the end of an era

Today is a very, very big day in Barbie Blog Land.  So big that I pre-marked this date in my calendar over a year ago.

Today is the 3 year anniversary of THIS blog!  Three years ago I decided to share my life (to some extent) with all of cyber space.  Cheers.

Today also marks the last day of my poor, pitiful 101 list.  I slacked on my 101 list for basically the last year of it's existence.  There are 42 items that never got done.  I attempted a few of them, I have plans to still do some of them, and a few of them - who am I kidding - will simply never happen.

Here are the ones I never did, along with an explanation:

9.  Take Trent to the Trent River in England and go to the Top O' the Trent Pub on Woodland Street
-hopefully someday.  we definitely hope to visit England someday.
12.  make Trent an awesome Mario-themed big boy room
-maybe someday
13. take more sign language classes at Deltech
-hopefully in the next year or so.  It's just easy to put off
15.  go on another major shopping spree for a new wardrobe

-hopefully within the next 6 months or so

16.  find and buy the necklace I've been wanting

-I still want it but I don't know if I will ever get it

19.  learn how to cut men's hair (specifically the fade process)

-hopefully someday.  i'd love to know how to cut kevin's hair

22.  take a writing class

-will probably never happen

23.  take an art workshop (i have one picked out)

-unlikely that I will do the one I have picked out, but hopefully someday I will take an art class of some sort.

24.  get teeth whitened

-I didn't get my teeth professionally whitened mostly because of cost.  It's just too expensive.  I haven't attempted any over-the-counter type products because I don't want to risk experiencing any tooth/teeth sensitivity. 

27.  host a large holiday at my house (including making food, etc)

-will definitely happen someday.  probably sooner than later

31.  learn to drive a stick-shift (gotta get with Alicia for this)

-I would still like to learn how. I think it's beneficial for everyone to know how.

32.  get tattoo on toe touched up

-I've been told more than once that the area I want touched up will never heal properly because it's right where the toe bends.   Really, it doesn't bother me at all, but if I ever get another tattoo I may ask the artist to touch my toe up when the gun and ink's out anyway.

37.  witness a meteor shower

-I think I had one or two chances but I chose sleep over my 101 list.  Hopefully I will witness a wicked meteor shower.

42.  make a will

-we just need to mail in the first draft

43.  take a pottery class - pottery wheel

-i will definitely do this

44.  go paintballing

-i will definitely do this as well

45.  take a quilting class

-will probably happen eventually

49.  purchase bicycles for myself and Kevin

-we're hoping to buy bicycles for the whole family soon

55.  convince Kevin to go to the Mixed Martial Arts class with my brother

-not looking good.  Kevin says he's afraid he will love it but then not be able to afford to go.  It's not cheap.  He also doesn't think he will be able to find the time to go. 

57.  adopt a highway/street

-I submitted an application to adopt a street, but I never heard back from the organization.  I also looked into adopting my neighborhood park/playground, but it was already taken.

62.  get a pro pic taken with my brothers for my mom

-doubt this will ever happen. 

66. plant a white dogwood tree in memory of Max

-i still want to do this but it's complicated. 

69.  extend drive-way

-will definitely do this when we have the money

70.  begin re-finishing basement

-we definitely still plan to do this as well.  we'll probably work on it in the next few years

71.  make a larger shot glass shelf

-my current shelf is completely full, so I kinda have no choice but to build a bigger one

73.  hang pictures or artwork in the living room & stairway

-i'm working on it, i'm working on it

74.  Put wood baseboard in the upstairs bathrooms

-we'll get to it

75.  put living room clg fan on a dimmer (a job for Kevin)

-i don't think this will ever happen

81.  lay ceramic tiles in bathrooms

-we'll get to it

85.  buy a nice new entertainment center thing for living room

-waiting to find the perfect piece

86.  make our garage a 2-car garage

-waiting to have the money to do it - so it probably won't happen any time soon

87.  build an addition above the garage

-hoping to do this in the next couple years

88.  claw-foot bath tub

-i love claw-foot tubs, but I don't think we have the right bathroom layouts for such a tub. 

90.  new fence outback

-it's at the top of Kevin's to-do list. 

92.  visit a vineyard
-I have a pamphlet on the vineyard I plan to visit - I just have to find the right time to go
93.  Take scuba diving lessons/get scuba license
-It's not high on my list at all.  Back when we were traveling often it seemed like scuba lessons were always available to us, so I thought 'why not add that to my list'.  Reality is, we don't travel much anymore and we have the opportunity even less.
94.  drive a snow mobile
-i'd still love to do this
95.  snowboard
-i'd still like to give this a try
96.  snowtube
-this sounds like so much fun!  We just have to take a winter vacation to the appropriate location
98.  go on another road trip
-definitely won't happen any time soon..  Roadtrips and toddlers just don't mix. 
100.  African safari

-who am I kidding?

101.  bungee jump in New Orleans (there was a specific picture I saw in a magazine once that inspired this)

-again, who am I kidding?

Here's the link to my master 101 list where you can see the items I did complete

Project: Windows

Something I've been wanting to do to our house since we moved into this house was put trim around our windows and get new blinds.  Both of which are items I put on my 101 list.  The blinds that came with the house were crappy, dirty, broken, un-matching, ugly mini-blinds.  Since I couldn't decide on curtains for the living room (or whether I wanted them at all) I just left the windows as bare as they were the day we moved in.  I hated the way the windows made the living/dining room look but I preferred the unfinished look to settling for something I didn't like.  FINALLY, 2 and 1/2 years later, we started Project Windows.  I picked out the trim I wanted, I painted it, I measured the windows, I made 90% of the cuts, Kevin nailed them in, and we both gave the trim additional coats of paint.  Since the trim was wider than the existing window sills, we got all new window sills.  Kevin took care of those.  Once we were totally done painting I got some faux wood blinds custom cut for our windows.  I believe our new windows have totally transformed our living room, and I love them!

before

before

after

after

2 years down

today marks the 2-year anniversary of my "101 things to do in 1,001 days" list.  This means I have just under 9 months to knock out 57 items, eeeeek!  I haven't even done half the things on my list.  I need to get moving!!!.  Please, wish me luck!

1 year left

As of today I have 61 items remaining on my 101 Things To Do In 1,001 Days list, and only 1 year remaining to do them.  I am currently working on 7 or 8 items, but there's so much to do.  It'll be fun to challenge myself over the next yeear to make as much progresss as I can.

let's not forget about my 101 list

Alicia brought to my attention (indirectly) that today marks the one year anniversary of my "101 items in 1,001 days" list. ALREADY! I have approximately 1.75 years remaining to complete 80 items. Click on the link below to see my list.

http://barbiesbabies.blogspot.com/2009/05/101-in-1001-days.html

professional photo shoot, update

I mentioned previously that we'd probably be taking Trent's very soon to have his pictures taken by the photographer who did our wedding....

Well, things have changed:

A. Laura Novak herself is booked through the year (bummer)
B. Her company photographs primarily on weekdays
C. Her company photographs only during the day

What this means:

A. I won't be able to cross #10 off my 101 list, as it will be not the Laura Novak doing the picture taking. It will, however, be one of her very talented employees whom Laura Novak personally trained.

Combine B and C and what do you get? You get Barbie taking a day off work, Trent taking a day off daycare, and Kevin being excluded from the photo shoot all together.

Since I will have to take a day off work, I/we decided to schedule the photo shoot on Trent's actual birthday. I was planning to take that day off work anyway, to be with him, so it works out (I'm running low on vacation time at this point. But I must say, its damn impressive that I have ANY vacation time left considering it's mid-October and I usually use all my vacation & sick time by July-ish. We're not going to mention that I was on maternity leave for the first two months of 2009....that's besides the point).

Here's how it works:
Next week I go to the studio, alone, to meet with the photographer and to talk about what we want to get out of the photo shoot.
Then, on his birthday, I take Trent in for a 30 minute photo shoot.
Next, I will be emailed a slideshow of the pictures from Trent's photo shoot. This is where you all come in. I will post the link to the slideshow for everyone to see!
Lastly, 2 weeks after the photo shoot I will go back to the studio for an in-person ordering session. This is when I will order any and all photographs I want from our shoot.

It's all kind of intimidating....and I'm very scared for my wallet...but I know if nothing else we will get some great photos!

#10

I think it's almost time to bite the bullet and do #10.

Several months ago Kevin and I spoke with Laura Novak (the photographer). Turned out, she needed some electrical work done and Kevin (I) really wanted/s her to photograph Trent. We decided to barter one service for the other. Kevin did the electrical work she wanted done and gave her a price. That is how much "credit" I have with her studio. The tough part for me has been (and still is) deciding WHEN to get the picture taken. Should I get them done right away (he was 7-ish months at the time)? Wait til he is 1 year? Wait until I'm far along in my pregnancy and get maternity photos in addition to Trent photos? hmmmm.

Well, I think I'm going to set something up for October. I figure it's close enough to his 1st birthday that I can maybe pass them off as his birthday pictures. I might even get a couple shots of him in his Halloween costume, just for fun.

The bad part is that she is so expensive that I won't be able to purchase a ton of picture to share with everyone. I'll probably only purchase a couple 8x10's for myself. I will be able to direct you all to her site so you can see the pictures, but I won't be able to buy everyone a wallet size (or larger) portrait like I normally would (via Sears, etc.). You may be able to purchase photos directly from her website, but of course do not feel obligated!!! When I say she's expensive, I'm not exaggerating.

I'll keep you all updated on what we decide.

new living room

Alicia Asks: so the hardwoods are going in! Which is so exciting! I first of all can not wait to see pictures and hear all about your adventure through re-doing your living room! Even more so, I can't wait to see the finished results in person! But on with the question. I'm sure that working on your main living space has impacted Trent in more ways than one! Tell us about how play time for Trent has been impacted. What are you plans now that the hardwoods are in, will Trent have an area rug to play on? Personally we have put an area rug on our hardwoods and I'm having a hard time deciding if the rug on the hardwoods are cleaner/better for him to play on...In addition to telling us all about Trent's play time, feel free to tell us any stories or details about the room's progress!



Answer: Most of you don't even know what this is all about. Kevin and I have ripped up our carpet in our living & dining area and are in the process of laying new flooring. Bamboo flooring, to be exact. We ripped up our carpet in stages. First we got rid of the carpet in the dining room Then some of the living room. Then more of the living room. Then some more. Then the rest of it. Poor poor Trent - his play/crawl space got smaller - and smaller - and smaller. Of course we didn't want him crawling on the plywood (where there was padding chunks, staples, tack strips) so we had to make sure he was constantly on his carpet patch, no matter how small it was. Towards the end, when there was very little carpet, I spent alot of time with Trent upstairs in his room. Once all the carpet was ripped up (staples removed, tack strips removed) Kevin laid this black paper that covered the plywood. We let Trent crawl all over this. His clothes would get filthy (a mixture of the black material, dog hair, and eventually dirt that we'd track in [and couldn't exactly sweep/vacuum]) but it washed off, no biggie. Trent loved being in his walker on the black paper, as he was able to really cruise around.



Once the laying of the floor started we tried to keep Trent confined to the wood surface, but again, we didn't/don't mind him crawling on the black paper.



One of the biggest annoyances we're dealing with is the MESS! We have living room stuff and dining room stuff(furniture, decor, etc) everywhere. We have shoes laying around (since we cant use our closet right now), we're eating at the coffee table (which is now an arms reach for Trent), we have the flat screen TV standing on the floor right now, Kevin's tools here and there (out of reach most of the time, but still there). It's a disaster area - Trent definitely has very little freedom right now. We're constantly picking him up to put him back in the "safe zone". I didn't really realize how much freedom he DIDN'T have until we went to grandmoms house and Trent was free to roam basically wherever he wanted- and that's exactly what he did. He roamed right into the laundry room to the dog bowls, back behind the couch to the lamp cord....all over. It was great for him.



We have every intention of buying a couple area rugs once the floor is down, but for now Trent just plays on the wood floors. He doesn't seem to mind at all. Once we get rug(s) I doubt we will "confine" Trent to the rug (I doubt we'll be able to confine him to any one place) but we will definitely encourage him to play in the rug vs. the wood (cold?) floor.



So, more about the living space in general, for those who don't know: We (Kevin) started by building a half-wall to separate the dining and living room. It looks great (in our opinion). Then we painted the room(s) a nice "Milk Chocolate". Again, we think it looks great. It's dark, but the room is big enough to pull it off. The painting stage is not 100% done. We have some touching up to do, and some window sills to paint, but nothing big. Kevin worked on the floors all of Labor Day weekend and plans to continue them this upcoming weekend (taking this past weekend off). Once they are complete I doubt we'll be able to afford to do much more right away but eventually we'll get rugs, new blinds, put trim around the windows, buy some new furniture pieces and rearrange the furniture layout. It's a work in progress, that's for sure - but hey, we have 29 more years to get it right.

I'll post pictures after this weekend!

#58 - American Heart Association

Every year (except last year since I was due any-day) I excitedly get involved in the American Heart Association heart-walk in Philadelphia. The first time I got involved, I "just" made a donation and walked with our team/family. The following couple of years I decided to try and raise some money in addition to walking - and to be quite honest I was pretty successful. My friends and coworkers really stepped up and made generous donations. I'm hoping to be just as successful this year! If any of you want to make a donation, or even join our team and walk with us, please visit my page or Eileen's page (she's the one who spearheads this event for our family).

http://start.kintera.org/philly/woodland_o_rama

(I'm not sure who exactly reads this blog, but this is intended for those outside of the Woodland family. I know most of you (Woodlands) walk every year and make donations to Eileen! :-)

#4 from 101 list

#4. get pregnant with baby #2


Done!

This is not a joke. I repeat, this is not a joke.



Ok, im sure you want details now:
Im 8 weeks and 1 day along.
Due date is March 28, 2010.
We've known for several weeks now.
I had an ultrasound done last weekend and got to see the heartbeat.
I had a meeting with a nurse 2 weeks ago to go over paperwork and my history.
I went to my 8 week dr appt today for an exam, etc. Kevin and I wanted to wait until after today's doctor appt to tell the extended family.
yay
2 under 2, here we come.

arrrgh....wipe me booty

I invited a few of my mommy friends to come over yesterday for a get together. The plan was to use fabric markers, fabric paint, and iron-on transfers to create cute onesies and t-shirts for ourselves and our kids. We also had a few sewing machines available so some of us could try to make shopping cart covers and nursing wraps (even a tutu). The day had its ups and downs. The ups: 4 mamas showed up with their babies! We all had a good time! Everyone made at least one thing! The downs: couldn't get my printer to print color! My sewing machine broke! Megan had to leave early and couldn't finish her project! Alicia couldn't get in the zone she needed to be in to do her project! Maggie was all over the non dog lovers, lol. I am most disappointed in the fact that I forgot to take pictures!!!!!!!

But like I said, overall it was a good time and I really enjoyed seeing everyone. I'm going to go ahead and cross #11 off my 101 list: host a baby play date.

To the end the night I joined some friends for a 7 o'clock showing of Julie & Julia, compliments of Meghan! A cute chick flick.

a sleepless night

No, not because of Trent. Because of Harry Potter. Around 5:30pm yesterday, Megan and I decided we'd go to the midnight showing of the 6th Harry Potter movie. I was excited but nervous....I started yawning around 9pm and became afraid I wouldn't be able to stay awake for the movie. Thankfully, with a little help from my adrenaline and a can of Amp Energy Drink, i persevered. We arrived at the theater a little after 10:30pm. Stood in a line outside until 11:00pm. Got great seats. Sat and chatted until 12:05am. Watched trailers until 12:15am. Harry Potter began at 12:15pm to a roar of applause from the sold-out theater. I was disappointed to see only 1 fanatic dressed up as a character (Ron). It was lame and cute all at once. Kevin had offered to draw a lightening bolt on my forehead before I left the house, but I declined.

The movie ended somewhere around 2:30am. I fell asleep sometime after 3am. Woke up at 6:15am. Now I'm at work....just waiting to crash :-)

#59. go to a midnight showing of a movie

like father like daughter

#26 from my 101 list: do something mechanical to my car by myself

On Sunday I took the front brakes off my car. The Owner's Manual and Kevin helped guide me through the process, but I did all the physical work alone. I jacked the car up, took the tires off, took the calipers off, and took the breaks off. Sounds simple but it took for.ev.er. I was going to take the rotors off myself as well, but I wasn't able to. I tried like heck(!!!) but instead of loosening the screw all I was doing was stripping it. *If you've ever stripped a screw you know what a pain in the butt it becomes.* So, before I made the screw any worse I turned the tools over to Kevin and let him take over.

#48

...from my 101 list

48. make homemade chocolate filled croissants (like i had in Paris)

Well, they didn't turn out exactly like the ones in Paris. In fact, they don't look a thing like croissants. They aren't the slightest bit flaky, and they aren't very buttery (which is odd considering just how much butter i used). I got the recipes from allrecipes.com (a website i use all the time) and I borrowed Alicia's mixer to make the dough. The can of pineapples shown in the picture was used as a makeshift rolling pin. The final product was good....not quite worth the 4-ish hours it took to make them, but good. I'm definitely crossing this item off my list.

sign language

One of the items on my 101 list is to teach Trent some sign language. I'm not sure when this first became popular/common, but I know that most daycare centers teach kids sign language and/or spanish. The daycare we send Trent to does not do this, but I always knew I would teach my kids some sign language either way.

My reason for wanting to teach Trent sign language is basically just because I really enjoy sign language (not because I secretly want some super genius mega-baby, haha). Some background on me: I graduated from our local community college with an Associates Degree in Architectural Engineering Technology (a degree I do not, and don't plan to ever, use). It took me five and a half years to get this degree while working full-time. Towards the end I decided to take a sign language (ASL) course that was offered at my campus. I enjoyed it (as I knew I would. I took classes as a child and my middle-school best friend's parents were both deaf, so I was already familiar with ASL). I did not, however, pursue this field because I was already so close to being done with the Architectural stuff, so I pushed ASL to the side and focused on getting my Associates. My plan is to eventually go back to college and become a certified sign language interpreter. That's what I think I want to do with my life...but who knows. I doubt the pay is good but the hours would be fantastic (the same hours a teacher has...which will be the same as my kids' when they are in school).

So, several months ago I started to sign a few basic words to Trent. I'd do it only when I felt I had his full attention and when I did the sign I would say the word out loud. Then I would basically just repeat the sign and the word several times.

I'm not sure if there are specific rules and guidelines to go by when teaching your child ASL, but I'm winging it. I've been doing the sign for "milk" and "mom". And sometimes Kevin will try to do the "dad" sign with him. The main sign I'm focusing on right now is "milk". I do this sign while he is eating so that he can make the association with the word, hand gesture, and activity. For some reason when I first started to teach him "milk" i always associated the hand-sign with the word "hungry" instead of "milk". I may or may not switch that up at some point.

Time for the good part - A couple weeks ago i was nursing Trent and felt his hand doing something weird. I look down and sure enough he was trying to do the "milk" sign. At first I was skeptical and thought maybe i was just seeing what i wanted to see (like, maybe he was just scratching himself or something) but now that a couple weeks have gone by I feel confident in saying that Trent has definitely developed a connection between the word, sign & activity!! It's very exciting stuff for me!!!! I didn't think we'd have success with that word so quickly since Trent is in daycare and doesn't consistently get the sign, but I guess he saw it enough. Right now he only makes the sign while he is nursing, so I can't get a video of him doing it (sorry, I know how disappointed you all must be right now), but soon he will hopefully be able to sign "milk" to me when I'm fully clothed to let me know that he wants to nurse. Once he does that I will cross the item off my list and post a little clip of it.

every new development is just so exciting!

edit my 101 list

one of my 101 items was to "visit a winery".
I have actually already visited a winery and meant to type "visit a vineyard".
I will be making the change

101 in 1,001 days

A few months ago I heard about this "101 things in 1001 days" thing. Basically you make a list of 101 things you want to do within 1,001 days. I did something like this a couple years ago, but on a much smaller scale. I made a small list of things I wanted to do and I picked one thing each month to do (i learned to crochet, went skydiving, etc etc). Well, i started to make this 101 list when I first heard about it back in December but I only got half way thru. Since work is slow today I decided to come up with the remaining items and post it. Like I said, I started this list a while ago so some of the things have already been completed. As I complete items in the future I will blog about it in hopes of keeping my blog entertaining and busy. If you only read my blog for Trent updates you might be disappointed in this new addition....sorry.

some of the items fall into two categories but I just put it wherever I thought was most relevant

• completed items will be crossed off
• bold and italicized items are being worked on
• items I fail to complete will be red
• If I blogged about a specific item, it will be clickable
• start date: 12/11/08
• end date: 9/8/11 (according to this site)

Baby

1. lose all the weight I gained while pregnant with Trent (as of 5/12/09 im 6lbs below pre preg weight)

2. dress Maggie and Trent up in matching or coordinating Halloween costumes (The Incredibles, Halloween 2010)
3. breastfeed for 6 months (then decide if I want to continue) (6 months as of 5/11/09)
4. get pregnant with baby #2 (Due March 28, 2010)
5. make my own baby food (4/5/09)
6. plan an awesome 1st birthday party (Trent's party was November 7, 2009)
7. teach Trent some sign language (I started teaching Trent sign language when he was somewhere around 6 months old)
8. take Trent on his first plane ride (12-28-09)
9. Take Trent to the Trent River in England and go to the Top O' the Trent Pub on Woodland Street
10. Get Trent's pictures taken by Laura Novak (our expensive wedding photographer). (on November 11, 2009 we had Trent's picture taken by a woman who works for Laura Novak's company, but not Laura herself. Close enough?)
11. host a baby play date (August 16, 2009 had mom friends over for a onesie making party)
12. make Trent an awesome Mario-themed big boy room
    
    
    
    
    Barbie
13. take more sign language classes at Deltech (I plan to register for Fall 2011 classes)
14. rejoin a gym (I joined a gym in February 2009. I was a member there for 3 months)
15. go on another major shopping spree for a new wardrobe
16. find and buy the necklace I've been wanting
17. scrapbook Trent (August 2010)
18. go blond (made an attempt on July 8, 2001)
19. learn how to cut men's hair (specifically the fade process)
20. buy myself an amazing SLR camera (December 24, 2010)
21. pay for another professional massage (April 23, 2010) 
22. take a writing class
23. take an art workshop (i have one picked out)
24. get teeth whitened
25. read 20 books
    Baby Laughs Jenny McCarthy (finished May 2009)
    Remember Me? Sophie Kinsella (finished May 31, 2009)
    Can You Keep a Secret? Sophie Kinsella (finished June 5, 2009)
    The Sunflower Richard Paul Evans (finished June 8, 2009)
    The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Dougle Adams (finished June 19, 2009)
    My Sister's Keeper Judy Picoult (finished July 1, 2009)
    The Last Song Nicholas Sparks (finished December 15, 2009)
    Little Earthquakes Jennifer Weiner (finished January 12, 2010)
    Good In Bed Jennifer Weiner (finished February 4, 2010)
    Your pregnancy, week by week Glade B. Curtis (Finished March 2010)
    Certain Girls Jennifer Weiner (Finished August 29, 2010)
    Twenties Girl Sophie Kinsella (Finished September 13, 2010)
    Undomestic Goddess Sophie Kinsella (Finished September 25, 2010)
    The Guy Not Taken Jennifer Weiner (Finished October 23, 2010)
    Icy Sparks Gwyn Hymen (Finished December 2010)
    Best Friends Forever Jennifer Weiner (Finished January 3, 2011)
    Safe Haven Nicholas Sparks (Finished January 18, 2011)
    Same as it Never Was Claire LaZebnik (Finished February 1, 2011)
    The Complete Serger Handbook Chris James (Finished February 14, 2011)
    Goodnight Nobody Jennifer Weiner (Finished April 16, 2011)
    Fly Away Home Jennifer Weiner (Finished mid May 2011)
26. do something mechanical to my car by myself (July 12, 2009 front brakes)
27. host a large holiday at my house (including making food, etc)
28. get a real hairstyle (February 23, 2011, a bob-ish haircut)
29. do something selfless (July 14, 2009)
30. win 'best costume' at another one of the Kennedy's Halloween parties (Gene Simmons 2010)
31. learn to drive a stick-shift (gotta get with Alicia for this)
32. get tattoo on toe touched up
33. inspire someone in some way (July 2009, apparently I inspired a couple people to start blogs of their own!)
    
    Misc.
34. start recycling at home (4/11/09)
35. inspire someone else to make a 101 list (12/17/09)
36. wear a skirt or dress to work (May 6, 2010) 
37. witness a meteor shower
38. grow sunflowers (planted seeds on 4/11/10 = FAIL; planted seeds on 4-19-11) (Spring/Summer 2011)
39. grow a vegetable (planted seeds on 4/15/10, squash at the end of summer)
40. revive my hydrangea plant (I planted this bush in the ground right after I took this picture. I was hoping it would come back to life in the spring, but it didn't - I planted it too late)
41. get Kevin to clear out his side of the closet & get rid of some t-shirts (april 09)
42. make a will (first draft being worked on)
43. take a pottery class - pottery wheel
44. go paintballing
45. take a quilting class (i'm working on setting this up)
46. get dressed up and go out dancing for anything other than a wedding (Sept 18, 2010-bachelorette party) 
47. Make homemade Limoncello (started May 14, 2010, finished June 4, 2010)
48. make homemade chocolate filled croissants (like i had in Paris) (July 5, 2009)
49. purchase bicycles for myself and Kevin
50. pay off my car early (September 2, 2010)
51. pay off Kevin's truck early (paid off 2 years early because we traded it in.  Does that count? July 23, 2010)
52. don't send any text messages for a straight 24 hours (june 15, 2009)
53. throw another Luau (March 20,2011)
54. go to my 10 year high school reunion, if we have one (June 25, 2011)
55. convince Kevin to go to the Mixed Martial Arts class with my brother
56. adopt/rescue a dog (As of 12-11-10 I can say with much certainty that this is not going to happen!)
57. adopt a highway/street (application submitted)
58. raise money for the American Heart Association 5k walk again (I raised almost $400 for the 11/14/09 heartwalk!)
59. go to a midnight showing of a movie (12:05am showing of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince on July 15, 2009)
60. take Maggie to a dog park (May 2, 2010 - Iron Hill Bark Park)
61. get EZ-pass (January 30, 2011)
62. get a pro pic taken with my brothers for my mom
63. interact with a huge animal (Rode a camel May 27, 2011 @ Philly Zoo)
64. buy a "family vehicle" (July 23, 2010 - an SUV with optional 3rd row seating)
    
    House
65. re-landscape out front (april 10, 2010)
66. plant a white dogwood tree in memory of Max
67. remove the wallpaper from powder room (april 09)
68. start kitchen renovations (February 13, 2011)
69. extend drive-way
70. begin re-finishing basement
71. make a larger shot glass shelf
72. buy something to display fine china in (displayed in new kitchen cabinets with glass door)
73. hang pictures or artwork in the living room & stairway
74. put wood baseboard in the upstairs bathrooms
75. put living room clg fan on a dimmer (a job for Kevin)
76. paint living room (September-ish 2009)
77. get front of house power washed (May 1, 2010) 
78. get a flat screen TV for our bedroom (Feb 2011)
79. trim the bushes on the side of our house (april 11, 2010)
80. install hardwood floors in living & dining room (October 2009)
81. lay ceramic tiles in bathrooms
82. get new blinds for living room (January 9, 2011)
83. put trim around living room windows (January 2, 2011)
84. mount living room TV to wall (October 2009)
85. buy a nice new entertainment center thing for living room
86. make our garage a 2-car garage
87. build an addition above the garage
88. claw-foot bath tub
89. install a receptacle in our upstairs hallway (December 31, 2010.  I did this myself with instruction from Kevin)
90. new fence outback
91. get a new mailbox (December 19, 2010)
    
    Travel
92. visit a vineyard (I have this trip planned for the spring!)
93. take scuba diving lessons/get scuba license
94. drive a snow mobile
95. snowboard
96. snowtube
97. visit Lauren in California (12/28/09-1/1/10)
98. go on another road trip
99. go away for our 5 year wedding anniversary, which is June 25, 2010 (I was on maternity leave and we couldn't afford to go away)
100. African safari
101. bungee jump in New Orleans (there was a specific picture I saw in a magazine once that inspired this)