101 Things in 1001 Days

Well, I stole this idea from a friend, and I think it is awesome. Basically, you come up with 101 things you'd like to do/accomplish and you have 1001 days to complete the list. I am totally jazzed about this idea. In order to keep me accountable, I am going to blog about each list item as I complete it...wish me luck! :)

1. Exercise everyday for a month. (0/31)
2. Read 12 nonfiction books. (0/12)
3. Have my carpet professionally cleaned.
4. Organize all of my closets. (0/6)
5. Go through and purge unnecessary items in the basement and organize what's left.
6. Paint the master bedroom and bathroom.
7. Read the entire Bible. (0/66)
8. Create three pieces of art. (0/3)
9. Take three career related classes. (0/3)
10. Take two non-career related classes. (0/2)
11. Go to the doctor, dentist, and optometrist. (1/3)
12. Volunteer my time somewhere other than CCC.
13. Finish my wedding scrapbook.
14. Explore New England.
15. Take a trip out West.
16. Leave the country
17. Go rock climbing (indoors or out).
18. Run in a 5k.
19. Meet 101 new people. (15/101)
20. Eat at home everyday for a month (or at least meals made at home--no restaurants, drive-thrus, or carry-outs). (0/31)
21. Organize my kitchen cabinets.
22. Read 50 of the top 100 books according to Random House http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100bestnovels.html. (0/50)
23. Watch 50 of the top 100 movies according to the American Film Institute http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/movies100.pdf?docID=264. (0/50)
24. Memorize 25 Bible verses. (0/25)
25. Read 10 plays by William Shakespeare. (0/10)
26. Face a fear.
27. Build a sandcastle.
28. Pick out and put up curtains in my bedroom.
29. See a show on Broadway.
30. Finish my Chicken project.
31. Make my front yard presentable.
32. Power wash the outside of my house.
33. Surprise someone.
34. Learn to play 10 songs on the guitar. (0/10)
35. Grow something from a seed.
36. Plant a tree.
37. Write a poem.
38. Read 5 historical books. (0/5)
39. Read 5 biographies. (0/5)
40. Blog 50 times. (0/50)
41. Try Sushi.
42. Start a prayer journal.
43. Slenderize my Mii.
44. Write 7 letters to my Compassion Child, Kibaki. (0/7)
45. Go mountain biking.
46. Go on a picnic.
47. Make homemade ice cream.
48. Go canoeing.
49. Keep a food journal for a month. (0/31)
50. Do something to grow my marriage (ie. go on a retreat, do a Bible Study).
51. Go fishing.
52. Design and purchase my own Nike's.
53. Deal with "the iPod situation."
54. Make use of public transportation.
55. Start recycling paper.
56. Build something.
57. Send 5 people anonymous gifts. (0/5)
58. Send 50 encouraging messages to 50 different people.
59. Paint pottery.
60. Play on a team.
61. Make 3 big decisions. (0/3)
62. Give up a bad habit.
63. Solve the towel storage problem in the bathroom.
64. Ride an elephant.
65. Go to the Renaissance Festival.
66. Drink only water for a month.
67. Swim in an ocean.
68. Ride on a train.
69. Replace all of the light bulbs in the house with CFL's.
70. Get a programmable thermostat.
71. Install (well, have installed) a dimmer switch in our living room.
72. Paint our office.
73. Paint the upstairs hallway.
74. Go ice skating.
75. Ride on a motorcycle.
76. Stay awake for 24 hours straight.
77. Collect all of the star coins on Super Mario Bros. Wii.
78. Play Nick in a real game of raquetball.
79. Pray for every country in the world by name http://geography.about.com/od/countryinformation/a/capitals.htm. (0/195)
80. Give more hugs.
81. Get a summer job.
82. Do something nice for my neighbors.
83. Host a "themed" dinner party.
84. Host a game night.
85. Donate my hair to Locks of Love again.
86. Get a facial.
87. Get a pedicure.
88. Go see 7 movies Nick wants to see without complaining. (0/7)
89. Put $1 per day in a piggy bank.  (56/1001)
90. Vacuum and wash my car once a month, weather permitting. (1/34)
91. Get my rings cleaned.
92. Try 5 brand new recipes. (0/5)
93. Clean out and organize our home office.
94. Take another spiritual gifts assessment and figure out how to use my "gifts" in a significant way.
95. Read a Beth Moore book.
96. Write a letter to my 45-year-old self.
97. Try some kind of "ethnic" food.
98. Go rollerblading.
99. Put knobs on my kitchen cabinets.
100. On November 1, 2012, start a new-list.
101. Donate $1 to Compassion International for everything not accomplished on this list.

~Blevins - out!

Happy Father's Day!

Well...how fitting that my last blog was about Mother's Day and now it's a month later...already time for Father's Day...where has time gone?

My dad is pretty much the best dad in the whole wide world. I don't know that I've ever met anyone as smart as he is, he knows everything about everything. He really could have been anything in the world he wanted to be, a doctor, a lawyer, even president...but he chose to dedicate his life to telling others about God's love...how awesome is that?! It's something that I will always admire about him. When I think about my life growing up, I think about how hard of a worker my dad is. He's always given everything he has to the church and to our family. Some of my fondest memories are the trips we've taken together as a family. I remember going out in to "the deep water" in the ocean when I was little. Dad would take me out on this round float with handles and let me ride in to shore on the waves. There were times when I would totally get churned, but no matter what, dad's strong hand would pull me up out of the water. I remember all of our fun trips to Washington, DC and Williamsburg and other fun historical places (which is where I got my love of history). I remember Dad dropping me off for my freshman year at Furman and that last hug when he was leaving me behind...walking me down the aisle on my wedding day...leading Nick and I through our vows...supporting us when Nick decided to go into ministry full time, even though I know it was hard. All in all, I think my dad is the best...and here's to him...Happy Father's Day Daddy! I love you!

Happy Mother's Day!

Sooo…I’m a day late, but this was a crazy weekend. I just wanted to do a quick shout-out to my mom for Mother’s Day! I like many things about Mother’s Day, but I think that my favorite part of this holiday is the fact that it really is a time to stop and reflect about our moms. My mom is pretty much awesome. I can’t just pick out one or two favorite “mom” memories, because we do so much together. I love how every time I go to visit, we make our patented trip to Target and other random places. She knows I don’t care where we go as long as we’re hanging out. I love how she cries at Gilmore Girls and Leave it to Beaver. I love the fact that she’s always thinking about me and proud of me, no matter where I am or what I do. I love that she’s on facebook and is cool with that being one of our primary means of communication (she knows I’m not good on the phone). But most of all, I love the fact that she’s my mom. She’s always loved me and taken care of me and she always will…she’s just amazing that way…thanks mom for being so great! Happy Mother’s Day! I love you!

And Happy Mother's Day to the other moms (and soon to be moms) that read my blog...you're all wonderful!

~Blevins - out!