30 Before 30

The other day, Julie sent me a link to her friend Holli's blog. She is turning 30 later this year and decided to make a 30 Before 30 list. Hey, wait - I'm turning 30 later this year, too! I was totally inspired. I took this as a choice opportunity to make my own list and try to make the most of my 29th year. After which, of course, life will be over. Isn't that how it works? :)

It turned out to be harder than I expected to make a list. 30 things is a lot - and 30 attainable things? Well, that's really hard! My only rule was that even though I only have about 9 months to go before I "turn," I couldn't add something I've already done since my last birthday.

Here it is:

1. Do a session in three temples I've never been - DONE!

2. Try 20 new recipes - DONE!

3. Take a glass-blowing class - DONE!

4. Start my food storage - DONE!

5. Try two different styles of eggs - DONE!

6. Make a perfect English-style custard sauce - DONE!

7. Try five new fruits or vegetables - DONE!

8. Climb Diamond Head - DONE!

9. Submit at least one family name to the temple - DONE!

10. Finish my kitchen - DONE!

11. Get rid of a bad habit - DONE!

12. Learn archery - DONE!

13. Learn to row (as in, a boat) - DONE!

14. Take curling lessons at the Olympic Oval - DONE!

15. Take piano lessons - DONE! KINDA.

16. Pay off my car - DONE!

17. Learn to knit - DONE!

18. Take a photography class - DONE!

19. Learn to swim - DONE!

20. Ride in a bobsled - DONE!

21. Learn to make Grandma Ruth's caramels - DONE!

22. Write a note to someone each week - DONE!

23. Read the Harry Potter series - DONE!

24. Pay for someone's meal behind me in a drive-through - DONE!

25. Give something up for Lent - DONE!

26. Get the list of prominent people buried in the Salt Lake Cemetery and find their grave sites - DONE!

27. See the Bingham Copper Mine - DONE!

28. Read the "missionary canon:" Jesus the Christ, Our Search for Happiness, True to the Faith, Preach my Gospel - DONE!

29. Read the Lectures on Faith - DONE!

30. Be a tourist in my own city and take a tour of Salt Lake - DONE! KINDA.

I'll document my adventures on this very blog during the next 9 months. Want to join me? Let me know which number you want to do and let's check it off together!

Sleepover!

President's weekend I had my favorite kids over for a long overdue sleepover. They are the cutest kids ever and get along with each other so well! After choosing their beds and getting all situated, we had lots of fun playing games, having a dance party and drinking pina coladas . . . and the older kids may have gotten to stay up a little later. In the morning, the girls helped with a yummy breakfast, then on to arts and crafts where we made bead animals and the boys painted wooden cars. We met Maggie, Davis, Brent and Lilli at Jump on It in Lindon where Aiden was so rambunctious he had a pretty impressive rip in his pants. We ended with a group lunch at In n' Out. Grace even knew to ask for the hats at the counter. So fun! Love these kids!!!

Hail to the Queen

Our Legal Department brought in a King Cake to celebrate upcoming Mardi Gras and invited us all to have some. It was a yummy cake colored in green, yellow and purple sugar. As I was taking my piece to my desk, I noticed a little plastic arm coming out of my piece. I pulled out a little plastic baby, which is the ultimate prize with the cake. One of the attorneys sent me the history of the King Cake in honor of my big win. The baby symbolizes the baby Jesus, the King, who first showed himself to the world. The colors, purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power, symbolize a jeweled crown that the wise men wore who visited the Christ child. Today, a tiny plastic baby is baked in the cake and at a party the cake is sliced and served. Each person checks their piece to see if it contains the baby. Then the person who finds the baby is named "King" for a day, or in my case, "Queen".

I tried to inform a few people that indeed I was the queen for the day. Some said that they already knew that. Exactly.

Oh Dear...

We had a High Council speaker in church today, and let's just say that he was your typical High Council speaker, if you know what I'm saying. He had 40 minutes to fill, and in honor of Kristen, I was starting to do some major head bobbing. In an effort to stay awake, I started thinking about what I was going to have for lunch, and where I was going to take my afternoon nap. I was jostled from my stupor of thought when I heard the speaker mention something about dancing. I honestly have no idea what the context was, or why in the world this 60 year old man would be talking about dancing. I looked around to see if perhaps Kevin Bacon was in the congregation to get permission to host a dance at the local high school. And then it happened. The speaker used the phrase, "dancing and gyrating..." Um, let's get something straight. I'm pretty sure that the word "gyrating" should pretty much never be uttered, much less from the pulpit. By a 60 year old man. I hate that word! And then it happened two more times. And that's the story of how I left my ward.

Friday Night Fun

For Christmas we give Dad season tickets to the U of U Gymnastics, which is also a gift that keeps on giving for us too. Friday night meets become our Daddy/Daughter dates (hmmm . . . we didn't even give him the option to take anyone else). The three of us rotate going and it's fun to go to dinner before and then to the meet with Dad. We have been going to these gymnastics meets for a long time. When we were little, Dad would find out what the weekly promotion was and then arrange to take us - which I think turned into a night off for Mom too while we were gone. I look at the parents taking their kids to these meets now and wonder how he did it. But, it's a lot of fun and now we take joy in getting the reserved seats and getting closer and closer each year to our favorite spot by the floor exercise. It's great fun. We start going when there is lots of snow on the ground and freezing and by the end of the season it's warmed up and is close to spring. Thanks, Dad for letting us enjoy your present with you. :)

Miracle Mender

As I was "hemming" some work pants today, I thought I'd share my miracle mender for "sewing" things together without a sewing machine. I do know how to sew, but I don't have a sewing machine at my house, so Stitch Witchery is one of the best things that I always have on hand. For easy craft projects, hemming pants and skirts among other things, this stuff fuses two pieces of material together using your steam iron and some water. It's awesome and always available at your trusty WalMart on the sewing aisle.

Survivor . . .

. . . I love this show . . . and it's getting good!