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Friday, December 31, 2010

2010 Might Be Done, But I'm Not!!

Ok, so I only made it a little over halfway during 2010, but I did get some bonuses in there! And I am not going to quit until the entire list is done!! I hope to finish most of it before I turn 41, but the one item that I know I won't be able to do before then is the Dallas State Fair because it doesn't happen until September. But if I can get all the rest done in the next 6 month, I'll be thrilled! And I WILL go to that fair next year! Plus, I'll see if I can add a few more bonuses for the new year! (I already have a huge one in the works, but I have to keep that under wraps for a few more months!)

Friday, December 10, 2010

Hundreds of Ancestors Found!!

I don't think that I will actually be done working on my family tree, but I've accomplished my initial goals of finding ancestors hundreds of years back and from different countries. I was thrilled to find a line going all the way back to 1490 in Scotland. And then I was ecstatic to find a line going all the way back to 1310 in England! I've also found a strong German line, which is particularly interesting to me since I was born there.

I had hoped, but didn't actually think that I'd be able to find anyone really important in my family tree. While I haven't found anyone who is famous in the traditional way, I have found two veterans of the American Revolution - one of whom has a cemetery named after him - and one veteran of the Civil War, along with some WWI and WWII veterans.

My ultimate goal is to take every line as far as I can into the past and then find some living descendants to get to know. I've been working hard on all of this for months and wouldn't have gotten very far at all if it weren't for ancestry.com!! It's an amazing site!!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

No Jury Duty This Time!

I was so glad to be dismissed from jury duty! The court sent more summons than they ended up needing, so more than half of us were able to leave after just an hour and a half of going over all the procedures. I got paid my $6 and was on my way to the previously scheduled training by 10am! Maybe next time will be a better week for me, but I was at Camp Tyler with my class most of the week and I really didn't want to miss that!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

An Unexpected First - Jury Summons!

I've always thought it would be interesting to serve on a jury - as long as the trial doesn't have to do with any physical violence because I am NOT good with blood! I can't believe it took until I'm 40 to get my first jury summons, but it will be an experience! It's for November 8th, so I'll have to post later the result!

How many will I accomplish??

It will be a miracle if I'm able to complete my list! I already know that I'll be missing the Dallas State Fair, but I keep hoping that I'll be able to get the rest of the 19 items that I have left done. I can't believe that I only have a couple of months left! I feel like I'm living life at a really fast pace right now and I'm doing my best to stay on top of everything, but it's challenging!

Missing the Dallas Fair this year...bummer! (But due to a good thing!)

Time and finances aren't on my side to make the state fair this year. So, I'll have to wait another year to see Big Tex. I'm a little bit bummed, but it's mostly due to a decision to buy a timeshare, which I'm pretty excited about! I've always wanted to buy one and my husband and I did so last weekend. We get our membership cards in a couple of weeks and I can't wait to start using it!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Twenty down, twenty to go!!

I'm currently listening to the audiobook of Twenty Wishes by Debbie Macomber and it's a great book! I'm glad to know that I've at least accomplished 20 of the items on my list so far! Life has gotten really busy and I'm starting to wonder if I'm going to be able to finish them all by the end of the year. But I've decided if I don't, that's ok - as long as they DO get completed as close to the deadline as possible! Next week, I'll be starting a second job to help me with the funds to be able to do some of the more expensive items. And I know I'll get more motivated even more when the weather cools off again. I can't wait for it to start feeling like autumn! It's my favorite season!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Perseid Meteor Shower - or should I say meteor sprinkle?!

I can no longer stay up until 2am and it wasn't easy at all to go to sleep and have to wake up in the middle of the night! My husband, daughter, and I went behind a building that's right near our house and there are no lights. We saw just a few "shooting stars" in the half an hour we were there. I've heard so much about the Perseid Meteor Shower that I expected to see several in that amount of time - or at least a dozen! Instead, it was more like five! They were still neat to see and I'm glad that I did it at least once, but once was enough! From now on, I'll be sleeping through it every year! :)

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Bang? Bang? More like...Pop! Pop!

I recently met a great lady who offered right away to help me with firing a gun! She had the guns, bullets, and plenty of land for target practice! She gave me a few choices, but I wanted to start small for my first time. So, she chose her .22 rifle. I was amazed at how tiny the bullets were!
My first shot went over the top of the target, but the next two shots hit it, and for the last shot I aimed much more carefully and finally hit the edge of the bulls-eye! Woo hoo!!

One of the things I was a little worried about with firing a gun was the kickback, but I didn't have that problem at all with this size gun. It felt just like the little rifles that you use at fairs for target shooting. I didn't think that I would like it, but it was fun! I wouldn't mind trying out some pistols in the future, too, and maybe even working up to a bit bigger caliber. But no semi-automatics!!

Monday, August 2, 2010

I'm an Official Hospice Volunteer!

On Friday, I got my badge and did my first hour and a half of on the job training. Then I went back Saturday morning for two more hours. It was sad to go in the next morning and see that a couple of patients had died overnight.

Part of the reason that I wanted to volunteer at hospice was to help me with my own fear of dying. It seems to be helping some. It's such a calming place and it's nice to see how many families are constantly at the patients' sides. There are rarely any who are alone for more than a few hours.

So far, I have delivered snacks to patients and families and sat with one lady whose daughter is out of town, so she didn't have anyone with her that week.

I'm not sure how long I will continue to volunteer, but at least for a few months. They have a lot of volunteers, so I don't really feel needed and I hate to feel like I'm in the way of the nurses. It's an interesting experience though.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Checking Off Two More Items!!

I went on my first cruise to Cozumel, Mexico and swam in the pool on the cruise ship. And swam with dolphins in Cozumel. The dolphins were gentle and beautiful, and we got to hug them, kiss them, and hold their fins and swim with them! It was wonderful! I didn't buy any pics though because I couldn't afford the price of $29 per pic! That was ok though because I didn't like any of the pics of myself anyway. I ate so much on the cruise that I gained back every pound that I had lost, so now I'm starting again to try to reach my ideal weight! I need to lose at least 30 pounds in a little more than 5 months! Time to start hitting the gym again!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Got a Fantastic Facial!!

I gave myself a wonderful spa day that included a wrap, massage, facial, and hand treatment! I also got a wonderful lunch as part of the day! It was pure bliss! A day to get some much needed rest and relaxation! I spent the day at Belladonna here in Tyler and I highly recommend it! The staff is very nice and do everything they can to ensure you are completely comfortable. I was even given the choice between a mimosa or a glass of wine! I'm not a big wine drinker, or a drinker at all for that matter, and it was still fairly early in the day. So, I got the mimosa, which was my first drink in about 5 years! It was good!!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Making Some Changes...

With all that has been going on in my life - getting divorced, moving back in with my parents, and being broke most of the time - I've been contemplating whether or not I can handle continuiung this project. I really hate to quit things, but I am a realist and I know I won't have the time or money to do everything this year that I'd hoped to do. Especially since the year is half over and I'm not even halfway done.

When I told one of my friends about the list, she asked why I wasn't doing 40 things since I was turning 40. Now, why didn't I think of that?!

So, I'm going to knock a few items off my list that I don't think are going to be possible this year and then I can continue without it being yet another source of stress in my life. :)

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Halfway to Officially Volunteering for Hospice!

Well, I've gone through the application and orientation processes. So, after I return from my cruise in a month, I'll be assigned a family to work with. I was glad to hear that it is pretty much what I hoped it would be - that the focus isn't on the end of life, but making it as good as it can be while they are still living. I'm really hoping that it will help me not to have such a strong fear of dying.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

I've Found Some Great Web Sites for Women!

The First is Brave Heart Women and lots of famous ladies are involved:


Check out my Braveheart Woman profile

Another is SocialJane.com. I'm always looking to make new friends and this is a great site for that!

Friday, June 18, 2010

Taking a Break from Drawings

I'm finding myself quite tight financially, so I can't afford any extras, at least for awhile. I know you will all understand and the purpose of the drawing was to increase the number of followers, which doesn't seem to be working.

I plan to start the drawings again in the fall, but I will probably make some changes to reward solely for referring new followers. Thanks for hanging in with me!

Monday, May 31, 2010

June 1st Winner!!

Congratulations, Dana!! This time I'm giving away a fun game called Reminiscing in celebration of summer!! It's all about remembering summers past! I hope you enjoy it!

Served Dinner at The Stewpot Soup Kitchen in Dallas!!

Horrible picture, but a great experience! It was a long drive, but I was happy that my mom wanted to go with me to make the whole experience more enjoyable!! We liked it so much, that we'll probably go back now and then. Just my luck, they were serving lasagna which was challenging to serve at a fast pace! When they announced what was being served for dinner and asked who wanted to serve it, no one volunteered. So, I stepped up and took the most difficult job, but what the heck! I need to burn as many calories as I can, right?! I was surprised that none of the male volunteers offered to take the hardest job though! Wimps!!

Maybe next time I'll have the opportunity to chat with one of the people coming in for dinner, but I didn't get the chance this time.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Love the Smell of Gardenias!!

It was nice to wear a gardenia in my hair for the day because it smelled so good! I had a rough Monday, so it was a nice little pick me up! As nice as it was, it didn't feel like me. I enjoyed it as a one time thing, but I doubt I'll repeat it.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Good to hear from you, Dawn!

I hope all is well with you, as well! It's been awhile and I was a little worried about you!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Working Hard and Making Plans!!

First things first...Tricia, I got your comments and thought that I had posted them, but I don't see them. So, I'm wondering if I accidentally hit the wrong button and deleted them. I'm glad that you've been checking in and saw that you won so quickly!

Also, I will definitely be posting much more often during the summer! I've been really swamped lately - it's amazing how things don't slow down at all even though it's the end of the school year! Just two more weeks!!

For the next couple of weeks, I'll be working through the complete works of Shakespeare. I've read a little bit before, but I'm going to reread those, too. I'm enjoying some of it, but it can be a little tedious. Thankfully, the public library has most of the works on CD, so I can read along and that helps a lot to visualize and understand what's going on. It's definitely a challenge, and I don't think I really realized just how many works Shakespeare published - 43!! Wish me luck!!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Bought Lunch for a Family

Yesterday, I took my mom and some of my students to the Pottery Cafe and we stopped at McDonald's for ice cream cones on the way home. There was a couple with three young kids who were filling up on soda because they didn't have enough money for food. One of the kids was actually eating ketchup! The father had asked for money from the man in the next booth, but they didn't come over to us. I wasn't happy with what I saw because the parents conveniently had money for cigarettes, cell phones, and for the mother to get her nails done. But as I was leaving, they all looked so pathetic that I decided to send my students back in to give them money for food. The girls went in and told the family that there teacher was giving them $20 and stressed that it was for FOOD. Then the girls even went to the bathroom before coming back out to the car to stall for time to make sure the family got in line to order before we left. They crack me up! I know I can't do much to help people who can't make good choices for themselves - and I am far from perfect in that regard! - but it was a beautiful day and we were having a great time. I just hope that I brightened up their day somewhat.

May 15th Drawing Winner!!

I happened to be driving by Starbucks again yesterday, so I stopped in and picked up a $15 gift card and my daughter drew the winning name when we got home last night! Congrats, Tricia! I'll be mailing out the card to you tomorrow! Enjoy!

P.S. I'd still love some more ideas!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Can't Wait for Summer Break!!

I've definitely allowed myself to get too far behind on accomplishing things on my list, so I can hardly wait for summer so that I have some time to really work on it! I'm just getting to the point where I can just begin to think about summer and plan for the trips that I'll be fitting in and scheduling around all of the wonderful, required teacher trainings! I'm going to try to accomplish at least a few things during the month of May, but I'm also doing census work to help fund all of the little trips that I'll need to take in order to do some of the out of town items on my list.

It always comes down to money, doesn't it?!

Saturday, May 1, 2010

May Day Drawing Winner!!

I am happy to see that I now have 9 followers!! Thank you all so much! So, after adding the names of the two newest followers to the drawing, I have the latest winner!!

My dear friend, Sue Zid, has won the book 14,000 Things to be Happy About by Barbara Ann Kipfer. It's a cute little book that has a giant list of things that make you smile! Enjoy, Sue!

Monday, April 26, 2010

I'd love some suggestions for drawing prizes!

I know there will be days when I have time to give some thought to meaningful prizes for the drawings, but this isn't one of them! So, I could use some suggestions from my wonderful followers because I would really like to get things that you will all enjoy, but I am also on a little bit of a budget right now. I look forward to hearing your ideas!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

My responses to comments...

I just wanted to take a minute to explain why I am creating new posts, instead of just responding to comments in the comments section. For some reason, when I have tried to post in the comments sections over the last couple of weeks, the page won't respond and I don't want any replies from my friends and followers to go unacknowledged. So, until I figure out what the problem is, I will reply to comments with posts.

Thanks for your kind words, Dawn!

Dawn,

I completely agree with you that there are people who have made bad choices and still deserve a second chance.

And I really appreciate your compliments about what I do for others. Although I've never really been one to toot my own horn, it's always nice to have someone acknowledge what you are doing! :)

Peggy

Friday, April 16, 2010

Next Winner!!

Kandi Tamez is the winner of the $10 Starbucks gift card!! She is another one of my wonderful co-workers, which makes my life very easy!! I'll put it in her box at work for her to enjoy!

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Thank you, Sue!

Hi Sue!

Thank you SO much for sharing not only your dream of what you want to do, but also for letting me know about going to the movie in memory of your dad. I think that was such a neat way to remember a special time with him! I really appreciate your support and was touched by what you said. I have had a few others say that they have been inspired to start their own lists. My principal's third grade daughter even told her that they should start a list when they checked out my blog one day! As great as it is to be doing this list to build my own experiences, it is amazing to hear from others about their thoughts, too!

So, what's stopping you from going to Australia and New Zeland? Those are two places that I want to go, too, so if you need a travel companion, let me know!! :)

Love,
Peggy

Friday, April 9, 2010

What do you want to do before you die?

I just finished watching Oprah and she had the guys from the MTV show The Buried Life. The guys on the show are doing a similar list to what I'm doing, but there are four of them and they are trying to complete a list of 100 things. That only works out to 25 items each. I think they have an unfair advantage over me! Ha ha! Plus, they are all young and single and without the responsibilities of full-time jobs and kids. I found myself both jealous (because they have a tv show!) and inspired by some of their stories because they help others to achieve their dreams, too. And I love their persistence!

So, now I'd love to hear from others about what they want to accomplish in their lives! What dreams do you have? If we share our dreams, we might be able to link up people that can help each other make out dreams come true!!

Friday, April 2, 2010

First Winner for the Bi-weekly Drawing!

Sorry that I'm a day late! The days got away from me! Ok, I put the names of my seven current followers in a box and I'm drawing the name of the winner of the beautiful little book by Barbara Ann Kipfer titled 1,001 Ways to Live in the Moment. And the winner is....Amber Wahl!! Since I work with Amber, I will be putting the book in her box at the school where we teach. So far, I know all of my followers and have all of their contact information, but I'm hoping to get to the point where I have people following my blog that I don't know. At that point, I'll have to post the winner and have them send me a message with their address for me to send their prize.

For the April 15th drawing, I'll be giving away a $10 Starbucks gift card!! Remember all of the names that haven't yet won will remain in the box to increase the odds of winning each time. And referrals mean bonus chances to win!! PLEASE help me spread the word about my blog and thanks to my friends who are my only followers so far!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Bi-weekly Drawing to start on April 1st!! (Please read!!)

In an effort to get more people to sign up as followers, I have been searching for ideas and found an article that suggested giving items away. I thought that was a great idea! So, I'm going to assign numbers to each of my followers a number and draw a number every two weeks. Then I'll post the name of the winner on my blog for the person to contact me for their prize. However, I am also trying to get my current followers to check back more often for new info, therefore if I haven't heard from the winner before the next drawing, I'll draw a new name for that prize. Also, if someone signs up as a follower and sends me a message that one of my followers recommended they check out my blog, I'll add an extra slip in the drawing for the person who referred my blog! I'll do that for each person who is referred and all of the slips will stay in the drawing until the end of the year. You will be able to win more than one and you definitely want to have as many slips in the drawing as possible for the end of the year drawing because I plan to do something special for that one!!

Toll has finally been paid!

While in Houston last week, I went out of my way to drive on a toll road so that I could pay for the car behind me! In the days of EZ tags, this turned out to be a much more challenging than I thought! There was no one behind me at first, but I asked the toll booth worker if I could go ahead an pay for the next car that came and she said sure. Just as we were driving away, another car pulled up. I hope they had a nice surprise!!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Drove across Lake Pontchartrain!

I looked everywhere for information about taking a train across Lake Pontchartrain, but couldn't find anything current about it. As far as I can tell, they don't do it anymore, so I drove across it on the causeway instead. It's kind of a strange feeling to be driving on a road and get to a point where all you can see around you is water in all directions!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

One more bonus first - a ghost tour!

I have always been fascinated by ghost stories and we discovered that one of the plantations that we visited, Myrtles Plantation, is one of the most haunted places in the country! We signed up for a ghost tour for our last night in Louisiana. The plantation is beautiful and has a very interesting history and a great restaurant, but we didn't get to see anything supernatural. Bummer!

Yum!! Beignets at the original Cafe du Monde!!

I couldn't wait to try a beignet because I've heard they are so good!! I agree that they're good, but I was expecting them to be a little lighter and fluffier, maybe like a raised doughnut. But I would probably describe them as right in between a raised and a cake doughnut cut in a square with no hole. They were surprisingly filling! So, I liked them, but am not totally in love with them. Which is probably a good thing since I would have to make them myself if I wanted them very often. And, since I'm trying to lose weight, they wouldn't be something I should eat very often!

First attempt to pay a toll for someone was a bust!

Actually, it was two attempts!! The first time, I got in the cash only lane and someone with a tag got behind me!! Argh!! A couple of days later, I went back the same way only to discover that no toll was required going that direction! So, I'll have to keep looking for toll roads for awhile longer!!

Palm Reading in New Orleans

My daughter and I went to Yesteryears on Bourbon Street where we both had our palms and tarot cards read. It was very interesting! The lady who did our readings, Dawn Taylor, was terrific!! She took lots of time to talk with us and was very down to earth. She also read us like a book!! We were totally surprised at how spot on what she said was. Thankfully, we didn't get any bad news!!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Sleeping in a Canopied 4-poster Bed Tonight!!

The bed is beautiful, although not exactly what I had in mind. It is a 4-poster bed, but the canopy just goes over the head of the bed. I'm going to count it as accomplishing an item on my list because I did a lot of research to find a hotel that I could afford to stay in that offered canopied beds. There was another room that had a full canopy that I was hoping to get, but no such luck. This bed is very comfy though! And I still want to sleep in a bed with a full canopy, so I'll keep my eyes out for an opportunity! Again, pics will come at the end of the trip!

Overtip - check!

Taylor and I had a really nice waitress at lunch today. Her name is Hannah and she took the time to answer our questions and give us directions to a couple of places we wanted to go. She just pulled up and chair, and when I couldn't find my phone to look something up on the internet, she pulled out hers and looked up the information for us. I've been wanting to overtip someone who really deserved it and she sure did! She also showed us a pic of her that she had just taken with Liv Tyler this morning because she's in town filming a movie. Pretty cool day for Hannah! I wish I could have afforded a huge tip, but I did give her almost $20, which is quite a bit more than the $5 that I would usually leave. I'll be adding her pic when I get home, too, because it's another one that is on my daughter's camera. Thankfully, my camera appears to be working again and hopefully it will continue to do so!!

A couple of bonus firsts!!

My daughter, Taylor, and I are on our first trip that is just the two of us and we're having a blast! We're spending a couple of days in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. I have been planning to do some of the items on my list on this trip, but then I realized that the trip itself is a first because she and I have always had someone accompany us on our trips. Also, we have never ordered room service before, so we did that last night! (See pics of my excited daughter!) We're also staying in our first suite tonight. I'll have to add pics of that when we get back from our trip because my camera started giving me trouble this afternoon and my daughter didn't bring the cord to hook her camera up to the computer.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Working on Family Tree

I joined ancestry.com today and started setting up my family tree. I've been a little lazy about getting it started - I think because it sounds like such a major undertaking to do it the way I want to. To go back as far as I am able to go is going to take a lot of time and work, but I find it really interesting. The new TV show "Who Do You Think You Are?" that started last night inspired me to finally get moving on this project. Thankfully, my grandmother had some information that she had already put together, so I picked that up from her tonight and will spend some time going through it tomorrow. I've never really had a clear picture of my background, so I'm hoping I can learn a lot.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Technorati

I'm attempting to learn more about ways to increase traffic to my blog and one way that is to post a claim with Technorati. Since I'm so new to all of this, I just have to keep trying until I get it right because most web sites like Technorati seem to expect people to know what they are doing by the time they reach the point of using them. That's definitely not the case for me!

Anyway, I received a message that I need to include this code - HJA5K3G9XJY9 - in one of my posts in order to be able to have my claim accepted by them, so I'm giving it a shot!

Friday, February 26, 2010

Crazy Week!!

I had intended to write more than I did this week, but it was a particularly busy week. I had some extra long days due to a PTA event, volunteering, and working on my relationship with my husband. Being separated isn't easy, but things are looking up for our future. I've also been making a lot of travel plans for the next month. Aside from going to New Orleans with my daughter during spring break in a week and a half, I'm also going to be meeting a friend of mine from Seattle in Houston for a couple of days, and my husband and I agreed to go away for a weekend to Fort Worth in April. During those three short trips, I'll be completing several of the items on my list and I'm so excited! I wish I had the time to do another item before spring break, but I don't see things slowing down before then. This coming week will be slightly calmer than this one, but just making preparations for some of the items on my list can take quite a bit of time. But it's something that I love to do, so I don't mind any of it!

Monday, February 22, 2010

Inspired to Write More Often!!

Until now, I hadn't really thought of writing posts unless it was about what I am going to do or what I had accomplished. But I'm currently reading an inspiring book by Gretchen Rubin titled The Happiness Project. I'm forever trying to learn more about how to get the word out about my blog and she writes six days a week and is really successful, so I'm going to try to write more often! At the moment, I can't imagine what I would write about to get to six days a week, but I'm willing to give it a shot! Check out her blog at
www.happiness-project.com!

I'm so excited to be heading to New Orleans in two weeks!! My 16-year-old daughter and I have never taken a trip that was just the two of us, so this will be our first! We've always been with my mom, husband, a friend, or someone. And we can actually afford to go and have a really good time because we finally sold our RV!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Sponsoring a little girl from Ecuador

I have wanted to sign up to sponsor a child for years and it feels so good to finally be doing it! Angela is an adorable 7-year-old who likes to draw. I hope that what feels to me to be a small amount per month will make a big difference in her life! I have no idea how these things work, but I'm hoping to be able to write to her and maybe even meet her one day.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Cookies Delivered! (And info about substitution!)

I baked two dozen chocolate chip cookies this afternoon and took them to one of the local fire stations. The guys there were all smiles!

After talking to them for a couple of minutes, I asked about the possibility of riding on a fire truck and they said that it wasn't allowed due to liabilities, which didn't really surprise me. So, I'm going to substitute that on my list with one of the things that I had chosen in case I ended up doing more than 52 items this year.

Friday, January 22, 2010

This is so much fun!!

I highly recommend making your own life to do list! I'm so glad that I have this, especially now that I'm going through a divorce. It's nice to have something to look forward to every week. If I keep going at this rate, I'll definitely be getting through the list before the end of the year and be able to add some bonus items! Even though I've only been doing this for a few weeks, I can't imagine ever wanting to stop! I have always led a very full life, but my life feels more fulfilling than ever before.

My only concern with going bigger and better next year is financing, but who knows where life will lead! Maybe I'll get a book deal from all of this! LOL! Serious wishful thinking!

My Propeller Beanie Hat Brought Lots of Smiles Today!!

I am so NOT the type of person who would normally wear a hat, much less one like this, but it was fun! I knew the kids at school would get a kick out of it, but I was pleasantly surprised at how many compliments I got from adults, too! It was great to bring the smile to so many faces!

I also would have thought that I would have had to explain why I was wearing it all day long, but I was only asked a few times. It cracked me up when a student from another class asked what I was going to wear next! I'm amazed at how much fun I'm having with getting out of my comfort zone!

Dean Koontz sent a response to my letter!

I got a nice surprise in the mail on Tuesday! Dean Koontz sent a letter with a personal note and two of his "newsletters", which are hilarious!

In my letter, I told him that he is one of the few authors whose books get better and better as the years pass! Sometimes, I have grown bored with authors because their books are so similar that they get predictable and I give up on them. But I have loved every book that Mr. Koontz has written and his newest one, Breathless, is one of my favorites! It's one of those books that you don't want to end (and HOPE there will be a sequel!), but you can't stand to put it down, so it's over way too soon.

I'm attaching pictures of his letter, but it was hard to get them to turn out real clear. So, here's what Mr. Koontz wrote:

"Peggy~ Thanks for your lovely letter and kind words. You brightened my day so much that I gave my dog extra cookies. Now she adores you!"

I had a feeling that Dean Koontz would be a pretty cool guy and now I know that for sure!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Went to the Movies Solo Today!

My daughter is spending the day with my soon-to-be-ex-husband, so it seemed like the perfect day for me to head to the theaters! I've been wanting to see Leap Year because it looked like a cute movie - and it was! But it did seem a little ironic that I went to see a movie about getting engaged when I'm about to be divorced.

Being there alone was a little weird. When I posted my list, I had a lot of people tell me that they have gone to the movies alone before and that it was nice to get away from it all for a couple of hours. So, I had kind of expected to feel the same way. Yes, it was quiet and kind of peaceful, but I'm used to being able to share a laugh or a comment about something with someone. Anyway, I know it isn't likely that I'm going to like doing everything on my list and I think going to the movies by myself will be falling into that category. It was okay, but not something that I'll make a habit of doing.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Picking up the pace!

Well, I didn't know when I started this blog that I would be getting a divorce this year, but that's the case! I'm doing fine. It's been a long time coming and it's for the best. The transition period has been a lot to deal with, but now I have the freedom to do the items on my list without having to check with or answer to anyone else.

Today, I bought the cookie dough to make the cookies to take to the fire department - and, hopefully, that will be enough of a bribe for them to let me go for a ride! And I also ordered a propeller beanie hat from Amazon, so I'll have pics of me wearing that as soon as it arrives! I'm also going to go to the movies solo either tomorrow or Monday.

Life is never boring!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Letters are written!

My hand is killing me! In the days of emails (and blogs!), it's so much faster (and less painful!) to type everything, that writing six letters in one day has me using muscles that my hand forgot it had! But they are done and I think the personal touch of hand-written notes in hand-made cards is much better than sending an email. They go out in the mail tomorrow and, if I am lucky enough to get any responses, I'll be sure to share them on here!

Saturday, January 2, 2010

A slow start...

I had hoped to start off the new year with a bang - literally! - by firing a gun as the first item that I accomplish, but I ran into a couple of snags. So, I have to be a little patient, which I'm not very good at! My stepdad has a gun that I can use, but the people who we know who have a lot of land are out of town and the public gun range was closed for the holiday. I'm hoping to be able to do it next Sunday though. Until then, I've sent an interest form to Habitat for Humanity to volunteer with them. Also, I sat down today and listed the amounts that I owe for each of my credit cards so that I know what I'm aiming for.

Tomorrow, I'm going to write letters to the people who have inspired me (Oprah, Sarah ban Breathnach, and Barbara Ann Kipfer) and to my favorite authors (Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Jodi Picoult) and put them in hand-made thank you cards to be mailed on Monday. So, even though I didn't get to start exactly the way that I had hoped, I will be able to check off two of my items after tomorrow!