35 Before 35 Revisted

Just another month living out my life. Here are some updates on my life list.

1. Crochet something else besides blankets or scarves at least once a year (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)

2. Do a photography challenge (Took pictures once a week George’s first year)

3. Visit 5 cities I have never been to before (8/5)

4. Tour at least one a winery, brewery, or distillery

5. Send at least 5 snail mail a month

6. Become a “professional” photographer

7. Run at least 10 races (any distance) (6/10)

  • I signed up for two races, one being a 10k.

8. Go camping with Tom

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

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

16. Take a pottery or stained glass class

17. Do one new recipe each month

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. (36/20)

  • Mugs Up-This is an old school car-hop hamburger joint. They are only open in the summer. Their chili fries are amazeballs.
  • Claysville Store-This is a little home-style cooking cafe that is down the street from our house. Their fried chicken was so delicious. They are only open for 8 hours a week, and it was jam-packed.
  • G & D’s Steakhouse-Another great local place!
  • Daisy Delights-This is a local old school Dairy Queen. Pretty good.

23. Stay at a bed and breakfast

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

25. Do something unique and new for my birthdays

26. Explore Nashville while we live here

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 (3/10); Documentaries (7/20)

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

  • Guys! This is happening this week. I almost cried when was asked to do it for work.

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

July Goals

Somebody needs to figure out how to slow down time. Looking back, I am not really sure where June went. How is it July?

Anyway, before I go into my July goals, let’s see how I did with what I wanted to do in June.

  • Fitness-
    • Do BodyPump once a weekend.-Nope. I honestly forgot about this most weekends. I did it one time. 
    • Go through Jessica Smith’s Walk-a-Thon twice. –I did this! I did a lot of them during my lunch hour. These are great little energy boosters. I was able to do them all in my office which is small as far as open space. I even did them in my dress clothes, so they aren’t intense enough to get you gross, but they get your blood moving. They were also good to do when I was cooking and waiting for stuff to simmer or bake. Easy peasy.
  • House Tasks-we did none of this…June is blur so I honestly don’t know what happened. Oh Well.

    • Finish Living Room Wall
    • Fix the flower beds around the trees
    • Get the basement visitor ready
    • Clean the craft room
  • Something with George
    • Put up the pool-Done and Done. I think I have used it for my own personal enjoyment more than George though.
    • Get out the bubbles-We got them out a couple of times, but he ends up just putting the stick in his mouth. He does think the bubbles are fun though!
  • Something with Tom-Celebrate our anniversary this month with something simple-We were pretty lame for our anniversary to be honest. I was sick that weekend, and it just didn’t seem to be in the cards for us to do anything. We did go out to eat a restaurant we had never been to before so that is something.
  • Something for me-Advocate for myself. I know I was vague on this, and I am still not going to give much detail. I did what I needed to do, and I may be able to share with you all soon about the outcome. But maybe not. All that matters is that I put myself out there.

 

 

  • Fitness-
    • Do BodyPump once a weekend. If at first you don’t succeed, try again.
    • Start 10K training. I have signed up for another 10K in the fall, so I need to get back on the running bandwagon.
  • House Tasks-

    • Finish Living Room Wall
    • Fix the flower beds around the trees
    • Clean the craft room
  • Something with George-Introduce him to sidewalk chalk.
  • Something with Tom-Seriously we want to go to dinner and a movie. We want to go see Secret Life of Pets and have some Olive Garden. Who wants to babysit?
  • Something for mepermission to be lazy. This last weekend, I took naps every day. It was glorious. I want to enjoy this month of weekends before the hustle and bustle of the new school year starts. I want to enjoy the summer and not feel pressured to do chores or abide by a routine. (Although with a toddler in tow, routines I know are necessary.) I just want to be in the moment more this month when I am at home, and be more mindful of my self-care than my house-care.

 

 

Bachelorette JoJo Week 5

We are at the halfway point, and also up to the time where she decides whose families she will meet. The drama is rising.

  • I think she does fall in love with two people. Oh the irony.
  • What do you think the locals think of all these cameras and random groups just standing around waiting for instructions?
  • That hotel is gorgeous with all that character and little details.
  • Wouldn’t that be funny if Alex is on the two on one again?
  • Wow Wells admitting that he hasn’t kissed her yet. And then how random with all of them talking about it and giving him advice. Why are you giving advice on how to make the moves to someone you are also dating? Sometimes the sociology of this show is weird.
  • Why is he supposed to kiss her? Let it be natural guys. Why so much focus on Wells kissing her? There is too much pressure that he is going to over think everything.
  • That suspended pool looks really cool. It’s like a big slip and slide.
  • They had their moment! But it was a little weird that JoJo screamed, “You did it.” It just seemed like he was getting praised as a child.
  • I think JoJo is second guessing her connection with Wells. I don’t think she is believing he wants to find love. He just doesn’t seem to let his walls down for her, and he doesn’t seem to believe in finding that fairy tale love.
  • I think Wells will go to Paradise.
  • The guy coming in to get Well’s luggage was eerily creepy.
  • Poor James and his confidence amongst the guys. James you have so many people’s hearts. Your hair alone got me swooning.
  • Yes James made a goal! You are a sexy dude!
  • I feel like I shouldn’t be watching the passion between Luke and JoJo.
  • Derek looks like Jim Halpert’s brother.
  • James, this jealousy is not becoming on you.
  • I hope that there was more conversation between James and JoJo that they didn’t show, because it just seemed awkward to go from talking about Jordan to asking for a kiss.
  • JoJo is so blunt when calling out people.
  • I am not understanding where this tiff with James and Jordan is coming from. All from a poker game?
  • Jordan coming back from talking with JoJo was so awkward. Him drinking the wine and fidgeting was weird.
  • Alex and Robbie watching Jordan and James arguing was intense.
  • Whew Jordan is stewing.
  • I don’t really blame him because it was James talking behind his back, but there does seem to be some entitlement behavior going on. I really liked Jordan at first, but watching him react to Chad I can see what James was saying a little. But it also seems like James is just trying to save himself because he is feeling so insecure.
  • I would pick Chase over Derek going into the 2:1.
  • They are not good at tango.
  • Derek is going in for it!
  • Did I miss something with Chase and JoJo having issues? I am so confused.
  • It’s ok Jim (Derek), you are supposed to be with Pam anyway.
  • Also this is hilarious editing with Derek crying to “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.”
  • Chase seems like the strong silent type that will be a protector but emotions are hard.
  • Oh.My.Goodness. Her blue dress is BEAUTIFUL!
  • I don’t understand Alex with JoJo.
  • Boom she about gave them a heart attack with the two last roses for James and Alex.
  • Aww her smile for James is very telling.
  • Alex is being a pig about it being a pity rose. She could have sent you home dude.
  • Did anyone else see Jordan arm hug James? So did they make up?
  • All these dudes have great heads of hair.
  • “My body is about 40% pizza.” Yes. True story.
My favorites: just Luke. I am done with everyone else.

George-22 Months

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Weight: 29 lbs. He hasn’t really gained a lot of weight, but I feel like he has gotten a lot taller.

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Health:  We continued the roller coaster of health issues these last two months. George got the worst case of Hand-Foot-Mouth that our doctor has ever seen. (Of course he did.) He has been over it for a few weeks, and you can still see scars from the blisters. It was awful. George seemed unaffected and was excited about the extra days at home that we had him quarantined. George underwent his first “surgery” last week and got tubes put in his ears. He did so great with being put under and didn’t even cry. Hopefully this will help keep the ear infections and other sickness at bay.

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Diet: His diet is the worst. He will eat whatever the sitter gives him, but refuses to eat anything but cheerios, yogurt, and smoothies at home. We can sometimes get him to eat chicken and pasta, but it is never predictable. He will drink so much liquids throughout the day. He sucks juice, water, tea, and milk down like it’s his job. He is obsessed with condiments/dipping sauces. He will dip anything into ketchup (like his mama).  It is very frustrating to feed him. Tonight I had given up feeding him actual meals after how lunch and breakfast had gone (very poorly), but then he ate more chicken enchiladas than I did. Toddler taste buds are a mystery.

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Clothes:  George is in 2T clothing for everything now. He is still in size 5 diapers, but we do size 6 at night. He is in a size 6 shoe. He is looking less babyish and more big kid.

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Sleeping:  He sleeps at night from 8pm-about 6:30 am. He sleeps through the night pretty regularly still. He goes down really easy at night. Naps are a little tricky. Sometimes he goes down easy for naps, but if we throw his schedule off even a little bit, he will play in his crib for hours before falling asleep. He just sits in there playing with his stuffed animals, jumping, or reading books. He has yet to climb out of his crib, but I am thinking those days are numbered.

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Likes: He loves the outdoors and Tom’s shop. He loves the UPS man. The other day he cried when he (UPS man) left the street, like big fat whopping tears. He is obsessed with legos and his fire truck. He loves taking his shoes and socks off in the car. He is still a big reader. He likes doing dishes with me. He pushes the chair over and actually tries scrubbing the dishes.

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Dislikes: He hates mornings right now. He throws the largest tantrums when he gets up and refuses to not be held. He is not happy when we tell him no and try to keep him from doing dangerous things. He is a sassy pants when he doesn’t get to do what he wants right then. He despises getting his teeth brushed. (It’s also my least favorite part of the day…) He hates the deep end at the pool. He doesn’t mind pools as long as he can touch the bottom on his own. He even went down the slide at the no entry side. But for me to hold him in the deep end during swim lessons, no bueno. He has a death grip on us the whole class period.

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Milestones: Gosh he talks a lot. Most of it is unrecognizable, but he is a chatty little guy. His new words are thank you, bite, good job, bubba (bubbles), juice, Grace, cheese, alright, green, blue, two, and mine. He knows a couple animal noises now. He can do a cow, sheep, and dog noises. It is so funny hearing him say bye to everyone. He screams it several times before leaving the house. He can get the milk and juice out of the fridge and put it on the counter. We started swim lessons, as a said above he does not appreciate this time. This last week he was a little better and tried blowing bubbles but he is definitely not a fan of this time. He is starting to really recognize folks that he hasn’t seen in awhile. We stopped potty training, which I guess is an un-milestone. He went on the potty for two weeks and then all of a sudden decided he would never do it again. So we pushed pause on it, and we have just gone back to asking if he needs to go and waiting for him to run to the bathroom. This is fine with us because the original plan wasn’t to start until well after he was 2, and to be honest closer to 3. He has “chores” now. He gets the dog food when the bowl is empty and helps load the washer and dryer with laundry. He takes these jobs very seriously. He smiles for the camera now, while saying cheese.

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Quirks: He is super shy and doesn’t like big crowds. However, when he warms up to you, he loves really hard. When he is sad, a sure fire way to get him out a funk is to play hide and seek. His tantrums are pretty ridiculous. We think it comes from the fact that he really wants to do things on his own and be independent, even if he shouldn’t be doing it on his own. He also isn’t the best at communicating, so sometimes all this frustration comes out in a throw himself on the floor tantrum. When he is really investigating something, he lays flat on the floor to get a really close-up look. He is a very hands-on guy who loves to see every detail. While there are a lot of mentions of tantrums in this post, for the most part if he is exploring he is the happiest guy out there. I just love watching his face light up. He warms my heart.

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Nicknames:  Booger, Gdubs, Gman, Little man, Georgie, Georgieman, and Boogs.

We parents are:  Our schedules are a little wild right now, so things have been weird at our house with a lot of rearranging of schedules. We are also ready for a month where George isn’t sick since that is super stressful on so many levels. George has been very clingly lately and is definitely becoming a momma’s boy. I have a love/hate relationship with this kind of attention. While I am loving that he wants my comfort and he finds safety from me, it does make it hard to walk alone, get something out of the fridge with two hands, eat a meal where he isn’t sitting in my lap…it can just be exhausting at times for him to want to be on my hip 24/7. The death grip hugs are nice though. Like I said, he loves hard. We also are looking forward to the day where we can go to a restaurant where someone doesn’t have to go “walk” George during the meal.

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The dogs are: loving summer. George loves the dogs. He gets so excited to let them outside. He thinks trying to ride them is his job. Grace will let him do it, and is so patient with him. Crosby gets up and moves away the second George tries to get on him.

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Don’t mind me, I will be over here wiping up my tears knowing that he will be 2 in two months. I will take one of those hard hugs now Gman.

Bachelorette JoJo Week 4

And we’re baaaaack! I didn’t know what to do with myself last week with the hiatus. Here are my thoughts on this week’s episode.

 

  • The protein ashes ceremony to say goodbye to Chad. My mind is just a mess of thoughts from that. Wow.
  • Actually you will see Chad again guys..It’s called the “Men Tell All” episode.
  • I can only shake my head at Chad. I also think they made this interaction to be a lot bigger than it was on the previews. Anti-climatic folks.
  • Jordan kind of turned me off with his “trying to be a bigger guy” conversation with Chad.
  • This celebrating Chad going home is turning into a weird party…but it’s nice they are all bros.
  • CHAD’S GOING TO BE IN PARADISE? WHY?!?!?!
  • They certainly have made this season about Chad, and now they can only still talk about Chad.
  • There are hidden agendas since you are all going after the same girl. You wouldn’t share game plays with the opposing team.
  • Chase getting those big bumper things was really cute. Way to lighten the mood.
  • Now Evan needs to go.
  • What is it with people writing poems on this show? Do these guys really write them outside of this realm?
  • I can’t blame these guys with roses already trying to get more time. This is an arena that you are trying to marry this lady. As Jordan said, “I am in this for me.”
  • Did anyone else catch that JoJo shortened the “rose ceremony” to “see you at the rose?” Man the English language has gotten lazy.
  • I think men’s dress shoes are sometimes weird looking and are big like clown shoes.
  • Of course you don’t know what she is thinking because you don’t know her.
  • Ughhhh, why Evan.
  • Daniel’s exit interview. Yes your personality stinks, and so do your comebacks. Better luck getting hit by lightning while you are shaving?
  • Ok so add Uruguay to places I would like to visit.
  • Man, they all looked pissed when Jordan got the one on one.
  • They sure did turn on Jordan fast with not trusting him.
  • Wait wait! I didn’t know they could have magazines! And now they are turning on JoJo.
  • Tom says that this is shady. That out of millions of Americans, JoJo is magically going to meet Jordan’s ex-girlfriend. Right…
  • This conversation about Jordan’s ex was awkward, but I think it is good to address it since he wasn’t mature during that relationship.
  • The fame that goes with this show can obviously be hard on people who have not been part of it before. That article by her ex seems awful and from what she is saying all for money.
  • That was nice that they comforted JoJo, but just 10 hours earlier they were not on her side…Also did it look like she was straining to make real tears to anyone else?
  • I thought they would be on dune buggies. Sand surfing sounds cool, but looks very dangerous (says the mom).
  • Luke seems very supportive, and they (him and JoJo) seem to mesh really well.
  • The jealousy has to be running rampant at this point.
  • Y’all are coming apart at the seams.
  • I would not want to jump off that cliff without knowing what I am jumping into.
  • I am not sure what Alex’s angle is…but his cockiness is off-putting. He is becoming the new bad guy for me.
  • How can Robbie say that he loves her when this is their first actual date?
  • Sometimes I think the guys have more drama than the gals.
  • I think Derek has merit to confront these guys, but I would have maybe done it one on one because people like Alex seem to thrive on the power of the group.
  • I love JoJo’s green dress.
  • Oh Evan…I feel bad for you dude.
  • Vinny, I just didn’t see that crying coming. Poor guy.
  • AHHHH does she love two people?

My favorites: Luke, James Taylor, and Chase.

As always I love this show.