Just Stuff...

The End!! Goodbye 2010

2011-01-03T19:07:00.000-08:00

Wow what a year! I didn’t do quite as well as I hoped, but not too bad I guess. Especially for the first time I’d tried this and I did have a LOT going on this year. Items in RED I completely missed out on this year, items I completed are struck through and some items are not marked off but I at least gave it my best shot and tried to explain a little. This was so much fun to try! Much better than some dumb ol’ New Year’s Resolution that I’d never keep anyway. Here’s how I did:

1. Be intentional about my quiet time

I never really got this one back to the level of intentional I wanted, not consistently. I know that when I needed Him most, that’s really when I should have been turning to him, but I am guilty of letting the busyness of life get in the way.

2. Pay off all my bills

3. Save some money

4. Read 20 books (14/20)

I did finish one last book before the end of the year. Maybe I was overly optimistic, but 14’s not too bad. It’s more than 1 per month anyway. I still have a huge stack I want to tackle, so maybe next year…

The Shack by William Young
Big Girl by Danielle Steel
Stuck in the 70’s by D.L. Garfunkle
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
Body Double by Tess Gerritsen
Jinx by Meg Cabot
Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
Flawless by Sara Shepard
Perfect by Sara Shepard
Unbelievable by Sara Shepard
Motor Mouth by Janet Evonavich
Don’t Blink by James Patterson

5. Go on a “Girls Weekend” with friends

6. Go to Disney World

~~7. Buy a new CD the day it’s released~~

8. Tone up and be bikini ready by May

~~9. Buy a new bikini (and be proud to wear it)~~~~10. Make a new friend~~

11. Write a story

~~12. Go roller skating~~

I did do this one more time before the end of the year...with 5 teenagers! and I was STILL better than any of them were! :P

~~13. Go bowling~~

~~14. Meet someone famous~~

15. Take a class

~~16. Donate blood~~

~~17. Try something new~~

~~18. Visit a museum~~

19. Go to the zoo

I can’t believe I didn’t go to the zoo at least one time in a year?! That is just wrong…

~~20. Buy flowers for myself~~

21. Get teeth whitened

~~22. Do a cartwheel often and for no reason~~

23. Finish a 5K in 25 minutes or less

24. Complete 12 scrapbook pages (0/12)

25. Clean out the office

This one I attempted and got almost done with, but then never really finished…I started cleaning out so much other stuff that this room kind of became the catch all once again and just never really got finished. If I can get rid of all this crap I’ve cleaned out I’ll be in good shape though.

~~26. Dress up for Halloween this year~~

27. Make a time capsule

Why did I not do this? Lazy I guess :-/

~~28. Get the 3Gs~~

29. Put my belly ring back in

Never really got back to the level of skinny I wanted so….yah…

30. Stay in a city I’ve never been to before

Again….time and finances kind of hindered this one. But I totally have plans for next year and several people that want to go with me so….it’s gonna happen!

31. Finish my quilt

32. Learn a new skill / craft

~~33. Make some jewelry~~

~~34. Try a new food~~

~~35. Try a new drink~~

36. Eat at a fancy restaurant

I feel like I should be able to cross this one off, I ate out at PLENTY of restaurants and none that were really hole in the wall quality, but just nothing that I really had in mind as “fancy”….

~~37. Buy True Religion jeans~~

~~38. Enter a contest~~

39. Have portraits done

Again….no excuse! I have 2 friends that are photographers….make that 3!

40. Meet more online friends in person

41. Get a new pair of ‘bans

42. Fill my charm bracelet (9/12)

I managed to get 2 more on before the end of the year, but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades right? :-/

Big Sister
XOXO
French Heart
High Heel
Butterfly
Margarita Glass
Baseball Glove
Alpha & Omega
Shopping Bag

~~43. Try a new recipe~~

44. Learn to use Photoshop

45. Dance in the rain

46. Go horseback riding

47. Exercise at least 4 times a week, religiously

48. Learn to play a song on piano or guitar

~~49. Join a volleyball team~~

~~50. Go to a parade~~

~~51. Make a snow angel~~

52. Help a stranger

I don't really have an excuse for this one...it was just a very selfish year for me I guess :(

~~53. Buy something at an expensive store~~

~~54. Go to a Cowboys game at the new stadium~~

~~55. Go to a Rangers game~~

56. Go to a Stars game

I just ran out of time….although I DO have the tickets in my hot little hands! I got a pair for Christmas, but the game isn’t until next week.

~~57. Go to a Mavericks game~~

58. Play golf

Just never really found anyone to teach me...or take me :(

59. Learn to do the splits

~~60. Buy a pair of designer shoes~~

AAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The absolute BEST thing on this whole list!! Merry Christmas / Happy Birthday to me!!!! I got my Louboutin’s!!!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them! And contrary to what some people think, I do NOT vacuum the carpet in them…..YET! :P

~~61. Go see a movie in the theater once a month (13/12)~~

Sherlock Holmes
Valentine’s Day
Alice In Wonderland
Planet 51
Bounty Hunter
The Last Song
Sex And The City 2
Toy Story 3
Grown Ups
Inception
Charlie St. Cloud
Life As We Know It
Tangled

62. Try each type of cheesecake on the menu at Cheesecake Factory (16/32)

Dang…I ate here 3 times in the past week…but only tried 3 new flavors.

Banana Cream
Dolce de Leche
Tirami Su
Red Velvet
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup
Wild Blueberries
Fresh Strawberries
Chocolate Coconut Crème
Carrot Cake
Pineapple Upside Down
Chocolate Tuxedo Cream
Lemon Raspberry
Kahlua Cocoa Coffee
White Chocolate Caramel Macadamia Nut
Dutch Apple Caramel Streusel
Oreo

~~63. Order something I’ve never tried at my favorite restaurant~~

64. Shoot a successful combo by myself at pool

~~65. Sing karaoke~~

~~66. Get a massage by a real masseuse~~

I went on New Year's Eve and had a massage at the chiropractor's office by a real massage therapist. It was only 30 minutes, but I may have to marry that girl! :-O hahaha67. Take a CPR class

68. Go water skiing

69. See a Broadway play

70. Ride a jet ski

71. Test drive a fancy car

~~72. Go to the circus~~

~~73. Take pictures in the bluebonnets~~

~~74. Eat a corndog at the State Fair~~

75. Go camping

76. Get better at Guitar Hero

Well our wii broke earlier this year and I just never really replaced it. We weren’t using it that much anyway…

77. Serve lunch at a soup kitchen

78. Encourage someone with my testimony

~~79. Call my parents, and sisters, once a week~~

I wasn’t 100% faithful, but I think I did pretty good. Close enough for government work anyway :P

~~80. See at least 5 concerts (12/5)~~

Nick Jonas and the Administration (House of Blues 01/02 – 01/03)
Honor Society (House of Blues 03/28)
Bamboozle Road Show (Six Flags 05/29)
Jordin Sparks (House of Blues 06/29)
Disco Curtis (Compass Church 07/10/10)
The Maine (Six Flags 07/24/10)
Aerosmith (Superpages 08/03/10)
Goo Goo Dolls w/Switchfoot (08/21/10)
Rooney (08/26/10)
Jonas Brothers (09/12/10)
Elton John (11/13/10)
Hey Monday (11/23/10)

81. Visit family in California

~~82. Meet my new nephew (he’s due in May)~~

83. Finish my Christmas shopping by October

Well….I didn’t really finish by October, heck I didn’t even start my list this year until October. But I was done by November….not counting the extra stuff I kept picking up even though I didn’t really need it….and the one gift that I ordered that still hasn’t even come in! :(

~~84. Make a list of 10 things I am thankful for~~

~ I am thankful for my family
~ I am thankful for the friends that love and support me and have impacted my life
~ I am thankful for my health, and that of my family
~ I am thankful to know Christ, and that He loves and forgives me my many failings on a daily basis
~ I am thankful to have a job and the ability to support my family, especially in these times when so many people do not, even if I’m not always satisfied with it
~ I am thankful for every opportunity I’m given, and there have been many, not all of which I’m always smart enough to take
~ I am thankful for a church that loves and supports me and makes me feel like family
~ I am thankful for the beauty and the renewal of life that surrounds us everyday
~ I am thankful for the strength to persevere in the midst of trials and the faith that God has a plan for me
~ I am thankful for Friday afternoon every week, as I look forward to the weekend and having 2-days off work

85. Quietly enjoy a sunrise and reflect on its beauty

I saw a few sunrises, and did think about how pretty they were, but never really had quiet time to think about just that and be grateful. Heck I could barely drag my ass out of bed early enough this year.

~~86. See a shooting star and make a wish~~

87. Watch a sunset with someone special

Saw some pretty sunsets….just not really anyone special I guess.

~~88. Tell people I love them and not assume they know~~

I did try to do this. I’m not super good about it, but I did say it more this year than ever, but yeah it did take a little more special effort. I love you ALL!

~~89. Go to the park and swing on the swingset~~

~~90. Take a boot camp class at the gym~~

~~91. Listen to my entire iTunes library (currently 4269 songs)~~

92. Get a cooler job

~~93. Ride a roller coaster~~

94. Audition for something

95. Go to the horse races

96. Go to the drag races

97. Raise money for a charity

~~98. Remember to use my green grocery bags~~

Again….not 100% faithful, but I did this more than I ever have before! Win for me and I’ll definitely keep trying! :)

99. Plant a tree

100. Take a random road trip by myself

~~101. Journal / Blog my achievements on this list~~

Exhibit A….although there was a point where I slowed way down with this one, I did keep it up and think I actually did pretty well. I hope I was somewhat entertaining and thank you all for reading! I actually had a blast doing this, this year. It was so fun to try and do some new stuff and step out of my comfort zone a little. I feel like I actually grew and found some courage I didn’t really know I had, not even just with this, but in other ways too. I’ll probably make a new list and try and finish up a few of these things in 2011 and I hope you’ll stick around with me. Did I say I love you? Cuz I DO!! xoxo

Day 335: December 1, 2010

2010-12-01T11:43:00.000-08:00

OK apparently I suck at this! I know, I know…I haven’t even updated in almost 3 months…I really hadn’t realized it had been that long! But there has just been so much going on in my life lately that I haven’t had time to sit down and blog….much less accomplish many of these things I’d wanted to do :-/ I have done a couple of them, but not many.

Keep in mind that not only time (which will decrease even further with the holidays looming), but finances play a part in accomplishing some of them. Oh which also dwindles this time of year….*sigh*

Oh well, I’m not giving up… I am optimistic that I’ll still squeeze in a couple more in the next month though *crosses fingers* :D

But here’s how I’ve done recently…

The original list: http://juststuffbytricia.blogspot.com/2009/12/2010.html

~~2. Pay off all my bills~~

OK so if I wasn’t having to pay attorney fees and support my family alone, I feel like I’d be a LOT closer on this one :-/ I’m going to go ahead and mark it off because obviously it isn’t going to happen in the next 3 weeks…as a matter of fact, I’ve been using a couple of those credit cards for Christmas shopping, so better luck next year I guess.

~~3. Save some money~~

Ditto. :-/

4. Read 20 books (13/20)

So I made a little progress here…I finally finished the other two books I had in the Pretty Little Liars series. Perfect and Unbelievable by Sara Shepard, plus I read Motor Mouth by Janet Evonavich… HILARIOUS!!

But 7 books in 3 weeks?...plus holidays?! This one will most likely not be accomplished, but I won’t mark it off yet…

~~8. Tone up and be bikini ready by May~~

Obviously I failed epically at this one…at least to my standards anyway. I have however maintained a steady weight all year that I’m happy with, but that pesky mid-section is the HARDEST part to get rid of. I think I just need a tummy tuck. :-/

~~23. Finish a 5K in 25 minutes or less~~

Well…I did not train faithfully, nor even do another run until the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day. I did finally get down to a 9:56 mile…but just not close enough on this one. I guess there’s always next year…

~~26. Dress up for Halloween this year~~

Haha…well… I did go out for Halloween…I dressed as a club-goer! Does that count? >.<

~~40. Meet more online friends in person~~

I’ve not met any other online friends in person but the ones that I did meet this year, I’ve actually become pretty good friends with and have hung out several time! I’m happy with this! :)

42. Fill my charm bracelet (7/12)

I’m getting nervous about this one….pesky finances kept me from it. I know there’s still Christmas to look forward to, but I bet I don’t get 5 :-/ I’ve only gotten one since

my last post…a Baseball Glove, in honor of the FABULOUS job my Rangers did this year! :)

60. Buy a pair of designer shoes

I’ve tried them on several times (this past weekend even) and I absolutely WILL do this before the end of the year, here's the pair I've got my eye on! ….Happy Birthday / Merry Christmas to ME! :D

~~61. Go see a movie in the theater once a month (13/12)~~

Done! I even went over hahaha. I saw Life As We Know It with the girls from church and Tangled with Renee and all the kids on Thanksgiving night. There are still so many others I want to see though :)

62. Try each type of cheesecake on the menu at Cheesecake Factory (13/32)

Ugh….another one I see quickly going down the tubes…unless I can eat 20 more pieces in the next 20 days! I don’t really live close enough to stop by there every day…plus they’re freaking $8 a slice!! :-/ I did go a couple of weeks ago with friends for dessert and tried Lemon Raspberry and Kahlua Cocoa Coffee. But Tori and Matt didn’t cooperate and they got flavors I’d already tried! Party Poopers! :P

~~74. Eat a corndog at the State Fair~~

YAY! I went to the fair this year with Pam and OMG I didn’t just have a corndog! I ate until I couldn’t eat anymore and EVERYTHING was fried! Fried Margarita, Fried Cookie Dough, Fried PB&J, Fried Frito Pie, Fried Pecan Pie and of course…a CORNDOG!! :D

~~83. Finish my Christmas shopping by October~~

FAIL! I didn’t even START my list till October this year :( I did however finish this past weekend after Thanksgiving! Well….except for one thing, but I know what it is, and I just ordered it!

~~94. Audition for something~~

Another fail….I don’t see this happening. But Lauren auditioned for something, can I count that?? I took her! Here’s a video of her AWESOME audition to sing the National Anthem for the Rough Riders….I hope she gets it! *PS if she doesn’t those judges are STONED! :P

101. Journal / Blog my achievements on this list

Ummm…..I was doing so good :( Just a lot of life got in the way the second half of this year and really messed with my mojo on the list. But this has been super fun and I’ve done a LOT of things this year that I never have, or haven’t done in a long time! I’m going to call it a win and start another list for next year! :D

Heck, with all the ones I have left here I already have a good start! :P hahaha

Day 236: August 24, 2010

2010-08-19T15:46:00.000-07:00

The original list: http://juststuffbytricia.blogspot.com/2009/12/2010.html

Wow! I haven’t updated in like a month! And BOO! I don’t really think I’ve done all that much either… >.<

There just has really been a lot going on in my life that gets in the way with fun stuff so…yeah I know, “excuses, excuses” but it’s true I promise. Oh well, let’s see where I am…

1. Be intentional about my quiet time

So….um….yeah still being lazy. I don’t even know why, because when I do this I can TOTALLY tell a difference. Stupid life…

2. Pay off all my bills

I did pay off 3 more! …. But then promptly charged something on 2 of them. *sigh* But they are small so I can take care of it soon. And I promise I’ll cut them up after that! O:-)

4. Read 20 books (10/20)

I’m trying to remember if there was one in between or not, but I know I’ve read at least 2 books since last month. My friend gave me the Pretty Little Liars set for my daughter to read and curiousity got me to check them out first. I finished the first two, Pretty Little Liars and Flawless and am currently midway through number 3, Perfect.

~~7. Buy a new CD the day it’s released~~

This was already checked off but I did get Lauren the new Jonas LA CD for her birthday when it came out. It counts, even if it wasn’t for me…right?!

8. Tone up and be bikini ready by May

Ugh….not as much as I’d like. If I had the money, I think I’d seriously consider lypo.

~~14. Meet someone famous~~

Again….already checked off, but just wanted to throw out there that I won M&G for the Goo Goo Dolls this weekend! I GET TO MEET JOHNNY RZEZNIK!!!! *excuse my teenie moment* ;-)

~~22. Do a cartwheel often and for no reason~~

I’m gonna go ahead and mark this one off….I’ve been randomly doing them! :-)

23. Finish a 5K in 25 minutes or less

Ugh….haven’t even done one since March! But I have been running. I joined a soccer team!

25. Clean out the office

Well the room is pretty clean, it’s the “out” part I’m not satisfied with. I got to a point and still work on this one occasionally…and am actually really close but not quite there. I’ve been cleaning out some other rooms though too and now have a HELL of a garage sale pile. I look at it and whine….”I hate garage sales, maybe I’ll just drop it at CCA”…but I could really use the $$. I’m just already dreading it. :-/

42. Fill my charm bracelet (6/12)

I got a new charm….a Margarita Glass! Sooo me! :-) Now I have all my favorites…Shoes, sunglasses and margaritas…what else could a girl need!?

~~54. Go to a Cowboys game at the new stadium~~

DONE! A friend and I got tickets to the pre-season game against the Raiders for $35! We had AWESOME seats in the end zone! The guy next to me was a Raiders fan and SUPER ANNOYING, so I was REALLY glad he left before the 4th quarter when the Raiders scored 2 touchdowns to beat us, but it was still fun. I definitely need to do this again! :-)

60. Buy a pair of designer shoes

Still looking…and trying them on! But the Louboutin boutique opens in HVP NEXT MONTH!!!! I can’t wait! =D

61. Go see a movie in the theater once a month (11/12)

Almost time to mark this one off! I’ve seen two movies in the past month, Inception and Charlie St. Cloud. Both were really good! :-)

62. Try each type of cheesecake on the menu at Cheesecake Factory (11/32)

Tried a few more! Went recently and had a girls stress reliever and totally pigged on comfort foods. We tried Carrot Cake, Pineapple Upside Down, and Chocolate Tuxedo Cream….MMMMMMM xP

But dang I wish that place wasn’t so expensive! I still have a lot left to try in the next 3 ½ months :-/

~~65. Sing karaoke~~

OMG I sang karaoke!!! I went to McKinney Avenue Tavern a couple of weeks ago with Janice and we didn’t even know they were going to do karaoke. But we worked up the nerve to get up there and put our name in for “Don’t Stop Believing.” Unfortunately someone else had too and they were called first, so we did “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” instead! I was scared to death, but just got up there and did it…partially because it was on this list so I couldn’t chicken out. We were cheered and I think comparatively, we didn’t suck too bad! Hahaha :P

~~72. Go to the circus~~

Oh yay! I did this too! I got a presale notice from AAC and was able to get decent tickets for a great price. Bing…Bang…ZOOM! :-)

79. Call my parents, and sisters, once a week

I think I’m doing pretty good on this. Although I am not always the initiator, I have been talking to them pretty regular. We even had dinner with my dad this past weekend.

~~80. See at least 5 concerts (6/5)~~

Overachiever! Hahaha we saw The Maine at Six Flags on July 24th, and scored some decent seats for Aerosmith for $10 at Superpages on August 3rd! Plus….I already have my tickets for Goo Goo Dolls and Switchfoot for this weekend…did I mention I GET TO MEET JOHNNY RZEZNIK!?!? And Rooney on the 26th!

83. Finish my Christmas shopping by October

Oh yeah….I still need to make this list! :-/

~~86. See a shooting star and make a wish~~

So the Perseid meteor shower was the same night as the Cowboys game. I had JUST gotten home and called my friend to let them know I’d made it and walked outside to look up. The conversation: “I’m home.” “Good, I’m glad you made it.” “Yeah, I’m walking outside to see if….Oh WAIT! There’s one RIGHT NOW!!!” hahaha

But I can’t tell you what I wished for….or it won’t come true! :P

~~91. Listen to my entire iTunes library (currently 4504 songs)~~

Wow! I know this was already marked off too, but of course I’ve added new songs! I’m up to 4504, which is 385 more than I had back in June when I marked it off. And 1566 more than I had at the first of the year. I do however still have 59 songs to listen to now.

So wow – maybe I’ve done more than I thought I had! I’ll try and update sooner.

Day 194: July 13, 2010

2010-07-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

Wow so 10 days since I’ve blogged and basically I’ve done nothing! :-/ I mean it was a really busy week and a half with lots of drama and stress and carting kids around, but I didn’t accomplish anything from my list that I could mark off. Slacker…

4. Read 20 books (8/20)

I did manage to finish another book. It was one that Lauren had checked out at the library and she hadn’t read it so I picked it up. It was pretty good, Jinx by Meg Cabot.

47. Exercise at least 4 times a week, religiously

Still trying to do this. I am at least doing sit-ups or push ups or something, though I’ve not done real well at keeping up with that schedule either. I’ve run already twice this week and it’s only Tuesday, although yesterday I got over heated and got sick. I still have a headache today, so no running for me. *sigh-slacker*

80. See at least 5 concerts (4/5)

This week we went to a free show at Compass Church in Colleyville to see Disco Curtis. I don’t know that I really consider it a “concert”, because my definition of those would include a big venue and big name band. These were all locals.

But let me start by saying that this was NOT at all what I had expected. I guess because it was at a church I was assuming that Disco Curtis would play and maybe one other local band and that it would be pretty tame. Well we all know what happens when you “assume”.

So Compass was a nice big church. Nice facility, AWESOME Youth Room, we need something like that a GracePointe. So I mentioned expectations…

First off, the crowd was FULL of scene kids, which Okay that doesn’t bother me, but it was somewhat amusing. There was a pretty wide age range, most anywhere from 12-20’s, but I even saw an old couple that looked to be in their 50’s jamming out! What was gross about it though, was that they couldn’t keep their hands off each other…..REALLY? Get a Room!! This is a church! :-/ But the old couple weren’t the only ones guilty of that….and there were even some girl/girl couples! It’s a CHURCH people! :-I

Then, the show started at 6:00 and we were expecting to be done by 8:00-ish and go have dinner. NOT! 6 bands played!! Now the first 3 only played like 4 songs, so I wasn’t super worried, but then they EACH had to tear down and set up in between, and they all did their own sound checks. Which to me hardly seems worth it. We spent just as much time waiting for all that as we did for their 20 minute sets. The last 3 bands only played 6 sings, which again was fine. But when Disco Curtis only played a short set as well, we were disappointed, because by that time we’d already ENDURED all the rest of them. We actually thought about leaving a few times but we’d come to see Disco Curtis. Although they did come back and do an encore of 2 more songs.

So the bands…

The night started off with Crown the Empire. This was a group of teenagers, they were total garage band screamo. They weren’t tight and you could barely understand most of their lyrics. Not really impressed.

Next came The Kid Has Heart. I felt better about this band while they were setting up. They were clean cut and looked to be at least of drinking age. They were still a heavy metal sound, with some scream, but not a lot. They were at least better than the first band, but I guess just not my scene anymore.

After that was American Mantra. These guys too were adults and they were much more personable with the crowd. They were a total heavy metal “hair-band”, but they were pretty tight and good with the crowd. I could understand all of their lyrics at least. LOL. Their guitarist was pretty good, he had kind of an Eddie Van Halen-ish style and I actually kind of liked them. Lauren got a guitar pick and was excited about that.

The next band was Red Car Wire. They were young, maybe 18-22ish and the band was actually very good, but their singer STUNK! It was sad, he almost ruined the whole show in my opinion. They played a heavy rock and their guitarist looked a little like a younger Andrew Lee. Plus, I didn’t see exactly how it came about, but during their set up, somehow Lauren got him to come over and give her a hug :-/ and then he gave her a pick after their set... Groupie! I’m gonna have to keep an eye on her!

The next to last band was Memphis Mayfair. OMGsh! :-S They were hardcore screamo! The band was very tight and they had synchronized movements and as a band they were good, although not my preference of music. But they had everything turned up all the way so the mix was WAY over the top, and you couldn’t understand a word of anything they ~~sang~~ screamed. It was just a bunch of screaming, and I swear the guy screamed “Die, Die, Die” several times. At least that was what I thought it sounded like….remember we were in a CHURCH!?!

When the mosh pit started, we moved back agains the far wall and I sat on the floor and played Wors With Friends. haha ya think they were offended? Anyway...Afterward, I saw one girl sporting a bloody nose, I think my ears were bleeding before the end of thier set!!

Finally, Disco Curtis came out. They were by FAR the best band of the night. I can’t help but wonder if they chose these other bands to play before them to make themselves look better? Because it’s like they totally didn’t fit with the rest of the line up at all. Like seriously I was singing the Sesame Street song to myself, “Which of these things is not like the other one? Not like the other one? Not like the other one?...”

They are nice, clean cut kids and although they play a little heavier pop style music, it’s very catchy and likable. I could understand everything, they played well together, and Tanner can actually sing. They had fun with the crowd and played 6 songs, which included a cover of "Just What I Needed" by the Cars. After their too short set, they thanked the crowd and all the other bands and said goodnight, but then came back for an encore.

The encore was GREAT! Hahahaha... Tanner came out in a gold lame bodysuit and huge matching hat and sang "Let’s Dance" by Lady GaGa! It was HILARIOUS! I love when they do crazy stuff like that!

What surprised me most was that Kaylee had fun and didn’t want to leave, and she was the one who hadn’t really wanted to go in the first place! haha

So the night was not a total bust, although we had endure a lot of music (if you can even call some of it that) that we didn’t really like, it was a free show. However, since it was 11:00 when we finally got out of there, we were STARVING! So we raced to Blue Goose and had some food, then went home and went to bed.

~~91. Listen to my entire iTunes library (currently 4269 songs)~~

So yes….I’ve added new music after I crossed this one off. I went through the entire library and made sure I had Cover Art and that it was the correct album on everything and than have also added 150 songs. As I type this I’m listening through the new entries. I still have 101 to go…

One thing this task has done for me is expose me to new stuff, like I have some stuff on here I really don’t like since I download all the freebie stuff. But I also have stuff on here I’d never heard before that I really like and I may never have known about it if I hadn’t taken the time to do this.

98. Remember to use my green grocery bags

I think I’m doing pretty good at this. You know another good thing about using these bags, besides not promoting the gathering of useless non-biodegradable plastics in the landfills? I can get MORE groceries in LESS bags! It’s easier to carry/load my groceries and they fit better and don’t slide around the back of my car. It’s just a win all over! :)

101. Journal / Blog my achievements on this list

While I may be sometimes sporadic, I’m still keeping up and keeping you up to date on my progress….whether you’re interested or not! :P

Day 183: July 2, 2010

2010-07-02T15:12:00.000-07:00

The original list: http://juststuffbytricia.blogspot.com/2009/12/2010.html

Hello again! OMG HALF WAY!!! :-I
It feels like I did a lot of fun stuff this week, but now I'm seeing that not all of it crossed off something on my list. Lauren was gone all week at youth camp and I thought I would be super bored, but I found things to keep me busy.

4. Read 20 books (7/20)

I finished another book this week, Body Double by Tess Gerritsen. It was a murder mystery and was really good. It turned out to solve 2 different crimes, one old and one new, and wasn’t who you’d expected it to be! I’m starting another one today that Lauren had checked out at the library, but hasn’t read yet.

~~28. Get the 3Gs~~

How come I didn’t mark this off last week??? I GOT THE 4!!!!!!!!!!!! It came to my front door a day EARLY!

Seriously, there were crazy people camping out at the Apple store for DAYS and I pre-ordered online the day I became eligible. Then it got delivered to my front door by the FedEx guy at 11:00 the day BEFORE the official release! I even chatted with a ‘Words’ friend in LA during a game, on that next morning from my new iPhone 4 while he stood in line for 2 hours to get his. Hahaha YAY ME! :)

32. Learn a new skill / craft

Not sure if I should officially mark this one off yet. It isn’t really a “skill” yet…but details below…

~~33. Make some jewelry~~

I got out a craft kit I had gotten for the girls last year and made a hemp beaded bracelet for Lauren while she was a camp this week. I was sitting on endless, boring conference calls and was bored and just sat and tied the knots while I listened. It may not have been the prettiest bracelet ever, but I made it and sent it to her via mail. I wonder what she thought of it? Guess I’ll find out when she gets home. >.<

45. Dance in the rain

I walked in the rain today…does that count? …No? …Okay fine. *leaves open*

47. Exercise at least 4 times a week, religiously

Ummm….yeah…. not so much. I did run...once...on Wednesday. Don’t even ask about the bikini or belly ring :-/

60. Buy a pair of designer shoes

Okay not yet, but OMGGGG!!! They are opening a Louboutin Boutique right here in Dallas!!!! I’m so excited…I can’t wait! I better start saving NOW!!!

Oh yeah....I did get a new pair of Steve Madden's this week, aren't the cute?? But they're still not Louboutins...*waits, saves, ants in my pants*

61. Go see a movie in the theater once a month (9/12)

I went and saw two new movies this week. Oh YAY I’m ahead! hahaha

I think they were both release last week, but they are still new. On Monday I went with Kaylee to see Toy Story 3. It was really cute, as usual and YES I cried! It was storming really bad that afternoon and we had a prediction of “probable” funnel clouds. While we were driving to the theater, we could see the “hangy-downy” clouds that looked like they might be trying to form, and right after the movie started the power flickered and briefly interrupted the movie but we weren’t evacuated or anything. So we stayed for the whole thing, and when we got out it was still raining but actually lighter than it had been when we’d gotten there.

On Thursday, I went with Ashley to see Grown Ups. I specifically wanted to go to Harkins because of The Cheesecake Factory, right across the street. It had been a stressful week and I knew that would hit the spot.

And far be it for me to not have drama! So about 5 minutes into this movie, the screen went dark and the fire alarms started going off! Everyone sat for a minute looking around and then they make an announcement that there has been the report of an emergency and that we should proceed calmly to the nearest exit and evacuate the building…..WHAT?!?

So we all walk out the backdoor and stand around for 20 minutes waiting for the Southlake FD to come clear the alarm. They do and we go back in and wait around for 20 more minutes for them to start the movie back up.

Needless to say I was out later than anticipated and almost didn’t get out in time to get my cheesecake to go! :P

62. Try each type of cheesecake on the menu at Cheesecake Factory (8/32)

See above item for details, but yes I was able to try two more flavors this week. Fresh Strawberries and Chocolate Coconut Crème. 1. The strawberries were NOT fresh! They were glazed – ICK! And 2... The Chocolate Coconut Cream was to DIE FOR! SOOOO good! :)

Man....still 24 flavors to try and only 6 months left! How am I going to get that bikini bod and belly ring like that!?! I may have shot myself in the foot on that one. :-/

72. Go to the circus

Okay I didn’t go yet, but I did buy tickets today! I haven’t been in years, but we’re going on July 29 at AAC! *queue clown music*

79. Call my parents, and sisters, once a week

Okay so maybe I didn’t initiate the calls, but I did talk to them all this week….well except Doug. *starts writing*

80. See at least 5 concerts (4/5)

On Tuesday, I went to see Jordin Sparks at House of Blues with Ashley. She had two bands open for her.

Days Difference, which was a young group of guys playing pop music. They were pretty good and kinda cute, Lauren will be jealous. The guitarist (Jeremiah) tossed his water bottle directly (intentionally) to me at the end of the set, even though (maybe because) I was the only one NOT freaking out in the middle of a group of screaming teenies that was standing around me. LOL Ashley got a huge kick out of that and made me hold onto it all night and then he signed it for me at meet and greet after the show. He looked like he was about 16 though, but he was super sweet and his brother introduced himself to me and gave me an awesome hug. Great guys! :)

Ashlynne Huff played next. I have to admit, I’m really not that impressed with her, but she seems like a sweet girl.

Jordin came on last and put on a really good show. She is just the CUTEST thing and just seems really sweet and REAL. I love her. I never watched her on American Idol and really didn’t know who she was until after she’d released her first album and even then only barely. But I just think she has a beautiful spirit and I enjoy her music. I was told there might be a surprise at the show, but it didn't happen. I'm not sure what to think about that, but it's okay, I was there for Jordin and she did not disappoint.

Funny story about her set, which really didn't have anything to do with her set actually, was the 3 flamers that were standing next to us. These guys were SOOO freaking prissy it was ridiculous! They were freaking out and screaming like teenage girls the whole time. They danced around and had a great time the whole show and it was quite amusing, but I did finally had to move away though because they were drinking and getting sloppy and kept bumping into us. But it’s all good, whatever floats your boat! Hahaha

Man only one more show till I can mark this one off and I already have tickets to 2 more shows this summer! And there are at LEAST 5 more I want to see before October! This one will be a piece of cake!

OK so darn….only two things marked off this week…what the heck?! It felt like I did more than that, and at the rate of only 1 per week with still 70 items left to complete, I’ll never make it! :-/

But I still feel like I’m getting close and making progress on many…keep rooting for me!

xoxo

T

Day 176: June 25, 2010

2010-06-25T12:18:00.000-07:00

Wow it feels like I haven’t updated in a while, but it’s only been about a week and a half. How are you? I’ve been busy. Most of this stuff (which really isn’t much) happened last week, but it’s been CRAZY!
I got some stuff added to my workload at work and had to rush multiple places every night this week, between volleyball, acting classes, cheer and whatever else … *whew*

~~18. Visit a museum~~

We went to the Ft. Worth Museum of Science and History last weekend and looked around and even saw a movie (Sharks!) in the Omni iMax dome theater.

While the theater and everything was really cool, the movie itself was BORING! It was very dated and equivalent to me to watching the something on the Science or History Channel….BOY STUFF! ICK!!!

But the dinosaur was cool!

22. Do a cartwheel often and for no reason

Since cheer started last week, I had to show off my cartwheels….which were BETTER! hahahaha

~~49. Join a volleyball team~~

I know this is old and already marked off but I thought I would add that I’m now going to play soccer! …Outdoors! …in August! ….in Texas!!! I’m afraid I’ve lost my mind…but Tanya and Michelle were very convincing! >.<

~~91. Listen to my entire iTunes library (currently 4119 songs)~~

OMGsh!! I did it! I listened to EVERY song at least once in my iTunes library. I wasn’t’ sure I’d really ever get there, given my apparent addiction to downloading music, but I did! Granted I’ll probably have to listen to some more as I keep adding, but that’s okay – I got to the END!

I started with 2938 songs on January 1st, last week I was at 3980 and as of today there are 4119 songs in the library. Now I’m going to go through and make sure I have good artwork for all of it. Some of them didn’t load right, or have none at all.

~~93. Ride a roller coaster~~

I know this was already marked off, but just thought I'd throw out there that we went to 6 Flags again. This time we got to ride the Aquaman and OMGsh! I swear there wasn't a single inch of me that was not drenched! We looked like drown rats and literally dripped for hours! It was a BLAST!! hahaha

Alright – well that’s all for this week, but be assured there will be something new next post! It’s summer so I’m gonna go do something FUN! :)

Be Blessed!

Play "Untouched"

2010-06-17T06:43:00.000-07:00

Just taking a break from the list and doing something silly. Play with me and post your results as a reply! :)

Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle. For each question, press the next button to get your answer. You must write down the name of the song no matter how silly it sounds.

HAVE FUN!

IF SOMEONE ASKS “ARE YOU OKAY” YOU ANSWER…? Tiny Dancer

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF? Stay

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY? Hey there Delilah :-/

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY? Camero

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE? Psycho Girlfriend! (hahaha)

WHAT’S YOUR MOTTO? Mr. Policeman

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? Victim Of Love

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? Here We Go Again

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? Material Girl (hahahaha Louboutins!!)

HOW MUCH IS 2 + 2? La Di Da

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? I Only See You

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? Treat Me Right

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Gimme' All Your Lovin' *coughbwahaha* 0:-)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? Landslide

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? Got Me Under Pressure

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR? If U Seek Amy

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? No Such Thing

WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW? Pride And Joy

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (hahaha no wonder we get along so well - see previous question LMAO)

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS? Play "Untouched"

OMGsh! This is so funny! Some of these are so crazy non-sensical, some are eery, and others are just FUNNY! LOL

Day 166: June 15, 2010

2010-06-15T14:05:00.000-07:00

Dang almost half way through the year already!! My time flies!!
Well here's my update for this week...still chugging along, but I'm starting to feel behind :-/ Maybe the summer will bring lots of fun and new opportunities!

original list: http://juststuffbytricia.blogspot.com/2009/12/2010.html

1. Be intentional about my quiet time

Well I started the week with good intentions….I’ve not been consistent everyday but I am spending more time. I just need to get back to my daily intentional routine, I miss it and I KNOW it will be a blessing.

4. Read 20 books (5/20)
I finally read The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. Funny story…my mom had given me this book when it first came out, after she read it, then I misplaced it. When the movie came out a couple of months back I decided to go ahead and read it, since we enjoyed the movie so much. I couldn’t find it ANYWHERE! I looked and looked. So I put a hold on it at the local library.

Understand my mom is a VORACIOUS reader. She must give me at least half a dozen books a month. I obviously am not quite as fast as she is, so I have stacks of books in the closet and in my bookcase that I haven’t even read.

So after a month and a half wait, the book finally comes in. I picked it up on Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday, I’m looking through a stack books telling a friend how many I have and offering my own library services and what do I find?! The Last Song! I had it all along! ….DUH! :-/

Anyway, I read it in about a week and really enjoyed it! As per usual, the book is better than the movie so I’m glad I saw it first so I wasn’t disappointed in the movie, but even so the movie was still good and did actually follow most of the story, with a few minor detail changes.

Hmmm….what to read next???

~~7. Buy a new CD the day it’s released~~
I know this was already marked off, but I bought another CD on release day this week. Rooney released their new offering, Eureka last Tuesday and I made a point to go find it. Although it was a little stressful…

I stopped at Wal-Mart on the way home from work and couldn’t find it. My store is in the process of remodeling so there was hardly anything on the music shelves. So I went and asked if maybe it just hadn’t been put out yet, because I know they do that and have had to ask for it before.

The jerk at the Electronics counter apparently couldn’t be bothered to go look! He tells me where it should be, so I suggest that maybe its in the back...He tells me, “Well, I don’t have a code to look up and see.” Are you kidding me?! Can’t you walk your lazy ass back there and check?! I politely respond, “Maybe you could GO look” *smile* He calls over some poor high school kid and tells him to go look…ON THE SHELF! Where I have already scoured. This poor kid walks over there, I explain again that I have already LOOKED over here and maybe, just MAYBE it’s in the back. He’s all confused and obviously can’t do it either. “Ya know what! Thanks for nothing I’ll give someone ELSE my money!” *huff* …obviously I didn’t say that out loud, I just offered “Yeah Thanks” but I’m sure he knew I was perturbed.

THEN…I totally would have just left, but I was picking up something for VBS, so I just got that and left. I’m walking out to my car and there is a lady parked 2 spaces over from me, with an empty space in between. She’s loading her stuff in her car and then leaves her cart in the empty space between us. I put my pool noodles in the back of my SUV and walk around to my door, and the wind had blown her stupid cart into my DOOR! And she was still sitting there WATCHING IT! BEYOTCH!!!

I’ve decided that people at Wal-Mart area FREAKING LAZYYYY!!!!

UGH! Now I’m worked up again….*deep breaths*

~~20. Buy flowers for myself~~

Oh yay! This makes me feel better :D

I bought myself flowers this week and they are sooo pretty….Red and white roses to be exact. They are sitting on my dining room table right now.

24. Complete 12 scrapbook pages (0/12)

Hmmm….still didn’t start this task, but I decided I’m going to do pages for all the concerts Lauren and I have gone to this past year. That’s at least half of my 12 pages. :)

• Jonas Brothers (Dallas and San Antonio)

• Switchfoot

• Nick Jonas and the Administration

• Honor Society

• Bamboozle Road Show

28. Get the 3Gs

Well….you know I shattered my screen a couple of months ago. No, technically Lauren did it! Anyway, so it was going to cost the same amount to replace the glass as it would for a new phone. However, I didn’t qualify for the upgrade yet….so I waited. I qualified this week for the new one and had been debating on going to get the 3GS, which I’d been wanting anyway, or waiting to see if they released the 4 sometime this summer. Guess what!? They announced last week that the 4 comes out next week! AND….pre-orders started TODAY!

So while I don’t technically have it in my hand quite yet….I just pre-ordered the iPhone 4!!! I can’t WAIT! *jumps up and down*

47. Exercise at least 4 times a week, religiously

I started a 100 push ups challenge…you increase your reps each time and by the end of 6 weeks you should be able to do 100. Today I did, 35! I also started the 200 sit-ups challenge as well. Same thing, I did 131 yesterday.

I haven’t run since last week though because it’s too dang hot! Plus I sprained my ankle at volleyball practice last week and it’s still tender. Oh speaking of volleyball, I did play in last nights game even with my horrible injury (hehehe) but we WON! Well one game anyway, and only lost another by 2 points. GO DUCKS!!

91. Listen to my entire iTunes library (currently 3980 songs)

Yes….I’ve added new music since last week, 124 songs to be exact! :P But….only 106 left to listen to…so at least I’m listening more than I’m adding. :)

101. Journal / Blog my achievements on this list

I think I’m doing pretty good at this right?

So I already know some more will be marked off next week. Slow and steady wins the race…right?

A Couple of Random Vids

2010-06-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post a couple of random videos that I recently took. This first one is from the post-game fireworks show at the Rangers game I posted about from last weekend.

This next one is from Lauren's recent choir concert. Only she and one other girl had solos, but she was the only one who completely played and sang the entire song by herself. I was a little nervous for her thinking that she might be nervous and that her voice would crack or she'd miss a chord or something. But she came out there and SMOKED!

She said she had been before she came out but then once she was up there, she wasn't anymore and just went for it. I thought she did awesome, I was so proud I almost cried! She blew everyone else away.

Maybe I'm biased, but I don't think so! :)

P.S. the quality of the video isn't the greatest, but the performance rocks.

Day 158: June 7, 2010

2010-06-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

I went into last week thinking I was going to be marking off several things this time around….now it doesn’t really feel like I will be :-/ let’s see…

2. Pay off all my bills

Ugh…..what happens if I actually went backward on this one? I can’t help it….they gave me a credit card….but to my credit, I did show at least a LITTLE self control and keep them to small balances that I should be able to pay off with the first statement. And this morning I actually took them OUT of my purse and hid them away…ALL of them…

3. Save some money

*Cough* …see above >.<

4. Read 20 books (5/20)

Oh yeah…one I actually made progress on! :) I finished 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson and have actually started a Nicholas Sparks novel.

15. Take a class

I went to a Writer’s meeting, but not the workshop that I had signed up for…FAIL. Guess I’ll look for something else…

24. Complete 12 scrapbook pages (0/12)

OK no….I haven’t started this yet. But I’m thinking I want to scrap the pages for all the shows Lauren and I have gone to. Especially the ones where we have souveniers and meet & greets! I need to start planning these pages, plus since the office is somewhat re-organized and I can get to stuff again I have workspace again.

40. Meet more online friends in person

I got to meet Tori at the Rangers game. I met her through Keri, who I originally met through Twitter. She came too, as did Ashley who I met on a message board. They are all super sweet girls and I predict more hang time in the future. Also, you should all check out Tori’s audition video for KSM’s new bassist and wish her luck!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGc4620Q2cU&feature=youtu.be

42. Fill my charm bracelet (5/12)

I got another new charm this week. It’s a butterfly…I’m also scouting eBay for some that are inexpensive…

44. Learn to use Photoshop

I guess I should really think about “purchasing” Photoshop….

~~49. Join a volleyball team~~

Just to give an update.....we stink! Tonight we got creamed by a team that has a player with only one arm! And he was better than half our team, which REALLY frustrates my competitive ass!

~~55. Go to a Rangers game~~

We went and saw the Rangers beat the Tampa Rays. We got some pretty good seats for only $10, plus some awesome fireworks after the game! Woot!

91. Listen to my entire iTunes library (currently 3856 songs)

Dang have I really downloaded almost 100 songs just since last week!?! Wow! Well I’ve also made progress, only 221 left to listen to at least once to get through the entire library….and many I have listened to more than once :)

Oh SNAP!! Only one thing marked off?! *sigh*

Day 151: May 31, 2010

2010-05-31T22:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day!!!

I'd like to start by remembering the reason for this day. We need to all treasure our freedom and say Thank You to all the soldiers past and present for your bravery and sacrifice!

*****
So it feels like it's been a pretty busy week, but I didn't really get much marked off "the list"...what's up with that?! haha

original list: http://juststuffbytricia.blogspot.com/2009/12/2010.html

2. Pay off all my bills

Ok just paid another one….AGAIN! Maybe I should just STOP using them?! Hahaha :-/

4. Read 20 books (4/20)
Couldn’t ever get through Girl Next Door….gonna try another…

61. Go see a movie in the theater once a month (7/12)
I saw Sex And The City 2 with Legia on Opening night. It was okay. Not having really been a SACT fan before, it wasn’t fantastic, but I wouldn’t say it sucked. It started slow and the plot was a little farfetched, but there were some pretty funny parts. I like Charlotte the best, her innocence is endearing. Samantha is WAY over the top and cracks me up and of course I love

80. See at least 5 concerts (3/5)
Lauren won tickets on the radio last week to the Bamboozle Road Show at 6 Flags, plus meet and greet for Boys Like Girls. I swear she wins EVERYTHING! At least she’s still a minor and I get to reap the benefits with her! LOL Anyway, there were 7 bands that played on the main stage. We didn’t get to watch all of them since we had to do a lot of waiting around for the M&G, plus it was like 96* and the sun was BEATING down on us. So we went and rode a couple of rides between sets and then really stayed once the bands we liked best came on. The bands that played were: Cady Groves, Cartel, Forever the Sickest Kids, Good Charlotte, Hanson, Boys Like Girls and All Time Low.

We saw only 1-2 songs of Cady Groves and Cartel, but most of Forever the Sickest Kids. They are a Dallas based band and were really pretty good, we’ll probably try and get our hands on their album soon.

Then we went for the M&G, which was pretty much like any other, the guys stood in a line signed our tickets for us and gave us hugs, posed for a picture and that was it. They did chat and joke with us a bit and were really nice though. I really wish they would have headlined, because I liked their show better anyway.

When we got back from that, we had missed the first part of Good Charlotte, who I really liked. We saw all of Hanson and YES they played MMMBOP! HAHA (which was the only song I even recognized by them) :-/ I wasn’t really ever a big fan. Then Boys Like Girls played next. They put on a really GREAT show! Using the catwalks and playing really well to the crowd.

Then we went and rode the Roaring Rapids and came back for All Time Low, but only stayed for a few songs before going to ride a couple more things before they closed them down for the night. – and boy was I glad after I found out what happened…

During Boys Like Girls, Martin and Paul really used the catwalks, which none of the other bands had. The catwalks are really accessible to the fans, we actually had seats right at the end of one of them, and 6 Flags really has very little crowd control. Which probably isn’t a huge problem at most shows they book, but these were crazy fan girls and they go a little overboard! Anyway, every time Martin came down the catwalk, all these girls jumped up on stage and mugged him. He apparently didn't mind too much though, because he kept coming back for more! haha It really kind of sucked for the people that can control themselves, since then we couldn’t even SEE him. Plus, I was nearly trampled by teenies and had to call a couple out! But that was really the only time and they got right back down.

However, apparently near the end of All Time Low’s set, while we were enjoying our last couple of roller coasters with no line, ATL invited their fans to join them. Needless to say it was mayhem! The stage was PACKED so tight no one could move. Security got a little over zealous and shoved some back to the ground, resulting in minor injuries. Then when Alex tossed his shirt into the crowd, a few girls got into a fight and apparently someone got MACED! Then Alex cussed out security and it just all went downhill.

I hate that this happened at a theme park show, but some of these girls need to show a little respect and self restraint. I also completely agree that security went overboard, after all it was teenage girls. I know the rules are for the safety of everyone in attendance, especially the bands that can inadvertently get attacked by hormonal throngs of girls, but geez...

Okay…off my soapbox. It really was a good show and I don’t think any of the craziest stuff happened near our section, but I’m glad we left when we did and weren’t witness to it, or trapped in the craziness.

But I’ll say one more time, I actually enjoyed BLG more anyway :)

91. Listen to my entire iTunes library (currently 3797 songs)
Made some headway…of course I added 37 songs and am now at 3797, but I also listened and am back down to 381.

~~93. Ride a roller coaster~~
As I said, Lauren won tickets on the radio last week to the Bamboozle Road Show at 6 Flags, which included tickets to the park. We went on Saturday and rode the Batman, and the Flashback and the Shock Wave and others….GOOD TIMES!!!

Plus we ended up getting Lauren an upgrade to season pass for only $30, on a free ticket so if she uses it only one time it’s paid for. But anyway, I’m sure I’ll make it back at least once this summer. Woo Hoo can't wait!!

98. Remember to use my green grocery bags
…still using them. :) I admit it’s not 100%, especially when I just run in for 1-2 things or if I go in Walmart for toiletries or whatever sometimes I forget, but when I go “grocery” shopping I’ve been doing REALLY good! I always reused the plastic bags anyway, but at one point recently I actually ran out!

Day 146: May 26, 2010

2010-05-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update…cuz a couple of things came up RIGHT after I posted and I didn’t want to forget about it before next week…

1. Be intentional about my quiet time

So I’ve been slacking on this again….but am trying to do better. I used to have this down and it’s funny how Satan creates busy-ness and life just gets in the way. We should all remember who has priority… But anyway, I’m 2 for 2. It may not be long, or even great quality but I have to work back up to that. When you get out of the habit, it’s hard to jump right back into an hour….but I know it’s possible. xo

8. Tone up and be bikini ready by May

Even though I’m not quite as tone and smooth as I’d like in all places, I finally broke down and bought a bathing suit yesterday. It’s a “tankini” so it kind of hides the spots I’m not happy about, AND…it’s the only suit I own so I have to wear it, but I’ll keep working.

~~9. Buy a new bikini (and be proud to wear it)~~

Oh hahaha….see above! ;)

~~49. Join a volleyball team~~

We actually WON a game this week! Woot! Woot! We ended up losing the set, but it was MUCH closer than last week and we at least got a win….so we’ll get there!

55. Go to a Rangers game

A girlfriend is coming into town next week and wants to go to the game. I TOTALLY want to, we don’t have tickets yet, but when she gets here we’ll finalize plans.

61. Go see a movie in the theater once a month (6/12)

I really, REALLY want to go see Sex And The City 2 that opens this weekend. I think I’m going to try and do that! If my schedule permits.

80. See at least 5 concerts (2/5)

Lauren won tickets from the radio station on Monday to go to the Bamboozle Road Show at 6 Flags this Saturday, complete with backstage passes. I just went and picked those up!

91. Listen to my entire iTunes library (currently 3772 songs)

Of course I’ve added new music …silly why would you even ask? ;) but I’ve also started listening again and got down to 460 songs left to listen to. But then I figured out I hadn’t copied some stuff to my 101 Playlist so now I’m at 512 again….*turns on iTunes* But Oh! Interesting fact….I’m listening in date order of when it was downloaded, and the stuff I’m listening to now is from 05/25/09….so I’ve added at least 512 songs in ONE YEAR.

I think I’ve decided I have an addictive personality. I totally get into stuff like that and am obsessive about it, but then usually will move on to another addiction….but on the bright side, at least my addictions aren’t illegal or detrimental to my health or anyone around me….usually it’s my pocketbook :-/

93. Ride a roller coaster

See #80….we are gonna ride them ALL!!! I can’t wait!

So this is a holiday weekend too so I'll definitely have more updates next week....talk to ya soon!

xoxo

Day 144: May 24, 2010

2010-05-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

Hello ~ Hello! Can you believe it’s almost JUNE already!? We’re halfway through the year and I am nowhere NEAR halfway through my list. I need to be independently wealthy so I don’t have to work and have more time to go do fun stuff! Oh well since I’m not….here’s what I did this week :)

http://juststuffbytricia.blogspot.com/2009/12/2010.html

2. Pay off all my bills Well….not doing so good on this. Paid some off but then used it again, although it’s low balance and I can pay it off again next month. I’d just be that much closer if I didn’t USE it :-/

3. Save some money*cough.. pleads the fifth* I have really had a SERIOUS shopping problem lately. I need to have a little more self control in this area >.<

4. Read 20 books (4/20)
Well…I’ve started the 5th book, and have several on deck. But this one is another one that a) I can’t get a lot of time to actually read and b) it’s not a page turner. I mean the story is ok and some parts are better than others, but it’s just not one of those “can’t put down” stories and lately that’s what I’ve needed to find. So we’ll see if I get through it or not…

5. Go on a “Girls Weekend” with friends
Gah I don’t want to jinx this but I got invited to do this…I’m just not sure if I’ll be able to afford to go. So that’s all I’ll say for now…*crosses fingers*

8. Tone up and be bikini ready by May
:-/

9. Buy a new bikini (and be proud to wear it)
I think I DID actually find one I like. I put it on hold at Macy’s yesterday and need to go back for it….

~~10. Make a new friend~~
I’m gonna cross this one off because of volleyball. I’ve been seeing them twice a week and even texting with a few. Plus Anna and I actually live in the same neighborhood and walk to practice together and have been chatting and getting to know each other :)

I’m sure I’ll make a few more but I’ve done this….and really don’t usually have a problem doing so.

11. Write a story
15. Take a class
Well…I signed up for a Writer’s Workshop next weekend. It’s a free workshop at the library so I’m not sure how it will be, but it’s a start right? I’ll probably look into a Creative Writing class in the area too.

~~17. Try something new~~
I saw The Cheesecake Factory on the Food Network last week one night when I couldn’t sleep. Anyway they showed a menu item that I had never tried that looked good. Not healthy, but yummy. It was fried Macaroni & Cheese. So this weekend, I went there and ordered it. I also tried a new drink I’d never had before while I was there. It was called the Bikini Martini….I think I’ll be having that again! :)

A girlfriend also came over this weekend and we cooked out. She took me to an Asian Market I’d never been to before. I never realized there was such a big population of Asians in Dallas. Anyway, she made me a Saki-tini which is another martini I’ve never tried before.

Does joining a volleyball team count? I’ve never played on an official league before now either…

~~41. Get a new pair of ‘bans~~
Woot! I totally got a new pair this weekend! I randomly stopped in TJ Maxx and they had JUST put out a new shipment. I got a pair of lavender wayfarers, and another pair of knock off wayfarers that are red (that I might give to Lauren if she’s nice), and a pair of knock off Aviators. I paid less than $100 for all 3 pair :)

42. Fill my charm bracelet (4/12)
Wow I’ve still only gotten 4 this year!? It’s time for a couple more!

47. Exercise at least 4 times a week, religiously
I have NOT exercised 4 times a week since I got sick….I need to get back on this. Although I did work out 2 ½ times last week (the half is cuz I started one day but didn’t feel well so only did like 1 set each of 3 easy things). I did run this morning though. I was only able to go about 20 minutes though because I had to come back and take the girls to school.

~~49. Join a volleyball team~~
Just an update, but we had our first game last week….we got our asses handed to us. :-/ the problem is that there are a few people on the team that have NEVER been to practice, so we never really have a full team to play with. So we aren’t playing well together as a team. Plus half of them are beginners and either lack control or are afraid of the ball…*benicebenicebenice*. Anyway I’m not saying I’m awesome because I’m totally not, but I don’t suck.

So next game tonight…in 2 hours actually, wish us luck! GO DUCKS!!!

62. Try each type of cheesecake on the menu at Cheesecake Factory (6/32)
So I mentioned that I went to Cheesecake Factory this weekend to try the Fried Mac & Cheese….and of COURSE you can’t go the Cheesecake Factory and not have cheesecake! It’s like against the rules!

I did have to bring it home though and eat it later, so I got 2. As a matter of fact there is still half of each of them still in the fridge. They are SOOOO rich you can’t eat more than a couple of bites at a time without getting sick. Anyway, I tried Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup and Wild Blueberries……FABULOUS!

~~63. Order something I’ve never tried at my favorite restaurant~~
Oh hey! I did this….I think I mentioned my trip to Cheesecake Factory??? :P

65. Sing karaoke
My brother challenged me on this one! Apparently he sings a mean Bee Gees! LOL Now I just have to figure out where there is a Karaoke Bar around here….since I’ve never been and am not really a barfly. Too bad he’s not here to take me…

79. Call my parents, and sisters, once a week
I suck! No actually I have talked to them. I usually talk to my sisters more than once a week, but not always my folks. I think I did talk to them this week, but they called me….I suck. But hey, I have been writing to my brother more…actually sending him my blog so he knows what I’m up to! He thinks I’m a nut…pshhh what does HE know?!

80. See at least 5 concerts (2/5)
GUH …..LOTS of stuff coming this summer….if I’d stop freaking shopping I could probably afford some tickets!

83. Finish my Christmas shopping by October
Yeah still haven’t even started…what do y’all want this year???

91. Listen to my entire iTunes library (currently 3760 songs)
Geez….I’ve totally gone backward on this one. I mentioned last week I’d been listening to the radio, and NO I didn’t win anything, of course. But I’ve added another 70 songs since then and now I have 537 left to listen through before I get to the end….and that of course is if I don’t add anything else….FAT CHANCE! Ha!

98. Remember to use my green grocery bags
I feel like I’m doing pretty good lately on this one. I’ve used them on all my shopping trips, but have forgotten a couple of times on a quick trip in for 1-2 things or if I was with someone else.

101. Journal / Blog my achievements on this list
I’m doing pretty good on this…don’t y’all think? Not daily but trying to do pretty regular. I just hope I’m at least a little entertaining. :)

Day 138: May 18, 2010

2010-05-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

It's actually been a pretty slow couple of weeks...I need to get back to this list or I'm going to run out of time. Heck the year is already almost half over and I'm not even CLOSE to being half way through my list :-/

(Original list: http://juststuffbytricia.blogspot.com/2009/12/2010.html)

23. Finish a 5K in 25 minutes or less

So obviously I haven’t done this. I really haven’t done any 5K’s since March, but I’m still running. I got sick a few weeks ago and wasn’t able to to run much for a about 3 weeks. One night I tried and only got 1 mile before I thought my chest would explode and had to stop. I coughed and hacked ALL night after that. But today I was able to go out and haven’t coughed much at all. Plus I went 3 miles in about 26:45…so I’m closer to that 25 minute mark. I’ll have to keep training.

25. Clean out the office

I’m not really done with this either, but ALMOST. The closet is clean and the room for the most part, but there are still a few boxes that have accumulated that need to be gone through.

~~82. Meet my new nephew (he’s due in May)~~

This one is accomplished! Little Xander Isaiah came on May 10, weighing in at 7 lb. 1 oz. Isn't he SOOOO handsome?!

91. Listen to my entire iTunes library (currently 3690 songs)

I haven’t really gotten very far on this one the last couple of weeks. I’ve been adding (of course), I’ve found all kinds of free downloads lately and am up to 3690 songs, but I’ve been listening more to the radio lately. My name is in to win $10,000 if they call me but you have to be listening and only have like 10 minutes to call, so….I know it’s a long shot but hey…

So anyway, now that I’ve added 153 songs to the library and only listened a little, I now have 566 songs to listen to, which is actually up from where I was at 499 2 weeks ago.

98. Remember to use my green grocery bags

Still remembering! :)

Day 124: May 4, 2010

2010-05-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

Hhmmm…I’ve been sick for the past week, so I really don’t feel like I’ve done anything. But let’s see…

(The original list... http://juststuffbytricia.blogspot.com/2009/12/2010.html)

1. Be intentional about my quiet time
I’m still working on this. I did really well last week, but this week I let the busyness get in the way again….*gets back to making it habit again*

2. Pay off all my bills
I did pay off one bill and made a big payment on another….if I can just keep a schedule this will be looking good by the end of the summer :) *crosses fingers*

4. Read 20 books (4/20)
I’m making my way through book #5, Elvis and the Grateful Dead by Peggy Webb. I think I only have about 4-5 chapters left and I have 2 more library books waiting in the wings that aren’t due back until the 16th

8. Tone up and be bikini ready by May
UGH! :-/ Did I mention I’ve been sick? I tried to go running last night and only got one mile and thought my chest would EXPLODE! I coughed my head off for hours after…

9. Buy a new bikini (and be proud to wear it)
Well I tried on a couple more….I can find tops I like, but the bottoms are another story :(

10. Make a new friend
This one is under way too! I know I mentioned the volleyball team…well we’re official and there seem to be some good people on the team! :)

25. Clean out the office
I’ve been lazy on this one. I got the closet done but still need to clean up my craft stuff and get it re-organized. I promise I’ll do some this week…

~~49. Join a volleyball team~~
YAY! We’re official! We registered our team and had our first practice. We are the “Setting Ducks” and our first game is on May 17!

60. Buy a pair of designer shoes
OMGsh! I was THIS close to this one on Friday! A friend called me on Thursday and told me that the Neiman’s Outlet had gotten a new shipment and they had Louboutin’s for around $300. I went up there the NEXT day and they were already OUT of anything in my size…WAAAHHHH!

I found a cute pair of Dior I really liked and carried around for an hour while I looked, but in the end they didn’t quite fit right so I decided to wait. But I am SOOOOO going back FREQUENTLY!

I also found a pair of snakeskin Louboutin’s in an online sample sale, but I’m a little hesitant to buy them without trying them on, plus since it’s a sample sale, there’s no guarantee they’ll even have my size in stock…..*sigh…keeps looking*

61. Go see a movie in the theater once a month (6/12)
Wow ~ I was on such a roll with this one….what happened? There’s even stuff out I haven’t seen yet, and wanted to. I think I may see what’s coming out this weekend.

62. Try each type of cheesecake on the menu at Cheesecake Factory (4/32)
Puts this on the to do list this week too! I’m craving some cheesecake anyway!

82. Meet my new nephew (he’s due in May)
Well….the official due date is the 17th, but Renee’s already started dilating and is scheduled to be induced on the 10th unless he decides to come before then!!!

83. Finish my Christmas shopping by October
Hmmm…yeah….haven’t even started. Maybe I should at least make a list.

88. Tell people I love them and not assume they know
I’ve been at least trying to make a point to tell people this more than I use to.

91. Listen to my entire iTunes library (currently 3537 songs)
Haven’t really listened a lot this week, though I did add some more music. Down to 499 songs to listen to….

92. Get a cooler job
I was thinking about this just today….although I’m not doing something I love, I am VERY thankful for the job that I do have. I really do have a pretty good set up. I work from home 3-4 days a week, I make decent money and am able to support myself, I have full benefits and a lot of flexibility to do extra activities, and projects and not work a lot of overtime.

While I certainly wouldn’t turn my nose up at a new opportunity, I may be hard pressed to find something that allows me the same perks I have today. We’ll see what happens…

98. Remember to use my green grocery bags
Still remembering … =D

Day 116: April 26, 2010

2010-04-26T13:33:00.000-07:00

(The original list: http://juststuffbytricia.blogspot.com/2009/12/2010.html)

I find myself thinking about this list more and more. When trying to decide something to do I’m always like….”what’s on my list?” Or we’ll get somewhere and I’ll think….”Oh, is this on my list? If it’s not it should be!” I’m always disappointed when I’ve done something fun and I pull this up to tell you about and then it’s not there :-/ I need to check some more stuff off! I still have too many open…although a bunch of them are started at least!

4. Read 20 books (4/20)
I actually finished 3 books this week! The first being the Danielle Steel book I told you about last week, Big Girl. Then I read Stuck in the 70’s by D.L. Garfunkle. It was a teen fiction book that Lauren wanted me to read. It was goofy but an easy read. The third book I finished was Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. It was recommended by a friend and was about Teen Suicide, but I actually liked it quite a bit.

I checked out some other books at the library yesterday, not to mention the mountain my mom has given me lately, but I kind of feel like I might be on a roll. Next…

36. Eat at a fancy restaurant
Ok so it’s not exactly “fancy” but it’s a nice place and a really popular spot around here. We had dinner at Joe T. Garcia’s this weekend. I hadn’t been there in forever and it was FABULOUS! Especially the company and margaritas on the patio! :)

42. Fill my charm bracelet (4/12)

I got two new charms this past week. One is a French heart that I actually got off eBay, it doesn’t really have any significance but I liked it. The second is a high heel shoe! SOOOO me! I love it! :)

49. Join a volleyball team
We are registering our team TODAY! We haven’t decided on a name yet, but we are meeting on Thursday and games start May 17th. I won’t mark this off until we are officially registered and I’ll try and post some game pics :)

55. Go to a Rangers game

I went to my nephew’s (he’s 4) T-ball game on Thursday, and his team is called the Rangers…does that count? SOOOO CUTE!

But I really think that the "coaches” were more into it than the players were.

A few shots:

- Slugger of the day!

- The Dugout

Cannon throws to first…but not in time

My nephew is behind this runner and you can just make out his feet up in the air, he’d been in “ready” position and lost his balance toppling over onto this back LOL

This HAD to be a base hit!

60. Buy a pair of designer shoes

I still haven’t bought shoes, but I did buy a Coach purse this week….just what I needed, hahaha :-/

91. Listen to my entire iTunes library (currently 3489 songs)

My song count as increased again….I now have a total of 3489 songs in my library but only 555 left to listen to in order to call this done!

101. Journal / Blog my achievements on this list

Still plugging along….though not accomplishing things as quickly as I’d like. I’m one of those people who like to cross things off and these open items are KILLING ME! Haha Stay tuned! :)

Day 111: April 21, 2010

2010-04-21T14:08:00.000-07:00

1. Be intentional about my quiet time

I’ve started doing this again. I had gotten so complacent and let my busy-ness get in the way. I know I’m only hurting myself by not doing it and I always feel so much better and able to face things, when I do.

4. Read 20 books (1/20)

I didn’t finish it yet but I started another book and I’m actually almost at the end after only one week, so definitely a better book than the last. I’m reading Big Girl by Danielle Steel. It’s a good story but there is something about the way it’s written that is bothering me. It’s all in third person and seems to narrate and skip a lot of time, but it’s holding my attention. I’ve read Danielle since I was in Middle School when my mom got me hooked, I think maybe she’s just getting old. Anyway, I expect I’ll finish it this week.

9. Buy a new bikini (and be proud to wear it)

Well…I didn’t buy one, but I did try some stuff on. I didn’t find anything I like yet. But I’ve only been to one store, there must be SOMETHING out there.

25. Clean out the office

Not done but I’ve been working on it a little at a time. This room had kind of become the catch all room and a pseudo storage closet. You wouldn’t BELIEVE how much crap I’ve thrown out already that I haven’t looked at in over a year….maybe two! >.<

42. Fill my charm bracelet (4/12)

I got two new charms this week. One is a French heart and the other is a high heel shoe….SO CUTE! And SOOOO me! :)

~~43. Try a new recipe~~

I made Ratatouille for dinner last night! I actually found an article in a cooking magazine that gave me a shopping list and 5 recipes for the week. I didn’t start it until last night but I bought everything I needed and plan on cooking all week! Tonight we are having Turkey Bean Burgers. :)

60. Buy a pair of designer shoes

Okay I didn’t buy any yet, but we tried them on! We went to the Neiman’s Outlet and found some really GREAT prices on them too! Lauren seemed to be partial to Manolo Blahnik, I swear almost everything she picked up and tried on was Blahnik. I kept being drawn to the Prada myself, although I did find some cute Louboutin and Dior also. I am SOOO going back there! =D

~~73. Take pictures in the bluebonnets~~

I randomly passed a patch of bluebonnets the other day and I was by myself….and YES I totally stopped and took some self portraits! :P

91. Listen to my entire iTunes library (currently 3487 songs)

I’ve added a few but listened to a lot more. I’m down to 655 songs to go to complete this task. I bet I can do that before June! I think when I’m done, I’ll go through the library and get all the album artwork uploaded, there are way too many on here that don’t pictures and it bugs me. :P

98. Remember to use my green grocery bags

I REMEMBERED!!! Three times in a row already! YAY ME! Yesterday I did major shopping and used every bag I had, they only put my milk in a plastic bag….they could have skipped it. :-/

Day 97: April 7, 2010

2010-04-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

Yes I'm still here, I know it's been a little while but it's kind of been a busy couple of weeks. Mostly with work (Boo!) and personal issues but I'm still plugging along...

2. Pay off all my bills

Okay so all my bills aren’t paid off, but I have a plan….The intention behind this task was to pay off all my credit, so here we go. Month 1 – April: I’m starting with the smallest and working my way up. I paid off Victoria’s Secret and plan to pay off Macy’s and Kohl’s by next month.

3. Save some money
It’s been a while, but I actually put a little bit in savings today! JUST a little bit, but if I do that every pay period, hopefully I can keep my hands off of it and it’ll add up fast. :)

4. Read 20 books (1/20)
I started on book 2 about a month ago and never even got to the middle. :-/ I ended up taking it back to the library because it was overdue and I’d already rechecked it twice. Apparently it wasn’t very good, since I could never get into it. I’ll try and start something else this week.

8. Tone up and be bikini ready by May
Oh man!...May is almost here! I’m toner….but not the hard body I wish I were :( And that may or may not be even possible for me, but I’ll keep working and I may even go at least try on some swimsuits in the next couple weeks. ( I’m a little scared) :-/

~~16. Donate blood~~
I went and did this last weekend, and I bled FAST! It only took me 6 minutes to give a whole pint, the guy next to me sat in the rest area longer than that and had been bleeding longer than that when I got there. He must not have drank enough water! Yay me!

20. Buy flowers for myself
I didn’t intentionally do this, but there was a special at the grocery store where if you bought a certain item, you get like 4 things free to complete the meal. Since it was Easter weekend, this actually included a bouquet of flowers so I took them up on it! I won’t quite cross this off yet, because I still want to do this intentionally.

25. Clean out the office
Well I started…..UGH what a beating! There is SO much junk and paperwork to go through and clear out :-/ But I’ve scheduled a little bit of time each day to work on this, so hopefully if I can stick to it, I’ll get it done once and for all!

28. Get the 3Gs
I didn’t do this yet either, but….Lauren broke the glass on my 3G so I took it to Apple. They of course wouldn’t cover a drop under warranty and it was going to cost the same amount to repair the glass as it will to buy the new phone when I qualify in June. Soooo…..I have to look at my ugly broken glass for 2 months and then I’m gonna get it! But I also heard that Apple may release a 4G this summer….*waits Impatiently*

~~38. Enter a contest~~
I don’t know what kind of contest I had in mind when I wrote this task, certainly not one of those crazy eating contests….but I did enter a contest a couple of weeks ago to win tickets, soundcheck passes and meet & greet for Honor Society when they were playing at the House of Blues. You were suppose to take a picture of yourself at the local radio station and include the CD and make it creative.
Lauren and I drove down to Clear Channel and took several pics of our trip and turned it into a collage. We submitted our entry and waited….and we actually WON! So details of that show will be below…

41. Get a new pair of ‘bans
I didn’t exactly do this….I had a pair of Ray Bans that had busted and was still within the 1 year warranty period so I took them up to exchange them. I actually ended up getting a pair of Dolce & Gabbana instead though. I love them! :)

47. Exercise at least 4 times a week, religiously
Still doing this, although not always 4 times religiously….*sigh*

49. Join a volleyball team
No haven’t marked this off yet either, but a new session starts up later this month so I’m looking into it again…

61. Go see a movie in the theater once a month (6/12)
Wow already half way down on this and it’s only April! We went and saw The Last Song this past weekend. I haven’t read the book yet so I really enjoyed the movie. It was a tear-jerker, much like most of Nicholas Sparks movies and although I’m not a huge Miley fan, I thought she did a really good job. Now I need to read the book! :)

73. Take pictures in the bluebonnets
I noticed some bluebonnets springing up this week! I’ll be crossing this one off SOON!

80. See at least 5 concerts (2/5)
As I stated above, we wont tickets to Honor Society at House of Blues on March 28th.

http://juststuffbytricia.blogspot.com/2010/04/honor-society-at-house-of-blues-dallas.html

And there are still a bunch of shows coming up we'd like to see....as a matter of fact, Bon Jovi plays this weekend and I'm still hoping for a miracle!

~~84. Make a list of 10 things I am thankful for~~

• I am thankful for my family

• I am thankful for the friends that love and support me and have impacted my life

• I am thankful for my health, and that of my family

• I am thankful to know Christ, and that He loves and forgives me my many failings on a daily basis

• I am thankful to have a job and the ability to support my family, especially in these times when so many people do not, even if I’m not always satisfied with it

• I am thankful for every opportunity I’m given, and there have been many, not all of which I’m always smart enough to take

• I am thankful for a church that loves and supports me and makes me feel like family

• I am thankful for the beauty and the renewal of life that surrounds us everyday

• I am thankful for the strength to persevere in the midst of trials and the faith that God has a plan for me

• I am thankful for Friday afternoon every week, as I look forward to the weekend and having 2-days off work

91. Listen to my entire iTunes library (currently 3455 songs)
Somehow my numbers got messed up. Last time I blogged I had 3475 songs, but it turned out that one album had like 40 4-second blank tracks on it, I’m not sure what that was about but I deleted those (after I listened to them of course ~ weird.) Anyway, I’ve added 28 songs and even a few DJ mixes that were like an hour and half long each since then. I’m real bad about downloading anything that’s free and checking it out, and am currently listening to some weird stuff! LOL Regardless, I’m down to 964 songs!

98. Remember to use my green grocery bags
Guh….I’ve totally thought about this ON THE WAY to the freaking store every time I’ve gone. ME: “I’m going to remember to use my bags this time” and then promptly gotten to the store and forgotten them until I get to the check out. Then I walk outside and load my plastic grocery sacks on top of the green bags sitting in the back of my SUV collecting dust…FAIL! :-/

Honor Society at House of Blues, Dallas

2010-04-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

We entered a contest and won tickets to see Honor Society at House of Blues on March 28th.

We got to go in before the show for Soundcheck. The crowd wasn't huge and we got in and were maybe 3 people back from the stage on the right side.

They started with See You In The Dark and then played a new song that they've been working on...When I Go Home, which they played acoustic. It was very intimate and then was followed by a Meet & Greet session at the back of the room.

We got hugs from all of them and they were super sweet. When I mentioned that we'd met them in San Antonio, Mike goes "I remember!" I was all "Really?" and he insisted that he did. I asked Andy if he'd done any running lately, he admitted he hadn't. During my pic, I stood between Jason and Mike. Jason had his hand on my shoulder and was totally rubbing back and forth, it kind of surprised me but it wasn't unpleasant ;)

So after soundcheck we had to go back out and get back in line for entry...We talked to several people in line and of course there were people that were complaining that it wasn't fair that they'd gotten there at 6AM and after soundcheck couldn't get their place back...blah blah blah....it ended up not really mattering anyway.

When they let us in, we got RIGHT up front. Lauren was a total groupie and got right against the barricade. They had two bands open for them. Ashlyne Huff came on first but was losing her voice and was only able to play 2 songs before she had to stop. Just Kait played next and I was actually pretty impressed. She had kind of a grunge sound and was pretty talented for being only 17-18. She was fun and her crazy guitarist was funny. I didn't hear all of it but somehow Lauren and the girl next to her got him to come over to the edge of the stage before they started and he knelt down and leaned over so they could touch his hair! They both totally scruffed his curls good! LOL

OK so when Honor Society finally came out it was all dramatic, with lights and smoke and everything. They did a great show and had lots of energy. They looked at us several times and interacted well with the audience. I took lots of pictures and rocked out.

Then after the show, there was a merchandise meet & greet. They sat at a table and signed stuff so you couldn’t take more pictures, but they totally recognized us again. Jason questioned me about the show asking me to rate it 0-Amazing. Of course I said "amazing" Mike told Lauren he'd seen her rocking out on the front row. And I questioned him again if he told everyone that he remembered them. He says "No I do, I have a really good memory" and I said, "I'm just amazed because you meet SO many people every day" He said, "yeah but I'm really good with faces" and Jason agreed that he was and then we talked a little about the birthday card we'd given him in SA last August, so I guess I'm convinced. They were super cool and really spent time talking with us and didn’t act like they were rushed, or tired, or couldn’t wait to get it over with or anything! :)

Day 78: March 21, 2010

2010-03-21T14:36:00.000-07:00

It was Spring Break this week and I took off work to do some fun stuff with the girls. I expected to actually mark more things off my list than I did, but we were on a budget and actually stayed pretty busy all week. Oh well, here goes...

(Original list: http://juststuffbytricia.blogspot.com/2009/12/2010.html)
4. Read 20 books (1/20)

Still working on book 2….not really taking a lot of time to read.

5. Go on a “Girls Weekend” with friends

I got invited to go on a girls weekend with my friend Legia….I didn’t go :(

8. Tone up and be bikini ready by May

I’m still working on this one. Going to my boot camp class and working out but not really seeing as much progress as I’d like with only a little over a month left :-/

10. Make a new friend

Does it count if they are my sister’s friends? I’ve been hanging out with her a lot lately and have made friends with two of her friends. Cary is the bartender on the Plaza level at AAC. He’s now my friend on facebook and totally gives me the hook up at the games :) Shantell is another friend of Randee’s and I’ve never seen her outside of something I was at with my sister, but I did get an invite to go out with her for her birthday! :)

~~12. Go roller skating~~

We totally did this on Thursday! It was Spring Break and it was cheap entertainment. We went for nearly 3 hours and it was a blast. The girls have purple knees but I didn’t fall one time! Okay, maybe once but it was only because a little girl stopped in front of me and locked my skate while I was going backward :P

But really, it was a lot of fun and I was the best skater! I even got flirted with by one of the guys who

22. Do a cartwheel often and for no reason

I can’t completely mark this off, but I did JUST now do a cartwheel in my dining room! Haha I need to work on the “often” part!

23. Finish a 5K in 25 minutes or less

I can’t mark this off yet either, but I did run in a 5K last Saturday. Unfortunately, Randee wouldn’t let me leave her and she ran slower than I did :-/ So my time was actually slower than the last time at 29:32 but next time, she’s on her own! :P

47. Exercise at least 4 times a week, religiously

Since I’ve been doing this boot camp I’ve slacked off and only been doing the 3 times a week…I need to do better at this one again.

~~50. Go to a parade~~

I went to the Greenville Avenue St. Patrick’s Day Parade, after the 5K that I ran last Saturday. It was a pretty trashy and wild parade, lots and lots of drinking by most of the crowd and participants starting REALLY early. But it was free and quite entertaining! LOL

~~57. Go to a Mavericks game~~

I know this is already marked off, but I went to another game. It was the first one we lost that I’d gone to….I think Randee jinxed them!

60. Buy a pair of designer shoes

I’ve been looking…. ;)

61. Go see a movie in the theater once a month (5/12)

Ya know, for a girl that NEVER goes to the movies, I'm actually doing pretty well with this one this year! I saw two movies this week in the theater. I took the girls on Tuesday to the Dollar Movie and it was half price! HAHA so for $0.50 each, we saw Planet 51. Then on Friday, we saw the new Jennifer Anniston move Bounty Hunter. I love Jen, but it seems all of her movies are kind of corny. The movie was OK, but not great. I hate when they put ALL of the best scenes in the trailer and the movie can’t top it. :-/

84. Make a list of 10 things I am thankful for

I don’t know why I haven’t even started this…so I’ll do it now. I probably won’t finish right this second, because I want to give it some serious thought. But I’ll at least start with the obvious…

I am thankful for my family
I am thankful for the friends that love and support me and have impacted my life
I am thankful for my health, and that of my family
I am thankful to know Christ, and that He loves and forgives me my many failings on a daily basis
I am thankful to have a job and the ability to support my family, especially in these times when so many people do not, even if I’m not always satisfied with it

~~89. Go to the park and swing on the swingset~~

Again I know this is already checked out but I went again. This time I took my daughter and we had a contest. I swear I went highest!! Then I decided to get bold and jump out while it was still moving like I used to when I was a kid….Yeah there’s a reason I don’t do that anymore :-/

Haha okay, okay, I’ll tell you…I jumped and my hips got stuck in the narrow swing so it kind of killed my landing. I was leaning forward too far and tried to catch myself from face planting, which resulted in about 4 steps trying to catch my balance. Then just when I thought I was home free…my shoe slipped in the woodchips and went out sideways. So I totally busted my ass anyway. It was all QUITE graceful!

91. Listen to my entire iTunes library (currently 3475 songs)

Still working through this and yes still adding music to the library. I started at 2938 and am up to a total of 3475 songs. So since January, I’ve added 537 songs. But….I’m MORE than half way through listening to all of them and it’s only March. I originally started by sorting by date added and listening to the most recent stuff first. But then I flipped it and am now listening to the oldest stuff and working my way back down to the newer stuff. I listen most when I am working from home and sitting on conference calls. When I get through the list, I will probably put it on shuffle and keep listening :)

98. Remember to use my green grocery bags

I actually remembered once this week! Woo Hoo! And I’m fixing to run to the store in a few minutes and plan on using them….wish me luck

101. Journal / Blog my achievements on this list

Okay so it’s not a daily thing….but I’m at least keeping up to date and I hope being at least a little entertaining! :P

Day 68: March 8, 2010

2010-03-08T10:48:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of personal drama going on in my life right now, but I’m still trying to be positive and have fun this year. I’m tired of being boring and sitting home with nothing to do on the weekends. I know that God will bring me through any trial and that He has a plan, but in the meantime I’ll live for today and trust Him with the rest.

Anyway…I tried not to wait so long to do some stuff on my list this week, nor to make you wait so long to hear about it. : )

61. Go see a movie in the theater once a month (3/12)

I went and saw Alice In Wonderland with a girlfriend. It was a SERIOUS trip! But I guess you can expect nothing less than that from Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. I liked it, didn’t love it, don’t have to see it again, but it was good.

I know this is extra info, but after the movie we went to downtown Dallas and had dinner and then went dancing at a popular, trendy club. Had a blast and should do that more often!

62. Try each type of cheesecake on the menu at Cheesecake Factory (4/32)

This week I went out to dinner with my mom. We went to Cheesecake Factory and tried 2 more flavors and split. She ordered the Tirami Su cheesecake and I had the Red Velvet cheesecake. They were both AWESOME!!! Like seriously, cheesecake orgasm!

88. Tell people I love them and not assume they know

I made an effort to do this more this week. I hid a note in my daughters lunch box one day and told my sister, dad and even some close friends. : )

~~89. Go to the park and swing on the swing set~~

The weather was GORGEOUS in North Texas this week. Of course it only lasted 3 days and now it’s raining again :-S Anyway, it was sunny and like 70* on Friday so I went to the park by myself before all the schools let out and got on the swing set! I hadn’t done that in way too long and it was FUN! : ) I went as high as I could go and dropped my tummy on the ground! I stayed out there for like 45 minutes until school let out and some little girls came and gave me ugly looks for hogging a swing. I relented and got off, but not without an internal temper tantrum about it! Hahaha :P

91. Listen to my entire iTunes library (currently 3170 songs)

Still plugging along at this one. I’ve only added 11 songs this week so I’m up to a total library of 3339 but in listening thru, I’ve only got 1563 left. Today’s playlist has included all old stuff: Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, Frank Sinatra, Lynard Skynard, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains and Prince. I see that I have more Bon Jovi and lots of Beatles coming up… a couple of my faves! : )

98. Remember to use my green grocery bags

I have STUNK at this so far! Last night I went and actually REMEMBERED all by myself and opened the back of my car to get them on the way INTO the store! Only to find that someone had taken them out when they borrowed my car this past week. So dang it my good intentions were for naught. I SWEAR I’m gonna get into this habit if it kills me!

So I feel like I'm not getting very far on my list....I need to be able to MARK STUFF OFF to feel like I've accomplished anything. :-/ But I'm going to keep thinking positivie because actually I have a LOT of ongoing type tasks on here and I really have done a lot.

And while I'm at it....I'm going to plug an awesome, uplifting blog. Check it out!

http://aboveyourcircumstances.nextmeta.com/content.cfm?id=151

Blessings!

Day 63: March 3, 2010

2010-03-03T12:08:00.000-08:00

Geez….I stink at the blogging thing. I never make time to sit down and write, but I think I can cross off a few more items from my list, although I am REALLY behind on a lot of them.

4. Read 20 books (1/20)

I finished ONE book so far. I read The Shack by William Young and it was AWESOME! It is a work of fiction, but contains a lot of biblical truths but puts them into a fictional, average Joe type of application. It really makes you examine your own faith and trust in God. I literally cried at several parts, some were story related but others were how they made me think of my own struggles and trials. READ IT!!

I started another book, The Agency by Ally O’Brien. It got a good review in People Magazine a few months back so I picked it up at the library. I’m only on chapter 4…

8. Tone up and be bikini ready by May

Still workin on this one. I started a Boot Camp at the gym….we’ll see how that goes. *crosses fingers* :)

~~13. Go bowling~~

This one was already crossed off, but I went again. I went with my sister and some of her friends for her birthday party. They were all drinking much more than I was and I bowled better than ALL of them….and I’m not that good. Haha Yay Me!

15. Take a class

Does Boot Camp count? I also did a Spin Class, didn’t really like it that much. I guess that’s not really what I had in mind so I won’t mark it off…. :(

20. Buy flowers for myself

I did bring home some really pretty yellow daisies this weekend, but I didn’t buy them. They were leftover after our Women’s Retreat and I brought them home. I guess that doesn’t count either….

21. Get teeth whitened

Another thing I’m doing that doesn’t really count….I heard that rinsing with peroxide after you brush whitens your teeth. It’s not professional but I think it’s working…
Dang….I’m doing a lot but not really getting anywhere??? If my list is still this long in September I might start counting this stuff! :P

22. Do a cartwheel often and for no reason

I don’t even know why I haven’t done this one! What the heck am I waiting for???

23. Finish a 5K in 25 minutes or less

I am running in the Dash Down Greenville next weekend….I’ll let you know how I do. Stay tuned.

~~35. Try a new drink~~

You know what – I’m marking this one OFF! My new friend Carey (ok he’s my sister’s friend) but he’s a bartender for AAC on the Plaza level for all the games. Twice now I’ve told him “Surprise Me” and he’s hooked me up! Once with Pear Smirnoff and 7 and the next time with Mandarin. I don’t know if there is an official name for either of those, but it was my first time to try them so yay! Wonder what he’ll make me tonight?

43. Try a new recipe

I’ve actually done this a couple of times. I tried something out of a magazine a month or so ago, I don’t remember what it was called but it was some casserole thing. This weekend I made Chocolate Cherry Banana Bread from a recipe I got in an email. But when I wrote this I was really thinking of trying something fancy, so I’ll leave it for now…

47. Exercise at least 4 times a week, religiously

OK this is one of those ongoing tasks and although it hasn’t necessarily been 4 times EVERY week, it’s at least 3 and I’m still being conisistent.

~~53. Buy something at an expensive store~~

I think this one counts…I bought those True Religion jeans at their store in Northpark and a sweater at Neimans. Plus even though I got a good deal online, I now have a Prada purse! Movin’ on uuppp…to the East side… 

~~57. Go to a Mavericks game~~

Yay I’ve done this! I went last week to Mavs vs. Lakers and we WON!!! Woot! Woot! Plus I’m going tonight against the Timberwolves and next Saturday against the Knicks! Now to get tickets to the Stars…

61. Go see a movie in the theater once a month (2/12)

I think I’m on target with this one. I don’t remember what we saw in January but I did see Valentine’s day a couple of weeks ago….thinks….

62. Try each type of cheesecake on the menu at Cheesecake Factory (2/32)

Man I better get crackin on this one, I’m behind! I think I need to go over there THIS WEEK!

79. Call my parents, and sisters, once a week

Well….this one should be easy….but it’s not! I have talked to my sisters every week but both of my parents have called in the last few weeks to make sure I’m still alive….FAIL. :-/

80. See at least 5 concerts (1/5)

Oooh….there are a couple coming up I’ve got my eye on….

84. Make a list of 10 things I am thankful for

I don’t know why I haven’t even started this one yet. I have a lot going on right now and am really struggling with my joy so I think maybe I’m afraid of this task, although I know that I really DO have a lot to be thankful for. It really should be the easiest thing on the list, but it’s not. It has been on my mind though, I just really haven’t put anything down on paper, just know I’m thinking about it.

88. Tell people I love them and not assume they know

Epic fail on this one :( I don’t know why this is so hard for me, especially with family. I’ve done it a couple of times, but I guess since I don’t normally do it they don’t take it seriously, it’s a little discouraging. And after the Loving Well conference last weekend, I realize how bad I am at it. *Takes deep breath and tries harder*

~~90. Take a boot camp class at the gym~~

OH YAY! I’m doing this RIGHT NOW! I’m in week 2 and staying strong!

91. Listen to my entire iTunes library (currently 3328 songs)

Yes, I’ve added to my library yet again. I’m up to 3328 songs from the 2938 I started with. That’s 390 new songs! However, I only have 1708 left to listen to…at the moment. That’s like half way already and I’m sure I’ll be adding more before the end of the year!

98. Remember to use my green grocery bags

UGH! That’s about all I can say on this one. I go to the grocery store every week and I keep the bags IN MY CAR…..and I’ve only remembered to take them in with me one time. >.<

101. Journal / Blog my achievements on this list

So...still plugging away at this one, although not on a daily basis, but at least I'm keeping you updated. I hope I'm not too boring ~ Love you!

Day 43: February 13, 2010

2010-02-12T10:16:00.000-08:00

So apparently I suck at the blogging thing. It’s been almost a month and I just haven’t really been on the computer that much….except for stupid work :-/

So for an update on where I stand on my list, last update I posted on these things…

4. Read 20 books (0/20)
Yeah, I’m still on that first book and on page 82. I guess I haven’t had much time for reading either, or have occupied my time with other stuff. But I did just pick up 2 other books at the library, those have a deadline so maybe today being a snow day would be a good day for that!

47. Exercise at least 4 times a week, religiously
OK so maybe not exactly 4 times religiously but I’m doing pretty good here actually. I’m maintaining my weight, actually lost a little more unintentionally….toning is still the focus and that isn’t going as quickly as I had hoped :-/

49. Join a volleyball team
This one has been a big fail. I contacted people and got some interested, but we kind of got a late start and just couldn’t pull it all together by the registration deadline. There is however another session starting in April so maybe we can get it done by then.

91. Listen to my entire iTunes library (currently 3170 songs)
Still plugging along. I’m currently at 2160 songs left to listen to, which doesn’t seem like I’ve gotten very far. However, I’ve added another 194 songs to the library since my last post. So my total library now is at 3170 songs, so I’ve listened to 1010!! And….I’ve found a lot of new music I’ve never heard before in the process :)

98. Remember to use my green grocery bags
UGH! I still suck at this one! I actually used them one day AFTER that last post and was so excited but didn’t get to tell you. But since then….>.<
I have another chance today….I need to go to Walmart *crosses fingers*

OK new stuff…

~~7. Buy a new CD the day it’s released~~
I did go out and buy the Nick Jonas and the Administration CD on February 2nd! It’s really good, and my favorites on it are between State of Emergency and Last Time Around. Of course, Lauren has confiscated it but I at least have it on my library.

~~37. Buy True Religion jeans~~
I did this YESTERDAY! Woot! My friend took me shopping at Northpark and of course there were several pair I liked, but I only got one….for now! ;-)

~~51. Make a snow angel~~
I did this yesterday too! I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be able to do this, but it was CRAZY wild here yesterday! We never, hardly EVER, get snow in Texas but yesterday we got 12”!!! It started snowing at 3AM and didn’t let up all day, until after midnight. We actually broke a record for most total snowfall in a single day! EVER! So as soon as I got home, I went out back and made a snow angel! Yay!

60. Buy a pair of designer shoes

OK I didn’t do this….but I did try on a pair! I won’t mark it off yet, but they were NICE :) I’ll keep looking…

Still so much to do…

Day 20: January 17, 2010

2010-01-18T07:37:00.000-08:00

Wow ~ it's been a busy week. I feel like I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off, but really got nothing accomplished.

4. Read 20 books (0/20)

So it’s January 18 and I just now STARTED my first book, and I’m only on page 10. :-/ I just haven’t had a lot of time to read lately. I have this huge list of books I want to read, not to mention a bookshelf FULL of stuff my mom has passed on but just never take the time to sit down and read. I tend to go in spurts, reading voraciously for weeks or not picking up anything for months. Guess I’m currently in a dry spell, I better get crackin’!

47. Exercise at least 4 times a week, religiously

So I know we’re only 3 weeks into the new year, but I’ve been doing really good at this. Until this week, UGH – it was just so busy I only got to do 3 days, but I’m not giving up. I’ll find time to squeeze this in SOMEWHERE. Stupid work.

49. Join a volleyball team

I havent’ officially joined this yet, but there is a league through my Rec Center and I’m trying to pull together a team now. Registration is by this Friday so I’m working on that….I’ll keep ya posted.

91. Listen to my entire iTunes library (currently 2938 songs)

So I’ve been listening through my list still. I’ve added 15 new songs since last week but am down to 2462 from 2516 last week. Not much progress :-/ *turns on iTunes* At least I’m finally through all the Christmas music. Currently jamming to Switchfoot, Hello Hurricane. This is SERIOUSLY one of my favorites right now! :)

98. Remember to use my green grocery bags

So still seriously striking out on this item. Everytime I go to the store I come back out to my car and find my bags laying in the back of my SUV when I load my groceries….last night I remembered them earlier! Of course I was already at the checkout :-/ But that’s progress right?

So I don’t feel like I’ve checked anything off. I put too many on-going items on here….I’ll know better next time, but this was a hard list to make. And I definitely need to get out and start doing some of the stuff on here more anyway…like why haven’t I gone to the park or done a cartwheel? Won’t be today but I’m gonna mark these off this week dang it!

Later gators!

Day 14: January 11, 2010

2010-01-11T14:31:00.000-08:00

OK so I suck at this list already! I’ve totally failed on the blogging thing, but then again I haven’t really done anything new since my last one anyway.

91. Listen to entire iTunes library

I have been listening to my iTunes library, and yes still adding, but I’m down to 2516 songs as of Monday, January 11.

8. Tone up…47. Exercise 4x weekly

I’m still working on this one and have been pretty good so far about working out 4 times a week….Of course I’m only two weeks in but I’m gonna stay positive on this one!

98. Remember to use green grocery bags

I’ve totally failed at the grocery bag thing, I still go to the store, and then open the back of my car and see them all laying there waiting to be used as I put my stupid plastic bags in beside them. I’m at least recycling my plastic bags and not just throwing them away….it’s a start, right? NO? OK I suck.

40. Meet more online friends

I failed to add that I did meet another online friend at one of the shows last week, so I met one person on Saturday and a different one on Sunday. They were both really nice and I hope to see them again :)

49. Join a volleyball team

There is a coed volleyball league at the local Parks & Rec that I’m looking into, but I don’t have a team together yet, so I might have to sign up as a “free agent” LOL But I wanna do it!

79. Call family once a week

I’ve at least talked to them all….does it still count that I didn’t initiate all of the calls?

There are several things on here that would be easy to start, but suddenly I’m not motivated….I need to just kick myself in the butt and DO IT! And I will… it was just kind of a busy week, what with having to go back to work and all. Maybe I should start with #92 (Get a cooler job)!

Day 8: January 5, 2010

2010-01-05T15:37:00.000-08:00

I know....I'm already stinking at #101 to blog everyday...but it was a BUSY weekend. So I'm combining the last several days in one post. Sorry I'll try to do better :-)

8. Tone up and be bikini ready by May

47. Exercise at least 4 times a week, religiously

I’m combining #8 & 47, not because they are the same or even that I’ve accomplished them, but they are at least related and I’ve been doing good :-) I ran 4 days last week and did abs and sculpting so yay me! I’ll get there!

14. Meet someone famous

40. Meet more online friends in person

80. See at least 5 concerts (1/5)

OK so I’m combining again :-/ because these things happened on the same weekend, at the same place. I took Lauren to see her “future” husband Nick Jonas and his band The Administration to two sold out shows at the House of Blues.

DAY ONE:

It was a nice day, sunny and mid-50’s. We got to HoB around 3:00 and were suppose to have a 4:00 reservation for dinner. If you spent $20 you got to Pass the Line, which meant they had a separate line for folks that paid them to pass the slumps that didn't or couldn't. It's cool if you can do it, but it sucks because it's not really fair to those that had been there all night or day and you just walk up. Plus...the normal Pass the Line promo is $15 per person, they upped it to $20 per person for this show and openly admitted it! So I had to spend $40 on dinner for 2! Bitches!
So anyway - there were several people that had been there ALL NIGHT and day and of course they were all spending $$ in the restaurant and store too. So we go to the line at 5:00 and there are 3 lines! we got to the middle of the 2nd one and of course people were bitching about it. We made friends with 2 of the security guys (Jim & Nick), they were really nice! :-) It didn't really get us any advantages, but they didn't give us any shit either. There was still a long line around the building behind us too, so yeah...

Anyway, we get inside and Lauren runs up as close as possible. We were kind of off center Right at first, but the crowd kept pressing...and pressing....and pressing. It was RECONKULOUS! I mean seriously you were nearly INTIMATE with these people, I couldn't even move my arms! But everyone around us was pretty tame and nice, there were a couple that were trying to push in, but they didn't get too far. But as people shifted and pressed, we ended up getting pushed further right. So we were closer forward, but further to the side. We were pretty much in front of John Fields, but Nick didn't do very well that first night of moving around the stage. He went to the left to jam a few times with the guitarist, but not so much w/bass. So....fail for us. I would have LOVED to get some better pictures, I did get some good ones of John...but who cares? He's old and it wasn't Nick! LMAO

So near the end, I ended up moving back out of the throng because I was so hot and uncomfortable. I got to meet an online friend who was really nice and is fun to chat with. Plus, they live in the area so maybe we’ll see them again sometime. :-)

DAY TWO:

So it was cold and cloudy on the second day. We ended up leaving about an hour later on Sunday than we had the day before, even though the show started an hour earlier and we had M&G. The first day I had to stop for gas and wasn't sure how much traffic there would be and plus we had to stand in line and try and get a good spot. This day we had none of that. Plus when we got there, there were WAY few people in line and waiting around back to catch glimpses of the rock stars.

We got down there around 4:00 and walked past the back, and yes made a new security guard friend. He totally talked to us every time we walked by (which ended up being like 4 times, LOL). We checked at the ticket booth and they didn't have the M&G stuff yet so we went inside and ate again. But this time we split something and didn't have a minimum amount to spend, and I SWEAR I had the BEST service I have ever had at HOB - they usually SUCK and are super slow. But NO, when I need to waste time they are fast. So then we went and sat in the car for like 20 minutes until 4:50.

Then we went right up to the window and got our passes and got straight inside. No lines it ROCKED! But then they took us all into this hallway and we waited....and waited....and waited....

The M&G was suppose to be at 6:00 and (oh yeah we made another friend - Jason and saw Jim & Nick again - they totally remembered us and were really nice, but again....no special treatment :-( Oh well worth a try) so Nick's security guy (No BRP) came out and says "Alright ladies everybody up, let's go!" so we all get up off the floor or chairs or where ever we were sitting and stand....and wait....and wait some more. I don't know why he got us up, because it ended up being a whole other hour. Jason even came out and said, "I don't think this will even start till about 6:30". Double fail - it was 6:55 when Nick finally walked out.

ere was no privacy thing or other room or anything, he just came out into the hallway and stood at the end and the line moved thru....FAST!

I kind of had butterflies before that and Lauren was all calm but when Nick walked in, He walked right past us. I suddenly was all calm, though excited and Lauren turned and looked at me with a HUGE grin and squeeeeeeed! I reminded her not to scream in his face and to take deep breaths and she was fine after that. But she did make me go first. And we totally went individually and didn't even get a picture together >.<

So I walked up and he smiled at me and held out his hand and says "How are ya doin'?" I say "Forget that!" and waved his hand away and totally went for the hug! :D I hugged him good to, and he hugged me back. It wasn't like an awkward pat or anything, he squeezed too, so YAY! Then I turned and told him we'd been at the show the night before and how much we enjoyed it. He said "Thanks that means a lot" and thanked me for coming and it was over! It was SUCH a whirlwind, I barely remember it. I did NOT detect a cologne scent, just fresh, clean I guess. He was SO tiny! and just CUTE! I don't even have the right adjectives, he's just so CUTE! And he totally rocked the Costello glasses and tweed jacket. I'm serious he even LOOKED a little like Elvis Costello.

OK so then we went back out to our seats. We were in the right section on the 5th row in the center. We saw JT right off, sitting in the bar area looking over the ledge that was right above us. Right before the lights went down, the guys came out to take their seats. They sat in our section at the back, it was maybe only 6 rows behind us, but they were in seats at the end of the row. It irritated me a little that so many girls were turned around looking at Kevin & Joe and not watching Nick. He did SOOOO good. I'd even say it was BETTER than the first night. He was SOOO on!

But yeah, I did get a couple of pics of the boys and Chelsea, Maya and Danielle were with them. Mr. & Mrs. J, Angela and Frankie ended up sitting in the bar area above us after JT left so we could like see all of them. It was great, but we really tried to not gawk at them. I thought it would be awkward and we was there to see Nick on his night anyway, not the rest of them. But I will admit that we were SOOOO glad we got a glimpse :D

Hey wait! Does that count as two concerts? or only one? Oh well, I'm going to leave these all open (for now) because I definitely want to do MORE of them all this year! :D

91. Listen to my entire iTunes library (currently 2938 songs)

I’m nowhere NEAR being done with this one and apparently I’ve added music since I made my list because it is now at 2952! But on Monday I opened iTunes and sorted by date added and started with the first song. I let it play all day while I worked and listened on conference calls. It was on low and was mainly just background noise, but I was here and could hear it and let every song play all the way through. Most of the most recent stuff was Christmas music so that was a little frustrating since Christmas is over, you can only take so much. Then there was a playlist of some stuff I got from someone else and I didn’t particularly care for most of it, but I forced myself NOT to skip to the next song.

I’ve decided I still don’t care for Owl City or Justin Beiber, and I liked Cascada more than I expected to. I still have 2803 songs to go, but DANG! 149 songs is a LOT in one day! I’m off to a good start!

However…..I sat here working all day today too and forgot to turn it on….FAIL.

98. Remember to use my green grocery bags

I added this task to the list today not because I’m doing good, just to give an update that so far I’m totally FAILING at this one. I’ve shopped twice since making this list and both times I left the darn things in the back of the car! Then I come out and put my stuff in and notice them laying there waiting to be used…DOH! :-/

Well CRUD! I did a lot but didn't even cross anything off! It's gonna be a big year...right? RIGHT!!

Day 3: December 31, 2009

2010-01-01T01:25:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I hope everyone celebrated a safe and happy New Year’s Eve, and made the most of the last moments of 2009, of the decade! I pray that you all have a happy, healthy prosperous 2010!

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ~ Jer 29:11

So back to my progress…

~~13. Go bowling~~

I haven’t been bowling in probably 2 years, just because it’s not something I usually do. Today, we got up and went just because it was something to do. Although I may have had ulterior motives since it was on my list. :P

Anyway, I was a little rusty and only bowled a 113 & 129, but it was much better than the girl’s scores. I’m super competitive and got irritated when the girls weren’t as serious about it as I was. They just jumped up there and lopped the ball down the lane, and it REALLY irritated me when Kaylee bowled 2 strikes on ACCIDENT! Okay, technically they were spares after a gutter ball, but still. Regardless, they were more worried about getting something from the snack bar and even walked up to bowl with one hand so they didn’t have to put down a breadstick! UGH! It’s just not as fun to win, when there’s really no competition :-S

I also went shopping today, not that it’s on my list, but I do have 3 things on my list that are shopping related. I bought jeans (#37) and shoes (#60) ~ I know….I might have a problem. But neither were designer, I went with familiar faves, Levi’s and Converse, and I got them at Kohl’s. I must have been just practicing for those tasks, I guess…Maybe I should rethink that? Too much shopping could get me in trouble :-S

Also wanted to share this video I found with you that I found amusing….check it out!

http://new.music.yahoo.com/oren-lavie/videos/view/her-morning-elegance--205809176

Day One: December 29, 2009

2009-12-29T18:39:00.000-08:00

So I started a little early. Like I said, some of these things are simple tasks and really….why wait?

~~34. Try a new food~~

I tried real sushi for the first time yesterday! I mean, I’ve had sushi before but always the veggie or cooked stuff, yesterday I actually ate one with raw salmon on it! Granted, it was a VERY thin slice and was disguised by the avocado and cream cheese but it was ON there, so I’m counting it! Felisha and Melanie took me to lunch at their favorite spot and I decided to be adventurous and you know what? It actually wasn’t too bad! I might even try something different next time. :-)

42. Fill my charm bracelet (2/12)

OK so I set a limit of 12 new charms to fill my bracelet. (That of course is my rationing myself to only buy one per month. I could SOOOO get myself in trouble doing it all at once otherwise.) I obviously am not limiting myself to that number and will always accept gifts, so hopefully it’ll be more by next December. I’m already off to a great start ~ I put picked up my bracelet today with 2 new charms on it! :-) One I got from my sister for my birthday, it’s a heart that says “Big Sister” and the other….YES I bought for myself! It is XOXO. Two down ten to go…and REMEMBER ~ I accept gifts! ;-)

62. Try each type of cheesecake on the menu at Cheesecake Factory (2/32)

OK I already started this one this week too, but I counts! It’s my list, I can make the rules :P Anyway, my sister and I went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner the other night and then walked across the street to see Sherlock Holmes (I’m not counting that toward #61). We split a meal and then each ordered a different kind of cheesecake to share. Of course we were already stuffed from dinner and got it to go, but how can you NOT get cheesecake when you go to the Cheesecake Factory? It’s against the rules! Anyway we ate it when we got home. We tried the Banana Cream and the Dolce de Leche ~ they were BOTH to die for! YUM!

Today I didn’t really do anything from the list, I ran errands and did a little shopping to waste time, driving around Dallas in the snow. Yes SNOW in Dallas! I know, crazy. Unfortunately, it did not snow/stick quite enough to make a snow angel, so #51 goes unfulfilled….for now.

2010 !!!

2009-12-28T23:39:00.000-08:00

I saw someone else do this and felt inspired. Some of the things on this list are simple things that I have done before, or even on a regular basis, but I don’t think I always “experience” it or enjoy the moment.
Some of them are completely random and others may prove to be quite difficult. But I feel like I have become “complacent’ in my life lately and want to change that in 2010. Maybe having written goals and a checklist of sorts will encourage me, and I hope that by sharing these experiences with you, I will be accountable to relive and enjoy them when they happen and be thankful in all things, and always give glory and honor where it is due. Can I start now?
1. Be intentional about my quiet time
2. Pay off all my bills
3. Save some money
4. Read 20 books (0/20)
5. Go on a “Girls Weekend” with friends
6. Go to Disney World
7. Buy a new CD the day it’s released
8. Tone up and be bikini ready by May
9. Buy a new bikini (and be proud to wear it)
10. Make a new friend
11. Write a story
12. Go roller skating
13. Go bowling
14. Meet someone famous
15. Take a class
16. Donate blood
17. Try something new
18. Visit a museum
19. Go to the zoo
20. Buy flowers for myself
21. Get teeth whitened
22. Do a cartwheel often and for no reason
23. Finish a 5K in 25 minutes or less
24. Complete 12 scrapbook pages (0/12)
25. Clean out the office
26. Dress up for Halloween this year
27. Make a time capsule
28. Get the 3Gs
29. Put my belly ring back in
30. Stay in a city I’ve never been to before
31. Finish my quilt
32. Learn a new skill / craft
33. Make some jewelry
34. Try a new food
35. Try a new drink
36. Eat at a fancy restaurant
37. Buy True Religion jeans
38. Enter a contest
39. Have portraits done
40. Meet more online friends in person
41. Get a new pair of ‘bans
42. Fill my charm bracelet (0/12)
43. Try a new recipe
44. Learn to use Photoshop
45. Dance in the rain
46. Go horseback riding
47. Exercise at least 4 times a week, religiously
48. Learn to play a song on piano or guitar
49. Join a volleyball team
50. Go to a parade
51. Make a snow angel
52. Help a stranger
53. Buy something at an expensive store
54. Go to a Cowboys game at the new stadium
55. Go to a Rangers game
56. Go to a Stars game
57. Go to a Mavericks game
58. Play golf
59. Learn to do the splits
60. Buy a pair of designer shoes
61. Go see a movie in the theater once a month (0/12)
62. Try each type of cheesecake on the menu at Cheesecake Factory (0/32)
63. Order something I’ve never tried at my favorite restaurant
64. Shoot a successful combo by myself at pool
65. Sing karaoke
66. Get a massage by a real masseuse
67. Take a CPR class
68. Go water skiing
69. See a Broadway play
70. Ride a jet ski
71. Test drive a fancy car
72. Go to the circus
73. Take pictures in the bluebonnets
74. Eat a corndog at the State Fair
75. Go camping
76. Get better at Guitar Hero
77. Serve lunch at a soup kitchen
78. Encourage someone with my testimony
79. Call my parents, and sisters, once a week
80. See at least 5 concerts (0/5)
81. Visit family in California
82. Meet my new nephew (he’s due in May)
83. Finish my Christmas shopping by October
84. Make a list of 10 things I am thankful for
85. Quietly enjoy a sunrise and reflect on its beauty
86. See a shooting star and make a wish
87. Watch a sunset with someone special
88. Tell people I love them and not assume they know
89. Go to the park and swing on the swingset
90. Take a boot camp class at the gym
91. Listen to my entire iTunes library (currently 2938 songs)
92. Get a cooler job
93. Ride a roller coaster
94. Audition for something
95. Go to the horse races
96. Go to the drag races
97. Raise money for a charity
98. Remember to use my green grocery bags
99. Plant a tree
100. Take a random road trip by myself
101. Journal / Blog my achievements on this list

Altered File Folder Album

2008-06-05T04:08:00.001-07:00

I had been hearing about these Altered File Folders. I thought I would try one out and I LOVE them!!! It was easy to make and they make a great gift!

Bookmark

2008-06-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

This is a bookmark I did for a swap I'm in. I was trying to coordinate with some DSP I had.

Stamps: Seeing Spots, Refuge & Strength
Papers: Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Whisper White
Inks: Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Basic Black

Movie Night Set

2008-06-03T19:55:00.000-07:00

This is the set I made for the girls' teachers for an end of the year gift. I got these plastic popcorn boxes at the Target $1 spot. I stamped & covered a package of microwave popcorn, a box of Mike & Ike's and Junior Mints. I totally cased this from Rochelle Wick, she even stamped the popcorn images for me. The sentiments on the candy & popcorn were printed and the card included a $10 Blockbuster gift card.

Stamps: Treat Yourself
Paper: Real Red, Summer Sun

Miscellaneous Cards

2008-06-03T19:54:00.001-07:00

I made these miscellaneous cards to use as birthday cards and RAKs just to have on hand when I need them. I used DCWV scrapbook paper and matched it to SU inks.

Happy Birthday

Stamp: Birthday Whimsey
Papers: Yo-Yo Yellow, Green Galore, DCWV
Inks: Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise

Wish Big

Stamp: Birthday Whimsey
Papers: Apricot Appeal, Pixie Pink, DCWV
Inks: Basic Black, Pixie Pink, Lavendar Lace, Bashful Blue

Best Wishes

Stamp: Flowabella
Papers: Pixie Pink, Green Galore, DCWV
Inks: Basic Black, SU Markers

Emerging Colors Technique

2008-06-03T19:53:00.001-07:00

This is the Emerging Color technique. I saw it inthis month's Stampin' Success and wanted to try it ~ FUN!

Papers: So Saffron, Rose Red, Whisper White
Inks: Rose Red, Regal Rose, Basic Black
Stamps: Garden Whimsey, Monogram F, For a Friend

Money Holder Card

2008-06-03T19:52:00.000-07:00

I made this for a kid from church who graduated Denton High School this week. He got full scholarship to Iowa State (where he's from) in Aeronautic Engineering!

Papers: Tempting Turquoise, Gable Green, Barely Banana and DCWV Scrapbook Paper
Stamps: Perfect Party, Warm Words, Bold Basics

Oragami Bookmark Corners

2008-06-03T19:51:00.000-07:00

I found these on splitcoaststampers and thought they were super cute so I had to try them. I'm an avid reader and am trying to teach my girls to be the same, so these are a super quick and easy little treat. All you need is a 8" x 1 3/4" scrap of paper and embellishments of your choice! For these I used:

Stamps: Bookwormabella from Stamping Bella, Riveting, Typeset Alpha
Papers: Cutie Pie DSP, Rose Red, So Saffron, Certainly Celery
Inks: Basic Black, SU Markers
Accesories: A silk flower and white brad, scallop & circle punches

VC Rockin' Stampin' Friends

2008-05-22T11:08:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to meet a few of my Stampin' friends from the VC Rocks group I'm on. Sheryl happened to be in town with her hubby on a business trip and the other girls live in the metroplex area. We could have stayed and chatted all afternoon, but I had to go back to work :o(

It was so fun to meet everyone in person!

Maryn (back), Me, Sheryl & Ellen

Teacher Appreciation

2008-05-20T18:14:00.001-07:00

This week was teacher appreciation week. We were supposed to send a little something everyday.

It was a SUPER busy week so I didn’t get to make a bunch of stuff like I had wanted to, I picked up some matching items in the Michael’s $1 bin and made some bag-a-lopes to send them in.

I was able to make a couple of simple items for candy day though.

Annie Jr.

2008-05-20T18:13:00.000-07:00

My girls got cast in a local production of Annie Jr. that premiered last weekend. Kaylee was cast as an orphan. Lauren played an orphan, a servant and in the NYC number.

I was so proud! It was kind of a long haul with rehearsals 2-3 times a week since late January but they did a great job.

Baby Shower Nuggets

2008-05-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

At the Women’s Retreat a girl at my table liked my Nugget Boxes so much that she asked me to make some for her sister’s baby shower. She is taking them out of state next week. I really struggled with how much to charge her for these, I didn’t want to short myself, but didn’t want her to feel that I had overcharged either. I think we were both happy.

Stamps: Whatever small baby stamps I could find: Welcome Little One, A Little Love, You Grow Girl
Cardstock / Inks: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Berry Bliss DSP

GracePointe Women’s Retreat

2008-05-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

I was the organizer for our Women’s Retreat this year. We held our event at the Omni Parkwest Hotel in Dallas on April 25-26. Our guest speaker was Brenda Haley from Denton Bible Church. She runs a Budget Ministry and had some fabulous tips financial and organizational tips and wonderful heart warming stories.

On Monday of that week, I decided to make Nugget Boxes as a favor for attendees. We had wanted to leave them on people’s pillows in their rooms, but couldn’t get into the rooms so we left them at peoples tables in our conference room. These were the first Nugget Boxes I ever made and I did 45 of them. Although I noticed the imperfections, I thought they turned out pretty cute and everyone loved them. They all knew right away…”Tricia, did you make these?!?”

Stamps: Watercolor Minis
Cardstock / Inks: Regal Rose, Tempting Turquoise, Sage Shadow, Whisper White

Snow in Texas!

2008-03-06T12:55:00.000-08:00

We NEVER get snow in Texas, and on the rare occasion that we do, it's pretty measly. Today it is snowing in Texas! The weather has been SUPER crazy this week. It was 76 degrees on Sunday and then a cold front blew through on Monday and the temps dropped all day and it was raining and then turned to snow at 5:00. But of course it only stuck to the grass and the kids were dissappointed that they still had to go to school on Tuesday. It was back up to 68 degrees yesterday and sunny, but today rose dreary and cold. It started sprinkling around 10:00, by 11:30 it had turned to sleet and by 12:15 it was snowing! BIG snow! They closed the schools at 12:30 and we all had to go out in the slush to pick up our kids. And it is still going! We are expecting 3-5" Here are a few progress picks...

A Little Birdie Told Me

2008-02-18T15:50:00.000-08:00

Here is another recent creation. (Totally Cased from SCS). I made these this weekend ~ it seems every other person I know has the flu this year. So far, we've been blessed with good health this season at our house.

Stamps: A Little Birdie Told Me
Paper: Barely Banana, Certainly Celery, Bayou Blue, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, SU Markers - Barely Banana, Bayou Blue

I'm still here!

2008-02-18T15:39:00.000-08:00

OMGosh! I can't believe how I have neglected my blog! I pulled this up today and realized...I haven't posted since October! I'm sorry :o( So...this time, instead of posting 8 updates at a time, I'll post just one or two until I get caught up...

I really haven't been stamping very much since then. I did like 80 Christmas cards and a couple of things since then, but that's it. I couldn't even decide on my Christmas cards so I did about 10-12 of 8 different designs and everyone got something different. Then I ended up taking until RIGHT before my surgery and forgot to take pictures of them before I stuffed them in envelopes and mailed (the night after my surgery from the bed).

Here are a couple of Baby Shower cards I did fairly recently. These were for some friends from church, one adopted and her baby was born a week and a half before her sister-in-law had her baby girl.

Stamps: Bundle of Joy
Ink: Basic Black, SU Markers Barely Banana & Bashful Blue
Paper: Barely Banana, Bashful Blue & Pretty in Pink

October Birthday Card

2007-10-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

I got some new Bella's this month and thought I would use them on my October Birthday cards. Here is one I made for a birthday in October...

Paper: Pretty in Pink, Ballet Blue, a printed scrapbook paper I had on hand

Ink: Pretty in Pink, Basic Black, SU Markers

Stamps: Billboardabella

Supplies / Embellishments: Circle Scallop Punch, Blue Rickarack

October Swap Card

2007-10-24T16:55:00.000-07:00

This is the card I did for my 6th of the month swap in October. I was really suppose to use SU only products but I just got this new Bella stamp for Halloween and was too excited NOT to use it. I think she is too cute!

Paper: Only Orange, Basic Black, Whisper White, DCWV
Ink: Basic Black, SU Markers
Stamps: Witchybella

The Little Things

2007-10-24T16:43:00.000-07:00

So I mentioned in my last post that there were a lot more little things that have to drain the bank - Oh I mean happen / get done before the Duster can be started....not that all of these things have anything to do with starting the engine, but I'm trying to put him on a budget and he can only affort certain things at a time.

Spark Plug Wires...

Carpet...

Gauges...

Interior...

The Duster - Part 2

2007-10-24T16:31:00.000-07:00

I believe I mentioned that my husband is building a car. Well, he's REALLY excited now because he finally got to put the engine in it. There are still a bunch of little things that will have to happen and be put on it before it can actually be started, but at least it's in the car. I do have to say though...I sure HATE doing his laundry when he's been working on this thing!!!

Tommy installing the engine (and getting DIRTY!)

Tommy and his Dad after thier hard work and accomplishment

Fire Brigade

2007-09-27T19:09:00.000-07:00

The ladies group at my church (http://www.theharvestchurch.net/)decided to make goody baskets to take to our local Fire Stations as a Thank You. We stuffed them full of cookies and muffins and brownies and took them over on Tuesday afternoon. I made these cards to go into the baskets with a nice thank you note for all they do inside...

Paper: Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White

Ink: Basic Black, Close to Cocoa and Chocolate Chip on edges, SU Markers for coloring

Stamps: Wonderful Words, Fire Brigade

New Shoes

2007-09-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

I always complain when my daughter uses my camera. She is constantly taking it and making goofy videos and taking pictures of the dogs and stuff and ALWAYS RUNS MY BATTERIES DOWN! One time she even threw away my rechargables and put in cheapo ones because they were dead. My charger has to have all 4 in it to charge so then I had to buy more (at $9 a pop). I don't know it always makes me nervous to have her play with my camera, I can't afford to go out and just plop down money for a new one it she drops it or messes it up somehow.

Oh well, enough of my complaining - I found these pictures on it this week, apparently she REALLY liked her new shoes!

Puppy Birthday

2007-09-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

My youngest will be 9 next week. She decided she wanted a "Puppy Birthday". So since I didn't have any dog/puppy stamps, I had to improvise. I went to Party City and found a Puppy themed set of plates, napkins, etc...but of course I had to make the invitations.

I used gable green and tempting turquoise to match the colors on the party supplies. I used the centers of the flowers from the SU Daisy set to make pawprints, then used the Happy Birthday embossing folder on my background and found some cute puppy pics on the internet, put them in MS Word with a text box and printed them on cardstock.

Name Frame

2007-09-12T16:34:00.000-07:00

I participate in a weekly Bible study with our women's group at church. We are a fairly new church and don't even have a building of our own yet. So we meet in a member's home for any extra-cirricular activities outside of Sunday morning service.

This very sweet lady hosts us every week for Bible study and she had a birthday the past weekend. Everyone pitched in for a gift basket for her and I was asked to make a "sign" to go on the front. Needless to say, I got a bit carried away and ended up with a Name Frame.

Stamps: Priceless, Refuge & Strength, Elegant Inspirations

Papers: Whisper White, Basic Black, Only Orange, Pixie Pink, Flowers for You Designer Series

Ink: Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Pixie Pink, Lovely Lilac

Housewarming Card

2007-09-08T08:22:00.001-07:00

A good friend of mine recently moved into a new home. They weren’t planning on moving, but found this house out of the blue and made an offer and moved within like 2 weeks. One day out of the blue she says, “Did I tell you we’re moving?”. I had seen her the previous Saturday, she tells me this on Thursday and they were moving the following weekend!
But they got a really great deal on a FABULOUS house in an upscale neighborhood and I think it is completely paid for! Must be nice!

This card was completely cased from a fabulous stamper on SCS
Stamps: Heart and Home
Paper: Real Red, Confetti White
Ink: Basic Black, Real Red
Accessories: SU Markers

Superbella

2007-09-08T08:16:00.001-07:00

I made this card for a Bella swap I am in. I just love her! I think Bella must be a woman after my own heart, my friends tease me about being Supermom because of all my activities and commitments that I sign up for. I am one of these people that have a hard time saying “No”. I have been known to be Troop Leader for Girl Scouts, Cheer Coach for the peewee squad, Carpool Mom to soccer, softball and swim practices, work two jobs, involved in Beta Sigma Phi and volunteer at church. I’m getting better, but I still loved Superbella – she seems to be doing just as much (if not more) than I am, judging from her website! I’m sure many of you are also Supermoms, it seems that is just the pace of life in the times we live in.

Stamps: Superbella, Happy Thoughts, Bold Basics
Paper: Real Red, Night of Navy, Whisper White, DCWV Scrapbook Paper
Ink: Real Red, Night of Navy, Basic Black
Accessories: Circle Punch, Crimper, SU Markers

6th Swap

2007-09-08T08:08:00.000-07:00

I joined a swap called the 6th of the Month Swap. Basically you are placed in a group of 6 people, you sent each of those people a card on the 6th of every month for 6 months. It is kind of a neat swap because you are getting happy mail every month and everyone in my group has been sending a personal note about themselves each month so I am getting to know some other swappers. We are in the 2nd month, here are the cards I have done so far…

Delight in Life
Stamps: Delight in Life, Stem Sayings
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Old Olive
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Old Olive
Accessories: Circle Punch, Eyelets, Scallop Scissors

Retailfellabella
Stamps: Retailfellabella
Paper: Regal Rose, Lavender Lace, Whisper White, Flowers for You Designer Series Paper
Ink: Basic Black, SU Markers
Accessories: Oval Scallop Punch, Grosgrain Ribbon

Teachabella

2007-09-07T17:08:00.000-07:00

So I mentioned that the girls went back to school last week. Here is a card I made for Kaylee's teacher on the first day of school. I just love Bella and she looks like a really cool teacher - don't ya think!?!?

Stamps: Teachabella

Paper: Real Red, Basic Black, Confetti White & DCWV Scrapbook Paper

Ink: Basic Black, SU Markers

Recipe Swap

2007-09-07T17:07:00.000-07:00

I’m participating in a 6x6 Recipe Card swap. Julie is hosting and every month we swap recipes in a different category to build up our cookbooks. The first month was Pasta. I did Creamy Beef Pasta and Vodka Cream Pasta. This month is a Harvest recipe so it had to be an apple or pumpkin recipe. I submitted Apple Cream Cheese Pie.

Creamy Beef Pasta

Not a lot of stamping on this one.

Stamps: Perfect Party

Paper: Real Red, Tempting Turqoise, Whisper White, DCWV

Ink: Real Red, Tempting Turqoise, Basic Black

Accessories: Scallop Oval Punch, Star Eyelets

Vodka Cream Pasta

Not a lot of stamping on this one either.

Stamps: Delight in Life
Paper: Summer Sun, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White, DCWV

Ink: Summer Sun, Elegant Eggplant, Pixie Pink, Basic Black

Accessories: Square Punch, Eyelets

Apple Cream Cheese Pie

Jeez, not a lot of stamping on any of these apparently.

Stamps: Thoroughly Thankful

Paper: Craft, Real Red, Whisper White, DCWV
Ink: Basic Black, SU Markers
Accessories: Brad

Mini Set Sampler

2007-09-07T14:57:00.000-07:00

I participated in VC Rocks virtual conventions this year. It was a BLAST and I met so many talented ladies. One of the contests I participated in was the Mini Set Sampler contest. What Mini Set Sampler was is that you had to submit 3 cards using images from one stamp set. One cards had to be on a beginner level. And 2 were suppose to be non-beginner cards. I used Watercolor Garden.

Card 1
Stamps: Watercolor Garden
Paper: Lavendar Lace, Pixie Pink, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Elegant Eggplant, Lavendar Lace, Pixie Pink

Card 2
Stamps: Watercolor Garden
Paper: So Saffron, Cameo Coral, Ballet Blue, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, So Saffron, Cameo Coral, Ballet Blue, Certainly Celery

Card 3 (Tri-fold card)
Stamps: Watercolor Garden (Elegant Inspirations)
Paper: Regal Rose, Rose Red, Whisper White
Ink: Regal Rose, Rose Red, Certainly Celery, Cool Carribbean, Summer Sun, Basic Black

CRY BABY!

2007-09-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

My MIL has been talking about wanting a dog for the last several months. My FIL travels quite a bit and a dog would be good company for her. We weren’t sure if she wanted a puppy or something a little older and already trained, or if she even really wanted one. So we decided we would offer her one for her birthday that is coming up this month. Now she is really excited about it and has already started thinking about names. We picked out a rescue pup that is 10 weeks old. She is part Corgi and part Jack Russell Terrier.

She is SUPER cute – but she’s a CRY BABY! I picked her up today and she started crying in the car on the way home. She cried when she met my dogs, she cried if I left her outside (even with the other dogs) and she REALLY cried when I put her in a crate so I could do some work upstairs. You would think she was being beaten to death! It sounds like there are 6 dogs down there! I think she’ll be going home to Mammaw tonight!

Trip to the Moon!

2007-09-07T11:59:00.001-07:00

So I went to Sam Moon with a friend this weekend and got LOTS of bargains! Sam Moon is an Accessory Outlet Store, they sell jewelry, purses, bags, hair accessories and lot of other stuff at REALLY low prices! Of course I spent way too much money but got a lot of good stuff.

I generally go and pick out a bunch of little dainty silver stuff and never anything bold. I always see big bold things on people and think how pretty they are, but just cannot pick them out for myself. My friend Ellie said she has the same problem, so we went together and challenged ourselves to step outside the box. We looked mainly ONLY at the bigger type things that we normally wouldn’t pick out.

I got a new purse, 5 necklaces (with matching earrings),a couple of extra pairs of earrings, a bracelet, 2 necklace sets that I am saving for Christmas gifts and bracelets for the girls and spent a little over $100. Here are a few of the things I got…

Back to School

2007-09-07T11:46:00.000-07:00

Lauren started the 6th grade this year! I was really nervous about it, but she was super excited. So far she is LOVING it! She likes changing classes, likes having a locker and even likes riding the bus!

Kaylee started the 3rd grade this year. She is at the same school and feels like she is missing out on something because her big sister is getting to do something different. She doesn’t adapt as well to change as Lauren does, but I think she’ll get into a groove soon though and will have a lot of fun. Her new teacher seems really nice.

SCS Combo Challenge Card

2007-08-07T16:56:00.000-07:00

I don’t always get to do the weekly challenges on SCS and I don’t know why when I do, I always try and combine them into 1 or 2 cards…but here is my latest submission:

Try a New Technique (TLC 128) – this was the first time I have done this challenge – Paper Tole Flowers I used that on my Card Sketch (SC135) and then used the colors from the Color Challenge (CC126) to do the whole thing. :o)

Stamps: Bud Basics
Paper: Soft Sky, Night of Navy
Ink: Cameo Coral, Craft White
Accessories: Rhinestone Brad, Cuttlebug Emboss Folder
Techniques: Paper Tole Flowers

I Got RAK'd

2007-08-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

I got happy mail today! I received 2 super cute RAKS from my Stampin’ friends.
Loni Holt who I’m on VCRocks with sent me this sweet Friendship card.

Rochelle Wick, list mom for ImpressionsbyRochelle sent me this sparkly Fishy Friends card that she made while on vacation.

Spa Party

2007-08-07T15:36:00.000-07:00

My oldest daughter had her birthday a couple of weeks ago and we had a Spa Party. I set up stations for the girls to have manicures, pedicures, facials (complete with cucumbers for our eyes) and hair. I recruited my sisters and a couple of moms to come help, played soothing “spa” music and had little finger munchies (i.e. fruit & veggie trays, cucumber sandwiches & smoothies in large plastic martini glasses).

We then played a game where the girls had to team up, choose a “model” and design an outfit using newspaper, brown paper, foil & duck tape. It left QUITE a mess.

I made Invitations and goody bag items we made using Spabella from Stamping Bella and SU’s Bubble Queen set. I even used Spabella on the cake!

INVITATIONS
Stamps: Stamping Bella - Spabella
Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Cool Carribbean, Whisper White
Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Basic Black Accessories: Ribbon, Scallop Punch, Cuttlebug, Markers

NOTEPAD & PENS
Stamps: SpaBella, Bubble Queen
Paper: Cool Caribbean, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Markers, Ribbon

BATH SALTS
Stamps: Bubble Queen
Paper: Cool Caribbean, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Markers

The Thank You cards we made using Giftabella.
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Stamps: Giftabella, Wonderful Words, Delight in Life
Paper: Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Ink: Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Basic Black
Accessories: Scallop Punches

We had a big breakfast the next morning and everyone went home. Lots of “bed head” going on here! :o)