Lights and Fireworks

#58 on the list is to see the lights turn on at the plaza.  My parents have lived in the KC area for 2 1/2 years and we’ve talked about going before, but each year something came up that caused us to wait.   But, this was the  year!  The weather was great (meaning nothing was falling from the sky, but still very cold) and everyone was healthy.  It was fun to fill the street with thousands of people and kick-off the Christmas season with the plaza lights.

My friend, Shylu, was with us for Thanksgiving.  It was fun to experience something for the first time all together with her!

Sadly, the pictures do not do the lights justice, and the video that I took isn’t uploading.  If you’ve never seen the lights at the plaza, you should go if you get the chance!

#100 – don’t go to Walmart for a month

I am not a Walmart hater – just wanted to say that first thing.  The reason that I put this one down on my list was because I went there so often.  I think on average I went to Walmart probably about 2-3 times a week; I went for my normal grocery shopping and for any random things needed (food, work supplies, light bulbs, Christmas decor, make-up … you get the point).  So, this was more of a challenge for me to just see if I could do it.  Could I go a month without going to Walmart?

So the results: it wasn’t as hard as I was expecting.  But this is mostly because two months ago a Hy-Vee opened in town.  This has become my new favorite for grocery shopping because it’s a more enjoyable experience and I’m not spending much more on groceries.  So then for all that other random stuff I just had to figure out different ways to get it.  I went to Target a few times, or found other places in Manhattan to get stuff.   Or else I could decide to just go without what I thought that I had desperately needed.  :)

A 6′3.5″ tall white rabbit

That’s what Harvey is. An imaginary 6 feet 3 and a half inches tall white rabbit. Technically he’s a pooka. And he’s Elwood Dowd’s best friend.

I saw the play “Harvey” while in high school and really enjoyed it. I was glad to see it on the AFI top 100 films list so it gave me a reminder to watch the movie! It was very enjoyable – I love watching Jimmy Stewart in any role, and this one was especially wonderful. He is so convincing that he really does see a tall white rabbit; he looks up at Harvey while he talks, he lets him pass through the doorway first, he puts his arm around him as he walks. Everyone knows who Harvey is. Some people carry on like Harvey’s really there, while others are completely freaked out by Elwood’s imaginary friend.

The best part is Elwood’s genuine friendliness. He is kind to everyone! He wants everyone to meet his “dear friend, Harvey” and is constantly inviting people to dinner; even if he had just met them 5 minutes before. You can see people’s faces change as they talk with Elwood … even the angriest cab driver can become happy after a two minute conversation with Elwood.

So, is Elwood dangerously crazy or not? That’s the question. You’ve got to watch it to see what happens!

One out of four

#74 on the list is to make one real meal a week for a month.  The reasons for this are that 1) I want to get more experienced with cooking, 2) I miss having actual meals to eat, and 3) I want to see how it affects my food budget.  So, two nights ago was the start of completing #74.  I found this recipe for Beef Taco Skillet on Campbell’s Kitchen and I would give it a 3 out of 5 stars.  Nothing too exciting, but yummy and quick!  Jenni helped me in the process and in enjoying it!

The ingredients:

The finished product:

The diners:

I haven’t decided yet what next week’s meal will be, but I’ll keep you posted!

One book down

#69 on the list is to read every book I own before buying a new one, unless it’s a requirement. Well, this has changed to being more specific to fiction. I don’t want loaded bookshelves of fiction books that I’ll never read more than once. So, this challenge has definitely slowed me down from buying books. I’ve started borrowing more books from the library and from friends.

One book that’s been sitting on my bookshelf since my sophomore year of high school is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. The army post that we lived at my freshman and sophomore year of HS was being shut down, so our school was getting rid of all the library books (which is why there’s a bar code)

I have slowly been reading this book for 2 years. It’s pretty long, so I would read it until another book came up that I wanted to read. So, basically it became my “in-between books” book. But this time picking it up when there was about 3/4 left, I couldn’t stop reading it. I love the Little Women movie with Susan Sarandon and Winona Ryder – but reading the book made me feel like I really knew each of the characters. There was a lot more depth to each of the girls and their personalities came out a lot more.

I love when books make you feel like you are friends with the characters. This book definitely did that! When I finished it last week, there was some sadness. Even the last couple of days I’ve thought, “I can’t wait to read more!” but then had to remind myself that it’s done. The story is finished.

So, the next big book that I own and will need to tackle is Gone with the Wind. Whew – I need to take some time with smaller books before starting that one!

A Jungle Theme

“Roar” “Hiss” “Grrrrr” “Oo-oo-oo”  … all sounds that come from animals in the jungle.  “The Jungle” was the theme this morning at toddlers time at the library, so I brushed up on my animal sounds.   I had the fun experience of going to the children’s reading time (#86 on the list) with Hannah and Carmen.  It was so much better than I expected!  There were songs, with clapping and movements, and then a couple of books were read out loud.  All having to do with the jungle.  One of the books all the kids had their own copy for.  It had different textures on each page for them to feel.

The kids were so adorable!  It was fun to see the different personalities come out as they were around other children.  Thanks so much for letting me join you, Carmen and Hannah!

A poem

Beginning in elementary school and going through high school I loved to write poetry. I wrote about all sorts of things – the seasons, God, friendship, etc. I haven’t written a poem since high school, and that’s why I made #3 on my list “write three poems.” Today felt like a poem writing day. I had a few hours to sit in a bookstore to journal and read; and a poem came out.

Less of Me

Less of me and more of You
Is what I’m training my heart to desire.
But what can emerge from the dark places
Does a lot less than inspire.

One step forward and two steps back
Is the pattern I’m trying to break.
The frustration that grows is hard to let go
Because this is not just a piece of cake.

But a little voice nudges me on,
Reminding me of the grace that awaits.
It encourages me to take another step
And trust the One who knows all my mistakes.

If I don’t take the step, I’ll never grow,
The lessons learned would be few.
I need to keep focus of the main thing:
Less of me and more of You.

A failed attempt

I love cereal.  It’s just a fact.  Some of my fave’s are Cracklin’ Oat Bran, Special K Yogurt and Berries, Kix, Golden Grahams, Cocoa Puffs, Fruit Loops … the list goes on and on.  One thing that I really miss about the dorms and eating in the dining halls was the constant option of having cereal and having many kinds to choose from!  There were days that I ate a bowl of cereal at every meal.  It was wonderful!

#25 on the list is to eat at a cereal bar.   I’ve heard about these places and it just sounds like a dream come true!  This weekend I went to Chicago to visit these dear friends:

And, disappointedly, we found this:

The cereal bar, Cereality, has gone out of business.  So sad – I thought that I would give an update and say that I am trying!  But here’s one very sad failed attempt.

Catch-up

I was looking through my list and realized there are a few things that I have completed and hadn’t marked off! There’s nothing fancy about them and no pictures to show, but they still count. So, here’s just a fast update about them:

#48 – Pay off credit card: yay!!!! So glad and relieved to have this taken care of.

#81 – Back up computer: my parents are letting me back-up on their large external hard drive.

#85 – Research cell providers and decide if I need to switch: I came to the conclusion that Sprint is still the best deal for me.

So there you go! Three more things marked off the list!

#43 – redecorate a room

As an army brat I lived mostly in military housing until I was 18, then moved into the dorms at college, and now rent. These living situations (as incredibly wonderful as all of them have been) have had one thing in common: no painting allowed. So, you can imagine my incredible excitement when Tony and Carmen said I could paint my room!

And so began the task of choosing colors. Wow, there are a lot of colors out there! I knew one thing for sure – I wanted my room to remind me of the ocean. I have a poster hanging that brings such peace when I look at it (included in the pictures below). So, that started the inspiration. Here’s what the old room looked like; sorry for the lack of pictures. I remembered to take some “before” pictures when most of my furniture was already out of the room.

And here’s a picture of my old dresser; imagine a big old TV sitting on top of it sitting in the corner by the foot of the bed. Notice how it’s falling apart – the bottom drawer has been messed up for a few years. And that pretty much sums up what my room looked like.

Changes: painted walls and repainted trim and window sill (thanks for helping, Carmen!), new dresser, took off duvet cover, matted and framed ocean picture, removed old curtains, took out the TV, repainted crates (used to be lime green) … and voila!

I love it so much! It’s even better than I imagined – definitely refreshing and calming. Thanks Tony and Carmen!