100 Things I Did This Year

While this post is titled 100 Things I Did This Year...I couldn't actually come up with 100. So, I will do the best I can to get as high as I can and you guys can add more if you have anything that I've missed...which I'm sure I do!

This has been a big year. We have been to the bottom of caverns (hundreds of feet underground) to the tops of mountains. It's been a wild ride and I've enjoyed every moment of it.

These are in no particular order.

Here goes...

1.Read the Bible in it's entirety!!
2.Went down the zip line.
3. Spoke at MOPS.
4. Took my sister to MOPS to learn about birth order.
5. Spoke at the women's retreat.
6. Went to the women's retreat with my MIL and SIL...so fun!
7. Was a single mom for a month.
8. Spent 16 hours in the car with three kids, my MIL and a cat...waaaayyy fun!! NOT!!
9. Moved to Colorado.
10. Went on the sky ride at the North Pole.
11. Year 3 at family camp.
12. Visited the Rocky Mountains.
13. Got braces.
14. Got my braces off.
15. Met my new nephew Camden.
16. Got the glasses that I've needed for 10 years!
17. Lost a friend to suicide.
18. Laughed so hard I cried.
19. Saw Hannah Montana live in the front row at the rodeo with our friends Steph, KK and Steph's sister.
20. Visited the Battleship at San Jacinto.
21. Visited the San Jacinto Monument.
22. Bought my first brand new car in 10 years.
23. Celebrated my 10 year anniversary!! Yay us!
24. Sold a house on our own in less than a week.
25. Went to San Antonio for James' 5th birthday.
26. Visited the Natural Caverns.
27. Went to Sea World.
28. Had my butt beat in an obstacle course at Pump It Up by my 8 year old!
29. Ate an amazing dinner at the Melting Pot with the Hornes and the Knowles...yummy!!
30. Watched my 5 year old graduate from preschool.
31. Let Jagger go on a 4 day trip with James to the grandparent's country home.
32. Enjoyed my boys being gone.
33. Brought James to his 1st day of Kindergarten.
34. Helped put together VBS with SBC.
35. Taught art at VBS and loved it!!
36. Left our three kids with a babysitter while Jim and I flew to Denver.
37. Bought a new house.
38. Got a new dog.
39. Went to an Astros vs Rockies game at Coors Field.
40. Became a Broncos fan!!
41. Visited Tiny Town in Morrison, CO.
42. Went sliding in Winter Park.
43. Skated in Flat Irons.
44. Skated in Boulder.
45. Started writing a column...who would have predicted this one??!!
46. Went through a corn maze in Anderson Farms.
47. Played in the snow.
48. Made a snow angel.
49. Ate HUGE cookies in Estes Park.
50. Ate a chocolate covered banana in Estes Park.
51. Started a new Bunco group.
52. Made new friends.
53. Cried for my old friends.
54. Had an awesome girls and kids Mother's Day weekend at Crier Creek.
55. Spent a whole day at the spa in Denver with both SILs and my MIL.
56. Celebrated many milestones of my sister's pregnancy with her.
57. Wept with joy for the birth of my niece Michayla.
58. Celebrated with the unexpected and very happy news of my niece becoming pregnant.
59. Laughed at my sister because she will be a GRANDMA soon!
60. Used a hotel Bible in San Antonio because I forgot mine and didn't want to fall behind in my readings.
61. Woke up and read a week's worth of Bible readings on the bathroom floor in a hotel in Aurora on our move to Colorado.
62, Really started to love blogging.
63. Read at least 50 books.
64. Played speed scrabble for the first time and became addicted.
65. Had the best Christmas EVER!
66. Painted my house.
67. Painted Jen's house.
68. Painted Hilde's house.
69. Got paid for painting a cat mural on a child's wall.
70. Worked at Krisher McKay (a real estate office).
71. Cleaned houses with my two best friends for money.
72. Made smores in the microwave...that could be addictive!
73. Fell in love with our neighbors and their families.
74. Met two blogging friends.
75. Started my own small group and made wonderful friends.
76. ......

I'm out of ideas! And I know there is more.

The point of this is...life. I had one thing that I wanted to achieve this year. I wanted to read the Bible. And I did. I did not plan the majority of the things on my list and if someone had told me that I'd be living in Colorado by the end of the year..I would have laughed at them. Life has a way of happening though, whether we plan for it or not...we just have to choose to embrace it.

Here is a quote that I have carried around in my wallet since college written by Hafiz of Persia:
"One regret dear world, that I am determined not to have while I am lying on my deathbed is that I did not kiss you enough."

Being the organized planner that I am, it can be hard to deviate from the plan. I have though. And I will. And I am learning to love those moments just as much as the planned ones...sometimes much more!

Happy New Year's Eve!

I Finished the Bible

I just finished the entire Bible. Right now. 9:30pm on December 30th. Which means I can say I read the Bible in LESS than a year since I finished a day early!!

I was surprised at the lack of celebration. No angel trumpets. No standing ovations. Nobody did the wave. Very anti-climatic!

On a serious note...what an awesome journey!

Master Bathroom

Of course, my room is the last to be done (well, not counting the playroom which has just been turned into Kaylee's room...). We did the master bath today. My walls are huge in my room though so that might take a while to get done...

Like mother, like daughter...


Kaylee took this very unflattering shot but thought it should be included in here. Yay!

Here is the finished product.

A Country Christmas

Enjoy the video.

Christmas Morning

We didn't take very many pictures this morning. It was more of an afterthought. We decided to just enjoy. The kids were so excited to give us gifts that they had bought at the Santa Shop at school that our hands were very full.

I have to say...I was absolutely spoiled this year. I think it was my favorite Christmas ever! My honey went to a specialty shop and bought me my favorite candy bar from Canada. I cried! I got a lot of gifts...but the candy bar really touched me. Thanks babe!

Here are my new shoes...

Jimmy's incredibly sexy foot in his new slippers. I think we had feet on our mind this year!

Kaylee's mess...

James' mess, including that tv for his room.....

Jagger and my mess....

Kaylee playing her DS while it was plugged in (in her new outfit from Nanny and Papa).

Kaylee came upstairs in this outfit. She may not wear bows and boutique clothes like I want her to..but oh my I do love her funky sense of style....

Jagger with his new DS (and another outfit from Nanny and Papa).

And that's all for Christmas morning! Now it's time to play with our new stuff!

Christmas Eve

Here are all of the kiddos dressed up for Christmas Eve service at Harvest Fellowship. They were so beautiful and church was lovely!

I know this picture is kind of blurry but there has to be a jammie shot on Christmas eve!

Cookies (macaroons, Santa's favorite), coke (Santa gets tired of milk!) and a carrot for Rudolph. Who wouldn't want to stop at our house?!

Bad Boys...I Love 'Em!

This entry is going to look so out of place backed up against the New Testament post.

I have a confession (some of you already know). I love thuggy men. Shaved head. Goatee. Tattoos. Lots of tattoos. Thuggy!

My husband...not a thug. Not even one tattoo.

However, his work clothes make him look like he was just released, or entering (choose whichever fantasy you want) a high-security prison.

Me...I'm wondering if he could dress like this and stay home?!!

Here are my three teddy bears looking particularly thuggy...