52 goals from 2013.

On new years day I was a guest Blogger for Lemon and Raspberry. I blogged about my 52 goals. You can check it out here.  I'm pretty excited about my 2014 list which I'll be posting either later today or tomorrow depending on when I get my list typed in. 

I updated my list from 2013 and I completed 33 things and 4 partially.  Not to shabby I don't think of course that's about where I always finish off.   I am a little sad I only completed 3 quilts in 2013 that seems rather depressing - especially since two were baby quilts and one was 1/2 finished in 2012.  I did however craft a wedding the first part of the year which is time consuming.  I also almost finished with Project Life 2013 and I pretty much think that project is one of my favorites from last year.  And I did take almost a photo a day all last year and that's a fun project too.  But next year I'm going to make a point to intentionally finish certain projects. 

Stay tuned for the 2014 and for the remaining videos of 2013 I finished a few but can't decide on songs. 

#7 Be Spontaneous with Amy

So for Amy's birthday we got spontaneous #7 from the list.   We started out picking her up blind folding her and taking her to the JW for a slumber party (that was also #38 on my list).  She was so excited she also had no idea what was happening.  

The after church Sunday we had a surprise limo pick her up for lunch and cupcakes.  Lunch was mcdonalds because Amy loves mcdonalds. 

Then we got dropped off at Game paradise for a surprise with more friends and 1300 board games to play.  It was super fun.  Happy birthday Amy!

Best of Life Videos - September 2013

This is a really short video sadly. However I do love the clip in the middle where Dustin tries to out cartwheel our friends daughter Meghan who's like 9. It's totally priceless - I cannot wait for him out cartwheel our kids or at least try. The song is Thunder Clatter - Wild Cub (Youth) which from the moment I heard I knew I wanted to use it for a video. I even put it in a video song list - we can use more songs like that.  PS Not sure why the video is so blurry it's fine in the original file.

Best of Life Videos - August 2013

Prepare to be seeing several of these in the next few weeks as I try and get caught up. This is from August 2013. 
August was a crazy busy but fun month. We went to Detroit, Columbus, Northern California, and we were home for a bit as well, good times in the summer.   Three main themes from August 1) Baseball, 2) Boats, 3) Paul & Carolina's Wedding - that's where my videos and photos were concentrated I had to cut out a lot of photos I took at these events so this video wasn't 45 minutes long.  The song is Get Lucky by Daft Punk - I totally get that the lyrics are a little inappropriate for the video but I love this song and it was definitely hitting my playlist strong in August. If the video below doesn't work click here to view straight on you tube.

Best of Life Videos - July 2013 "It's Time"

I'm waaaaaay behind on videos! I tried making them on my iPad in iMovie which proved to be a bigger pain, which I thought would make it simpler I could download the images video from my photo stream or google drive and make it in a snap.   Well iMovie didn't want to find the videos I recorded not a single one. It also didn't want me to pick the zooming/panning of the photos or the duration.  I do however like the way iMove did the title slide.  But either way this month is done and I can now move onward to August.  
The song is It's Time by Imagine Dragons.  Direct Link to this on YouTube in case it's not working on your phone is here.  To see more of the videos you can find them here. 

#51 Bake Pies with LoLo

51 on the list was to bake with LoLo (my almost sister in law). Well this Thanksgiving we did just that.  We made pies.  Apple Stresudel and Cherry - yum.

Lo likes baking.  I like baking. And we all like eating.

Our pies were quite lovely even though I under estimated how many cherries were in a bag. 

Yay for spending time with LoLo and crossing something off the list.

Best of Life Videos - June 2013

Here is the June Video.  About time.  The song is the Decemberists - June Hymn.  Click here for the direct youtube link.

Update on the 2013 List

I was thinking about my list the other day. It's amazing how time goes by and I forget the things I put on the list. I also tend to lose track of things I finished. So it's good to touch base and update the progress.  There are a handful that are pretty easy and I might do them soon.

I have actually finished 17 items on my list. That seems pretty respectable to me. Things finished: 

1. Get Married. 

3. Purge some things not worn or used in a year. 

 9. Goodbye party/dinner for Jono and LoLo. 

 12. Add Dustin's family to the Wall. 

13. Volunteer at _Dragon Boat________. 16. Install the master bedroom door. 

 18. Organize my headband collection 20. Pinterest project with Kathleen 

21. Bike ride 

23. Finish Jono's Quilt 

28. Birthday celebration for Dustin. 

 29. Celebrate Lita’s 21st. 

30. Have a PhotoBooth. - Wedding Photobooth. 

37. Drive In Movies. 

39. Go Swimming in a lake or the ocean. - Both Check

42. Take Kemi for a brownie and ice cream. 

43. Open time capsules with Kim and Jeanne. 

And I have started 7 other things too. I'm pretty hopeful I will finish about 5 of these. 

 4. Make 10 quilts - just 4 

6. Take 365 photos (yes I'm trying this again). - STARTED 

 11. 25 first dates (as a married couple). 22. Memory Jar - Started 

26. Project Life. - In Progress 

32. Continue working towards those 52 books. 

34. Drink water - In progress 

Jono's Picnic blanket

Finally I finished this quilt I started over two years ago for Jono for Christmas.  I made quilts that year with pieces of our childhood picnic blanket it in - you might recall the giant chevrons, and the house quilt.  Anyhow this one and all it's small triangles was bound to kill me.  I am not a triangle quilter.  But I finished it.  I love the monochromatic prints together though.  Many of the prints were purchased at my favorite local shop Crimson Tate.  The faded blue with the flowers is our old blanket.  I also detest the dark navy fabric on the back it shows too many flaws. My machine was throwing a fit when with the quilting when I was using my walking foot.  When I switched to my regular it was fine - that's what I get trying to use the right foot.  

Anyhow Jono enjoy the birthday/Christmas present and many fun picnics to come!

171/365

Another week down.  I got to be home this week which was needed and it was good. 

Monday - The IMQG leadership team met.  Baby porter joined us.

Tuesday - red beard and his ladies won 2nd place at Trivia night.

Wednesday - was Dustin and I went out to celebrate and hit the batting cages and got ice cream.

Thursday - I spent some time snuggling with my husband

Friday - I worked on projects like adding Dustin's family to the photo wall.  Which is actually #12 on my list and its finished.  

Saturday - big date night at Bynums steakhouse (this was a place Dustin had been wanting to go)

Sunday - Dustin took 2nd place twice in an ugly tie and awesome beard contest at church.  I hope someone got better pictures of his WWJD tie it's pretty awesome.

Project Life week 23

Week 22 I used some glimmer mist to make the card on the back side which I added a bit of journaling to.    I also had been saving that "Hi" card which was junk mail for what seemed like forever and it worked well as the title card.    I also used some wedding, letter stickers someone gave me and some old old leftover travel stickers too.  Chalk one up for using old supplies and gifts.   There is a pocket I made to hold the wedding invitation and wedding program where ever that ran off to.  This week was the same week I sprained my ankle and so there's journaling from that.

Project Life - Week 21

This fell together super easy.  Most of the photos are from the weekend but really the week week part was super boring.  I printed out journalling about the week in review and title on cardstock.  I added in some ribbon and some bling and boom we had a week done.

Summer Reading - A Clash of Kings Book 19

I finished my first summer reading book - it's the second Game of Thrones Book - A Clash of Kings by RR Martin.  This book was equally as good as the first in the series although it seemed to jump around more than the first, keeping the story intertwined with the characters.  It had many twists I was not expecting.  After reading this one the various lands and areas seem to start to make sense.  Anyhow it was a good read and I started the third since I got it from the library too.  

2013 List Update - June

I haven’t provided an update on the 2013 for a while. So I thought it was due time. Surprisingly I have actually made some headway. Although looking at the list I’m WAY behind on some, but having 12 complete and 11 in progress seems pretty good. 

11 of 52 In Progress: 
4. Make 10 quilts (clearly last years 12 was too ambitious) . - One, 
 6. Take 365 photos (yes I'm trying this again) – Almost ½ way 
7. Be spontaneous with Amy. – In the works 
11. 25 first dates (as a married couple). – Started I need to write a summary of these. 
12. Add Dustin's family to the Wall. - Printed. 
14. Walk or Run 700 miles – I lost track already this year! I have run 25 miles total, and I usually average between 7,000-10,000 steps a day – which is about 3-5 miles total. So roughly I’m pretty sure I’m close to this. 22. Memory Jar - Started 
23. Finish Jono's Quilt – Finished top 
26. Project Life. – I’m almost caught up. 
32. Continue working towards those 52 books.- Book 12,Book 13, Book 14, Book 15, Book 16, Book 17, 
33. Volunteer at Wheeler. – Coming in June 

12 of 52 Complete: 
1. Get Married. - Done 
2. Basketball with Sammie. – Crossing Off I went and saw her play. 
3. Purge some things not worn or used in a year. - Complete 
9. Goodbye party/dinner for Jono and LoLo. - Goodbye and Glowgolf 
16. Install the master bedroom door. - DONE 
18. Organize my headband collection - ORGANIZED 
20. Pinterest project with Kathleen - Completed 
21. Bike ride
28. Birthday celebration for Dustin. - Omaha and Bacon Party 
30. Have a PhotoBooth. - Wedding Photobooth. 
43. Open time capsules with Kim and Jeanne. - OPENED 

52 Books - Girls In White Dresses - Book 18

Girls in  White Dresses by Jennifer Close was on that summer reading list along with Friday Night Knitting that someone gave me and again I was not so impressed with it.  Clearly I need another summer reading list that doesn't involve books about girls who seem so blah.  This book jumped around so much covering a vast array of girls going to weddings of other girls, and girls who do not seem to be good friends and girls who just whine and seem loathsome.  It was not my kind of book obviously, albeit a quick read.   I have now discarded the other books on the list and put several non-fiction books on hold at the library and I'm working my way thru book 2 of Game of Thrones, which while I don't care much for fantasy books I'm finding the series can at least keep my attention.
 

#21 Bike Ride

Yup that's right went for a bike ride yesterday!  Discovered that probably all the bikes we have need to be services but rode through a 2 mile ride anyhow.  The chain proceeded to pop off my bike right after we got back to the house so that was good.  Hoping to get more riding in before the summer is up so I better get these serviced.  We also made it back just before the torrential downpour - huzzah!

Project Life - Week 6, 8 & 9

I am still a few weeks behind on Project Life but hey look here's a few weeks I did do.  Sometimes when I do these I think that my life is so dull and boring, and these pages are too.  But it's my life and I love it and sometimes it's boring and sometimes its not and that's how it is. Now if I could just figure out a way to jazz these up a little bit.  I really need to dig out my supplies from the studio and put them into my travel kit.  I am working on using old supplies like rick rack, stamps, giant sticker letters, and  journalling spots.
Week 6 partial travel partial home week - I love how I spelled out NYC using the "c" from Mac Bar box.  Additionally I cut up pieces from a hotel marketing literature I saved to fill in some of the empty spaces.  I also used part of a Chipotle paper bag to journal on. 

Week 8 mostly just pictures and sticker letters nothing terribly fancy.  I did save the fish I made in children's church and used it one of the pockets as well as a sweet note from Amy.   

Week 9 I spent the week in NYC and for the weekend we to Omaha for Dustin's Birthday.  No real special techniques used here either.  I did use some of Seafoam kit like the title card and the True Story on the back side.  I also saved a few trinkets I want to make a pocket for Dustin's cards but I haven't yet.

700 Miles Part 1

So I have set off to run/walk 700 miles in 2013 (#14).  Today it's a little over 1/6 of the year in the books I'm at 44.5 miles walked and 10 ran.  Not really impressive numbers.  I should be closer to 116 miles at this point of the year and thus I'm already halfway behind.  
Walking has been easy especially when I'm on the road in NYC I would say 85% of these miles were from my travel.  The biggest challenge in NYC aside from the cold is making sure I turn on my app to track the steps and miles, I'm quite certain that this number should be higher because I can think of several walks I didn't turn the app on for (recently I decided to just not close the app which helps me remember).  When I'm home I've been filling my time with wedding projects and spending time with Dustin and friends and it's been snowy and cold which makes for walking outside not exactly fun and I've never been a big fan of going  to the mall to walk.
Running has taken a huge backseat this year - I am back down to running 1-2 miles rather than 4, and when I go I really dread it - I feel my sense of dislike toward running growing again.  I'm hoping warmer weather and getting off the treadmill will help. 
Regardless all this needs to change if I'm going to make up ground and get back on track.  With that said I added running/walking to my to-do list for this coming week and I'm hoping to push myself to run further and not worry about the mile times as much.

#9 Goodbye Party/Glow golf

As I looked over my 52 list.  I realized I've been making better progress this year so far than I thought - #9 Goodbye Party for Jono and Lo was completed weeks ago.    The week before Jono moved we made a family day to send Jono and Lo off.  We bought some Groupons which made glow golf like 70% off and then we headed downtown for some family glow golf.  Dustin hailed the best golfer and also won the football throwing challenge and beat Joe at air hockey (clearly making him the day's champion).  We followed up with California pizza kitchen because it was close and is relatively affordable.  In hindsight I wish I had snapped a family photo before he moved but he'll be back for our wedding so we'll just wait until then. 

Jono and I also had our own personnel party where we went around Indy to eat at Jono's favorite places.  We started out with the Tres Leche cake at Barcelona Tapas, and then followed that with fish and chips from Chatham Tap - we attempted to go to 45 for sushi as well but they weren't open yet so instead we hit the batting cages at the Bat Cave together where we hit baseballs for around 30 minutes quickly realizing you need gloves and a bat for this activity. But it was a good way to spend time together.