Savannah's Life

23) Run a Marathon-11/5/11

2011-11-17T12:13:00.003-05:00

Completed the Savannah Marathon on 11/5/11 in Savannah, GA with a time of 4:11:45.

93) Get to my ideal weight again-Done 11/11

2011-11-17T12:06:00.003-05:00

Not disclosing what this number is, but I am definitely happy with my weight and where I am health-wise.

62) Spend three months getting your body into optimum shape. 08/11-11/11

2011-11-17T11:54:00.002-05:00

I started training for my first half-marathon November 2010 and ran the Berry Half-Marathon Febuary 2011. From there I continued running and training for my first marathon. By the time I ran the marathon 11/5/11, I was in the best shape of my life. Now, I have to start training for my next big race to stay in shape!

81) Ride a Mechanical Bull 04/11

2011-11-17T11:52:00.002-05:00

Completed in New Orleans on Bourbon Street. I have to say even though quite a bit of alcohol was involved, I was pretty darn good at it. Think I missed my calling.

Update on Things to Do Before I Die

2011-11-17T11:14:00.003-05:00

I updated my 100 Things to Do Before I Die list and I will start adding something to the list everytime I mark something off!
1) Go scuba-diving off Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
2) Become a parent.
3) Visit Paris and go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. -I didn't go to the very top, but I went to the first landing 5/19/09
4) Go to a real theatre. 5/15/08 Chicago Theater to see "Wicked"
5) Take a hot-air balloon ride. -went on a hot-air balloon ride in Egypt-10/1/10
6) Climb a mountain.
7) Christmas in New York.-12/08
8) Set foot on each of the seven continents 3/7 so far (North America, Europe and Africa)
9) Visit the pyramids. -9/26/10
10) Go whale watching. went whale watching in Boston-8/10/10
11) Visit Machu Picchu.
12) See the northern lights.
13) Visit a museum in London. -visited the British Museum in London-12/31/09
14) Attend the Olympic games.
15) See the Mona Lisa at the Louvre.-5/20/09
16) Try wine-tasting. 11/7/09
17) Float in the dead sea
18) Go on a safari.
19) Walk on the Great Wall of China.
20) Take the Trans-Siberian Express across Asia.
21) Visit the Tower of London.-12/29/09
22) Eat jellied eels from a stall in London.
23) Run a marathon. -Savannah Marathon 11/5/11
24) Send a message in a bottle.
25) Visit Mt. Everest base camp.
26) Hike the Appalachian Trail.
27) See the Niagara Falls.
28) Go to midnight premiere of a movie.-went to the premier of New Moon-11/20/09
29) Cruise down the Nile.-rode overnight on a traditional felucca down the Nile-9/29/10
30) Ride a camel in the desert.-9/27/10
31) Kiss the Blarney Stone.
32) Go kayaking. 8/2/09
33) Drink beer at Oktoberfest in Munich.
34) See a musical on Broadway.-I did not see a musical, but I did see a show on Broadway-12/16/08
35) Throw a huge party and invite every one of your friends.
36) Swim with dolphins.
37) Skydive.
38) Learn to speak a foreign language and make sure you use it.
39) Go skinny-dipping at midnight in the South of France.
40) Watch the launch of the space shuttle.
41) Be an extra in a film.
42) Read “Anna Karenina” by Tolstoy
43) Give your mother a dozen red roses and tell her you love her.-5/9/10
44) Be a member of the audience in a TV show. --Done, I went to see a taping of Jeopardy.
45) Bake a cake from scratch.
46) See Ani Difranco in concert.-in Nashville, TN-3/5/10
47) Plant a tree. -in Costa Rica-5/21/10
48) Learn to ballroom dance properly.
49) Sit on a jury.
50) Go to Walden Pond and read Thoreau while drifting in a canoe.
51) See the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil
52) Shower in a waterfall.-3/23/08--Didn't take a full shower, but I definately immersed myself in a waterfall at the end of a caving expedition.
53) Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
54) Spend New Year's in an exotic location.-in London-12/31/09
55) Drive across America from coast to coast.
56) Visit an Amish community. 8/22/09
57) Take a ride on the highest roller coaster in the country. --currently the Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ 8/24/09
58) Go wild in Rio during Carnival.
59) Go to Savannah, GA. For St. Patrick’s Day
60) Spend Christmas on the beach drinking pina coladas
61) Raft through the Grand Canyon.
62) Spend three months getting your body into optimum shape. Spent the three months before my marathon getting into the best shape of my life. 08/11-11/11
63) Attend one really huge rock concert.
64) Give to a charity -- anonymously.
65) Lose more money than you can afford at roulette in Vegas.
66) Visit the Holy Land.
67) Go to Auschwitz
68) Learn a new word everyday for a year.-started 6/15/09-finished 6/15/10
69) Stay overnight in a Buddhist Monastery
70) Visit the Pearl Harbor Memorial
71) Milk a cow.
72) Visit Ground Zero in New York City-12/14/08
73) Protest
74) Take an archery lesson
75) Learn to water ski
76) Have coffee on a sidewalk in Paris 5/21/09
77) See Cirque Du Soleil live-2/1/09
78) Camp outside for a week
79) Go to a real Ballet
80) Enroll in a belly dancing class-done in 8/08
81) Ride a mechanical bull-New Orlean 4/11
82) Visit all 50 of the United States- visited 20/50 so far
83) Graduate college-05/15/09
84) Visit a music festival in another country
85) Help with a Habitat for Humanity Home
86) Go to a fashion show
87) Try fire walking
88) See the Acropolis in Greece
89) Watch Casablanca Completed 5/26/08
90) Learn to fly, get my pilot's license
91) Receive my black belt in Tae Kwon Do
92) Eat Chinese food in China
93) Get to my ideal weight again-Done 11/11
94) Volunteer and make a difference
95) Run with the bulls in Spain
96) Become debt free
97) See the Highland Games in Scotland
98) Stay overnight in an ice hotel
99) Drink tequila in a bar in Mexico-11/15/09
100) Ride horseback on a beach
101) Go to Scotland and look for the Loch Ness Monster
102) Give up television
103) Pub hop in Ireland
104) Ride an elephant
105) Partake in a Japanese Tea Ceremony
106) Meet Stevie Nicks
107) Visit the Taj Mahal
108) See Count Dracula's Castle
109) Complete a Triathalon
110) Walk "The Way of St. James" or El Camino de Santiago a religious or spiritual pilgrimage

Movies of 2010

2011-01-30T11:15:00.003-05:00

Breakfast at Tiffany's-5/5
Brideshead Revisited-3/5
Burlesque-3.5/5
Cheri-4/5
Couple's Retreat-3/5
Dinner for Schmucks-5/5
Due Date-4/5
Eclipse-4/5
Food, Inc-5/5
Grown Ups-3/5
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince-4/5
Hotel for Dogs-3/5
Inception-4.5/5
Ironman 2-4/5
Me Without You-4.5/5
Megamind-5/5
My Life in Ruins-4/5
Orphan-4/5
Paranormal Activity 2-4/5
Religulous-5/5
Repo Man-3/5
Run, Fatboy, Run-5/5
Sex and the City 2-4/5
She's Out of My League-3/5
Shutter Island-4.5/5
Silk-3/5
The Back-Up Plan-3/5
The Bounty Hunter-4/5
The Box-1/5
The Kids Are All Right-4/5
The Lovely Bones-3/5
Toy Story 3-5/5
Wolfman-3/5
Young Victoria-5/5

Book on CD 2010

2011-01-07T21:59:00.001-05:00

A Thousand Splendid Suns-Khaled Hosseini 5/5
Abandoned-Cody McFadyen-2/5
Bullet-Laurell K. Hamilton-3.5/5
Cult Insanity-Irene Spencer 3.5/5
Her Fearful Symmetry-Audrey Niffenegger 5/5
Its Not All About The Cooking-Paula Deen-4/5
Nanny Returns-Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus-4/5
The Host-Stephanie Meyer 4/5

Total: 8

Books I Read 2010

2011-01-07T21:55:00.000-05:00

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier- Ishmael Beah-5/5
A Walk Across America-Peter Jenkins-5/5
Bound to Shadows-Keri Arthur-3/5
Commited-Elizabeth Gilbert-4/5
Diary of a Young Girl-Anne Frank-5/5
Eat, Pray, Love-Elizabeth Gilbert-5/5
Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu-J. Maarten Troost-4.5/5
In the Time of Butterflies-Julia Alvarez-4/5
Lost on Planet China-J. Marteen Troost-5/5
My Sister's Keeper-Jodi Picoult-4/5
Plains of Passage-Jean Auel-4.5/5
Shelters of Stone-Jean Auel 5/5
Snow Falling on Cedars-David Guterson-4.5/5
Song of Solomon-Tony Morrison-3/5
Songs in Ordinary Time-Mary McGarry Morris-4/5
The Book of the Dead-Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child-4.5/5
The Dance of Death-Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child-4.5/5
The Handmaid's Tale-Margaret Atwood 5/5
The Help-Kathryn Stockett-5/5
The Red Queen-Phillipa Gregory-4/5
The Time Traveler's Wife-Audrey Niffenegger 5/5
The Wheel of Darkness-4.5/5-Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Three Cups of Tea-Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin-5/5

Total: 23

Christmas in Amsterdam

2010-12-25T10:58:00.002-05:00

Spending Christmas in Amsterdam! I have completely fallen in love with this beautiful city. The entire city is covered with a blanket of snow. I am mesmerized by the Dutch language. I can't stop taking pictures of the gorgeous canals. I visited the Anne Frank house today and was so moved by what I saw. I think it was ever more special because I read the book earlier this year. Loved some of the quotes from the book that were up on the walls:

"I know what I want,
I have a goal,
I have opinions,
a religion,
and love".
-Anne Frank

and a quote from her father:

"We cannot change what happened anymore. The only thing we can do is to learn from the past and to realize what discrimination and persecution of innocent people means. I believe that it's everyone's responsibility to fight prejudice. -Otto Frank, 1970

Merry Christmas from Amsterdam!

Weeks 5 and 6

2010-12-25T10:50:00.003-05:00

Almost done with week 6 of training. Week 5 went well. I increased my mileage to 4 miles 5x a week. Cardio-wise I was ready, but the increased mileage really did some damage to my shins. I completed week 5, but had to take it easier on week 6. Monday I could only do 3.1 miles instead of my scheduled 4 because my legs were not having it at all. Tuesday was a speed play or "Fartlek" day. Warmed up at a slow, steady jog for 10 minutes and then did 1 min on, 1 min off x 4 and then 10 minutes at a jog to cool down. This ended up being about 3 miles as well. Wednesday was a very busy day at work and I had to pack for out of town, so I didn't make it to the gym at all. Thursday I got my 4 miles in, but Friday I traveled all day and Saturday was Christmas Day, so I gave myself the day off as my Christmas present! Tomorrow I will still be in Amsterdam but I scoped out a local park where I can get my running in. When I get back home I know my training schedule will go back to normal. Next Saturday is the New Year's Day Resolution Run 5k. This will be my first 5k in almost 2 years. Want to set goal to beat in future 5k's. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Weeks 3 and 4 of Training

2010-12-11T13:45:00.003-05:00

Weeks 3 and 4 of training are over. The mileage increased to 3 miles 5x a week. Last week we ran a total of 15 miles and this week we completed 16 miles. Next week we increase the mileage to 4 miles 5x a week. The group training sessions seem to be the best runs so far. I think it is so much easier when you have other people to push you. I have also had easier runs because I discoved an awesome website www.motiontraxx.com . These are free podcasts that are usually about an hour long and the music is recorded at certain beats per minutes so that you can pace yourself. This has allowed me to run at a steady pace and I feel like my strides are more even. I

I am still battling shin splints, but taking ibuprofen before the runs usually keep the pain under control. I have also taken out any other cardio/leg workouts from my schedule other that cross-training so as not to strain my shins any further. I want to incorporate more swimming and biking into my training to help take some of the pressure off of my legs. I am doing Pilates and/or Yoga about 3-4 times a week in addition to the running and cross-training and so far this has given me a good balance.

2nd Week of Training Completed

2010-11-28T19:46:00.003-05:00

Week 2 of training completed! Training was difficult this week because of Thanksgiving and the schedule had to be tweaked a little. I uppedmy mileage to running 3 miles 3x this week for a total 9 miles. My cross training consisted of a 55 min Spin class on Tuesday and an hour on the elliptical on Friday. Saturday was our group run. It was really COLD and we were all still stuffed from Thanksgiving leftovers, but the run went really well. Saturday I also went to a Level 2 yoga class at a studio in Cartersville, which felt amazing after the run that morning.

Running has been a little better this week. My shins are still hurting after running, but not nearly as bad as last week. I still take Ibuprofen about 30 min before running and I bought some calf compression sleeves to help as well. So I am ready to enter week 3 of training!

1st week of training completed

2010-11-21T16:55:00.002-05:00

Just finished my first week of training for the Berry Half-Marathon. I have been battling shin-splints this week. The mileage doesn't bother me at all, but by the end of the 2 miles my shins are screaming in agony. It is really frustrating! I finally went on friday to Just Sports and Tennis to have someone watch the way I walk and actually measure my feet so that I could be fitted with the right running shoes. I was told that I have really low arches and that I overpronate when I run. I got a really good pair of shoes and some inserts, but when I ran friday afternoon my legs were still in pain. I am hoping that the new shoes will help my shins get better, until then I am downing Ibuprofen and icing my legs!

Have you read more than six of these books? The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here.

2010-11-21T16:39:00.002-05:00

Have you read more than six of these books? The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here.

Instructions: Copy this into your NOTES. Bold those books you've read in their entirety. Italicize the ones you started but didn't finish or read only an excerpt.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien

3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling

5 To Kill a Mockingbird-Harper Lee

6 The Bible

7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell

9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott

12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

14 Complete Works of Shakespeare

15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien

17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk

18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger

19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

20 Middlemarch - George Eliot

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald

23 Bleak House – Charles Dickens

24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

26 Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh

27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis

34 Emma -Jane Austen

35 Persuasion - Jane Austen

36 The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis

37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

40 Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell

42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving

45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery

47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood

49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding

50 Atonement - Ian McEwan

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel

52 Dune - Frank Herbert

53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon

60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt

64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac

67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding

69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie

70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

72 Dracula - Bram Stoker

73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson

75 Ulysses - James Joyce

76 The Inferno - Dante

77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome

78 Germinal - Emile Zola

79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

80 Possession - AS Byatt

81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker

84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

87 Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White

88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom

89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery

93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

94 Watership Down - Richard Adams

95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare

99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

100 Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

43/100 isn't bad. I read a lot of these books in high-school and then went on a "classics" kick a couple of years ago. Some of these books are sitting are on my bookshelf right now. I am going to try to read more of these important books over the next year.

Training for the Berry Half-Marathon

2010-11-14T20:00:00.002-05:00

I have been running for about 2 years now and I have run 3 5k's, but I have always wanted to push myself past that 3.1 mile marker. So I began looking for some local 10k races to begin training for and found one at Berry College in March 2011. Luckily, the local YMCA was getting together a training group for the race. I went to the first training session on Saturday morning along with my friend Samantha. Lo and behold, the training schedules that they handed out were not for the 10k race but the half-marathon! 13.1 miles!! Samantha and I thought about it and decided to REALLY push ourselves and train for the half-marathon instead of the 10k. This is going to be a long, tough journey but we really feel up to the challenge. I am going to try to blog about this training process as much as possible. I think it will be a nice outlet to share this amazing experience. The official training schedule begins tomorrow. . .here we go!

Great Quote From Bob Marley

2010-10-30T16:59:00.002-05:00

Isn't this what we are all looking for?

"Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life."
— Bob Marley

Update on Things to Do Before I Die

2010-10-13T12:16:00.002-05:00

I updated my 100 Things to Do Before I Die list and I will start adding something to the list everytime I mark something off!
1) Go scuba-diving off Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
2) Become a parent.
3) Visit Paris and go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. -I didn't go to the very top, but I went to the first landing 5/19/09
4) Go to a real theatre. 5/15/08 Chicago Theater to see "Wicked"
5) Take a hot-air balloon ride. -went on a hot-air balloon ride in Egypt-10/1/10
6) Climb a mountain.
7) Christmas in New York.-12/08
8) Set foot on each of the seven continents 3/7 so far (North America, Europe and Africa)
9) Visit the pyramids. -9/26/10
10) Go whale watching. went whale watching in Boston-8/10/10
11) Visit Machu Picchu.
12) See the northern lights.
13) Visit a museum in London. -visited the British Museum in London-12/31/09
14) Attend the Olympic games.
15) See the Mona Lisa at the Louvre.-5/20/09
16) Try wine-tasting. 11/7/09
17) Float in the dead sea
18) Go on a safari.
19) Walk on the Great Wall of China.
20) Take the Trans-Siberian Express across Asia.
21) Visit the Tower of London.-12/29/09
22) Eat jellied eels from a stall in London.
23) Run a marathon.
24) Send a message in a bottle.
25) Visit Mt. Everest base camp.
26) Hike the Appalachian Trail.
27) See the Niagara Falls.
28) Go to midnight premiere of a movie.-went to the premier of New Moon-11/20/09
29) Cruise down the Nile.-rode overnight on a traditional felucca down the Nile-9/29/10
30) Ride a camel in the desert.-9/27/10
31) Kiss the Blarney Stone.
32) Go kayaking. 8/2/09
33) Drink beer at Oktoberfest in Munich.
34) See a musical on Broadway.-I did not see a musical, but I did see a show on Broadway12/16/08
35) Throw a huge party and invite every one of your friends.
36) Swim with dolphins.
37) Skydive.
38) Learn to speak a foreign language and make sure you use it.
39) Go skinny-dipping at midnight in the South of France.
40) Watch the launch of the space shuttle.
41) Be an extra in a film.
42) Read “Anna Karenina” by Tolstoy
43) Give your mother a dozen red roses and tell her you love her.-5/9/10
44) Be a member of the audience in a TV show. --Done, I went to see a taping of Jeopardy.
45) Bake a cake from scratch.
46) See Ani Difranco in concert.-in Nashville, TN-3/5/10
47) Plant a tree. -in Costa Rica-5/21/10
48) Learn to ballroom dance properly.
49) Sit on a jury.
50) Go to Walden Pond and read Thoreau while drifting in a canoe.
51) See the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil
52) Shower in a waterfall.-3/23/08--Didn't take a full shower, didn't get naked, but I definately immersed myself in a waterfall at the end of a caving expedition.
53) Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
54) Spend New Year's in an exotic location.-in London-12/31/09
55) Drive across America from coast to coast.
56) Visit an Amish community. 8/22/09
57) Take a ride on the highest roller coaster in the country. --currently the Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ 8/24/09
58) Go wild in Rio during Carnival.
59) Go to Savannah, GA. For St. Patrick’s Day
60) Spend Christmas on the beach drinking pina coladas
61) Raft through the Grand Canyon.
62) Spend three months getting your body into optimum shape.
63) Attend one really huge rock concert.
64) Give to a charity -- anonymously.
65) Lose more money than you can afford at roulette in Vegas.
66) Visit the Holy Land.
67) Go to Auschwitz
68) Learn a new word everyday for a year.-started 6/15/09-finished 6/15/10
69) Stay overnight in a Buddhist Monastery
70) Visit the Pearl Harbor Memorial
71) Milk a cow.
72) Visit Ground Zero in New York City-12/14/08
73) Protest
74) Take an archery lesson
75) Learn to water ski
76) Have coffee on a sidewalk in Paris 5/21/09
77) See Cirque Du Soleil live-2/1/09
78) Camp outside for a week
79) Go to a real Ballet
80) Enroll in a belly dancing class-done in 8/08
81) Ride a mechanical bull
82) Visit all 50 of the United States- visited 20/50 so far
83) Graduate college-05/15/09
84) Visit a music festival in another country
85) Help with a Habitat for Humanity Home
86) Go to a fashion show
87) Try fire walking
88) See the Acropolis in Greece
89) Watch Casablanca Completed 5/26/08
90) Learn to fly, get my pilot's license
91) Receive my black belt in Tae Kwon Do
92) Eat Chinese food in China
93) Get to my ideal weight again
94) Volunteer and make a difference
95) Run with the bulls in Spain
96) Become debt free
97) See the Highland Games in Scotland
98) Stay overnight in an ice hotel
99) Drink tequila in a bar in Mexico-11/15/09
100) Ride horseback on a beach
101) Go to Scotland and look for the Loch Ness Monster
102) Give up television
103) Pub hop in Ireland
104) Ride an elephant
105) Partake in a Japanese Tea Ceremony
106) Meet Stevie Nicks
107) Visit the Taj Mahal
108) See Count Dracula's Castle

9) Visit the pyramids.-Completed 9/26/10

2010-10-11T13:23:00.003-05:00

Visited the Pyramids in Egypt! I was like a kid in a candy store. I have always dreamed of seeing the pyramids! Ahhh.

30) Ride a camel in the desert.-Completed 9/27/10

2010-10-11T13:18:00.004-05:00

Rode a camel in the desert in Egypt. My camel's name was Alaska. A little ironic in 100+ degree weather! I enjoyed my ride, but lets just say my rear was a little sore afterward!

29) Cruise down the Nile.-Completed 9/29/10

2010-10-11T13:13:00.005-05:00

Sailed down the Nile on a traditional felucca. The Nile was peaceful and beautiful, well except for the cruise ships that went by sending our felucca rocking!

5) Take a hot air balloon ride. Completed 10/1/10

2010-10-11T10:22:00.004-05:00

I went on a hot air balloon ride in Luxor, Egypt. Such a beautiful experience! Very glad that I took this opportunity while visiting Egypt.

#10 Completed Go Whale Watching 8/10/10

2010-08-13T15:35:00.004-05:00

#10 Completed while in Boston-go whale watching. Amazing experience watching humpback whales only 26 miles from the Boston Harbor.

Completed #68 6/15/10

2010-06-26T10:46:00.002-05:00

68) Learn a new word everyday for a year.-started 6/15/09

#47 Completed 5/21/10

2010-05-29T17:43:00.002-05:00

47) Plant a tree. Completed on 5/21/10 in Santa Elena, Monteverde, Costa Rica!

#43 Completed-5/9/10

2010-05-29T17:35:00.002-05:00

43) Give your mother a dozen red roses and tell her you love her.

I completed this on Mother's Day. Gave my mom a dozen peach colored roses.

Update on 10 Books From 10 Decades

2010-05-08T10:32:00.004-05:00

1990-Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson Finished 5/10
1980- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood Finished 2/10
1970-Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
1960 Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger
1950-Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
1940-Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank Finished 4/10
1930-East Wind, West Wind by Pearl Buck
1920-A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
1910-Of Human Bondage by William Somerset Maugham
1900-Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle http://1morechapter.com/decades/2010/decades-2010/

#46 Completed "See Ani Difranco in concert"

2010-03-07T08:26:00.003-05:00

Ani Difranco in Nashville, TN 3/5/10-Amazing, up-close-and-personal concert.

I like this quote

2010-02-12T13:28:00.002-05:00

"I can believe things that are true and things that aren't true and I can believe things where nobody knows if they're true or not. I can believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and the Beatles and Marilyn Monroe and Elvis and Mister Ed. Listen - I believe that people are perfectable, that knowledge is infinite, that the world is run by secret banking cartels and is visited by aliens on a regular basis, nice ones that look like wrinkled lemurs and bad ones who mutilate cattle and want our water and our women. I believe that the future sucks and I believe that the future rocks and I believe that one day White Buffalo Woman is going to come back and kick everyone's ass. I believe that all men are just overgrown boys with deep problems communicating and that the decline in good sex in America is coincident with the decline in drive-in movie theaters from state to state. I believe that all politicians are unprincipled crooks and I still believe that they are better than the alternative. I believe that California is going to sink into the sea when the big one comes, while Florida is going to dissolve into madness and alligators and toxic waste. I believe that antibacterial soap is destroying our resistance to dirt and disease so that one day we'll all be wiped out by the common cold like martians in War of the Worlds. I believe that the greatest poets of the last century were Edith Sitwell and Don Marquis, that jade is dried dragon sperm, and that thousands of years ago in a former life I was a one-armed Siberian shaman. I believe that mankind's destiny lies in the stars. I believe that candy really did taste better when I was a kid, that it's aerodynamically impossible for a bumble bee to fly, that light is a wave and a particle, that there's a cat in a box somewhere who's alive and dead at the same time (although if they don't ever open the box to feed it it'll eventually just be two different kinds of dead), and that there are stars in the universe billions of years older than the universe itself. I believe in a personal god who cares about me and worries and oversees everything I do. I believe in an impersonal god who set the universe in motion and went off to hang with her girlfriends and doesn't even know that I'm alive. I believe in an empty and godless universe of causal chaos, background noise, and sheer blind luck. I believe that anyone who says sex is overrated just hasn't done it properly. I believe that anyone who claims to know what's going on will lie about the little things too. I believe in absolute honesty and sensible social lies. I believe in a woman's right to choose, a baby's right to live, that while all human life is sacred there's nothing wrong with the death penalty if you can trust the legal system implicitly, and that no one but a moron would ever trust the legal system. I believe that life is a game, that life is a cruel joke, and that life is what happens when you're alive and that you might as well lie back and enjoy it." — Neil Gaiman (American Gods)

Update 10 Books From 10 Decades

2010-02-12T13:20:00.003-05:00

1990-Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

1980- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood Finished 2/10/10

1970-Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

1960 Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger

1950-Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

1940-Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

1930-East Wind, West Wind by Pearl Buck

1920-A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

1910-Of Human Bondage by William Somerset Maugham

1900-Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle http://1morechapter.com/decades/2010/decades-2010/

Decades 2010 (10 Books From 10 Decades)

2010-01-13T21:17:00.011-05:00

1990-Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
1980- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
1970-Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
1960 Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger
1950-Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
1940-Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
1930-East Wind, West Wind by Pearl Buck
1920-A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
1910-Of Human Bondage by William Somerset Maugham
1900-Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

http://1morechapter.com/decades/2010/decades-2010/

Books on CD 2009

2010-01-09T09:49:00.001-05:00

Books on CD 2009

A Mercy-Toni Morrison-2/5
Against Medical Advice-James Patterson-4/
Are You There Vodka, It's Me Chelsea-Chelsea Handler-5/5
Before Green Gables-Budge Wilson-4/5
Blessings-Anna Quindlin-3/5
Brave New World-Aldous Huxley-4/5
Certain Girls-Jennifer Weiner 3.5/5
Crazy Love-Leslie Morgan Steiner-4/5
Deadly Secrets-M. William Phelps-3/5
Dewey : The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World 4/5
Ghosts of Everest:The Search for Mallory & Irvine-4/5
In Cold Blood-Truman Capote-3.5/5
Into Thin Air-Jon Krakauer 4/5
Live Through This : A Mother's Memoir of Runaway Daughters and Reclaimed Love-Debra Gwartney 4/5
Madness Under the Royal Palms: Murder, Money and Mischief Behind the Gates of Palm Beach-Laurence Leamer-3/5
Nickel and Dimed-Barbara Ehrenreich 4/5
On the Road-Jack Kerouac 4/5
Pygmalion-George Bernard Shaw-3.5/5
Ritual in Death-J.D. Robb 3.5/5
Swallowing Darkeness-Laurell K. Hamilton 4/5
Testimony-Anita Shreve 3/5
The Ex-Mrs. Hedgefund- Jill Kargman-3.5/5
The House of Thunder-Dean Koontz 3/5
The Winner Stands Alone-Paulo Coelho-3/5
Too Late to Say Goodbye-Ann Rule-4/5

Total: 25

Books I've Read 2009

2010-01-09T09:42:00.002-05:00

Books I've Read 2009

A Confederacy of Dunces-John Kennedy Toole 4/5
Breaking Dawn-Stephanie Meyer-4.5/5
Broken:A Novel-Daniel Clay-4/5
Clan of the Cave Bear-Jean Auel 4/5
Dangerous Games-Keri Arthur 3.5/5
Eclipse-Stephanie Meyer 4.5/5
Embraced by Darkness-Keri Arthur 3.5/5
Man of her Dreams-Debra Webb-2/5
Me and Emma-Elizabeth Flock-4/5
Me Talk Pretty One Day-Dave Sedaris-4/5
Micah-Laurell K. Hamilton 3.5/5
New Moon-Stephanie Meyer 3/5
One Fifth Avenue-Candace Bushnell 4/5
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan-Lisa See-5/5
Tempting Evil-Keri Arthur 3/5
The Borderlord's Bride-Bertrice Small-4/5
The Darkest Kiss-Keri Arthur 3.5/5
The Mammoth Hunters-Jean Auel -4.5/5
The Perks of Being a Wallflower-Stephen Chbosky-4/5
The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific 5/5
The Shadow Queen-Bertrice Small-4/5
The White Queen-Phillipa Gregory-5/5
Trading Up-Candace Bushnell-3/5
Valley of the Horses-Jean Auel-4/5
Yo-Julia Alvarez-4.5/5

Total: 25

#54 Completed 12/31/09

2010-01-09T09:35:00.002-05:00

#54 Spend New Year's in an exotic location.

#21 Completed 12/29/09

2010-01-09T09:33:00.003-05:00

#21 Visit the Tower of London

#13 Completed 12/31/09

2010-01-09T09:28:00.002-05:00

#13 Visit a Museum in London-The British Museum in London

Movies of December 2009

2010-01-09T09:21:00.001-05:00

Good Luck Chuck-2.5/5
My Sister's Keeper-3/5
Orgasmic Birth-5/5
The Princess and the Frog-4/5

Movies of November 2009

2009-12-12T09:39:00.000-05:00

27 Dresses-3/5
Fame-4/5
Maxxed Out-3.5/5
My Best Friend's Girl-4/5
New Moon-4/5
Sicko-5/5
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen-3.5/5

#28 Go to see a midnight premiere of a movie

2009-11-25T17:37:00.001-05:00

Went to see the movie "New Moon", second in the Twilight series.

Update on Things to Do Before I Die

2009-11-18T21:11:00.002-05:00

I updated my 100 Things to Do Before I Die list and I will start adding something to the list everytime I mark something off!
1) Go scuba-diving off Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
2) Become a parent.
3) Visit Paris and go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. -I didn't go to the very top, but I went to the first landing 5/19/09
4) Go to a real theatre. 5/15/08 Chicago Theater to see "Wicked"
5) Take a hotair balloon ride.
6) Climb a mountain.
7) Christmas in New York.-12/08
8) Set foot on each of the seven continents 2/7 so far (North America and Europe)
9) Visit the pyramids.
10) Go whale watching.
11) Visit Machu Picchu.
12) See the northern lights.
13) Visit a museum in London.
14) Attend the Olympic games.
15) See the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. 5/20/09
16) Try wine-tasting. 11/7/09
17) Float in the dead sea
.18) Go on a safari.
19) Walk on the Great Wall of China.
20) Take the Trans-Siberian Express across Asia.
21) Visit the Tower of London.
22) Eat jellied eels from a stall in London.
23) Run a marathon.
24) Send a message in a bottle.
25) Visit Mt. Everest base camp.
26) Hike the Appalachian Trail.
27) See the Niagara Falls.
28) Go to midnight premiere of a movie.
29) Cruise down the Nile.
30) Ride a camel in the desert.
31) Kiss the Blarney Stone.
32) Go kayaking. 8/2/09
33) Drink beer at Oktoberfest in Munich.
34) See a musical on Broadway.-I did not see a musical, but I did see a show on Broadway12/16/08
35) Throw a huge party and invite every one of your friends.
36) Swim with dolphins.
37) Skydive.
38) Learn to speak a foreign language and make sure you use it.
39) Go skinny-dipping at midnight in the South of France.
40) Watch the launch of the space shuttle.
41) Be an extra in a film.
42) Read “Anna Karenina” by Tolstoy
43) Give your mother a dozen red roses and tell her you love her.
44) Be a member of the audience in a TV show. --Done, I went to see a taping of Jeopardy.
45) Bake a cake from scratch.
46) See Ani Difranco in concert.
47) Plant a tree.
48) Learn to ballroom dance properly.
49) Sit on a jury.
50) Go to Walden Pond and read Thoreau while drifting in a canoe.
51) See the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil
52) Shower in a waterfall.-3/23/08--Didn't take a full shower, didn't get naked, but I definately immersed myself in a waterfall at the end of a caving expedition.
53) Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
54) Spend New Year's in an exotic location.
55) Drive across America from coast to coast.
56) Visit an Amish community. 8/22/09
57) Take a ride on the highest roller coaster in the country. --currently the Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ 8/24/09
58) Go wild in Rio during Carnival.
59) Go to Savannah, GA. For St. Patrick’s Day
60) Spend Christmas on the beach drinking pina coladas
61) Raft through the Grand Canyon.
62) Spend three months getting your body into optimum shape.
63) Attend one really huge rock concert.
64) Give to a charity -- anonymously.
65) Lose more money than you can afford at roulette in Vegas.
66) Visit the Holy Land.
67) Go to Auschwitz
68) Learn a new word everyday for a year.-started 6/15/09
69) Stay overnight in a Buddhist Monastery
70) Visit the Pearl Harbor Memorial
71) Milk a cow.
72) Visit Ground Zero in New York City-12/14/08
73) Protest
74) Take an archery lesson
75) Learn to water ski
76) Have coffee on a sidewalk in Paris 5/21/09
77) See Cirque Du Soleil live-2/1/09
78) Camp outside for a week
79) Go to a real Ballet
80) Enroll in a belly dancing class-done in 8/08
81) Ride a mechanical bull
82) Visit all 50 of the United States- visited 20/50 so far
83) Graduate college-05/15/09
84) Visit a music festival in another country
85) Help with a Habitat for Humanity Home
86) Go to a fashion show
87) Try fire walking
88) See the Acropolis in Greece
89) Watch Casablanca Completed 5/26/08
90) Learn to fly, get my pilot's license
91) Receive my black belt in Tae Kwon Do
92) Eat Chinese food in China
93) Get to my ideal weight again
94) Volunteer and make a difference
95) Run with the bulls in Spain
96) Become debt free
97) See the Highland Games in Scotland
98) Stay overnight in an ice hotel
99) Drink tequila in a bar in Mexico-11/15/09
100) Ride horseback on a beach
101) Go to Scotland and look for the Loch Ness Monster
102) Give up television
103) Pub hop in Ireland
104) Ride an elephant
105) Partake in a Japanese Tea Ceremony
106) Meet Stevie Nicks

99) Drink tequila in a bar in Mexico

2009-11-18T20:23:00.003-05:00

Love, love, love this bar! All of the "barstools" were swings. Ahh, can you imagine sitting there for hours drinking and then having to get up out of the swing? Scary.

Completed #16

2009-11-18T20:19:00.003-05:00

16) Try wine-tasting. 11/7/09

Andrew and I went to a wine-tasting while we were in Gatlinburg recently. It wasn't a "typical" wine-tasting, but we really enjoyed it and hope to go to another one soon!

#57 Completed

2009-11-18T20:15:00.005-05:00

57) Take a ride on the highest roller coaster in the country. --currently the Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ

This was AMAZING! Scariest moment of my life! Wow. But so glad that I did this!

# 56 Completed

2009-11-18T20:14:00.005-05:00

56) Visit an Amish community.

I visited Lancaster, PA in August 2009.

Movies of October 2009

2009-11-08T19:35:00.001-05:00

Away We Go-4/5
Paranormal Activity-4.5/5
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2-4/5
The Shining-4.5/5

Movies of September 2009

2009-10-04T17:05:00.000-05:00

Gran Torino-4/5
Halloween-5/5
I Love You, Man-4/5
Julie and Julia-5/5
The Hangover-4.5/5

Movies of August 2009

2009-09-06T08:09:00.001-05:00

Love in the Time of Cholera-4/5
Twilight-4/5

Movies of July 2009

2009-08-22T08:59:00.001-05:00

Beowolf-3.5/5

Knowing 3/5

Completed #32 Go kayaking.

2009-08-18T14:13:00.001-05:00

I went kayaking on 8/2/09. No pictures! But I had a great time. Can't wait to go again!

#83 Graduate college

2009-08-18T14:11:00.002-05:00

My graduation photo

#76 Have coffee on a sidewalk in Paris

2009-08-18T14:07:00.003-05:00

#72 Visit Ground Zero in New York City

2009-08-18T14:03:00.002-05:00

Ground Zero

#15 See the Mona Lisa at the Louvre.

2009-08-18T14:01:00.001-05:00

#7 Christmas in New York

2009-08-18T13:42:00.003-05:00

My cousins and I at Rockefeller Center

#3 Go to Paris and go to the Eiffel Tower

2009-08-18T13:40:00.001-05:00

Things to Do Before I Die-Photos #4 Go to a real theatre

2009-08-18T13:38:00.003-05:00

Went to the Chicago Theatre to see"Wicked".

Movies in June 2009

2009-07-10T08:01:00.001-05:00

Babel-5/5
Chocolat-4/5
Doubt-4/5
Ratatouille-4.5/5
The Wrestler-5/5

Movies of May 2009

2009-06-17T19:07:00.001-05:00

Bride Wars-3.5/5
He's Just Not That Into You-3.5/5
Marley and Me-4/5
Taken-4/5
The Uninvited-3/5
Yes Man-4/5

Update on 100 Things to Do Before I Die

2009-06-03T11:02:00.003-05:00

I updated my 100 Things to Do Before I Die list and I will start adding something to the list everytime I mark something off!
1) Go scuba-diving off Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
2) Become a parent.
3) Visit Paris and go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. -I didn't go to the very top, but I went to the first landing
4) Go to a real theatre. 5/15/08 Chicago Theater to see "Wicked"
5) Take a hotair balloon ride.
6) Climb a mountain.
7) Christmas in New York.-12/08
8) Set foot on each of the seven continents 2/7 so far (North America and Europe)
9) Visit the pyramids.
10) Go whale watching.
11) Visit Machu Picchu.
12) See the northern lights.
13) Visit a museum in London.
14) Attend the Olympic games.
15) See the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. 5/20/09
16) Try wine-tasting.
17) Float in the dead sea.
18) Go on a safari.
19) Walk on the Great Wall of China.
20) Take the Trans-Siberian Express across Asia.
21) Visit the Tower of London.
22) Eat jellied eels from a stall in London.
23) Run a marathon.
24) Send a message in a bottle.
25) Visit Mt. Everest base camp
26) Hike the Appalachian Trail.
27) See the Niagara Falls.
28) Go to midnight premiere of a movie.
29) Cruise down the Nile.
30) Ride a camel in the desert.
31) Kiss the Blarney Stone.
32) Go kayaking.
33) Drink beer at Oktoberfest in Munich.
34) See a musical on Broadway.-I did not see a musical, but I did see a show on Broadway12/16/08
35) Throw a huge party and invite every one of your friends.
36) Swim with dolphins.
37) Skydive.
38) Learn to speak a foreign language and make sure you use it.
39) Go skinny-dipping at midnight in the South of France.
40) Watch the launch of the space shuttle.
41) Be an extra in a film.
42) Read “Anna Karenina” by Tolstoy
43) Give your mother a dozen red roses and tell her you love her.
44) Be a member of the audience in a TV show. --Done, I went to see a taping of Jeopardy.
45) Bake a cake from scratch.
46) See Ani Difranco in concert.
47) Plant a tree.
48) Learn to ballroom dance properly.
49) Sit on a jury.
50) Go to Walden Pond and read Thoreau while drifting in a canoe.
51) See the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil
52) Shower in a waterfall.-3/23/08--Didn't take a full shower, didn't get naked, but I definately immersed myself in a waterfall at the end of a caving expedition.
53) Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
54) Spend New Year's in an exotic location.
55) Drive across America from coast to coast.
56) Visit an Amish community.
57) Take a ride on the highest roller coaster in the country. --currently the Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ
58) Go wild in Rio during Carnival.
59) Go to Savannah, GA. For St. Patrick’s Day
60) Spend Christmas on the beach drinking pina coladas
61) Raft through the Grand Canyon.
62) Spend three months getting your body into optimum shape.
63) Attend one really huge rock concert.
64) Give to a charity -- anonymously.
65) Lose more money than you can afford at roulette in Vegas.
66) Visit the Holy Land.
67) Go to Auschwitz
68) Learn a new word everyday for a year.
69) Stay overnight in a Buddhist Monastery
70) Visit the Pearl Harbor Memorial
71) Milk a cow
72) Visit Ground Zero in New York City-12/14/08
73) Protest
74) Take an archery lesson
75) Learn to water ski
76) Have coffee on a sidewalk in Paris 5/21/09
77) See Cirque Du Soleil live-2/1/09
78) Camp outside for a week
79) Go to a real Ballet
80) Enroll in a belly dancing class-done in 8/08
81) Ride a mechanical bull
82) Visit all 50 of the United States- visited 20/50 so far
83) Graduate college-05/15/09
84) Visit a music festival in another country
85) Help with a Habitat for Humanity Home
86) Go to a fashion show
87) Try fire walking
88) See the Acropolis in Greece
89) Watch Casablanca Completed 5/26/08
90) Learn to fly, get my pilot's license
91) Receive my black belt in Tae Kwon Do
92) Eat Chinese food in China
93) Get to my ideal weight again
94) Volunteer and make a difference
95) Run with the bulls in Spain
96) Become debt free
97) See the Highland Games in Scotland
98) Stay overnight in an ice hotel
99) Drink tequila in a bar in Mexico
100) Ride horseback on a beach
101) Go to Scotland and look for the Loch Ness Monster
102) Give up television
103) Pub hop in Ireland

Update and Changes to 100 Things to Do Before I Die

2009-05-15T10:22:00.003-05:00

I updated my 100 Things to Do Before I Die list and I will start adding something to the list everytime I mark something off!

1) Go scuba-diving off Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
2) Become a parent.
3) Visit Paris and go to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
4) Go to a real theatre. 5/15/08 Chicago Theater to see "Wicked"
5) Take a hotair balloon ride.
6) Climb a mountain.
7) Christmas in New York.-12/08
8) Set foot on each of the seven continents
9) Visit the pyramids.
10) Go whale watching.
11) Visit Machu Picchu.
12) See the northern lights.
13) Visit a museum in London.
14) Attend the Olympic games.
15) See the Mona Lisa at the Louvre.
16) Try wine-tasting.
17) Float in the dead sea.
18) Go on a safari.
19) Walk on the Great Wall of China.
20) Take the Trans-Siberian Express across Asia.
21) Visit the Tower of London.
22) Eat jellied eels from a stall in London.
23) Run a marathon.
24) Send a message in a bottle.
25) Visit Mt. Everest base camp
26) Hike the Appalachian Trail.
27) See the Niagara Falls.
28) Go to midnight premiere of a movie.
29) Cruise down the Nile.
30) Ride a camel in the desert.
31) Kiss the Blarney Stone.
32) Go kayaking.
33) Drink beer at Oktoberfest in Munich.
34) See a musical on Broadway.-I did not see a musical, but I did see a show on Broadway12/16/08
35) Throw a huge party and invite every one of your friends.
36) Swim with dolphins.
37) Skydive.
38) Learn to speak a foreign language and make sure you use it.
39) Go skinny-dipping at midnight in the South of France.
40) Watch the launch of the space shuttle.
41) Be an extra in a film.
42) Read “Anna Karenina” by Tolstoy
43) Give your mother a dozen red roses and tell her you love her.
44) Be a member of the audience in a TV show. --Done, I went to see a taping of Jeopardy.
45) Bake a cake from scratch.
46) See Ani Difranco in concert.
47) Plant a tree.
48) Learn to ballroom dance properly.
49) Sit on a jury.
50) Go to Walden Pond and read Thoreau while drifting in a canoe.
51) See the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil
52) Shower in a waterfall.-3/23/08--Didn't take a full shower, didn't get naked, but I definately immersed myself in a waterfall at the end of a caving expedition.
53) Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
54) Spend New Year's in an exotic location.
55) Drive across America from coast to coast.
56) Visit an Amish community.
57) Take a ride on the highest roller coaster in the country. --currently the Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ
58) Go wild in Rio during Carnival.
59) Go to Savannah, GA. For St. Patrick’s Day
60) Spend Christmas on the beach drinking pina coladas
61) Raft through the Grand Canyon.
62) Spend three months getting your body into optimum shape.
63) Attend one really huge rock concert.
64) Give to a charity -- anonymously.
65) Lose more money than you can afford at roulette in Vegas.
66) Visit the Holy Land.
67) Go to Auschwitz
68) Learn a new word everyday for a year.
69) Stay overnight in a Buddist Monastery
70) Visit the Pearl Harbor Memorial
71) Milk a cow
72) Visit Ground Zero in New York City-12/14/08
73) Protest
74) Take an archery lesson
75) Learn to water ski
76) Have coffee on a sidewalk in Paris
77) See Cirque Du Soleil live-2/1/09
78) Camp outside for a week
79) Go to a real Ballet
80) Enroll in a belly dancing class-done in 8/08
81) Ride a mechanical bull
82) Visit all 50 of the United States- visited 20/50 so far
83) Graduate college-05/15/09
84) Visit a music festival in another country
85) Help with a Habitat for Humanity Home
86) Go to a fashion show
87) Try fire walking
88) See the Acropolis in Greece
89) Watch Casablanca Completed 5/26/08
90) Learn to fly, get my pilot's license
91) Receive my black belt in Tae Kwon Do
92) Eat Chinese food in China
93) Get to my ideal weight again
94) Volunteer and make a difference
95) Run with the bulls in Spain
96) Become debt free
97) See the Highland Games in Scotland
98) Stay overnight in an ice hotel
99) Drink tequila in a bar in Mexico
100) Ride horseback on a beach

Movies of April 2009

2009-05-09T09:48:00.000-05:00

Girl With a Pearl Earring-4/5
Slumdog Millionaire-5/5
Vicky Cristina Barcelona-4.5/5

March 2009

2009-04-10T13:20:00.000-05:00

An American Crime-4.5/5
Fight Club-4/5
Finding Neverland-4/5
Man on Wire-4/5
The Reader-5/5
Transporter 3-3.5/5

Quote

2009-03-29T16:58:00.000-05:00

Don't be discouraged by a failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, inasmuch as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterwards carefully avoid.
John Keats (1795 - 1821)

Movies of Febuary 2009

2009-03-04T14:54:00.002-05:00

About a Boy-4/5
Lakeview Terrace-3/5
Pineabpple Express-3.5/5
Revolutionary Road-4.5/5

Movies of January 2009

2009-02-02T20:27:00.001-05:00

88 Minutes-4/5
A Walk on the Moon-4/5
Across the Universe-3/5
Burn After Reading-3/5
Failure to Launch-4/5
Inside Man-3.5/5
Journey to the Center of the Earth-3.5/5
Kung Fu Panda-4/5
P.S. I Love You-4/5
The Duchess-5/5
The Painted Veil-4/5

Movies of December 2008

2009-01-02T09:31:00.001-05:00

Don't Mess With the Zohan-1/5
Eragon-2/5
Get Smart-4/5
Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull-4/5
Noises Off!-4/5
Step Brothers-3.5/5
The Strangers-4/5
Wanted-3/5

Books on CD 2008

2008-12-30T13:28:00.004-05:00

Ana's Story: A Story of Hope-Jenna Bush 4/5
Bright, Shiny Morning-James Frey 4.5/5
Cage of Stars-Jacquelyn Mitchard-3/5
Can't Wait to get to Heaven-Fannie Flagg-3/5
Christ the Lord: Out of Cana-Anne Rice-4/5
Dubliners-James Joyce-2.5/5
Every Which Way But Dead-Kim Harrison-3.5/5
Gods in Alabma-Joshilyn Jackson-3.5/5
Great Expectations-Charles Dickens- 4/5
Moby Dick-Hermann Melville-1.5/5
Oliver Twist-Charles Dickens 3.5/5
On Chesil Beach-Ian McEwan- 2.5/5
Skylight Confessions-Alice Hoffman 4/5
Sundays at Tiffany's-James Patterson 2/5
Sweet Potato Queen's First Big-Ass Novel-by Jill Connor Browne-4/5
Tess of the Dubervilles-Thomas Hardy 3.5/5
The Broken Window-Jeffery Deaver 4/5
The Husband-Dean Koontz3.5/5
The Island-Heather Graham-1.5/5
The Other Queen-Phillipa Gregory-4.5/5
Books on CD:20

Books That I Read in 2008

2008-12-30T13:12:00.002-05:00

1984-George Orwell 4/5
A Lick of Frost-Laurell K. Hamilton- 4/5
And Then There Were None-Agatha Christie-3.5/5
Blood Noir-Laurell K. Hamilton 3.5/5
Chalked Up-Jennifer Sey 4/5
Crazy in Alabama-Mark Childress 4.5/5
Fahrenheit 451-Ray Bradbury 3/5
Greetings from Bury Park-Sarfraz Manzoor-4/5
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-5/5
Kissing Sin-Keri Arthur-3.5/5
Merle's Door-Ted Kerasote 5/5
Murder on the Orient Express-Agatha Christie 4/5
River Gods-Wilbur Smith 5/5
The Cider House Rules- John Irving 4.5/5
The Deep End of the Ocean-Jacquelyn Mitchard 4.5/5
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe-C.S.Lewis 5/5
The Queen's Fool-Phillipa Gregory 4/5
The Sorceress of Belmair-Bertrice Small 4/5
The Woman in White-Wilkie Collins-4.5/5
Twilight-Stephanie Meyer-4/5
What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day-Pearl Cleage 4/5

Total # of Books Read this year: 21

Inscription at Rockefeller Center

2008-12-29T12:05:00.001-05:00

“I believe in the supreme worth of the individual and in his right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty.

I believe that the law was made for man and not man for the law; that government is the servant of the people and not their master.

I believe in the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand; that the world owes no man a living but that it owes every man an opportunity to make a living.

I believe that thrift is essential to well ordered living and that economy is a prime requisite of a sound financial structure, whether in government, business or personal affairs.

I believe that truth and justice are fundamental to an enduring social order.

I believe in the sacredness of a promise, that a man’s word should be as good as his bond; that character — not wealth or power or position— is of supreme worth.

I believe that the rendering of useful service is the common duty of mankind and that only in the purifying fire of sacrifice is the dross of selfishness consumed and the greatness of the human soul set free.

I believe in an all-wise and all-loving God, named by whatever name, and that the individual’s highest fulfillment, greatest happiness, and widest usefulness are to be found in living in harmony with His will.

I believe that love is the greatest thing in the world; that it alone can overcome hate; that right can and will triumph over might.”

John D. Rockefeller Jr.

Rest of my New York/Philadelphia Trip

2008-12-24T11:08:00.003-05:00

On Thursday I got to go to Penn State with my Aunt and Cousin. My cousin is doing research at Penn St. using one of their greenhouses so I visited with him and saw some of his research. We ate at a really gool "build your own" burrito place called Neato Burrito.

Friday we visited Princeton, NJ. It is an adorable little town. We ate lunch at "The Original Soup Man". No Soup for You! That eveing we went to the Walnut street theatre to see Hairspray! Walnut Street Theatre is the oldest theater in Philadelphia. It is celebrating its 200th season.

Saturday I arrived back home! Yay. I was afraid that I would be delayed because of the sleeting/snowy weather. But my flight was right on time. Now back to work and getting ready for my last semester of school!

Update on 100 Things to do Before I Die

2008-12-23T20:06:00.003-05:00

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." Helen Keller"

1) Go scuba-diving off Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

2) Become a parent.
3) Visit Paris and go to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
4) Go to a real theatre. 5/15/08 Chicago Theater to see "Wicked"
5) Take a hotair balloon ride.
6) Climb a mountain.
7) Christmas in New York.-12/08
8) Go to a major sporting event.
9) Visit the pyramids.
10) Go whale watching.
11) Visit Machu Picchu.
12) See the northern lights.
13) Visit a museum in London.
14) Attend the Olympic games.
15) Donate blood.
16) Try wine-tasting.
17) Float in the dead sea.
18) Go on a safari.
19) Walk on the Great Wall of China.
20) Take the Trans-Siberian Express across Asia.
21) Visit the Tower of London.

22) Eat jellied eels from a stall in London.
23) Run a marathon.
24) Send a message in a bottle.
25) Be present at a birth (of a child other than mine).
26) Hike the Appalachian Trail.
27) See the Niagara Falls.
28) Go to midnight premiere of a movie.
29) Cruise down the Nile.
30) Ride a camel in the desert.
31) Kiss the Blarney Stone.
32) Go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
33) Drink beer at Oktoberfest in Munich.
34) See a musical on Broadway.-I did not see a musical, but I did see a show on Broadway12/16/08
35) Throw a huge party and invite every one of your friends.
36) Swim with dolphins.
37) Skydive.
38) Learn to speak a foreign language and make sure you use it.
39) Go skinny-dipping at midnight in the South of France.
40) Watch the launch of the space shuttle.
41)Be an extra in a film.
42) Buy a round-the-world air ticket and a rucksack, and run away.
43) Give your mother a dozen red roses and tell her you love her.
44) Be a member of the audience in a TV show. --I did this, I went to see a taping of Jeopardy.
45) Put your name down to be a passenger on the first tourist shuttle to the moon.
46) See Ani Difranco in concert.
47) Plant a tree.
48) Learn to ballroom dance properly.
49) Sit on a jury.
50) Go to Walden Pond and read Thoreau while drifting in a canoe.
51) Be someone's mentor.
52) Shower in a waterfall.-3/23/08--Didn't take a full shower, didn't get naked, but I definately immersed myself in a waterfall at the end of a caving expedition.
53) Be one of the first to take a flight on the new Airbus A380.
54) Spend New Year's in an exotic location.
55) Drive across America from coast to coast.
56) Make a complete and utter fool of yourself. --I do this too often!
57) Take a ride on the highest roller coaster in the country. --currently the Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ
58) Go wild in Rio during Carnival.
59) Drive the Autobahn.
60) Spend Christmas on the beach drinking pina coladas.
61) Raft through the Grand Canyon.
62) Spend three months getting your body into optimum shape.
63) Attend one really huge rock concert.
64) Give to a charity -- anonymously.
65) Lose more money than you can afford at roulette in Vegas.
66) Visit the Holy Land.
67) Go to Auschwitz
68) Catch a ball in the stands of a major league baseball stadium.
69) Stay overnight in a Buddist Monastery
70) Visit the Pearl Harbor Memorial
71) Milk a cow
72) Visit Ground Zero in New York City-12/14/08
73) Protest
74) Take an archery lesson
75) Learn to water ski
76) Have coffee on a sidewalk in Paris
77) See Cirque Du Soleil live
78) Camp outside for a week
79) Go to a real Ballet
80) Enroll in a belly dancing class-done in August 2008
81) Ride a mechanical bull
82) Visit all 50 of the United States- visited 20/50 so far
83) Graduate college
84) Be an Oprah audience member
85) Help with a Habitat for Humanity Home
86) Go to a fashion show
87) Try fire walking
88) See the Acropolis in Greece
89) Watch Casablanca Completed 5/26/08
90) Learn to fly, get my pilot's license
91) Receive my black belt in Tae Kwon Do
92) Eat Chinese food in China
93) Get to my ideal weight again
94) Volunteer with an organization such as "Doctors Without Borders" and make a difference
95) Run with the bulls in Spain
96) Become debt free
97) See the Highland Games in Scotland
98) Stay overnight in an ice hotel
99) Drink tequila in a bar in Mexico
100) Ride horseback on a beach

New York December 2008

2008-12-17T20:03:00.004-05:00

I am currently in New Jersey visiting my aunt, uncle and cousins. She is really close to both Philadelphia and New York so we have visited both cities during my time here.

She picked me up at the Philadelphia airport on Saturday. We went to the Reading Terminal Market after she picked me up to eat lunch. It was a huge bazaar type area with different foods available. We ate at a lunch counter run by an Amish family. We had a delicious Turkey Club sandwich.

Sunday we went to New York an visited the site where the World Trade Centers fell. We also visited the church right across from the site that was untouched during the fall. This was were the volunteers and rescuers stopped in to eat and rest. This was number 72 on my things to do before I die list to visit Ground Zero. This was a very touching experience.

Also on saturday we took the subway to Brooklyn and walked back on the Brooklyn Bridge. We also visited the New York Public Library which I loved. Very beautiful. During our travels on the Subway we saw some street dancers perform. I am always impressed at what people can make their bodies do!

That evening we went to the Times Square church. This church was started by a guy named Dave Wilkerson. He wrote the book The Cross and the Switchblade. The service was amazing. Very upbeat. Afterwards we ate at a Cuban Restaurant. The food was so good. I could not even begin to remember the name of my dish!

On Monday we went back to Philly and visited Northern Liberties. Which is a new trendy area of Philly that is still being built. My uncle owns several smoothie bars and is thinking of opening one there so we were checking out the area. We took some pictures in Love Park and visited a bazaar there. We also walked down South Street and looked at the shops. We also ate pizza by the slice at a tiny pizza place. The slice of pizza was about the size of a regular pizza! It was so big! We also ate amazing frozen yogurt know as "fro yo".

On Tuesday we went back to New York. We visited Rockefeller center and saw the skaters at the ice rink and read the memorial. We saw the beautiful tree all decorated for Christamas. This completes another "Thing to Do Before I Die" number 7 Christmas in New York. We walked up 5th Ave and stopped at Bergdorf Goodman, Tiffany's and FAO Swartz. We visited the Empire State Building and Times Square. Around this time is started snowing! It was beautiful. We got amazing deals to see "The 39 Steps" with the Student Rush deal. This was an on Broadway show that was a spoof of the Alfred Hitchcock movie. This completed number 34 on my list. It wasn't a musical that I saw on Broadway, but close enough! The musicals this time of year are outrageously expensive. We ate at a place called Spice that was an Asian Fusion place. I tried the Thai noodles but I was not crazy about them.

Wednesday morning we go up and ate at Starbucks. Then we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I could have spent days and days here! It was beautiful. I got a chance to visit the Roman/Greek , Egyptian and European galleries. Then we ate at a famous pizzeria inside of an old church called John's Pizzeria. We returned to New Jersey on the Staten Island ferry.

We are going to Penn State tomorrow(Thursday) and possibly back to South Street Philly on Friday and I come home Saturday. More later!

November Movies

2008-12-17T19:55:00.002-05:00

Bridge to Terabithia-4.5/5

Doomsday-3/5

Four Christmases-4/5

Iron Man-4/5

Never Back Down-3/5

The Good Girl-4/5

The King of Kong-4/5

The Transporter-3.5/5

The Transporter 2-4/5

Turkey Trot 5K

2008-11-23T19:38:00.000-05:00

The Turkey Trot went really well yesterday. I beat my last race time by 3 minutes. I ran the 5K in 26:20. The next race will be a 10K in March. The distance is going to be really tough for me but I am very excited!

Only 7 days

2008-11-14T17:18:00.000-05:00

It is now approaching the end of the semester and I have not been running nearly as hard as I was back in September. It is only 7 days until my 2nd 5K and I am so nervous. My fitness level is still high, but I don't think I have improved nearly as much as I wanted!

Movies of October 2008

2008-11-14T17:15:00.001-05:00

Robin Hood: Men in Tights-3.5/5
September Dawn-2/5
Smart People-3/5
The Nativity Story-4/5
What Happens in Vegas-4/5
Young Frankenstein-4/5

Goodbye Bellydancing

2008-10-07T16:32:00.000-05:00

So, tonight is our last night of bellydancing. It was fun while it lasted but I am ready to move along to something new. I am not bellydancer material. I think yoga is much more of my speed at the moment. I will try that next.

Life

2008-10-04T18:46:00.001-05:00

Ugh

Training Log

2008-09-27T15:56:00.002-05:00

Okay, I won't bother you anymore with my training. If you are interested I have put a link to my training log down under my favorite links.

A Little Faster

2008-09-25T07:41:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I ran the 3.1 in 29:12 one second faster than before. Whoo Hooo! I need to knock off 12 seconds. ..

Training

2008-09-23T11:41:00.002-05:00

Saturday I ran 3.1 miles in 34:00 minutes. I ran with a coworker of mine who is not used to running so we ran slow.

Monday I ran 3,1 miles in 29:13. This is only 8 minutes slower than my 5K time. I am very sore this morning!

Tonight is bellydancing, maybe that will alleviate this soreness.

Running

2008-09-19T16:29:00.002-05:00

I have to say that it is very difficult to find the motivation to run now that my 5k is over. I do have a race November 22 in Cartersville, another 5K and I want to improve my speed for that race.

I skipped Monday because I was still so sore from the race and camping/jumping in a swimming hole on Saturday and drinking too much and going bouldering/hiking on Sunday.

Wednesday night I ran 3.1 miles in 32:04 on the treadmill. Yuck, very slow!

Friday 1 mile on a trail outside my parents house. I contribute my slow time to the hills and rough terrain 13:04.

Roman Rumble

2008-09-15T14:32:00.002-05:00

I was SO proud of myself completing my first 5K! I did not stop running at all (except once to tie my shoe) and I finished in 28:00 minutes. 3 minutes faster than my fastest treadmill time. I think that it was the adrenaline. This weekend we also went camping, which was so much fun and we jumped off a 25 foot jump into a swimming hole. I have to say that was one of the most terrifying things ever. To make that initial jump off and trust that you are going to hit the water the way you are supposed to. . .eek. . .Several firsts for me this weekend.

Bellydancing

2008-09-09T16:47:00.001-05:00

So one of my "things to do before I die" was to take a bellydancing class. I never knew how uncoordinated I was until I took my first class last Tuesday! This is definately not as easy as I thought! But it is a great workout!

Monday

2008-09-09T16:45:00.001-05:00

On Monday I ran 3.1 miles in 31:43. This is 30 seconds slower that my last 3.1 mile time.

4 Days Left!

2008-09-08T08:58:00.002-05:00

I only have 4 days left until my 5K and I did not get to work out AT ALL this weekend. I had to go and do a craft show to try and make some money! I guess lifting boxes of marble does count as some sort of a workout but not running.

Training

2008-09-02T11:39:00.001-05:00

I ran another 3.1 miles today and I knocked 1:30 off of my previous time. My time was 31:10.

Movies of August 2008

2008-09-01T09:45:00.001-05:00

21-4/5
Awake-3.5/5
Batman Begins-3/5
Braveheart-5/5
Crush-5/5
Dan in Real Life-4/5
Fools Gold-3/5
Hellboy 2-3.5/5
Hellboy-3/5
Jumper-2/5
Semi-Pro-3.5/5
The Eye-1/5
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor-2.5/5
The X-Files: I Want to Believe-4/5

My First 5K

2008-09-01T09:42:00.001-05:00

I ran 3.1 miles on Saturday. My time was 32:40. Not too bad, but definately could be better.

Too Funny. . .

2008-08-30T08:17:00.000-05:00

People amaze me with their stupidity. . . .

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

Ahh. . .I am so sore

2008-08-30T08:05:00.002-05:00

Ran my timed mile yesterday. 8 min 43 seconds. Still down from my original timed mile. I think running on the treadmill is different from running on the track. I need to go back to the track. I am still having a hard time breathing during my mile and my lungs are on fire afterwards. But all this running has paid off. I lost another pound. I still have 6.5 lbs to go to my goal weight.

16 Days Left

2008-08-27T18:20:00.000-05:00

I ran 3 miles today. Yay. I am going to chug some water. I had a horrible headache after Monday's run!

Training Log

2008-08-25T17:29:00.003-05:00

I fell behind slightly at the end of last week because I started feeling bad on Wednesday night, so I skipped Friday's run and did my timed mile on Saturday. My mile on Saturday was 9:30. I gained a minute on my mile, but I think it was because I still felt under the weather. I did not run on Sunday due to family obligations, but Monday I ran 3 miles. I felt like I was going to die, but it was very rewarding because I finally feel like I can actually do this 5k! yay! Day off tomorrow and then Wednesday is another 3 miles.

Update on Reading Full Circle

2008-08-23T07:19:00.001-05:00

completed titles in italics
River God by Wilbur Smith
Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson
Crazy in Alabama by Mark Childress
What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage
Songs in Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry Morris
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard
The Secret's of a Fire King by Kim Edwards
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier
Dark Angels by Karleen Koen
Dark Rivers of the Heart by Dean Koontz

2.5 miles

2008-08-21T11:45:00.002-05:00

Ran 2.5 miles yesterday in 29 minutes. Knocked 2 minutes and 30 seconds off my previous time. Yay!

Training

2008-08-19T11:42:00.001-05:00

Saturday-ran 2 miles and walked 2 miles, 200 crunches

Monday-ran 2.5 miles in 31 minutes

My First Timed Mile

2008-08-15T07:43:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I ran my first timed mile. Time: 8:31:56. Not great, but not too bad. Need to improve this time on each of my timed mile days. Only 28 days to go. 4 weeks. Yikes!

Training Log

2008-08-13T14:17:00.001-05:00

*Ran 2 miles straight today, then walked 2 miles.

10 Books You Should Read Before You Die

2008-08-12T10:16:00.002-05:00

I found this on AOL. Very interesting: (Bold are ones that I have read)

Gone With the Wind-Margaret Mitchell
Lord of the Rings Triology-J.R.R. Tolkien
Harry Potter-J.K. Rowling
The Stand-Stephen King
The Da Vinci Code-Dan Brown
To Kill a Mockingbird-Harper Lee
Angels and Demons-Dan Brown
Atlas Shrugged-Ayn Rand
The Catcher in the Rye-J.D. Salinger
The Holy Bible

Apparently I don't have many books to go before I can die. . .

My First 5K

2008-08-12T08:26:00.002-05:00

On September 13 I plan on running my first 5K race. I have never been a big runner before, but running is the best way for me to get into shape and commune with nature. I have 30 days to train. Yikes!

Yesterday 8/11/08-Monday-Day 1

*Jogged for 20 minutes, walked for 5 minutes, Jogged for 20 minutes-45 minutes total

update on Reading Full Circle

2008-08-06T11:06:00.003-05:00

completed titles in italics
River God by Wilbur Smith

Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson
Crazy in Alabama by Mark Childress
What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage
Songs in Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry Morris
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard
The Secret's of a Fire King by Kim Edwards
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier
Dark Angels by Karleen Koen
Dark Rivers of the Heart by Dean Koontz