Better luck next time

Admittedly, I was a terrible blogger. However, I will be donating $46.15 to a yet-to-be-determined charity (anyone know much about Heifer International?) and trying again. I feel like I did more than 40% of my list, but this time I will focus more! The experiences I did check off my bucket list were amazing; taking an Italian class and honeymooning in Italy, playing indoor soccer and meeting some really great friends and teammates, reading non-fiction books...all things I may not have tried if I hadn't written them down and had that motivation to drive me. So I am compiling my new list, which has a little bit of a different style now that I have my other half to consider as well.

Less than 2 months left!

A few more completed- JH and I took advantage of one of his 4 day weekends (26!) to drive to Colorado and explore. We camped at Mueller State Park (12!), rode a dinner train through the Royal Gorge (91!), hiked through the Garden of the Gods and drove all the way up Pike's Peak.

There are less than 2 months left until my deadline...wonder how much I'll be donating to charity? Just glancing at the list, I feel like I've accomplished a lot, but when I add it up, there are over 40 things left! Guess it's going to be a busy few months.

32, 35, 52

Three more down! We are officially settled in our apartment in Kansas, and if anyone wants to visit, we have an extra bedroom :). We also embraced our new home and went to the Kansas State Rodeo, held right on the KState campus. Now I want to rope a goat, an event of which I was unaware.

Last but not least, I took a Live and Learn class at GTCC- italian! It was very basic but a good basis for the week of travel in Italy- we leave in less than a week!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! This year I will finish my 1001 days, wish me luck!

This next month will be spent cleaning, packing, unpacking, more cleaning and saying goodbyes. It's hard to believe that in 30 days I will be living in Kansas, but I'm excited because it means JH will be home soon. There are so many things I planned to do before I left, and I'm going to try to fit in as many as possible.

So basically, I'm an awful blogger. But today, I signed a lease for JH and I in Kansas!

As 2012 wraps up, I am ecstatic to announce that I finished all my Christmas shopping before the first of this month! Huge check beside #95. Now I can concentrate on packing and moving and refinishing all the furniture I've accumulated while JH has been gone.

We also completed #47 and bought Apple stock right before the iPhone5 was released. Dun dun dun... it has steadily lost worth since then. Guess we'll just hold on to it and hope for the best!

Gooooooooaaaallllllll

Completed #85! I played in 2 different indoor soccer leagues at the Sportsplex this winter. We came in 2nd in one league, and 2nd to last in the other, but we had a good time. The spring season started this week!

So I don't get involved in politics too often, but I really dislike the idea of my Pinterest being censored.

Goin' to the chapel

#21 gets a big ol' fat check mark.

300 days

Yesterday marked 300 days... so I wasn't as productive as I had hoped during my last 100 days, but I did start working again- two weeks earlier than expected!

Tasks completed since last time:
11. Visit Jess in Asheville.
19. Have a yard sale.
50. Go to a parade.
63. Go to UNC's homecoming.
66. Hike to the top of a mountain.
71. Pick my own pumpkin and carve it.
84. Visit NYC for the first time.
99. Do a zipline course.

22.8 % complete with 10 goals in progress.

I'm not really sure what I want to do in the next 100 days. I'll finish working this job, then figure out what to do next!

Working on #7, happy belated birthday to my bestie!
Also, JH and I completed #66 (how appropriate) and climbed the Devil's Marbleyard on Saturday. All the way to the top. I say climbed, not hiked, because it was boulders the entire way up. Here is the view from halfway up:
And the view that made climbing that high totally worth it:

Let them eat cake!

So I got a little fancy for mom's birthday cake last week- check out this ish.

Double your fun!

Two more tasks completed this weekend! As far as #50, I smashed it out of the park; not only did I go to a parade, I was in a parade, and I rode in a humvee. VT's homecoming was this past weekend and JH had to drive the humvee for the cadet on homecoming court (who won homecoming king!!).


The next day, we went to Sinkland Farms for a "corn maze" and hayride. I was not particularly impressed, seeing how the corn maze was not actually a maze, but more of a wander-in-and-out-the-same-exit. What good is a maze if you have no goal?! We had a fabulous time nudging pumpkins down the hill in the pumpkin patch though. We carved pumpkins later that evening, wielding our baby knives to create a ghost, a headless horsemen, and a graveyard (carved by Steven and Rebekah). #71 gets a nice big check! Or italicized, in this case.

The Big Apple #84

This time last weekend, I was living it up at Wicked Willy's in the heart of Manhattan. Now, I'm planning what cupcakes to make my little brother for Halloween and trying to figure out how to make his costume. I'm a superb big sister, I know, but I think I'd prefer a night on the town. The best part of my trip to NYC- going to Top of the Rock. BK, Katie and I went after sunset and it was breathtaking to see all the lights in every direction. The dark area in the middle is Central Park; BK and I managed to entirely turned around in The Ramble on Friday.


Unrelated, but still fun, I built a table for JH's new apartment out of an old wooden window! Also, since I never posted for finishing a week of paleo, it goes without saying that I was tempted by cake 5 days into the attempt. Just have to try again!

Cedar Point

#87 can be checked off again- JH and I went to Ohio with 2 other fabulous couples this weekend. We spent Thursday and Friday exploring Kelley's Island, then raged for 2 days at Cedar Point. My top three rides: Top Thrill Dragster, shooting you from 0 to 120 mph in 4 seconds; Millennium Force, the #1 steel coaster in the world; and the Maverick, which drops you at a 95 degree angle. So fun!

Asheville- 11 and 99 complete!

I spent the past few days in Asheville and Highlands, visiting Jess and my little brother. Jess and I did a zipline course at Navitat on Tuesday and zipped over the valley between two mountains! Wednesday we drove up the Blue Ridge Parkway to Crabtree Falls. One of my favorite parts of Asheville is the food; there are so many specialty restaurants and everything is delicious and usually organic. We ate at Twisted Crepe, Tupelo Honey, Green Sage and City Bakery and I would recommend any of them if you're in the area, especially Twisted Crepe!

One of the nights I made the harrowing drive to Highlands, where my little brother is studying at the biological station for the semester. We went up to Sunset Rock that night, and in the morning, he woke me up at 7:30AM to go jump in a waterfall before he had to go to class. So cold!

Cha-ching!

Yesterday, I completed #19! The News & Record held their annual Newspapers In Education yard sale, and for a $30 donation, I set up in 2 of their parking spaces along with about 100 other people. I think it was a fair trade for the advertising and the space since my house is quite a ways off the road and would have been difficult for a yard sale. My little cousins brought their old toys and clothes too, and went home with a nice bundle of cash. JH and I will hopefully be using our profits to help fund our Cedar Point trip at the end of the month. Success!

Kale.

I started eating paleo yesterday, and it has been tough. Breakfast consists of spinach omelets, and my other meals have ranged from butternut squash soup to orange shrimp. I've been tracking everything I eat on fitday, and I am shocked by the number of carbs in fruit, fruit juice and honey. There is nothing good left to eat!!! I tried making paleo apple muffins, but the taste of almond flour is so heavy; needless to say, they were not satisfying. Tomorrow brings the promise of sauteed kale, can't wait.

200 days

A fifth of my allotted time has passed, so time to update again.

(The entire list!)

Tasks completed since last time:
1. Save $2500.
5. Remove all but 2 facebook games from my account.
23. Make JH a bowtie.
44. Try 5 new restaurants.
53. Host a party.
59. Go on a tour at Red Oak Brewery.
68. Go to a concert/see live music.
80. Find and purchase the perfect pair of boots. (They are soooo beautiful, I'll post a picture when they are seasonally appropriate).
87. Go to an amusement park.
94. Take JH Up North.
98. Learn to apply make-up, including liquid eyeliner.

16.8% complete, with 10 goals in progress.

Goals to complete in the next 100 days:
6. Back up my computer. (This is really getting crucial).
9. Eat strictly paleo for 1 week.
11. Visit Jess for a weekend.
12. Camp 5 times. (Or just once).
19. Have a yard sale.
56. Conquer Sporcle's Countries of the World quiz by myself.
63. Attend UNC Homecoming every year. (GO HEELS!)
83. Finish my Carolina t-shirt quilt. (It's only been a year and a half...).
84. Visit NYC for the first time!
90. Create an etsy shop. (Anyone need some fab bowties?)
99. Do a zipline course.

It looks ambitious, but I don't work full time again until October, so I'm diving in headfirst!

Lake Michigan: unsalted.

Vacation is over, successfully completing #94. JH survived 2 1/2 weeks with my family, and I daresay he enjoyed it. After hiking the Cottonwood Trail to Sleeping Bear Dunes. Somebody needs a haircut.

Sunset over the dunes and the Manitou Islands.

Thrill Capital of the Southeast!!!!!

After my last day at Dr. Cathey's, Ashley and I decided to tear it up at Carowinds, completing #87. It was a rainy, gray day, but better for us- incredibly short lines and bearable temperatures. Here we are in front of The Duck, with the Intimidator behind us.We rode the Intimidator three times, and it was FABULOUS.

Vacation Time

I've accomplished quite a bit in the last month, but seeing as I didn't bring my USB cable up north, pictures and updates will have to wait. Michigan, as usual, is gorgeous. More importantly, it's an average of 15 degrees cooler than it is back home. We leave Sunday- expect a slew of posts afterwards!