Sunday, April 25, 2010

Things I've Done

This is a tag from another blog. I know I have not written in a long time but we are coasting through till the end of the month. May will be full of things to blog about.

Things I have done... Just copy and paste this to your blog and bold the ones that you HAVE done and make sure to put your score at the end. It got me to thinking about what I would like to do in life.


1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland






8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables- working on it
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Gone without food or water for 24 hours or longer
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Stayed up for 24 hours with NO sleep at all
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check - oops
68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
76. Changed a light bulb

77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Mowed the lawn
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible -working on it
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person - too many times
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

41 of 99
Not many but I'm working on it. What is your score?

Monday, April 19, 2010

Birthday Surprise!

This weekend Mom and Dad Shanks came down for a Birthday Surprise for Neil. And he was sure surprised! We did some celebrating, a lot of eating, a trip to the Sports Hall of Fame and started a garden (in the rain). But the big surprise was his new toy. For the past six months Neil has been mowing our 1.5 acres with a push mower. But now, he will be cruising along on his new riding mower. Check out this postcard of America - with the boots and all!


Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Happy Birthday Husband

Today is Neil's 24th Birthday! I know he does not like to be the center of attention (ex. balloon story below) but a little Birthday Blog won't hurt.

happy birthday to you - and many more, old man! It is great to be able to spend a whole day celebrating YOU! I love you.
Thank you for all your phone calls, cards, and messages too.

Balloon Story:
for his birthday I decided to surprise him with lunch from his favorite restaurant but I couldnt stop there so I brought him cupcakes and balloons. We ate our lunch and then.....he stuffed the balloons in the closet and left them there for the rest of the day, so no one would know it was his birthday.

please excuse this picture, Neil decided to make funny faces for EVERY picture so this is the best one. We celebrated at home with a birthday cake, pizza and presents. And you can't forget the birthday hat!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Porch Phase 2

We finished phase 2 of the porch which involved putting up the columns and the ceiling. We scored the columns from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore for $12 each. I didn't actually realize how great a deal that was until a recent trip to Home Depot ($60). We can't decide whether or not to put porch rails up because we like the look already and we enjoy the uninterrupted view from our chairs. We also put up a raised ceiling with all the trimmings and a fan. In the mean time, we will continue work on priming and painting.

Here is a close up of the columns.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Rock-n-chairs

In my birthday blog I mentioned the great gift Neil gave me - a pair of rocking chairs. The required assembly (which is a story in itself) and then the weather was not so good so they stayed inside. Well, now Spring has sprung and they have made their way outside. So here they are.


The pillows were made recently to match the footstool mentioned in an earlier blog. Made out of burlap, they should withstand the elements pretty well.

We have enjoyed them already and look forward to many more sunsets and wildflowers.