#26 Cable Girl

For the first time in my life, I have cable.  I grew up with rabbit ears and whatever came in for free.  Once I got a little older, and our family had a little more money, we got sattelite.  I've been a sattelite girl ever since.
Well, in efforts to save money, we've downsized some things.  It was cheaper to get local channels through the cable provider, than through our sattelite provider.  So, now I'm a cable girl.  A very basic cable, girl.  It's so strange to pick up the normal TV remote and have to flip through channels, instead of using a guide.  But, surprisingly, we have more channels that I like now, than we did through our sattelite package.  Go figure.

#25 Mirror, Mirror On the Wall

I know there are a lot of people out there that would disagree with me, but this is my blog, and my opinions.
I used to have a very natural take on beauty.  I didn't want to wear makeup, because that's not how I actually looked.  I have school pictures with my face covered in zits for all to see.  I didn't cover them up, because that's how I looked. 
I have since changed my view.  Although I still don't feel like it's attractive to be painted with makeup, a little cover up can go a long way.  However, I am a low maintenance girl, and honestly, too lazy to keep up with my appearance.  This is my new goal.  I am going to CARE about my looks.
I actually think that not caring about my appearance dishonors myself, dishonors my husband, and dishonors my God.  I know that there are lots of Christian viewpoints that you are to be modest.  I agree.  What I don't agree with, is that you need to wear ugly clothes, let your eyebrows grow together, not do your hair, and keep away from makeup.  A beautiful person does not distract people from God, it glorifies Him.  I find that a person who cares about their appearance, seems more relevant.  I find real, relevant people as a great witness for God.  Do people really want to join a big group of homely, unkept people?
Obviously, I am not a proponant of Botox (who wants botulism?), plastic surgery, gaudy jewelry, and slutty clothes.  What I am a proponant of is putting in a little work to show the beautiful person that God made.
So, I have decided to put in the effort.  I bought some face stuff to help clear up my acne and keep my skin nice.  This morning I not only covered up my zits, but I put on mascara!  I'm gonna try to remember to pluck my eyebrows when needed.  I will put more effort into what I wear.  Simple things, but significant to a lazy, low-maintenance, me. 

#24 Doormazing!

I simple door doesn't seem like an exciting thing.  But, when you have two big dogs that are stronger than you, that need to be taken to and from the backyard, it is.  Usually, my boys are pretty behaved, but if there is something on the road or in the neighbors yard, more exciting than obeying, obedience will lose.  Our house did not have a backyard when we moved in.  We cleared it and added a fence so that Hurley would have room to run.  But, we had to walk out the front door, down the hill and through the gate to get there.  Thus, inviting all sorts of distractions.  Not as bad with one dog, but two.....what a pain.

So, we got a door and some steps added!  Now we just walk down to our basement and open the door.  How amazing!  No more falling down the hill when it's wet!  No more escape dogs.  No more puppies following the neighbors strolling past our house.  Just open the door.  Amazing!

#23 Curb Appeal

When our realtor showed us the picture of the house we were going to go see, I thought, "I don't want to live there.  That house is ugly."  However, we went inside, the house was in perfect shape, the price was right, and we were able to get all the paperwork ready and accepted before our wedding that weekend.  It's not my dream house, and I never found myself proud of my house.  I found myself looking at other houses, wishing mine were so cute.  Ours was just plain and boring.




 Well....I have done something about this.  Over time, I have added a planting bed, painted and put up some porch rails, painted the trim around my door, painted the front door, and added a rocking chair, which I also had to paint.  I also painted the mailbox post, and Brandon put on a new mailbox and new numbers.  HELLO CURB APPEAL! 

 

#22 A Rail Tale

I am a project starter, not a finisher.  I started this project about a year ago, maybe 2.  We moved into our house, and it had no porch rails.  It did have some rails sitting in our basement, waiting to be painted and put up.  So, I started the project, and finally, a long time later...I finished it!  Hooray!  It makes my house so much cuter (you will see in my next post) and I am so thrilled that I finally finished it!

 

#21 My Son, The Graduate

Hurley was my extremely excitable, not very well behaved little puppy son.  My mother graciously paid for training for her grand puppy.  We did it through Petsmart and went for 8 sessions.  I was so impressed at how quickly he learned ( I think that's the Border Collie in him), and I was so thankful for the authority that I now had over him.  If I told him to sit, he actually did!  If I asked him to stay, he would!  Obviously, he's not perfect, and he is still a young, energetic dog, but he is so much more well behaved.  I can even give him the command to sit, stay, come, and sit again, without saying a word.  And the bonus?  Vincent is following in Hurley's steps and is a much more well behaved dog, too!

#20 New Work Schedule

Lately, work has been very overwhelming for me.  I've had to give some of my tasks to another person just in efforts to make sure everything gets done.  I don't like to let people down, and I want to be a good worker.  But, I also don't believe in working too much.  I was working about 9 hours a day and still had things left undone each day.
This was causing me a lot of stress, so I decided to take action.  I opened up a blank Word document and I proceeded to type out each day in time brackets scheduling what I would do with each minute of my work day.  Of course, I'm not sticking to it rigidly.  If I need a few extra minutes on a task, I'll take it.  If I need to skip something, I will.  But, I'm in week 2 of following my schedule, and it is working so great.  I feel so much less stress, and I am so much more efficient.  I guess it's easier to know what to focus on.  And, I know that everything should get worked on each week.
Also, I'm trying the only touch it once rule.  This means that if I have a paper (or an e-mail, or whatever), I try to take care of it right then, rather than set it aside for later.  Obviously, I can't do that entirely, but my version of it is helping me get things accomplished, as well as my new schedule.

#19 Gettin' Steamy

We had our carpets cleaned right before we moved into our house, two years ago.  Since then, we have potty trained two dogs.  Even when you clean things up, eventually it resurfaces from underneath the carpet.  I wanted to get our carpets cleaned, badly, but money is tight and I couldn't find a good time to "splurge" on getting the carpets cleaned.
Enter Jolynn, my kind coworker.  She bought a steam cleaner and told me how wonderful it was.  When I asked if I could rent it from her, she said I could just borrow it.  And borrow, I did.  My carpets were so wonderful afterward, that my husband said, "We pretty much need one of these, huh?"  Yes we do.  We'd have luxuriously clean carpets so much more often.

#18 Project Purge

It is my dream to have a house that is clean enough that someone could come over, unannounced, walked into any room in my house, and I would not be embarrassed.  Unfortunately, that is not the case.  Yes, I am bad at putting stuff away.  But, honestly, if I didn't have so much stuff, putting it away would be much easier.

I just got back from vacation.  Our vacation condo felt so neat and wonderful.  Why?  Because it wasn't overflowing with useless stuff.  I think my tendency to keep "junk" stems from two things.  1.)  I hate to waste.  Why get rid of something useful.  Instead, I will just keep it around until the day that I might decide I need it.  2.) I have a very strong attachment to memories.  And I feel like I will keep those memories, if I keep things that involve those memories.

Well, this is the end!  I am tired of the mess!  I am tired of the clutter!  I am tired of the embarrassment!  I am tired of my unhealthy attachment to things!  Tomorrow, I start PROJECT PURGE.  It is my mission to purge a large amount of unnecessary stuff from my home and my life.  I will go through my things and get rid of things that have no use to me now or in the very specific future (ie, Christmas).  I will sort things into catagories of trash, sell, donate, or keep.  In order to help me pare down my things, I have created a very specific list of what I am allowed to keep of certain items.  After typing it, it looks like tons of stuff still, but this way, I won't feel so overwhelmed with getting rid of things, I will actually do it.  Then, next time, maybe I can reduce the stuff even more.

*1 box of baby/child items for my future children (except books or large items such as my old rocking horse)
*1 box of strictly sentimental things
*1 box of fabric
*No more than 2 boxes of non seasonal decorations
*Gift items must fit on my gift shelf (I like to buy gifts way ahead of time, when I find the perfect thing at the perfect price)
*Craft items must fit in the craft closet
*Return borrowed items to their homes
*Get rid of books that I won't read again & aren't worth lending to others
*If I'm not using it, won't within the next year, and can easily buy a new one....it goes
*Be honest about my clothes & get rid of clothes I won't wear
*File, Shred, Or Recycle any paperwork, documents, articles, resources, or mail
*Extra stuffed animals or dolls must fit into 1 basket ( I have many of these from childhood and stuffed animals from my husband)
*I may keep 1 small box of toys for guest children to play with
*Beauty items that are not regularly used must fit in 1 box or basket under the sink
*Break down any boxes and recycle anything that can't be used for shipping packages

Here we go!

#17 Just Zorbing Around

Several years ago, while watching TV with my mom, I saw a commercial for a truck.  Although, the commercial was not effective in marketing  the product, as I can't remember what brand of truck it was advertising, it did add something to my mental bucket list.  The people drove their truck up a big hill, pulled a huge ball out of the truck, got inside, and rolled down the hill.  My mom and I loved this, and I looked it up online, as I was able to remember the name on the ball, just not the truck I was supposed to want to buy after this commercial.  Haha.
I looked up Zorb and discovered that (as I remember it) it was only in New Zealand, but was Coming Soon to Pigeon Forge, TN.  What luck!  Pigeon Forge was in the next state!
I'm one to decide I'm going to do something, and then talk about it for a long time, before I ever do anything.  So, this August, I finally did it.  Several years later, but who cares?  My mom and a few other girls came along, and let me tell you.....IT WAS SOOOOO FUN!  A little pricey....but totally worth it!  We decided to go for the 3 ride pack and did 3 Zydro rides (sitting in a little bit of water so you slip and slide around inside).  I did one ride with my mom and cousin (we laughed the ENTIRE time), one ride alone (didn't love doing it alone), and one ride with my friend Kelly (so much more fun to do it with someone again).
I love doing fun things!

 Rolling down the hill!

Inside the Zorb

#16 "I just called to say I found a dog"

Chatting away on the phone, and suddenly, "Oh my gosh there's a puppy in the road."  I stopped, opened my door (the plan was to move it to the side of the road so it wouldn't get hit).  Then, I saw how skinny it was, " I think I'm gonna have to take him....I better go, I have a dog in my car."  I pulled into a nearby neighborhood, and quickly called my mom.  "I just picked up a dog and he's so skinny.  What am I supposed to do?"  I laid the little guy on the floor of my new car.  I don't even let my own dog in my car, and here is this dirty dog, covered in ticks, sitting on my floor.  I called Brandon, "I just called to say I found a dog."
I carefully drove home, grabbed a towel to put on the floor, got some puppy shampoo out of the cupboard, and filled some bowls with food and water.  Then, drove the puppy over to my mom's house.  He looked ill, and I didn't want to chance getting Hurley sick.
I called my boss from the car.  "I am going to be in late tomorrow.  I found a dog and he looks ill, so I'm going to take him to the vet."  "You are?!"  Haha....he must not know me well enough, yet.
So, took him to the vet, and he was fine.  Lots of worms, but that was to be expected.  Then, the question of what to do with him?  Hurley needed a playmate, but would they get along?
That Friday, we brought him home to try it out.  They loved each other.  Unfortunately, Vincent (which is what I named the puppy) hadn't learned to be gentle, and was biting Hurley and leaving nasty marks on him (and he's 5 months younger than Hurley!).  I spoke with a trainer at Pets Mart who told me this was perfectly fixable, which eased my mind.
After 2 weeks, Vincent was pretty much ours.  The boys get along much better already, and we've decided to keep him!

#15 My Wild Streak

I don't want to say too much, as there may be little eyes reading this.  But, this may have been the most scary, fun, exhilarating, hilarious thing I have done in a long time.  I didn't do anything harmful to myself, or to anyone else.  I didn't do anything immoral.  I just took a little dip in the ocean.  Me and some girls. 
Unfortunately, we didn't take close stock to where we left our belongings.  And, as we wanted to keep ourselves a secret, we ran down the beach, hiding behind sand dunes, looking for our stuff.  We traveled quite a way, relative to the situation, until we found our things, which we QUICKLY gathered, and went back to our beach house.
So much laughter, so much adrenaline, so much FUN!

#14 Throwin' a Baby Shower

Well, this was a first for me.  I've thrown lingerie shower/ bachelorette party deals before, but never have I thrown or even helped with a baby shower.  So, Sunday, was my first. 

My dear friend Oriona, had a baby while she was living overseas.  Once her family moved back to the states, I threw her a shower.  The baby was only a month old, so the perfect age for everyone to oogle over him, and not too late to throw a baby shower.

We had onesies to decorate, food to eat, a baby to love on, and a mommy to shower with diapers and clothes.  I can't really judge the success of the shower, since I wasn't the mommy.  Plus, I always want things to go off just as I expect it to.  But, this rarely happens.  But, no matter what, we got to spend time together, give some gifts, and see a sweet new baby.  So, I call that a success.

#13 Credit as a Married Lady

In September, I will be married for 2 years.  After our honeymoon, I changed my name, my ss card, and my driver's license.  We opened joint bank accounts using my married name.  However, I failed to change my name on my credit card.  I planned to do it, but decided it was too much work.  I continued to use my card, and when they would ask to see my ID, I would show it to them, and let them know I still had my maiden name on my credit card.  I have done this for almost 2 years.  Although it worked well for me, it doesn't give me much confidence in the safety of my credit card, should it be stolen by another Nicole.

Next month, my credit card expires.  And, I've decided I want a card with miles, so I can afford to visit friends or family a little more often.  So, this week, I received my new credit card, with miles (or other rewards if I choose to use it that way), with my legal married name on it.  It's great to sign my name on the receipt, and not have to try to remember which name I'm supposed to sign.  I also went online, and ordered my cute card with popsicles on it!

#12 Falling Asleep to the TV

I've always been against having a TV in the bedroom.  But, my husband is one that enjoys faling asleep watching TV.  I go to bed earlier than he likes to.  So, often, I end up going to bed alone, since he isn't tired yet.  And, sometimes he ends up falling asleep on the couch, watching TV.

So, I decided I would rather have a TV in my room than go to bed alone.  I found some money that I had left over from my Christmas bonus (don't you love it when that happens?), and decided I was using it for a TV.

I got a small flat screen TV.  I figured a 19 inch TV was a fair compromise size, since I didn't really want a TV at all.  I set it up while Brandon was gone, and surprised him with it when he got home.  I even got a little sleeping mask and ear plugs, so that it won't bother me, when I'm ready to go to sleep.

                

#11 A New Place To Sleep

At the young age of two, I was plopped onto a waterbed.  A little bitty on a big queen size waterbed.  It was the reject pieces of two beds my parents had put together to make a cool master bed.  At the time of my parents divorce, I ended up with the master bed with the drawers and cabinets.  It was stuffed into my little bedroom in our town home.  It has been with me all this time, moving from house to house.  Of all my time at home, I slept on a different bed a few times, but probably totalled only 3 years not sleeping  in my waterbed.

When I got married, my waterbed moved in with my husband and I.  However, a waterbed isn't quite as comfortable when a tiny girl marries a man twice her size.  Not too evenly distributed.

Soo.......we got a new bed.  Since I'm so picky, we went the memory foam route (soy based as to keep us from all the chemicals that are put into some memory foam beds).  And, to top it off, we got a king size mattress!

I remember when I was little, still in our little town house.  My brother and I (who is no longer alive), climbed in a big box, on my waterbed.  We rocked back and forth singing some sailing song we made up.  We rocked and rocked until he hit his head and my mom made us stop.  This is one of my favorite memories of him.  Now, the bed sits in my basement, in pieces, likely waiting to be donated.  Maybe a little girl can sit in a box and sail with her big brother.




The old bed                                                 The new bed

#10 Wheeling Away

One of the many things I have on my "I want to do that list" is learn how to do pottery.  Like, on a wheel, with clay.  Lucky for me, I finally got to do it!  Kelly invited me to go with her to pottery at a "local" rec center.  Kelly took classes and goes every week, so I was a bit nervous about being clueless.  However, Kelly is also an art teacher, so she's used to be better than other people at this sort of thing.

I was lucky enough that Kelly shared her clay with me, so I only had to pay $10 for the 3 hours on the wheel.  Plus, the man that worked there....David, I think....sat down with me individually and taught me what to do.  Not bad for 10 bucks!

It definitely wasn't easy.  There's a lot of upper body strength involved.  But, I saw progress with each thing I made!  I ended up with 3 things, and David told me I was a natural.  Was it true, that I don't know.  It was super fun.  Unfortunately, I still have to go back and trim my pieces, get them fired and glazed, so I don't have any pictures to put up.  I guess that's something off of my "bucket list," and I think I will even continue to do it!

#9 All Fenced In

We got our dog, Hurley, in January.  We were told that he should get about 20 lbs.  We live on a very steep lot with a wooded back yard.  So, we chose to get a dog that would stay small enough to keep indoors at all times, except for pottying and walks. 

While potty training, we kept Hurley in our kitchen during the day while we were working.  After a few weeks, he had learned how to climb over the baby gates keeping him in.  So, he had to stay in the bathroom all day.  This meant he got very wild by the end of the day, so I started driving home on my lunch break (25 minutes each way) to let him out to potty and get out for a second (almost literally a second).  This was causing lots of stress on me, so we decided to buy a big covered cage/kennel thing at Sam's.  Seemed like a good idea, until we realized that it had to go in our front yard, because of the slant of the land everywhere else.

Then, came the vet visit, where our 4.5 month dog already weighed 28 lbs and we were told he would probably grow to about 60.  So, I got some estimates, talked someone down (saved over $200!), Brandon cleared a nice area in our back yard (with some help from his parents), and we got a fence installed!  I think our house looks more appealing, now!

BEFORE

 
AFTER

Hurley in his kennel
       In his fence

#8 Surprise! Recycle

I have a desire to be good to my earth and recycle.  Sadly, in our area there was no recycle pick up, which meant, I had to drive all of my recyclables to the recycling facility, which closes at 5.  So, I am guilty of having loads of recycling, sitting in the garage, or somewhere, waiting for me to drive it to the recycling center.  I have complained numerous times that there is not recycling pick up in the area.
Well, a few weeks ago, I drove into our neighborhood and saw these green garbage cans.  I was thrilled to find that there was one waiting for me at our house, as well!!  I wasn't expecting it at all and was giddy about it!  I filled it with my recycling (of course, just waiting around the house to be taken to the recycling center) and set it out on our curb on garbage day.  Only to come home, and find it still holding my recycling.  Did I have to call and accept the can?  Did I have to activate something?  Eventually, I found out that they delivered it about 3 weeks prior to our pickup began.  I guess they didn't expect people to have recycling just sitting at their homes. 
So, this week, Brandon and I pushed the green can up our driveway (it was very heavy as I had completely filled it by now), and when I came home, it was empty!  Hooray!  I finally have recycling pick up!!!  And, I didn't even ask for it.

Oh, how I love it!

#7 Hydrate!

I have always been bad about drinking enough water.  I have a water bottle that I keep at work.  It's probably about 24 oz. or so, the size of a large Nalgene.  I will often go an entire week, and never finish it.  I could go an entire day, and never touch it, especially if I go out to get lunch and get a drink there. 
Even worse, I rarely drink water at home, cause I'm a water snob.  I don't like tap water, but I also hate wasting plastic bottles.  I have a huge jug of water, but had no way to dispense it.  I finally got a croc to dispense my water, so as soon as I get a stand for my croc, I can drink water at home.  But, presently, I really haven't had much water entering my body at all.
So, number 7 is simple, but not easy for me.  I am going to make it a daily goal to drink my entire water bottle, at work.  I know this isn't enough water, but, I gotta start small.  1 bottle full, is much more than 2 sips.  I did it today, on to tomorrow!

#6 Turkey Dawg

I have been a vegetarian my whole life.  I have tasted meat before, but never eaten it regularly.  I remember a short period where I would eat chicken fried rice, but I don't think that last very long.  Other than that, I just eat it when I don't really have a choice (which is very rarely, because I will usually just not eat if that's the case), or when Brandon orders something with chicken and I take a teeny tiny little taste.  I never just outright eat it.
Today, Brandon made himself a turkey dog.  It smelled so good.  So, I tasted a little bit, and it tasted so good.  He asked, "do you want one?"  And, after some hesitation, I said, "yes."  I made him heat mine, cause I didn't really want to touch it.  Then, I put it in a bun, squirted ketchup on it, and ate it....until I got about 2/3 into it.  I couldn't eat it any more.  It wasn't yummy to me anymore.  So, Brandon finished it. 
I know it seems like a stupid thing, to most people, but it was very out of the ordinary for me.  I chose to eat meat as my dinner.  I planned to eat the whole thing.  I didn't get through it all...and I don't plan on ever eating one again....but....#6 anyway.

#5 All Wrapped Up

My Mom bought a gift certificate for a mineral wrap, and she got it half off.  So, she invited me to go with her.  Now, before you get all testy and protest that I have no reason to get a mineral wrap, because I'm skinny, stop.  First of all, I get frustrated when people make comments like, "Yeah, like you need to watch what you eat" or "Please, you don't need to work out."  As if, because I am thin, I have no right to work towards a healthy lifestyle. 
So, I wouldn't have gotten this wrap, if it hadn't been free for me to go.  I don't care about losing inches, which is the big deal about getting these wrap.  But, I do care about improving my cellulite (yes, I do have some), and cleansing my body of toxins.  A mineral wrap does both.
So, my mother and I trucked over to the wrap place (after purchasing our cupcakes from the cupcake shop in town, haha).  We got drawn on, measured, and then wrapped in wet, mineral soaked Ace bandage type things.  She wrapped me so tight, I couldn't breath in deeply, and it felt like it was constricting my circulation (to which I was told I have to keep moving).  She squirted us down with more mineral water every 20 minutes, and we stood in this room, trying to move in our very constricting mummy suits, and sorta watched the movie that they put on for us.

I have to say, I did not enjoy it.  It was slightly cold, not comfortable, and not very fun.  And, as a person who gets neck tension very easily, I ended up with a sore neck afterward.  But, I hope it was at least good for my health.  I must admit, I didn't wait the 24 hours I was supposed to wait before showering (I get too greasy for that), and I did not keep away from sugar (as I ate my cupcake when we got home).  But, it is always nice to spend time with my mommy, so we have that at least.  :)

#4 Hurley's First Hike

For those of you who don't know, I believe that the 7th day is the Sabbath.  This means, that I observe Saturday as God's day of rest.  I go to church on Saturday, and try to set aside the day to be a little different then the rest of the week.  Although, I want to spend every day with God, on Sabbath I set the day apart for Him a little more.  When the weather is nice, I really like to spend time in nature.  I don't think you can get much closer to God than in nature.
So, we went on a hike this past Sabbath.  We have a puppy who's about 3 or 4 months old (we don't really know, cause he was a rescue).  He spends most of his life at our house, and has only left to go to one of our parents' house.  So, this was a new thing for Hurley.

He didn't quite enjoy the ride up.  He threw up twice (Luckily,  Brandon cleaned it up).  But, once we got there, he was rarin' to go.  He pulled Brandon up the hills and the two of them left me in the dust. Haha.  We ate a picnic lunch at the top of the mountain.  And then, headed back down to see the falls.  He isn't used to so much stimulation.  There were plenty of  people and dogs for him to discover.  He did much better than I expected.  He didn't really seem scared of the other dogs, and he loved the hike.
On the way back, Brandon sat in the back with Hurley, which seemed to calm him down and keep him from getting sick.
As soon as we got home I laid on the couch, and fell asleep for over 2 hours (I'm not much of a napper).  That night Hurley was so calm.  He just laid around with me while I watched movies and TV.  I guess we really tuckered him out.

 Walking with Daddy

Are you coming Mommy?

 

Such a handsome boy!

 

#3 Goodbye Dr. Pepper and Cherry Pepsi

This is going to be a hard one.  I didn't used to be much of a soda girl, but I've been finding myself slightly addicted to them lately. So, #3 leads me to tell this beloved beverage goodbye.  I am cutting out soda, with some exceptions.  I am going to let myself drink things like Izze, which is just juice and carbonated water, and sometimes maybe Jones soda since it uses cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.  This way, I won't feel too deprived, but I'm doing something good for my body.  Of course, everyone now and then, I will make an exception for a treat, but for the most part, I am bidding my beloved traditional sodas goodbye.

#2 Wrestling Anyone?

So Brandon and I have lived in our house for over a year now.  There is a little dinky warehouse type building that holds Pro wrestling once a month.  I've been talking about going since we moved in, and today....we actually went.  I was surprised at how full it was.  We had 7 people, and had to ask other people to switch seats so that we could all sit together. 
I'm sorry to any of you out there that are wrestling fanatics and don't think it's redneck, but this was definitely the most redneck thing I have ever done.  The whole place smelled of chocolate, and popcorn, and....people.  Everyone was so passionate about this sport, which was clearly staged.  I even saw a clear mount up into a move so that the opponent could hold this guy above his head.

I had quite an enjoyable time, I must say.  There was yelling and music and friends and laughter.  How could it get much better?

Excited to be there!

Also...excited?

The baby ref and a blur of wrestlers

We got to take pictures with them!

#1 Music and Church and Other Such Wonderful Stuff

I have to admit, the first of my 36 things began before the launch of this year-long endeavor.  I have been feeling lonely, as my friends are scattered all over the globe.  And, although I love them very much, sometimes hanging out with only family, just isn't enough.... I need my homegirls, too.  In addtion to this loneliness, the stress of adult life, and the death of my brother a year and a half ago, has added to the sadness and I have been experiencing some depression.  With this, comes feelings of losing myself and who I used to be and blah blah blah....
In efforts to change this path, I realized that I needed to be more involved at church.  I joined a ladies Bible study that I am enjoying so much.  I'm meeting new women who struggle with real things and have a desire or tug to be closer with God.  I've only been a few times so far, but have already been blessed.
Now on to music.  Music is a part of my upbringing, a part of my soul, and a part of who I am.  In highschool, I was involved musically quite often.  Now, since leaving highschool, leaving my Christian college, leaving camp, and leaving Gym-Masters (all a part of growing up, I suppose), I have also seemed to leave my musical involvement behind.  This, I decided, was a big part of finding who I used to be (at least a part that I wanted to find).  So, I signed up to be a part of the worship team at church.
So this is my number one thing.....Today, I sang in the worship team at church for this first time since highschool (other than the one time that I sang for alumni, which was....at the highschool).  It was so wonderful.  I love the feeling of belting it out for all to hear while we praised God together.  My mom always said, if I don't use my gifts, then I will lose them.....well God, I'm trying to use this one again....so I'd like to keep it if that's OK.

Ready, Set, Go!

And the fun begins!  Nothing much to report today, but 36 Things in 365 Days has officially begun!  Oh the things I will do.