The end......

Well, I did not finish all 29 things on my list before I turned 30, even though I extended my time through my birthday weekend! I'm very happy with myself though and everything that I was able to cross off my list!
I had a GREAT 30th birthday too which is most important! Dinner with my family on my birthday, dinner and bowling with friends the next day and the best part, a suprise getaway with my mom and sister! I was picked up at 6:30 am Saturday, blind-folded and driven to the airport. I had no idea where we were! I thought I be able to tell where we were driving even though I had a blind-fold on, but I got so turned around, I had no idea! We flew to Chicago for the night! We shoppped, went to the spa where I had the BEST facial I've ever had, ate lots of yummy food and stayed at the Ritz-Carlton in a $750 room! We were upgraded to that room at no additional charge! Thanks for the best birthday ever!

Check back Monday to see my list.....I'm hoping to accomplish one or two more things.....or maybe the rest of the list! Who knows, but probably not :) I decided I'm giving myself through my birthday weekend to complete!

16. Make something crafty

I LOVE scrapbooking and making crafty things, but just can't find the time anymore.....I don't know why??!! :) That's why I put this on my list.....to make myself find time to do something I really enjoy. And, it only took me until the day before my birthday to do it! :) I painted these letters for my friend Maria's little girl's room. I did the same for her younger sister, Josie when she was born LAST August and since then, Ella wanted letters for her room! I just never got around to doing it! Can't wait to give them to her.

26. Ride a bike

Thank you Maria for letting me borrow your bike so I could see if I still remembered how to ride one! It's been MANY years since I've riden a bike! I still remembered how, but I was a little shakey on my turns!

15. Lose 29 pounds

Well, I didn't lose 29 pounds, but I did lose 23 pounds! I'm very happy with that and I'm still working on it! Slowly, but hopefully it will stay off that way!

14. Play the lottery

I bought my first lottery ticket Sunday! The big drawing is today...or tonight, not sure when they draw for these things! I'm sure you'll hear quickly if I win the big bucks! I also bought two scratch off, but didn't win anything :( Guess it's because I'm going to win the Mega Millions!

5. Go on a vacation or trip with the family

We just got back from Destin, Florida!! The first time the boys have been to the beach and it was a great trip! We stayed in a four bedroom condo with my parents, sister and her family and brother and his family - 8 adults, a seven year old and 4 boys 2 years old and younger! The place was very nice, the water was clear, very white sand, and a VERY warm pool! We had great weather - it only rained twice, but not for long.

10. Spend the day at the spa

Well, I didn't get to spend the day at the spa, but I did get my toes and nails done for vacation! My mom and I got pedicures and manicures which was relaxing! My plan was to get a bunch of girls who just turned 30 or were about to turn 30 to spend the day at a an overnight spa, but because of money and everyone's busy schedules, it never happened. A group of us are going to try and do this in the fall - I hope we get it together!

9. Donate to a charity AND 27. Run 3 miles

Two more items off my list! Saturday, I ran my very first 5K! My best friend Suzanne told me back in March that I should run the Lady Fleet Feet Distance Classic with her so that I could acheive my goal or running 3 miles. I honestly did not think I would be able to run the whole thing - the most I had run up to that day was 2.1 miles just 6 days before the race. AND, my time was not good when I ran the 2.1 miles, but I wasn't concerned about how long it would take me to finish the race, I just wanted to be able to run the entire thing! I did it! I never once walked and I completed the race in a lot shorter of a time than I expected. If it wasn't for Suzanne though, I don't think I would have done that well. Thanks so much Suzanne for inspiring me to run the race and for your encouragement. Who would have thought that the two of us would ever run anything!

Not the best picture, but I had to post one! This is after the race!

All the money donated to the race went to Cincinnati Children's Hopsital Cervical Cancer research. It was perfect because when I decided back in January that I wanted to donate to a charity I had Cincinnati Children's Hospital in mind so I'm very happy the money went there!

2. Get a full nights sleep – 8 hours!

I don't have a picture to post with this one, but I'm excited to say that I got 8 hours and 45 minutes of sleep last night!!! I went to bed at 11:00 pm and I slept straight through, no interruptions and woke up at 7:45 am! Both boys were still asleep even! It was great! I was full of energy this morning so I took the boys to storytime at the library at 10:00, then we went to the bank, vacuumed my car and then got my oil changed! We were home by 12:15, just in time for lunch and now the boys are napping! I think I need one too :)

24. Drink only water for one day – at least 64 ounces

So, this may seem silly to most people, but it really was a challenge for me! First of all, for some reason, I just don't drink a lot of liquids throughout the day. I could go most of the day without anything to drink! I'm most thirsty at night so I usually have a bottle of water then, otherwise, I have to force myself to drink water the rest of the day. Secondly, I LOVE Diet Coke so I almost always have one can a day! Yesterday, I realized I had made it most of the day without having a Diet Coke so I decided it was the day to make it my "drink only water" day! 67.6 ounces of water.....that's a lot for me! So far, it's 10:30 the following day and I still haven't had my Diet Coke......maybe I'll see how long I can keep this up!

The days are flying by.........

Now that July has hit, I really need to work on the rest of my list! Time is just flying by........wish me luck!

29. Go to a concert

Me, Tom, my brother and his wife and another couple went to the Coldplay concert Thurdsay! It was so fun! It's been many years since I've been to a concert......I forgot how much fun they were! This was part of Tom's birthday present :)

4. Read a book, beginning to end

I LOVE reading and before I had kids, would read all the time! Now I just can't find the time or I'm way too tired at night. I started reading this romance novel in JANUARY when I joined the gym! I have a hard time reading on most of the machines which is why it took me so long to finish it, but Saturday morning I did! It was a good book :)

21. Go on a picnic with the picnic basket I got as a wedding present!

Tom and I took the boys on a picnic lunch at Miami Whitewater Park! I used the picnic basket that we got as a wedding present! It was fun :)

Going down the slide
Jackson could have chased after ducks all day if we let him!

12. Go Fishing AND 13. Go Camping

We took the boys camping in a tent and fishing over the weekend. My parents own a cabin in Adams County, OH so we camped out in their backyard! It was nice having the cabin "just in case" sleeping in a tent was a disaster, but it all worked out! Jackson was in heaven being outside ALL DAY Saturday!

He didn't catch a fish, but he still had fun! It made me VERY nervous him sitting that close to the edge that I had to leave!

More pictures from camping

28. Go back to Ohio University for the weekend

I haven't been back to OU in years, but a group of us headed back for our sorority's 60th anniversary (really just a good excuse to go back)! It was great seeing everyone - I miss that place! Suprisingly, I was able to hang like an old college student, but I'm still so tired from lack of sleep!

Me, Sara and Jaylene
Me and Milesa

Me, Sara, Allison and Shelly

Me, Andrea and CJ

I love you girls!

1. Take the boys to the library

I've actually done this twice now!! The first time we went to toddler storytime and most recently we went to Movers and Shakers (songs and music). Jackson acts very bashful when we go, but he started to warm up a little at Movers and Shakers. He ventured away from me, but he still doesn't want to sing, dance or play along with the teacher. I try to sing and play along to show him and he actually gets embarrassed, tells me no (in a soft and nice way) and sometimes hits me (not to be mean or hard though). It's pretty funny. I guess the more we go, the more he'll open up.

18. Get the boys picture taken together

Well, we tried Portrait Innovations this time to see if they could get a good picture of the boys together and she didn't do a very good job. I know it's hard getting both to cooperate at the same time, but we must have had the WORST photographer there.....she was so quiet and didn't try very hard to get the boys to smile. We had fun though and we got a couple cute pictures!

23. Cook a new meal that includes a meat other than chilcken

So, I'm not the best cook, in fact I'm not even a good cook, but I do try to make dinner every night. I make the same things over and over and they are very simple. My mom always made great dinners every night while I was growing up and now that I have kids, it's time I start cooking good meals! Last week (the date stamp on my camera was wrong for a couple weeks and I didn't know it! I didn't make this in Jan. of '08!) I cooked a pork roast, au gratin potatos and veggies! I've never made a roast of any kind before and I won't give away my secrets or talk about how easy this meal was, I'm just proud that I amde a meat other than chicken or something off the grill! It was yummy!

20. Take the boys to the Children's Museum

On President's Day, when all the kids were off school, I took the boys to the Children's Museum! It was very crowded, but SO MUCH FUN! It's such a neat place. The boys loved it! We're thinking about buying a membership because there is so much to do!

Logan and Mackenzie

Jackson and Logan
Dylan

7. Play in the snow with the boys

Last Tuesday we had our first big snow of the season! It was two days of snow and ice mixed! The boys LOVED sitting in the window seat, watching the snow fall. I was so excited to take them out in it, but ended up only taking Jackson out. Poor Dylan, I know. I have a good excuse though......my plan was for the entire family, Tom included, to play in the snow. Well, Tom didn't miss a minute of work despite the road conditions and level 3 snow emergency that we ended up having (meaning no one is to drive on the roads and you could get a ticket if an officer pulls you over!) plus he worked 10 + hours those days! Anyway, he wasn't home to help me bundle both boys up and take them out. So, when Dylan went down for a nap, I got Jackson ready and we went out to play. He LOVED it! He rolled around in it, ate TONS of it and even planted his face in it. Next year, I'll be sure to take Dylan out....I think he'll enjoy it more then anyway!

11. Join a gym

Something long over-due.......getting in shape!!! I wanted to lose weight before I got pregnant with Jackson - didn't happen and then although I was doing pretty good and on my way to losing weight after having Jackson, I became pregnant again! Now I have to work twice as hard! I joined Victory Lady Fitness on January 3rd and so far, I have been to the gym 7 times. My goal is to go at least 4 times a week. I chose Victory Lady for a few reasons - 1. they were offering a really great price, 2. they offer free personal training, 3. it's all women and 4. it's really close to home! An added bonus was that my friend Maria was going to join with me! We went for our tour and "first workout" with a personal trainer and we quickly learned that the $9.99/month that they were offering was a really great way to get people inside, but it was not even close to what we would really have to pay. It's $9.99/month plus tax plus a $5/month service fee brining the total to $16 AND you have to sign a 3 year contract!!! Not nice! We decided that it was still cheap enough and they offered other packages, payment options and contracts so we signed up for a 2 year contract at $22/month - more money, but 2 years sounded better than 3. So, we arrive for our second workout and we decided we wanted to pay the $300 in full, up front for 3 years (another pretty package they were offering), which we were told we could do, but when we sat down to sign the paper work and hand over our $300, we were asked how we wanted to pay our monthly service fees - "6 payments of $30?" she asked! Well, that really made us mad because we were told $300, that's it! Now we're really paying $480 plus tax bringing us to $510 for 3 years. Now, that's still cheap, I know, but it's how shady they were being! In the end, Maria decided she wasn't going to join and I don't blame her, but I really NEED and WANT to get in shape so I forked over the money. It's not as fun working out by myself and I've thought about striking up conversations with the people biking next to me, but haven't really done it!
Another funny story (sorry this is getting long) - I was asked by my trainer why it has taken me 7 months (since Dylan was born) to join a gym and I told her because of time and I feel guilty leaving my boys and mostly guilty for leaving Tom home with the boys because they are so close in age! I know, I shouldn't feel guilty, he's the dad and I do it all the time by myself, and although he's great with them, I feel like I can deal with a lot more! Anyway, after my first workout, I get in the car and my cell phone has 15 missed calls! 15!!! All from Tom. I thought something horrible happened to one of the boys, so I hurried and called home........ he said his boss called and needed him to come into work (this was a Saturday morning)! My second workout, as soon as I get in the car my cell rings and it's Tom wanting to know when I'll be home because the boys had been crying ever since I left!! We had a little chat and I told him he needs to get used to taking care of the boys, even if they are cranky for 2 hours because I can't keep my cell in my bra while I work out (he suggested that!). Since then, things have been much better - haven't had any more calls from home while at the gym and I still keep my cell in the car. :)
Hopefully I'll accomplish my goals of running 3 miles and losing 29 lbs. too!

25. Go see a play

Tom and I got tickets to see Spamalot for Christmas from Tom's parents so this was my first to get crossed off my list and how easy - I didn't have to put any thought into which play to see nor did I have to buy the tickets. So, this one came a little too easy, but I say it still counts! Anyway, we REALLY enjoyed the play! It was more funny and entertaining than I thought and going to the Aronoff is always fun and made me realize that we should put a little culture in our lives more often. It was a fun night out! I meant to take a picture of our ticket stubs, but I can't find them!! If I come across them, I will post later.

Before I start posting.......

I want to thank everyone for following me while I try to accomplish the 29 things on my list - actually right now it's only 27 things because I can't think of 2 more right now!!! I'm open to suggestions......... :)
I know a lot of the items on my list are easy, but they truly are things I keep putting off, but I really want to see through. Wish me luck!