Best of 2011

And the winners are...

Best Big Thing - Big Gus Worlds Largest Chainsaw

Best Weekend Layover - Toronto with L's (they also close seconds for best hosts)

Best Roadtrip Taken in a Cube - Burlington, VT (I'm thinking we should rent a cube once a year)

Best Summertime Activity - Italian Street Fair (clearly we need to work on getting Bri-town to smile.

Best Record - Scandalous Music for Nice Girls (Michele I need to still make a copy of this puppy).

Best Room with a View - London - County Hall Marriott Honey Moon Suite

Best Ferris Wheel - London Eye

Best Dance Moves - Momo at Schreve's Wedding sadly I cannot find a photo of her just me.

Best Wedding - Schreve and A

Best White Trash Activity - Brickyard Practice (I got in for free but still got a wicked sunburn)

Best BFF Time - Lafayette

Best Sun Rise - Sandstone Beach UP (might also be best swim)

Best Penguin Adventure - August I cannot wait to come back years later and find these.

Best Hosts - John and Jo Ann (thanks for the stories, food, hospitality, and memories)

 Best Castle - Rosenborg

 Best Photobooth - Wedding Booth

When I look back 2011 was awesomesauce I have been truly blessed with the best family, best friends, and best adventures more than I could have asked for.

New Years with Big Things

For New years I took a roadtrip to St. Louis with my mom and sister. We saw many big things. It was so spontaneous and fun. And it was good to get away just a few days. It was also awesome because Momo and Lita had never been to St. Louis. So of course a trip to the arch was needed.  We didn't really plan anything except the arch before we arrived.  When we got there we looked up places on iPhone Apps, and in a magazine in our hotel room and we planned what we wanted to see - interesting weirdness mostly with a side of ice cream, and pizza for Lita.   It was great to plan it out that way so we could map it all out and hit stop after stop instead of being like "what's next".  It worked well. Anyhow now for some photos.  

Da Arch

Big Ugly Indian.  This sculpture is apparently repulsive even to the artist.  I kind of liked him.

Union Station. 

Giant Snapping Turtle. 

Giant Tortise

Mini Giant Baby Turtle (that's an oxymoron)

Lita on Snapping Turtle

This could eat you.

Elephant at the zoo - you know what I loved about the zoo - it's FREE - meaning we could just go and see what we wanted and leave.

Like the Penguin Exhibit

Which you can practically touch.  It was great for the last Penguin adventure of 2012.

Giant Shoe Made of Shoes. 

Giant Catsup Bottle. 

We had lunch at this adorable diner when the other place we attempted to try was closed.

View from the arch.

Here we are at the top all blurry and such.

We also went to Goodwill Outlet - which is kinda "yucky"  but I did spend $0.22 and got a hand made hat and a coin purse.  And we saw this guy which made the adventure priceless.  Yes that's right he's wearing a fur cap, green sunglasses and his GIANT earphones.  He was all business looking for some great finds.

I also snapped this photobooth strip.

I found a giant bobble head which BTW they do NOT want you to touch. Whoops luckily I did not have to buy him as he was $10K and I don't even know his name.

Favs - Goals & Lists

Quick blog post tonight - I have like 9 other posts in the works but I need to read my book for this week.  One of my most favorite things is Goals and Lists. I'm a super big dork I know! But I love making my big 52 things list every year I actually start it on my phone in notepad long before it ever gets posted here. I also have other more like daily goals and lists I track in my phone things like put away clothes and get gym socks.  Anyhow I think if you are reading this you should link up to Thea's blog with your goals for 2012 (yes that's goals not resolutions - goals are attainable measureable items, resolutions are just empty thoughts).  Do it because it's cool.  Do it because it's fun.  Do it even if you only have 4 goals.  Happy Friday people!  Click Here to see the other Favs on Friday.

December - Best of Life Video #12

Here is the 12th and final installment of the Best of Life Videos from 2011. I accidentally deleted like three segments of the footage too - whoops! Song is Joe Cocker's - I Get By with A Little Help from My Friends. If you need to see the rest of the videos they are here.  This has been a fun way to document my life and I love that it's full of imperfections because so is life.  In 2012 I'm thinking I might need to change it up a bit - but I'm not sure if I will or not yet.

2011 Quilting by Numbers

6 Completed Quilts 

3 Additional Tops

2 pieced backs

45 blocks on deck

5 charity blocks

5 bee blocks
Prepare to DOUBLE those numbers in 2012 - Yes that's right!

Seems like a lot more when it's all posted together sorry the photos are ridiculous. 

Best of Life - November has Come - Video #11

Here is the 11th segment of my videos for 2011 - the songs used are November has Come by Gorillaz and Changing by Airborne Toxic Event.  I found some templates in the editing software and I'm liking creating these much more now - this has been a fun project and I can't wait to continue it in 2012 and document more of my life this way.  To view prior videos click here.

If you can't get the above to work you can view the video here.

"Da List" 52 Things in 2012

2012 already that means it's time for another list!  Last year I completed 34 items on my list and I finished two things 1/2 way.  As I've said before it's not about completing everything as much as it is exploring things I want to do and holding myself accountable.  2011 was a great year so many memorable moments.  My friend Rachael told me that it was the year of the girlfriend - she is partially right as for me it was more the year of the friends.  I easily made 10 new friends last year - lasting great friendships and I strengthened other friendships I had as well.  It was the year of the penguin for our family and we went off on many penguin adventures.  It was also a good year for crafting even though I have so many 1/2 finished projects.   

Anyhow I'll be recapping some special moments later this week but without further ado here is "Da List" of goals.

1. Station Wagon (you still allude me)

2. Study the Bible more - Lets consider this finished - I did several bible studies and some daily readings maybe 1/4 of the year.

3. Trivia night - Done and we won with our secret weapon aka Lynley (you rock girl)

4. Go to the Horse Races

5. Have SJ and Jackie to Indy

6. Finish 12 quilts - #1,#2,#3, #4,#5, #6

7. Layover trip with Jono - Not a traditional Layover but I think we did some serious eating in Detroit considering this done.

8. Go Camping - Memorial Day Done!

9. Family Vacation (oh how we look forward to these) - Mini Family Vacation - Done!

10. Restyle my Filing Cabinet - Done

11. Run 366 miles

12. Visit Thea and Paul - Complete

13. Use my letterpress

14. IMQG Showdown (yes that's right I'm putting it on my list)

15.Take Lita to a Club

16. Italy, Asia, or Africa

17. Make end tables - Bought repurposed - DONE

18. Go back to college or at least take a class

19. Give tell it hurts - This is hard to quantify but I gave more than I have any other year both in time and and money - so I'm satisfied with this.

20. _____________ with JJ and FCH - We went to CVS?  I also went Dress Shopping with JJ - So let's consider this done.

21. Kitchen Remodel - DONE

22. Monthly Hiking Adventures with Momo and Family. - #1 Cultural Trail, #2 Easter To Church, #3 Secret Agent Momo's Day,

23. See some live music - Done Worship Roadshow, Starbucks Acoustics,

24. Make something in my food processor - Smoothies twice.  DONE

25. Vintage Game Night - Complete

26. Grow another vegetable - beans, broccoli, asparagus - DONE New kind of Tomatoes - they were green.

27. Canvas painting with Alicia

28. Adventure with Jeanne and Kim - Individually with each - DONE

29. Install my new door

30. Thrift at least once a quarter with Rach and Tish

31. Dinner at new restaurants - Complete both in Indy and Raleigh.

32. Lunch with Jilly B - CHECK

33. Seal my floors

34. Spend time with Minniears

35. Spring Break in Montreal - Complete

36. FaceTime Sammie - Complete

37. Scrapbook with Queen

38. Brown County Hike with Schreve and Alicia

39. Naco Taco truck with Kathleen

40. Eat at Recess

41. Clean the studio - Sorta

42. Watch some of my favorite movies

43. ______ with my Citigroup - DONE - We had so many fun moments adventures in 2013 my favorite by far was basketball even though it wasn't exclusively citigroup.

44. 10 crafty projects - Crafty #1,Craft #2,Craft #3, Craft #4, Craft #5, Craft #6, Craft #7, Craft #8 not photoed Ornaments for IMQG and for Dustin

45. Send JJ and FCH a MLK/Christmas Gift - COMPLETE AND RECEIVED

46. Ride a new bike trail - Complete Montreal

47. Document Life - Done - Project Life, Blogging, Videos all good documentation.

48. Visit Memphis

49. Do something out of my comfort zone - Wedding Dress Shopping This Takes the cake on this one.

50. Read a Book a Week - Started See 52 Books
51. Continue with the monthly videos - 1-10 DONE - I need to finish off the last few but I have to pick the song first - considering this finished though. 

52. Make Another List - DONE
PS if you want you can also make a list even if it's not 52 things and link up on my Aunt Thea's Blog here.