100+ Things I'd Like to Do Before I Go

I've been working on this list since early 2010 and it's about time that I finish it.

1) ride in a hot air balloon
2) learn to play the ukelele
3) skydive
4) travel to Greece
5) learn to play the harmonica
6) Do a headstand (Dec 5, 2011)
7) Take a jewelry making class
8) Make a personalized mixed tape for each of my closest friends
9) Host a themed dinner party in an outrageous location
10) See the Grand Canyon
11) Go to Disney
12) Watch the sun rise on the east coast and set on the west coast on the same day
13) Visit the Nile
14) Travel to the Dead Sea
15) Perform some sort of spoken word on stage
16) Take a cruise with a group of fun, creative women
17) get a pixie cut
18) Hang out with the Amish for a weekend
19) get rid of cable
20) become a yoga instructor
21) learn to hula hoop
22) Visit Machu Picchu
23) Visit Paris
24) Take K to New Orleans
25) Make something I would hang in my house
26) Learn to shuffle cards in a fancy manner
27) Speak Spanish fluently
28) Learn to play backgammon
29) jump rope like I did when I was a kid
30) Be completely debt free!!!
31) Visit the baths in Iceland
32) Have a Holi colored powder fight
33) Find a church or place of worship that resonates with my core values
34) Make a difficult dessert
35) Go to 100 wacky American roadside attractions (like oversized chair, large radio flyer wagon, dinosaur where Pee Wee sat, etc)
36) Visit Kate's Lazy Meadow Hotel
37) Own a house with a front porch
38) Meet Tom Robbins
39) Hike in Patagonia
40) Have a conversation with David Sedaris
41) Go backstage at a Tom Petty concert
42) Make my own set of post cards
43) Ride a horse
44) See the Aurora Borealis
45) Spend 2 weeks in Tuscany
46) Spend a month at Plum Village (if not longer)
47) Carnivale in Brazil with a local
48) Learn to cook Arroz con Pollo like a Costa Rican
49) Drink whiskey in Scotland with my son (when he is much, much older)
50) Be featured in a magazine or on TV b/c of my weight loss
51) Roll down a sand dune at Jockey's Ridge like I used to when I was a kid
52) Learn to play guitar
53) Paint something and give it away
54) take a knitting class
55) Go horseback riding in another country
56) Take a solo trip to a quiet cabin in the middle of nowhere
57) Learn how to use a camera that is more interesting than a point and shoot
58) Go on a second honeymoon with the hubby
59) Relearn and own a piano
60) Take a class with the little one
61) Save an emergency fund that equals 6 months of our salary
62) Hang out with R for a really long, lazy weekend
63) Learn to love with my whole heart
64) Eat a dinner that the little one has prepared
65) get another tattoo
66) Visit at least 50 different waterfalls
1) Orchid Falls, Belize (plus other waterfalls in Cayo, Belize)
2) Sliding Rock, NC
3) Looking Glass Falls, NC
67) Stand on a balcony on Bourbon St in New Orleans during Mardi Gras and throw out beads
68) Kiss the Blarney Stone
69) Go to New York with the hubby
70) Teach a self-help class like my yoga instructor did
71) learn to drive a motorcycle
72) Own and use a bicycle
73) Find something active that I enjoy doing
74) Complete a 5K
75) Complete a 1/2 marathon
76) Complete a marathon
77) Go white water rafting
78) See the Red Rocks
79) Go To Mesa Verde, Colorado
80) Read all of Kurt Vonnegut's books (he's dead and still publishing them)
81) Start 5 holiday traditions
1) put up the tree the first weekend in December
2)
3)
4)
5)
82) Own a completely fun car like an El Camino, Jeep Wrangler, or Mini Cooper
83) Learn how to surf
84) Learn to belly dance
85) walk across hot coals
86) Take the family to Galapagos
87) Photograph Nova Scotia, Canada
88) Own a vintage dining table
89) Buy furniture for my bedroom
90) See the pyramids in Egypt
91) Swim with bioluminescent plankton in Puerto Rico
92) Have a family portrait taken
93) Get my palm read
94) Try accupuncture
95) See a musical on Broadway
96) See the cherry blossoms in DC
97) Donate my hair to Locks of Love or similar charity
98) Volunteer with the little one
99) Lose 100 lbs
100) Have a life changing conversation with a stranger
101) Drink an expensive bottle of wine by myself
102) Visit Graceland
103) Participate in a Tough Mudder
104) Visit Lake Como in Italy
105) Learn to spin fire
106) Go with the hubby to Vegas
107) Be published

38 while 38

1. Finish writing a 100+ Things I'd Like to Do Before I Go list (Jan '12)
2. Take a jewelry making/beading class
3. Buy new bedroom furniture for me
4. Buy hubby a new car
5. Lose 100 lbs from where I originally started
6. Take a solo trip
7. Volunteer at the Food Bank with Monkeyface
8. Go to a movie alone
9. Go to 3 live performances for free
10. Visit a chiropractor
11. Fix my itunes/ipod
12. Do a photography project
13. Do a Miranda July project
14. Send out 12 surprise packages to the unsuspecting (6-Feb '12)
15. take a girl's trip to the beach
16. Take Monkeyface for a ride in a hot air balloon (for free?)
17. Teach Monkeyface to fly a kite
18. Take Monkeyface to a sporting event
19. Attend 50 yoga classes
20. Visit Ikea again
21. Paint the living room
22. Have a family portrait taken
23. Take Monkeyface to the beach for the day (May '12)
24. Go on 6 dates with the hubby
25. Have a great conversation with a complete stranger
26. Play a different version of Canasta
27. Take a photography class
28. sneak away for the weekend with the hubby
29. get rid of treadmill
30. Plant something in my yard
31. Get a bed for the guest bedroom (Dec '11)
32. Get a bookshelf for Monkeyface's room
33. Get a retro used dining table (Mar '12)
34. Buy and wear a new lip color that is completely out of the ordinary for me
35. Rappel down Wachovia building
36. Experiment with new eyeshadow colors
37. Walk 500 miles above what I normally walk on a daily basis
38. Go ziplining in Costa Rica

37 before I'm 38-how did I do?

1. Write a 100+ Things I'd Like to Do Before I Go list-still working on this
2. Make orgami of some sort
3. Take a jewelry making/beading class
4. Pay off car May 2011
5. Lose 100 lbs from where I originally started
6. Own a pair of black boots October 2010
7. wear heels
8. Go to a movie alone
9. Wear a dress October 2010
10. Visit an accupuncturist
11. Walk a 5k May 2011
12. Take Monkeyface to an aquarium (July 2011)
13. Do a Miranda July project
14. Send out 12 surprise packages to the unsuspecting
15. take a solo trip to the beach
16. Wear my hair in pigtails
17. Teach Monkeyface to fly a kite
18. Run a mile without stopping
19. Read one classic novel per month
a) Their Eyes Were Watching God
b) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
c) Love in the Time of Cholera
20. Visit Ikea again
21. Wear my hair straight once
22. Have a family portrait taken
23. Take Monkeyface to the beach for the day(July 2011)
24. Take Monkeyface to a drum circle
25. Have a great conversation with a complete stranger (oct 2011)
26. Get a new camera (October '10)
27. Take a photography class
28. sneak away for the weekend with the hubby
29. get rid of treadmill
30. Plant something in my yard
31. Get a bed for the guest bedroom
32. Get a bookshelf for Monkeyface's room
33. Do a headstand
34. Buy a piece of Natasha Wescoat art (Aug 2011)
35. Rappel down Wachovia building
36. Entertain a group of friends at my house
37. Skydive with hubby

Cafe Rio Recipes

Just putting these here so I don't lose them:

BLACK BEANS

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro. (**NOTE** we added a can of corn, drained, to the beans with a dash of cumin and chili powder, it was AWESOME! We recommend doing this even though it's not "traditional Cafe Rio")

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

2 tamatillos
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. diced jalepeno (canned) --you can use less if you don't like it spicy at all. I like a little kick.
Juice of 2 limes
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 c. balsamic vinaigrette (not vinegar... we used Kraft)

In a food processor or blender, combine tamatillos, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, lime juice, and sugar. After it is all blended up well combine with balsamic vinaigrette in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is best).

Cafe Rio Pork

1 pork roast (butt or shoulder)
1 can Coke (don't use diet)
1 jar salsa (fresh is best!)
3/4 c brown sugar
1 T cumin
garlic salt to taste

Cover roast half way with water in slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4hr. Mix remaining ingredients in bowl. Drain water, cut in quarters and pour Coke mixture over top. Cook another 3-4hr. Shred and serve.

Cafe Rio Chicken

5 lbs chicken
1 small bottle of Zesty Italian dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves minced garlic

Mix all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on high 5-7 hr. Drain some of the liquid and shred chicken.

Lime Rice

2-3 T oil
1/4 c chopped cilantro
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 c rice
1/2 c lime juice
4 c chicken broth
Heat oil in pan. Saute garlic, cilantro, and rice over medium heat about 5 min. Add liquid and bring to boil. Turn heat to low, cover with lid, and cook 25-30 min.

Cafe Rio Tomatillo Dressing

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
4-6 T olive oil
1 bunch green onions, diced
1 c ranch dressing
4 oz salsa verde
1 c plain yogurt, mayo, or buttermilk
Juice of 1 lime
Garlic salt to taste
Place cilantro, green onions, and olive oil in blender or food processor and process until pesto consistency. Add ranch dressing, yogurt, salsa verde, lime juice, and garlic salt.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. Taste better if made few hours ahead. Will last 2-3 weeks in fridge.

With your eyes closed

So my boy is in kindergarten and has started working on homework assignments this week.
There is a calendar with 30 different assignments on it that he must complete before the end of the month. He can choose any one he wants to do and he just colors in that day when he is done.
Last night he randomly picked one and it was practice writing your first name five times.
And then this happened:
Hubby: OOoh...you picked practice writing your first name five times
Monkeyface: Awww....I don't like that one.
Hubby: Come on...you can do that one with your eyes closed.
Monkeyface grabs a piece of paper & a crayon, sits down at his table & proceeds to close his eyes. He then writes his first name five times with his eyes closed.
HA!

Week 1 (August 15-21)-movement

Source: Questtobeauty

Back to the drawing board:
I'm going back to Week 1 on this. I need a fresh start.

August 15: 60 minutes yoga
August 16: Cards with the girls
August 17: 45 minutes elliptical, 15 minutes circuit training
August 18: 30 minutes elliptical
August 19: rest
August 20: 60 minutes elliptical
August 21: walk in neighborhood

I gained 6 lbs

I hate having to say that I gained 6 pounds. I was on vacation last week and it wasn't even from the vacation. I had gained 1 lb when I had returned...1. Then the weekend and the rest of the week got the best of me and I was filling my body with junk. Chicken wings because I hadn't had them in months. Burgers b/c my body was screaming for 1 (so I had 1 and then another 1 later in the week). Taco Bell for no other reason than it was easy and I have not felt like planning my meals.
I've had a hard go of it for the month of July. Totally uninspired and withdrawn. I haven't planned my meals or my exercise. I had my IUD replaced which has sent my body surging with hormones and searching for comfort. I lost a friend of mine that I kept meaning to visit and reconnect with but I never did. I'm going through a few things in my life, that while I am totally supported and loved, still leave me wanting more (vague I know).
I think I need to hop back on the elliptical and think for a bit. I did go to the gym Tuesday as I normally do but my heart just wasn't in it. I went through the motions and I worked out for an hour but it just felt tedious.
I know what I need to do and I have no excuse other than I've kinda lost my fire lately. Home life has been great. Seriously great. I don't think I've ever been more in love with my husband. We have been cracking each other up and just loving each other's company. It's been comfortable being with him. It's been harder to want to leave home. It's been hard to be selfish.

Ok-back to making lists and crossing them off.