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?

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!

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!

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.

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.