6.

Make an Advent gift for a spirit in need.

          Over my time as a teacher I have met quite a few families that have pulled on my heart. These families have some of the most beautiful children you will ever meet. Their parents are spectacular not only because they are raising fabulous children but they persevere. Life is tough, but life is also beautiful. One particular family I have had the pleasure of meeting has three children: 1 with typical needs, 1 with special needs, and 1 with a rare form of cancer. Here is the letter I included with my anonymous gift (guess it isn’t now).

Dearest Family, The Advent Season is upon us. And while there is much to celebrate your family has "more than the usual amount of holiday stress." So here is a small care package for your family. Enclosed is a little something for each of you. Along with 24 individually wrapped packages. For Mom & Dad: The peanuts, dark chocolate bar, and peppermint sticks. For H: The gift bag counting from 1 to 25. A chocolate Advent calendar. For B: The gift bag featuring Santa and a little boy. A chocolate Advent calendar. For A: The small pink gift bag. Each of the tissue paper wrapped gifts is for your family to open each night. Please enjoy these Advent treats and remember many are praying for you and your family. May God grant your family peace throughout this holiday season and through the new year.

 

As for the gifts for the children they were just small little tokens to remind them that they were special. The individually wrapped gifts were 24 books for Christmas. Thanks to my cousins for helping collect so many great books. And I grew up with an Advent calendar and thought those kiddos would enjoy it too. Thanks Mom for finding them again this year!

The most difficult part of this mission was figuring out how to deliver it and stay anonymous. I did not feel comfortable leaving a huge gift bag on their doorstep for fear the weather would ruin it or it might disappear. Dropping it off at their daycare minutes before it opened was super successful. Thanks Madie for that idea.  

Overall, this brought me so much joy I hope to make it a yearly tradition. Goodness knows I could pay it forward my entire life and never return all the favors and gifts that have been bestowed on me.

Merry Christmas everyone!

20.

Buy a pair of nice jeans.

          I have been carrying around a $100 bill in my wallet for 10 months. I refused to use it on anything but new jeans. The boy and I went to the mall a few weekends ago looking for stuff for him. I cannot believe I just wrote that sentence. The mall and I are not friends, especially on the weekends. Somehow, being with him made it a bit more bearable and I only shook my fist at one person.

          Anyway we ended up at Nordstrom Rack. The one place I actually don’t despise in the whole Mall of America. I got bored waiting for Evan to try on clothes so I made my way to the Women’s clearance section. Wohoo! Found TWO pairs on nice jeans. Both of them “Skinny” jeans, I am sure that means that “Skinny” will be out of style soon. Due to the good deal I got on the jeans I also scored a new shirt at Old Navy later in the week to round out the $100 spending limit I gave myself.

Here are some internet pics of the jeans. No way will I model my butt for the whole world to see. Plus, mine need to be hemmed at least 3”. 

 

Oh and the point of these jeans are for "date night" and not to be worn at school to be slobbered on. 

5.

Send flowers to my mom on my birthday.

          A bit late on posting this (and a few others) but, I promise I am working on the list….Just too busy to write about it.

          If you know my mom you realize she is one of the most selfless people you will ever meet. She always has positive things to say to everyone and is particularly good at being awesome in general. She and I had a horrific beginning together. We were both not expected to make it through my birth. Big surprise, we did. Little did we know this would not be the last hurdle either of us would face in life.

          My mom has been a great female role model for my entire life. She has shown me time and again what it is to be a great mom, wife, and friend. She is the person who taught me at the end of each day to ask, “What was the best part of your day?” She continually is positive and never gives up no matter what life throws her.

          So these flowers I had sent to her are just a small token of my appreciation to whom she is and who I hope to become! Love you, Mom!

P.S. I forgot to get a picture of them. Sorry.

P.S.S. When the florist called to make sure she would be home she was so confused as to why somebody was sending her flowers a month before her birthday. Sound familiar? J

9.

Successfully grow pumpkins.

           

          Garden Plot #109 in the South St. Paul Community Garden has been a source of great joy over the past three summers. Granted I will always be the youngest gardener there and the one with the biggest weeds. But, with all my joy comes frustration.

          I have been working so hard on my pumpkin patch this year. I planted seeds in the beginning of May. Leaving plenty of time for an October harvest. Everything was going great:

July 5th

         

          And then one day I showed up and this had happened:

July 19

          I had heard from fellow gardeners that there was a vicious bug destroying vine plants. Darn thing found my awesome pumpkin patch. I have purchased and applied some insecticidal soap for organic gardening. The picture on the bottle of the bugs definitely matched ones I saw when I sprayed my vines.

Now let's just hope it does not spread and I get some sort of crop.

15.

Take a warm vacation

       Never in a million years when I wrote out this list did I think that I would be taking this vacation with a boy. And for sure not "the boy". That is my endearing nickname for my real life boyfriend :) His real name is Evan. This trip was his idea. Much like lots of his great ideas is a whole lot of fun wrapped into a small amount of time.

          Evan has always spoke of Georgia and specifically his family in Georgia with high regard. Unlike me, he does not have many family members, especially cousins. And my cousins and my siblings/friends all rolled into one so I was excited to meet Evan's extended family.

          We flew out on Thursday afternoon, ahem evening thanks to flight delays and all that fun stuff. We were warmly greeted (pun intended) with warm weather and Evan's cousin Reva at the Atlanta airport. Our road trip portion (from Atlanta to Warner Robins) was filled with Reva's stories of her tour of Europe.      

          Our first full day in Georgia highlights:

*       My first time at Chick-Fil-A and sweet tea

*       A tour of Savannah

Reva and Evan on River Street

Touring River Street

River Street

*       A trip to "The Lady and Sons" - Paula Deen's restaurant

*       And a huge stomach ache from all the yummy food

Our second day in Georgia highlights:

*       A day trip to Atlanta

*       Visiting Centennial Olympic Park

Fountains choreographed to music

*       Touring the Coke Museum

Inca Kola was Evan and my favorite Coke product

*       An art show

*       More good southern food

Our third day in Georgia highlights:

*       Chillin' poolside

*       Home cooked southern food

Molten Lava cake with black cherries and caramel ice cream

*       Family time!

Rachel and Evan 

Our fourth day in Georgia highlights:

*       Warner Robins Museum of Aviation

*       A trip to "The Vortex" restaurant

*       A much less crazy trip home

          I am calling this warm vacation a total success. Much thanks to Evan and his sweet Georgia family. I hope to return someday. And maybe, just maybe, this time I will not eat everything in sight. Strong possibility of me failing that one! 

1.

Read through the entire Bible.

The reading plan was 90 days long. And I thought that was ridiculous, until I made it through in 85 days. Yes, only 5 days less...but way better than being past the deadline or not doing it at all.

Here are my conclusions from the reading plan used.

1. I would have never made it through if I did not read it                                   ENTIRELY on my iPod touch.

2. The listening feature was amazing, not only could I multi-task, but I comprehended so much more than I would have had I just read the words.

3. To me I found it much easier to read a big chunk of passages, versus just reading a few each day.

How I feel this helped my journey as a believer:

1. When people ask (or I may just shout it from rooftops) I can say I have in fact read every word I believe to be true.

2. I thought I knew Jesus before...Whoa. And so much more to I cannot even begin to grasp.

3. Reading through the entire word of God has given me so many things I want to emulate more of...

Mainly: compassion, forgiveness, and humility.

Questions asked by friends:

Q1: Where do you find the time to read?

A1: I made time. It was important to me. Don't get me wrong I fell behind at times, but it was so worth the commitment.

Q2: Do you feel closer to God?

A2: Oh yes, but I feel closer each time I pray and even read a verse a day. So thankful for the opportunity.

Q3: Did you understand all of it?

A3: NO WAY! Some of the ideas I couldn't even begin to understand. However, I pressed on for believing in Jesus Christ as my Savior is all true and good would work through His word to enlighten me. 

Also, huge props to my friends who encouraged me along the way. Thanks for sharing in this part of my path. 

And you thought I was crazy before...

New Goal.

         

          Okay, so remember my goal to read the Bible in 90 days. Well that happens to fall on June 3rd. And to be honest I am going to be quite busy on June 3rd. Not too busy to read God's word...But knowing me I will procrastinate and have like 21 readings left. And well that is just not going to work on June 3rd. I will read (listen) to every word in the Bible by May 31st.

          Why? Because May 31st  I will leave on vacation! I am so excited to be going on this trip. And yes, this trip will count as crossing one off the list: 15. Take a vacation to a warm destination. 

        We (the boy and I) are headed to Georgia to visit his aunt, uncle, and cousins. Evan (the boy) always speaks so highly of his time in the South, and I am excited to see all the redneck awesomeness he tells me about. While there I hope to cross number 16 (swim in an ocean) off the list too...So far that is the only landmark we have on our itinerary, Savannah. And a little know fact one of the main reasons for wanting to see Savannah is because of all the Nicholas Sparks' novels that I read take place in areas around the South.

          And now I am off to explore the interweb to find any other great things I don't want to miss during my time in the south. Thoughts? 

    

Progress Points. Vol. 2

1. Read through the entire Bible. 
      Currently I am on Day 42 of a 90 (yes, I am crazy) day reading plan. I am actually using my iPod touch to complete this daunting task. I am using the YouVersion app. It has many different reading plans. Along with a great feature, an audio Bible (when connected to wi-fi). At first I thought I was cheating by listening to the Bible while working in the kitchen. I soon realized I was actually retaining more than if I read it. I am scheduled to complete the reading plan June 3rd. And yes, I have fallen behind numerous times but I am determined to finish this plan. So far my favorite books have been Deuteronomy and Job. 


2. Pray more, worry less. 
      Obviously getting Shingles tells you how bad I have been failing on this one. Not so much on the praying end, rather on the worrying/dwelling end. Thanks to Pinterest, of all places, I have a couple ideas to help give up my worries.


21. Grow my hair out, & get highlights.

        I will let the pictures speak for themselves...

       

        July 2011                                           April 2012 (ridiculous photo)

Still want to grow it out at least another six inches. Hopefully, that is possible before I turn 30!                                                             

26.

Sew a skirt.

         

          People tend to think I am "creative", I adamantly disagree. I believe I have no special talent rather I am passionately curious. Moreover, I love looking at beautiful projects via Pinterest. For example I have a whole "pinboard" just for sewing inspiration that does not include other DIY projects.

          Fun fact: I work better if I have a deadline or feel like I am procrastinating and need to accomplish a goal. Therefore, I set Easter as my goal and told myself I would be wearing a new skirt that I created to celebrate.

Timeline of events:

*       Early January: Buy the perfect fabric

*       January,February, March: Leave fabric sitting out in my living room to inspire me.

*       April 1st: Set goal publicly that I will be wearing a new skirt on Easter

*       April 1st: Read tutorial online

*       April 1st: Realize that the material I have does not jive with the tutorial....

*       April 2nd: Completed skirt (Yes, a 3 month process)

          That is exactly how my brain works! Even though the weather was chilly on Easter Sunday I was sporting a my new skirt. Note these pictures were taken while having an Easter Egg hunt with my little cousin Ashley.

         There was 60 eggs hid for the two of us. Yes, she is 19 and I am 28. And she found double the eggs I did!

       HUGE shout out to my parents, cousins, aunts and uncles for a fabulous holiday weekend even if I do have Shingles.

25.

Make painted wall art.

         

          This is one of those projects that I needed to put on a list. I have wanted to do this for years but never just went for it. Today is the day I get to cross it off my list as my bedroom has new art. I am not an artist. I repeat, NOT an artist... I do like to be inspired and then create on my own. Often, it is just to prove to myself I can do something.

          So here it is my new "painted wall art". What started as two blank canvases is now covered in modge podge, scrapbook paper and Sharpie. That's right the tutorial (found here) I followed used a Sharpie instead of paint. In retrospect I would have used the paint. I think it would look more seamless. Oh well, for under $10 I have new art. and I really do love birds, owls in particular.

          

8.

Send a friend a random gift

friend [frend]  

noun

1. a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.

          That is the definition from dictionary.com...And yes, I believe that is a completely legit source. Just like my good pals  wiki and webmd...I digress. Living where I do, away from all my family reminds me that I am not alone in being alone.

          My dear cousin Erin lives all the way in Peoria, Arizona! She is a total sweetheart and is responsible for introducing me to things like Old Navy (yes, I remember my first trip there) and authentic Chicago pizza. Though I may not see her often the wonders of Facebook keeps us connected. She has been a true inspiration to me over the past few years...She bought her own home. Talk about crazy awesome.

          Erin became an aunt last year too. I know how very exciting that is to us single, non-mothers. Personally, I think having special little people in my life makes my life infinitely better. And I know Erin feels the same way about the new man in her life!

          I found this cute charm on Etsy. It is a gem with the description of an aunt. Also, I am into making these wristlets (mainly because I am obsessed with my own that I purchased). So off they went to Arizona. Not on the  subject but, I had no idea it took so long for mail to find it's way across the country!

          And after coming home from 10 hours at school it made me smile to see an email from Erin telling me I made her day! Though I think I loved making/purchasing/sending it more.

22.

Sell wedding ring.

         

          Ridiculous? Yes. I cannot believe I even had this thing. I knew I could get some cash for it. So I did. Not as much as I hoped, but enough to buy myself something totally awesome. Really there is nothing more to say on this subject because that chapter of my life closed a long time ago. 

28.

See a concert.

         

          First off to clear up any confusion. I have been to a concert, and yes it was more recent than seeing "Sesame Street Live" when I was little. I just wanted to see another. So it went on the list. I know I have the opportunity to see just about anything in the cities, but I rarely take the chance.

          I have no idea how this whole idea of "Let's go to Fargo and see Miranda Lambert" came about but whoa, it was a good one. It was much better than just seeing a concert. It was a mini-vacation from the city life. And goodness knows, I am not a city girl!

          The boy (yes, that is his official name) and I decided that taking a trip out to Fargo would be awesome for the following reasons:

                    1. Seeing a concert      

                    2. Both experiencing our first COUNTRY concert

                    3. Seeing his {beautiful and sweet} sister

          The last one was the best part, naturally. She is one of the nicest people I have ever met. She had an awesome evening planned for us. First we got to see a bit of downtown Fargo, including a trip to the yarn store! And we had a super yummy dinner at, "Juanos" an authentic Mexican restaurant. My favorite part of dinner was when the boy's sister told him what to order, and he complied. Then we were dropped off at the concert. Talk about being an awesome host!

           Concert highlights included:   

                    1. The amount of trench coats worn by men.

                    2. The amount of mini skirts worn by women.

                    3. Oh and yes the performance.

Speaking of the performance here are links to my two favorite songs by her...

          The first being a song that will always remind me of my awesome childhood and the home my parents created for my brother and me.

          The second being a song I had heard on the radio and did not quite understand until the concert.

          I promise there was lots of fun songs. And I loved Miranda's comments about being a redneck. 

          

14.

Eat Sushi

       Following up my totally lame accomplishment is one I enjoyed immensely! My friends Hannah and Andrew are concerned (in a good way) about my list. Andrew came up with the idea last night that Hannah (and Ronan, her cute baby) and I should have a sushi lunch date today! This is why I need a list people....When she texted me I almost said, "No." No reason why. Just because it is my natural reaction. But I then quickly changed my thinking and got extremely excited.

          Hannah and I ate a sushi lunch today at "Crave" in the Mall of America. Side note: When did this big city life become my normal?

          Hannah helped me figure out how to order in hopes of trying a nice variety. Here is where a picture of our lunch would be awesome. Sorry, forgot the camera again!

1. Sea Bass (Suzuki): hand pressed sushi, a slice of fish served over rice

2. Caterpillar: spicy tuna, smelt roe, cucumber, mango, avocado, sweet sauce

3. Crunchy Roll (cooked): shrimp tempura, avocado, spicy mayo, sweet sauce

          And needless to say, don't worry I still had some "Nicole moments"... I insisted on eating the whole meal with chopsticks. Therefore I cut nothing up and had a difficult time managing to eat and not look like a fool. There was a lot of laughs over lunch. And that was the best part of all. As for my review....Why in the world did it take me 28 years to embrace this amazing food??? 


*All of the photos were found thanks to Google Images*

29.

Do dishes everyday for a month

       This is one is pretty disgusting to admit. I LOATHE doing dishes. I would rather do laundry, clean the bathroom, or vacuum before doing dishes. I live alone so there is no one here to hold me accountable. Therefore, I needed to hold myself accountable. I had started this back in October but then burnt my hand so that was an actual legit reason not to mess with hot water.

          But I did the dishes every single day starting November 28th. I must admit it was mostly guilt that propelled me to wash dishes at 11 p.m. at night. And there was a few nights I made dinner for "the boy" and his motto is if I cook, he cleans. So I did get some help. BUT, I am proud to say that even though the month is over I am still completing this daunting task daily. Until I fall off the train (and that will happen). Though hopefully not literally because this month I will be taking a train ride!!!

10.

Take a Community Ed Class.

          I love to learn. I am teacher, so naturally I think learning is pretty important. Beyond that I like to learn new things. I rarely do the same project twice as it holds no interest to do something I have done before.

          That said I love the Community Ed Catalog when it comes in the mail. I like to see what other people want to teach. And sometimes I question if there is a true demand for some of those hobbies. Naturally, I am interested in the more obscure options.

          My friend Ann is actually the one who lit the fire under my butt to cross this one off the list. She invited me over to her place one night. We sat down and looked through the catalog. She already had an account with Community Ed so I joined her family list on the website and she signed us up for the class.

          We chose "Candy Bouquets"! For real, that is an actual class. Who knew! On the way to class we stopped by the gas station for some refreshments. The cashier was not impressed by our undertaking. Little did he know our creations would be this amazing!

          My creation is the one on the left. Thanks Ann for kicking me into gear. I had a great time listening to the other women in the class. It reminded me that even though I live in the cities I am still part of a community.