This is the End of the Line

Well, yesterday was the completion date for my Day Zero List.  

How did I do?  The list was 60% complete as of yesterday.  But honestly...I'll bet that's better than most people do.  

And now, a breakdown.

Items that I just wrote down to fill up the "100 Things" list and probably never was going to do:

37.   Ride in a hot air balloon

63.  learn how to throw a football with my kids

100.   Put $5 in our savings account for every item not completed. 

Items that I thought that I wanted to do, but later on it turned out that I had no interest in doing them:  (Hey, people change!)

1.  Read "Anna Karennina" by Leo Tolstoy.  

I gave this a good try.  I had bought it five years before because it was part of "Oprah's book Club" and the sheer number of pages was intimidating.  Guess what....it turns out that I didn't read it not because of the number of pages...it was because it was boring as hell.

55.  send flowers to someone “just because”

It turns out, it is really hard to send flowers "just because."!  Every time I thought of sending someone flowers, I had a reason to send them.

77.  Renew our passports

Passports are damned expensive.  And with nowhere to go, really, why bother?  I'll get the passports when we need them.  I'm not at an age where international travel opportunities just "present themselves" and you need to hop on a plane NOW.  

27.  take a cake decorating class.

It turns out that I don't care if I decorate the cake.  I just want to eat it.  Hell, half the time I want Hubby to bake it and me to eat it.  :)

51.  Send a secret to Postsecret

I mulled this one over a lot....but really, I don't have any juicy secrets.  None that would be interesting to post on Postsecret's blog, anyway!  I'm pretty boring.  

And lastly...

Items that I still want to do but ran out of time before the list deadline

12.  take the kids to the following places in PA:  Sesame Place, Crayola Factory and the “Please Touch” Museum.

This list item is partially finished.  We went to the "Please Touch" Museum and loved it!  I heard recently that they may lose their funding and I hope that isn't so, because we would love to go again.  We decided that not only are our kids too old for Sesame Place, I'd heard a lot of unsavory reviews from friends about them.  We still want to go to the Crayola Factory, though.  

29.  take the boys to their first drive-in movie

We're lucky to have two drive-ins nearby.  It's just a matter of picking a night to go, next summer!

35.  Get a tattoo

I have a design picked out and I've decided where it's going.  I just need to find a good place to go and then GO DO IT.

44.  build a snowman with the boys

We had a ton of snow last year and by the time I remembered this item, it was too late.  This winter for sure.  

45.  go tent camping

50.  See a Flyers home game with Brian.

Again, just ran out of time.

57.  visit the Ben and Jerry’s factory in Burlington, VT

I may actually get to do this one next Spring.  The annual RSC conference is in Vermont and a group of us were talking about hitting this on the way home!

76.  Ask my parents to tell stories of our family’s past, and write them down.

83.  Knit sweaters for my husband and children

I knit a sweater for Sean and he got it for Christmas last year.  I'm working on Will's for his birthday next month (I think I can, I think I can!) and I have the yarn for Brian's in the house.  I'm kind of glad I've waited this long, though.  He's lost 30 pounds in the last few months and his sweater would've been too big after that.  I'll start it after the holidays.  

99.  Visit Washington, D.C.

Sooooo......did I learn anything?  I did, that it's fun to make a list and try to stick to them.  And it's a lot easier if it's fun things instead of the tedious, never-ending to-do list.  Will I do another Day Zero list?  Probably not.  But it certainly helped me to prioritize and find time to do fun things with my family.  

Home Stretch

When I first wrote my Day Zero List, 9/28/14 seemed so very far away.  Now I am merely 27 days away from it, and well...I'm not going to finish the list!  In all honesty, I kind of got away from it.  That being said, I am looking to finish some more of those things...

And in this vein of thought...I made my third beach venture last week, for the annual Karate Picnic.  We had a ton of fun at a local lake about 15 minutes from here, with a huge throng of kids from Will's karate school.  They had a class on the beach, and then played to their hearts content on the pirate ship on the beach and in the water.  Sean and Will were in their glory, and I got to catch up with a knitting friend that I hadn't seen in ages.

Then today, I made cinnamon rolls!  From scratch!  I'll post something separately about it, because it was quite an adventure.

Next up....think I'm finally going to send a secret to Postsecret.  I've been mulling ideas over in my head and it's the "handmade" postcard that's dragging me down.  Must. Remedy.

Other than that...it's September!  Time for fall and all the wonderful things that come with it.

Robots and Planes

What a busy Saturday!  First there was Sean's last soccer game of the season.  Then there was a Spring Fair Day at karate to benefit the American Cancer Society.  Each class had to count how many kicks they could do in 45 seconds and then people sponsored them.  Yours truly held a kicking pad and counted out a couple of kids, including Will.  He got 47 kicks in 45 seconds!  And that is the only acceptable time to kick your mother!  :)

Then, we still felt like going out.  So we headed over to the "Touch Tomorrow" event at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, a free fun day showcasing the technology of tomorrow.  It was all about the robots, but had other stuff, too.  We listened to robotic music (drums and guitar strings) and visited a machine shop.  Saw robotic stuff in the medical field, such as surgical devices and a "smart" wheelchair.  It was a lot of fun.

And I finally got to cross off this Day Zero List Item:

21.  Fold a paper airplane (6/14/14)

That's my plane that Sean's holding.  They had a booth set up on engineering paper planes.  Mine didn't fly well, but IT's A PLANE!!

Whatta Guy

Time for this Day Zero List Item

32.  Write a love letter to my husband

This particular blog post will be his love letter.   It'll probably make him blush a bit but I really don't think he'll mind too much. Instead of making it all mushy and squishy, I will instead shout to the world, Internet, why I married perhaps the best Man on Earth.

1.  He's got a twisted sense of humor, and so do I.  We laugh over so many things and have lots of jokes that only the two of us "get." 

2.  He is a wonderful father.  He's always got time to spend with his boys and teach them stuff.  He enjoys talking about Legos and watching Mythbusters with Will, and making jokes and playing Angry Birds with Sean.  He's been a very hands-on Dad from the very beginning....changing diapers, kissing boo-boos, doing the baths and soothing after nightmares.

3.  He's a team player and a good partner.  We divide the housework nicely for the most part.  My favorite thing is that he's always willing to fold laundry during Flyers games, even if it's five loads.  

4.  He's thoughtful, considerate and kind.  Most mornings he brings a cup of coffee to me while I am getting out of the shower.  Sometimes he takes my car and gets gas so that I don't have to worry about it.  And today he stopped by work to drop off a package of yarn that I had ordered, just so that I could work on a hat that I am knitting at Knit Night tonight!  How many guys would do that!

5.  He's an excellent cook, and loves to do it.  He also likes nothing more than having people over.  The more people to cook and show off his skills to, the merrier.

6.  And most importantly, he loves me at my best and he loves me at my worst.  He is proud of my accomplishments and gentle but willing to help me with my shortcomings.  

So there you have it....and this is an abbreviated list.  I love you, Brian!

2013: A Year in Review

Gearing up to say goodbye to 2013...but first, let's check it out.

1. What did you do in 2013 that you’d never done before?

Wow, lots of things.  Sold our house and moved to a different town is what stands out the most.  But I also tried yoga!  And I liked it.  


2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I haven't done New Years resolutions in ages.  However, my Day Zero list is still going strong.  In lieu of New Year's Resolutions I would like to make a plan.  Because plans sound a lot sturdier than a fleeting resolution at midnight on 1/1/14.  I would like to be healthier. That is my plan for 2014.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?The only person that I can think of that gave birth were two ladies in my knitting group.  Both girls, one in June and one in August.  I had a lot of fun knitting for both of them.

4. Did anyone close to you die?  

No....I can't think of any this year.  


5. What countries/places did you visit?

We went on an adventure to Maine for a few days.  Travel was a little short this year due to the aforementioned house selling/moving.  We're making up for it in 2014, though.


6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?

I'm continuing on my quest for patience.  

7. What dates from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? 

None.  Seriously, the year is a blur.


8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Not to sound like a broken record.....but making it through the real estate fiasco with my sanity still intact.   


9. What was your biggest failure?

I've always credited myself as a "Go with the Flow" type.  This year has yielded a lot of truth in the saying "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."  


10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Let's see.....I sprained my ankle.  I only mention it because of how ridiculous it was....it gave out as I was walking around my office.  Proof that sprains never ever heal right.  It was a huge pain in the rear for a while and still hurts sometimes.  Other than that and a bout of strep throat (which I guess was a first ever, too) I'd say it was a pretty good year.  :)


11. What was the best thing you bought?

 fixing the central air conditioning.  Moving into a new house in 95 degree weather with no air conditioning sucks.  


12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Anyone who "paid it forward" this year.  Anything that gave your fellow humans hope, be it food, shelter, or just a cheery "hello" on a dark day.  


13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

I don't know about depressed, but Miley Cyrus just.....ugh there are no words.  Well, "trashy" is one, but I don't think it's strong enough.  


14. Where did most of your money go?

The usual suspects.  However....staging a house and selling it in terms of expenses was a real eye-opener.  And after we moved brought on new expenses so it was a bit crazy this summer!

15.  What did you really get excited about?

MOVING!  More importantly, selling.  We owned two houses for about a month and that was a nailbiter.  (Literally.)  

16. What song will always remind you of 2013?
I never have an answer to this question.  


17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? Pretty happy for the most part.  There's been sad parts, but I've really tried to focus on the happy.

b) thinner or fatter? about the same.  

c) richer or poorer? Neither.  Just lucky and happy to have the essentials.  Heat, hot water, food and shelter.  I'm rich in love and family.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Spending more time with the kids, playing.  They're only young once.  


19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Worrying about things that one cannot control.  Getting frustrated when trying to view the future in a crystal ball, only to find out that I don't HAVE a crystal ball.  


20. How did you spend Christmas?

We hosted Christmas this year, with a holiday dinner for all of our family.  


21. Did you fall in love in 2013?

No.  But I continued to love.


22. What was your favorite TV program? I'm really loving Scandal.   


23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?


I make it a point not to hate anyone. There's people that annoy me or I dislike, but hate's a pretty strong word. (yes it's last year's answer, but it still applies!)


24. What was the best book you read?

My favorite book this year was "The House at the End of Hope Street" by Menna von Praag.  Simply beautiful.   


25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Brian and I saw "American Idiot" on stage back in February.  LOVED it.  I still listen to the soundtrack regularly.  


26. What did you want and get?

A happy ending and a new beginning.


27. What did you want and not get?

More time to knit.  But there's never enough of that.  :)

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

Hmmmm.  I don't watch a lot of movies, usually.  But I did recently just see "Frozen" in theaters  with the family and LOVED IT!  Disney really knocked that one out of the park.  If you haven't seen it, you should.


29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?Ah.....37.  It was a good birthday this year.  For the first time in ten years, I didn't take the day off.  But I treated myself to a pedicure in the afternoon, and my family came over for dinner that night.  It was really great.  


30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Trusting that things work out in the end.  Having a "vision" to see that things would really be OK when they don't seem like they will be.  


31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?

This is a stupid question.  Since this is the fourth year I believe that I have done this meme, I think I'll take all stupid questions out next year.  


32. What kept you sane?

Brian.  We have our ups and downs like any other couple but I never could have gotten through 2013 without him!


33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Eh.....don't care..


34. What political issue stirred you the most?

Nothing, really.  Though I was happy to see the right to marry who you choose has extended to MORE states.  :)


35. Who did you miss?

My far away friends and family.


36. Who was the best new person you met?
Hmmmm....have I met anyone new this year?  :)  



37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013:

Misery is contagious.  Fortunately, so is happiness.  And happiness starts with YOU, because it comes from within.  And sometimes, happiness is a choice.  Choose it.  


38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
'Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
'Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You’re gonna hear me roar

And Now....a Word about Endings

It's the last post of NaBloPoMo, and the folks at BlogHer want to know my feelings about endings.

  To me, there are four kinds of endings:  catastrophic, blessing, miraculous or incomplete.

Catastrophic endings are the worst.  This would include break-ups, being fired from your job, losing someone to illness (no matter how much you believe "that they're no longer in pain and they're in a better place.  It still sucks hard, even when you see it coming.)  Especially unresolved endings.   We've all had them, one way or another.  They may be soothed over time by the passage of time itself, but they still bruise years later.

"Blessing" endings are when the end of something finally arrives and you run to it.  For example, when I finally finished my time (I should say "served my time") at a job that I absolutely hated so that I could move on to something more suiting and satisfying.  (It was a long four years, hence the "prison sentence" references.)  These are sometimes bittersweet, like graduations, where you have one foot forward because you are looking into your future, but are scared to take that step.

"Miraculous endings" don't happen to everyone.  I've had one, and they are beautiful.  You see, I spent the better part of a year unsure if we'd ever have children of our own.  Just as I made the appointment for fertility testing, I discovered a week later that the reason why the coffee tasted terrible and that I was tired down to my bones was indeed, because I was going to have a baby.  We're one of the lucky ones....not everyone gets to resolve the issue by calling back their doctor to cancel the appointment and tell the receptionist that she's pregnant.  Seven years later, I still feel incredibly blessed.

I call the fourth ending "incomplete" but it's kind of a misnomer.  Because if it isn't complete, it isn't an ending.  Not if you don't want to be.  An ending can also be a beginning in disguise, if you're willing to let it.

Anyway, that's just my feeling about endings.  And with that, I've successfully completed National Blog Posting Month!!!