did some lawn mowing here at our new house! I must admit, that it wasn't the entire yard (which is a little intimidating with our huge backyard hill), but it was with the push mower, so that should get some bonus points, right?!

I think that is just about it for NOW...but I am hoping to keep working on my list AND on this blog- and hopefully the general organization and productiveness of this chaotic life I love to call my own!

Date Night

Last Tuesday, Randy and I went on our first official “date” of 2014. For anyone who knows us, you know that spending time together, alone, is an experience that happens all too seldom in our relationship.  And, for anyone who talks to Randy, you’ll know that whenever he takes a day “off” for any reason, I have the habit of packing it completely full of things to do. What can I say? When I have him available, I want to make full use of his time! And so it was on Tuesday. The original plan was that we would go to Ann Arbor for dinner and the Adrian College vs. Team USA hockey game. That was the plan. 

The first ‘wrench’ was that our son’s school closed due to the cold temperatures. I was scheduled to teach a childbirth class in our home, which meant Randy felt obligated to take the oldest two out of the house for two hours. As far as I could tell, they had a great time returning bottles to Meijer (G broke one, making a huge mess!), wandering around Hobby Lobby (pretty much their favorite store), and having lunch at a Mexican restaurant in town for “Taco Tuesday”.

When they returned, it was a pretty quick turnaround for us to meet our realtor and check out a few potential homes. We really were on track for our date until we returned home and got another call from our realtor telling us that a house had just come on the market that she thought we should see right away.  So, back out we went, with all three kids (who fell asleep on the way), on another adventure. We got back home just after the time we told our babysitter to arrive so we could leave on our date.  After feeding K, and Randy playing a promised round of living room hockey with W, we left only 30 minutes behind schedule.

The roads were bad and Randy forgot to turn where he originally had planned, thus changing our entire route and restaurant choices.  In the end, though, we had a lovely dinner, only missed half a period of hockey, and enjoyed lots of great “adult” conversation.  During the game, we learned of an elderly retired pastor who needed a ride back to Adrian due to some car trouble, so we adjusted our plans once more to give him a ride, and heard lots of interesting stories of his life and family, and a shared love of hockey. 

Randy may have been more worn out after his “day off” than he normally is when he has to go to work, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.  My way of infusing a little adventure and excitement into our lives (perhaps somewhat unintentionally) may be exhausting, but it sure is fun.

And so it begins...

Well, here we go. Thanks to a lovely young woman named Emily (wise beyond her years, and someone I feel honored to know), I have committed to doing 101 "things" in 1001 days. Some of these things, sort of an extended New Year's Resolution/Bucket List, may seem ordinary and mundane to some people, and certainly aren't quite as adventurous as much of Emily's list (she doesn't have 3 kids!)- but I am excited to get started, and to share the adventure via this blog (while simultaneously meeting one of my goals!). I've dabbled in blogging before, and always wanted to be committed to it- to feed my love of words and writing- but I always end up falling off the wagon. I've never really felt I had anything interesting enough happen to me to follow through on for an extended period of time. I hope this is different. I hope this spurs me on to actually finish a 'to do' list, and to achieve some of my goals that have been floating around my head for a while- and I hope it makes for some great stories along the way. So, without further ado, here is my list, and if you'd like to check out Emily's list and my inspiration for this adventure, visit her at: http://www.emlajolie.blogspot.com/2014/01/101-in-1001.html

101Things in 1001 Days

Start date: January 24, 2014
End date:  October 27, 2016

1. Inspire someone else to write a 100 in 1001 days list
2. Learn to make my own chicken stock
3. Drink a caipirinha
4. Complete a 30-day push-up challenge
5. Take Randy to a Red Wings game 10/14
6. Read the Bible (the whole thing)
7. Make compost
8. Upcycle a wood pallet
9. Take a yoga class
10. Finish my Bradley exam
11. Go ice climbing
12. Take a ceramics class
13. Become a LLL leader
14. Complete a home improvement project all on my own
15. Learn to sew
16. Visit at least 1 country I’ve never been to before
17. Join a CSA spring 2014
18. Raise an animal for meat
19. Sell something I’ve made on Etsy.com
20. Transition to eating gluten-free
21. Complete a triathlon
22. Snowshoe at Hidden Lake Gardens
23. Attend a baby’s birth
24. Make a pair of mittens from an old sweater
25. Make crème Brule- June 2014
26. Take my kids sledding for the first time, ever- winter 2014
27. Go on a family camping trip
28. Make homemade ice cream
29. Donate blood
30. Nominate someone for an award
31. Visit a state I’ve never been to before
32. Pay cash for a car
33. Frame and (finally) hang pictures of my kids and family
34. Sell my house and buy a new one- Spring/Summer 2014
35. Bike the Kiwanis trail
36. Teach my kids basic German
37. Buy something old and refinish it for my house
38. Get on the bone marrow registry
39. Drink tea at an authentic tea house
40. Host an adults-only dinner party
41. Celebrate our 10^th wedding anniversary in style
42. Make soap
43. Build a rain barrel
44. Ride the train to Chicago
45. Take my kids to Greenfield Village
46. Upcycle an old t-shirt
47. Cook a raw artichoke
48. Visit the Hockey Hall of Fame
49. Visit at least 1 of my PAX students in their hometown
50. Go to an art fair
51. Tour a brewery
52. Read 20 new books (1/20)
53. Go curling
54. Upgrade to a smart phone (and learn how to use it!)
55. Take a belly dancing class
56. Get a facial
57. Go on a picnic
58. Try 30 new recipes (0/30)
59. Eat at 5 new restaurants (1/5)
60. Run 20 miles in one month
61. Establish a weekly family game night
62. Go to Las Vegas
63. Visit an old friend who lives far away
64. Eat 5 things for the first time (0/5)
65. Buy a king-size bed- summer 2014
66. Facilitate a meeting between Wyatt and Dr. Pol (From the TV series, The Amazing Dr. Pol)
67. Hear Kaethe tell me she loves me
68. Go kayaking- summer 2014
69. Make at least 1 gift for each of my kids and husband for Christmas
70. Complete 25 random acts of kindness (1/25)
71. Teach Gretchen to ride a two-wheeler
72. Make my own laundry detergent
73. Plant a garden
74. Help my kids choose a pet to adopt
75. Send my mom flowers ‘just because’
76. Donate my hair to Locks of Love
77. Invite someone to church
78. Organize (and purge) my files
79. Establish monthly date night (1/30)
80. Build a sand castle with my kids
81. Rake leaves
82. Do something unexpected and special for each of my siblings (0/5)
83. Thank a woman for breastfeeding in public
84. Light sky lanterns
85. Clean my oven
86. Buy a piece of jewelry from a pawn shop
87. Make my kids’ Halloween costumes
88. Ride in a hot air balloon
89. Write my will
90. Buy a great pair of boots
91. Start meal planning
92. Mow the lawn- summer 2014
93. Watch a sunrise
94. Invest in a nice DLSR camera- winter 2014
95. Climb Sleeping Bear Dunes
96. Stay at a Bed and Breakfast
97. Fly a kite with my kids
98. Drink a cup of black coffee
99. Put $10 into savings for each goal accomplished
100. Start a blog to document my 1001 day journey
101. Write a new 101 in 1001 days list