150 Things To Do Before You Die

I stole this off Jonathan...

What I've achieved is in bold -

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said "I love you" and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse of the moon
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit-faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke (If you count SingStar)
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children (I'm in the process)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived (birth?!?)
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions so far
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life

Quote of the day

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

- Dr. Seuss

sick - lax - enough already!

So here I am, I haven't posted since I went away on retreat. If you are wondering how it was - it was GREAT! Not long enough, but a really good time, and I can't wait until the next one which is in November. ( Yes, the countdown starts!!)

I have been really sick the past few days. Fever, chills, grumbles, grouchy.... just a few words that sum them up nicely or not so nicely if you are my husband having to put up with me. I am not a nice sick person!!!

We, as a family, are heading into a busy few weeks. My parents are in the country at the moment preparing for my sister's leap into married life (her wedding is on September 1st). My elder two girls are having their respective birthdays (Hope this Saturday - 26th August and Aimee a couple of weeks later on September 10th). It is truly a scary moment for me as my eldest daughter turns 10 (double digits!!!). It only seems like yesterday that she was born and here she is! Aimee will be 8, and I feel ditto about her!

So we are busy here planning birthday parties and buying pressies for the girls.

Next weekend, Hope will be having a sleepover on Saturday night, and on Sunday my sister is having a hen's party. The following weekend we will be going to her wedding on Friday, brunch with the family on Saturday morning, and a baby shower/house warming party in the evening. Sunday should be easy... :) The weekend following, will be a sleepover for Aimee with her best friend Ashlee, and then a picnic at the Auckland Botanical Garden's on Sunday for some special people that play a part in her life! So, yeah, all in all, a busy 2 weeks - I will be breathing a sigh of relief when it's all over!

Now I just need to get better - and after today - so does Hope, she just threw up - EEEEEWWW! So if you are the praying type, please pray that our household get's better! We need it!!

My 100th post...

WOW! I just looked and this is my 100th post - and what a great day to celebrate it - I am just about to head out the door for a weekend retreat (no kids, hubby, housework!!!)

YAY!

I can't wait to get there, I am like a little kid on Christmas Eve - all excitement and mania!!! :D

Anyway, See you all on Sunday!

Chocolate - Coffee - Chocolate - Coffee

I have just received the latest Trade-aid e-newsletter, and in it discovered some really awesome educational resources that are available free! It’s kinda funny that I found them now since Hope and I embarked on a study of fair trade (specifically chocolate) earlier this year, without the aid of any specific resources (the internet was the major one – which we looked at many a fair-trade/chocolate site).

The resources provided by the fair trade association of NZ look awesome. They are downloadable here in pdf format. http://www.fta.org.nz

Trade aid, also have their own resources called “children of the world” which you can send away for. I am not sure if they will send them to us, because we home school, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try. I will comment on what they are like if/when we receive them.

I am thinking that we may just spend a couple of afternoons next week looking at the fair trade association resources, with a view to finding out more about fair trade coffee (one of my own great loves).

Chocolate - Coffee - Chocolate - Coffee

things i am grateful for:

I was just wondering what to post about - life is fairly boring at present, nothing too exciting going on, and so I was at a loss as to what to write. But, when I think about it - isn't that great! Nothing terrible is happening at the moment, I've nothing to complain about. I have a roof over my head, 1 fantastic husband, 3 wonderful girls, pets galore, food in my cupboards, a 7 seater car in the driveway (one I prayed for mind you! - it took 3-4 years, but I did get it!!!), I am truly blessed (physically & possession wise) to have been born in NZ.

I think I need to be reminded about that stuff. Life isn't always easy, but it could sure get harder, and I am grateful that it's not harder.

It's God I am grateful to - he is my provider, protector, guide. We can just allow him to take care of the stress, and daily worries. There is a peace to that knowledge, automatically given, knowing that he will take care of it all. Thanks God! When he comes first in my life, every worry fades away.