The last month really seems like it flew by. I think I did pretty good this month on my list.

1. Crochet something else besides blankets or scarves at least once a year

• I made a tie and hat for a photo prop. It was my first successful attempt at a hat!

2. Do a photography challenge

• My challenge is to get my DSLR out at least once a week to photograph George in some way. I have been successful so far! Here are a couple shots.

3. Visit 5 cities I have never been to before (5/5)

4. Tour at least one of the distilleries in the KY/TN area

5. Send at least 5 snail mail a month

• I am pretty proud of myself that I have kept up with this each month. And let’s talk about how expensive stamps have gotten!

6. Become a “professional” photographer

• I have some shoots coming up with some friends of ours that I could not be more excited to help capture!

7. Run at least 10 races (any distance) (1/10)

• I am thinking of doing one over Thanksgiving. I just got cleared to go back to my normal workouts this week. Passed that 6 week post-partum check up like a boss. Anyone want to do a 5k with me?
  

8. Go camping with Tom

9. Pay for the car behind me in a drive through

• We haven’t eaten out at all this month, so there is that..

10. See Tyrone Wells live as many times as possible

11. Tour Fort Defiance here in Clarksville

12. Water ski with my dad

13. Do a 5K with my mom

14. Take a swing dance class with Tom

15. Read at least one fun book a month and one professional development book every three months

• Work in progress. I am making gains in both areas. Slow and steady.

16. Take a pottery or stained glass class

17. Do one new recipe each month

• I totally rocked this one this month! I have decided crockpots will be the thing I buy for wedding gifts. Seriously the best kitchen invention ever. (Ok maybe a tie with the Kitchenaid) Here are the recipes I tried out this month and whether we thought it was a hit or miss.
  • Pesto Ranch Crockpot Chicken-We loved this! It was super duper easy too. Lot of left overs!
  • Pumpkin Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies-I loved these! (And they have helped with my breastfeeding, just saying) Tom thought they were too fancy and lacked the appropriate icing.
  • Meatloaf-This recipe was perfect, and fairly easy. Another must keep in my cooking repertoire.
  • Corn Mac and Cheese-another crockpot win and stupid easy. Tom says this is the best mac and cheese he has ever tasted! Yes! It also makes a ton so there were lots of yummy left overs.
  • Chicken Teriyaki-Great recipe for us to put in that didn’t have cheese. (Pretty much every meal finds cheese, so I have really tried finding recipes that don’t.)
  • Garlic Asparagus-Almost always our vegetable ends up being peas, so again I am trying to get us to branch out. This is a easy, quick, and yummy recipe!
  • Pot Roast-We used deer meat for this and actually made this on two separate occasions. It was perfect to get in the fall mood!
• I am really loving meal planning. I find it is helping me get more creative in the kitchen instead of having the same chicken dish or hamburger helper each night. Any recipes you recommend? I like easy…

18. See both a Clemson and UCM football game live

19. Find a place to volunteer on a regular basis

20. Go hiking

21. Ride in a hot air balloon

22. Go to at least 20 “new to me” restaurants. (16/20)

23. Stay at a bed and breakfast

24. Spend a day without electronics (phone, t.v. and computer)

25. Have a Kentucky Derby themed 30th birthday party.

26. Explore Nashville while we live here

• We are wanting to make a trip to the zoo sometime soon, but we are still trying to figure out the best “out of the house” schedule for George. I feel really limited since we are breastfeeding.

27. Watch at least 10 movies that I have not seen before that won Best Picture at the Oscars and at least 20 documentaries (not necessarily Oscar winning) Movies (2/10); Documentaries (7/20)

• I watched Argo which won Best Picture in 2013.
• I watched two documentaries.
  • Schooled which is about college athletes and the price tag of collegiate sports. Great watch, and so many discussion topics! I could see this being used in any higher education curriculum and Student Affairs professional development round table.
  • Happy which is about just that-happiness. It interviews people from around the world and describes different levels of happiness. Happiness research is fairly new, so it was really interesting to see a positive spin from psychologists. I also liked that it compared different cultures.

28. Sew an item of clothing from scratch

29. Do a personal devotional/bible study on my own

30. Be a mascot for an event

31. Go on our honeymoon (preferably somewhere tropical)

32. Host an annual NCAA Basketball Tournament Championship game party

33. Go on a mission trip

34. Be on a recreation volleyball team

35. Become a mom

Ok, maybe I just thought I did really good because of all the recipes…Until next month.