99 Things

Saw this on boogaj:

99 things
Things you’ve already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to - leave in plain font

1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars
3. played in a band (I'm learning guitar!)
4. visited Hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more than you can afford to charity
7. been to Disneyland/world (just got back 2 weeks ago)
8. climbed a mountain (does it count if it's in a car?)
9. held a praying mantis (NO WAY NO HOW!)
10. sang a solo (in grade school I think)
11. bungee jumped (again NO WAY NO HOW!)
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 (home-grown tomatoes (I know they're technically fruits)
are the best in the world)
19. seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. slept on an overnight train (The sensation of moving all night was very weird. I don't
think I actually slept much.)
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 a gondola in Venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset (Did this 2 weeks ago, too.)
31. hit a home run (in whiffle ball!)
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 in person
41. sung karaoke
42. seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal in 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. seen the Sistine Chapel in person
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. visited Russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold girl scout cookies (except it was Boy Scout popcorn)
62. gone whale watching
63. gotten flowers for no reason
64. donated blood
65. gone sky diving
66. visited a Nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a check
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. eaten caviar
72. pieced a quilt (helped Gran when I was young and still have the quilt)
73. stood in Times Square
74. toured the Everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guard in London
77. broken a bone
78. been on a speeding motorcycle (one of the funnest things I've ever done)
79. seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. published a book
81. visited the Vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in Jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. read the entire bible -- most of it
86. visited the White House
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating (another thing I did with Gran)
88. had chickenpox
89. saved someone’s life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous (haha Vince Neil of Motley Crue)
92. joined a book club
93. lost a loved one
94. had a baby
95. seen the Alamo in person
96. swum in the Great Salt Lake
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee

Our Florida Vacation

We just got back from a week in Florida, our first big week-long vacation as a family. We stayed in Melbourne right on the beach. This is a sunrise view from our condo's balcony. The weather was fantastic. The temp was in the high 70s all week. No rain. Blue skies. Couldn't have been better.What do I notice as soon as we arrive? I look at the mailboxes for the condo and I see...Yes, I got excited when I saw that name. Yes, I know I'm a big nerd, but I don't care!! Yes, I kept my eye out for them all week, but they were nowhere to be found. Apparently Florida is too sunny for them in the daytime. Haha.

I was able to finish Katie's Bella Mittens. Not in time for Christmas, but they did get done. They turned out pretty well.

The weather was perfect for the boys to play. The water was too cold for me, but they don't care about that.

I was lucky enough to come across this jellyfish on one of my morning walks. I've never seen one in real life. We did go to Disney three days of the week. Pix for that will be in the next post.

Books I've Read 2009

So I've joined the Ravelry group 52 Groups in 52 Weeks. I'm including the date finished for my own reference. Unless otherwise noted, a book is started on the same day the previous one was finished.

* denotes a CHS library book

1) An Ice Cold Grave--Charlaine Harris (1/1/09)
2) Divine Evil--Nora Roberts (1/3/09)
3) Perfect Match--Jodi Picoult (1/9/09)
4) A Woman of Substance--Barbara Taylor Bradford (1/19/09)
5) Dead After Dark--Sherrilyn Kenyon et al (1/22/09)
6) Trail of Crumbs--Kim Sunee (1/27/09)
7) Tribute--Nora Roberts (1/30/09)
8) Carnal Innocence--Nora Roberts (2/1/09)
9) Mercy--Jodi Picoult (2/7/09)
10) Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict--Laurie Viera Rigler (2/9/09)
11) A Kiss of Shadows--Laurell K. Hamilton (2/16/09)
12) Words in a French Life--Kristin Espinasse (2/17/09-2/24/09)
13) Salem's Lot--Stephen King (2/25/09-3/7/09)
14) Midnight Bayou--Nora Roberts (3/11/09)
15) Sizzle and Burn--Jayne Ann Krentz (3/16/09)
16) Daring to Dream--Nora Roberts (3/18/09)
16 1/2? The Dead House--Linda Fairstein--read to pg. 55. Too boring for me.
17) Light in Shadow--Jayne Ann Krentz (3/20/09)
18) Dark Seduction--Brenda Joyce (3/22/09)
19) Night Echoes--Holly Lisle (3/25/09)
20) Ghoul--Brian Keene (3/27/09)
21) One Quick Bite--Lynsay Sands (3/28/09)
22) Dark Rival--Brenda Joyce (3/30/09)
23) Dangerous--Nora Roberts (4/3/09)
24) Carolina Moon--Nora Roberts (4/5/09)
25) Dark Hollow--Brian Keene (4/8/09)
26) Love the One You're With--Emily Giffin (4/9/09)
27) Love Bites--Lynsay Sands (4/10/09)
28) White Lies--Jayne Ann Krentz (4/11/09)
29) The Darkest Night--Gena Showalter (4/14/09)
30) Company of Liars--Karen Maitland (4/18/09)
31) The Vampire Who Loved Me--Teresa Medeiros (4/23/09)
32) Single White Vampire--Lynsay Sands (4/25/09)
33) The Darkest Kiss--Gena Showalter (4/28/09)
34) Hidden Talents--Jayne Ann Krentz (5/3/09)
35) Tall, Dark, and Hungry--Lynsay Sands (5/7/09)
36) Midnight Rain--Holly Lisle (5/10/09)
37) My Lobotomy--Howard Dully (5/11/09)
38) Truth or Dare--Jayne Ann Krentz (5/14/09)
39) Dark Lover--JR Ward (5/15/09)
40) Second Sight--Amanda Quick (5/17/09)
41) Dead and Gone--Charlaine Harris (5/19/09)
42) Dead of Night--JD Robb et al (5/23/09)
43) Pitch Black--Susan Crandall (5/27/09)
44) Smoke in Mirrors--Jayne Ann Krentz (5/30/09)
45) I See You--Holly Lisle (5/31/09)
46) Women of the Asylum--J Geller & M Harris (6/1/09)
47) Last Girl Dancing--Holly Lisle (6/2/09)
48) Defining Moments in Music--Various (6/4/09)
49) Malice--Lisa Jackson (6/8/09)
50) Twilight--Stephenie Meyer (6/14/09)
51) Gracefully Insane--Alex Beam (6/20/09)
52) A Kiss in Winter--Susan Crandall (6/25/09)
53) All Night Long--Jayne Ann Krentz (6/27/09)
54) Dark Prince--Christine Feehan (6/29/09)
55) Dark Desire--Christine Feehan (6/30/09)
56) Seeing Red--Susan Crandall (7/2/09)
Read the 1st 75 pages of Drood but didn't like it
57) Many Bloody Returns--Charlaine Harris et al (7/9/09)
58) Lover Eternal--JR Ward (7/12/09)
59) Dark Gold--Christine Feehan (7/13/09)
60) Haunted Heart: The Life and Times of Stephen King--Lisa Rogak (7/20/09)
61) The Devil in the White City--Erik Larson (7/23/09)
62) Lover Awakened--JR Ward (7/24/09)
63) Dark Magic--Christine Feehan (7/28/09)
64) Just After Sunset--Stephen King (8/03/09)
65) Lover Revealed--JR Ward (8/5/09)
66) Lover Unbound--JR Ward (8/6/09)
67) The House--Bentley Little (8/9/09)
Started The Likeness by Tana French but didn't like it
68) Lover Enshrined--JR Ward (8/18/09)
69) Marked--PC Cast and Kristin Cast (8/27/09)
70) The Help--Kathryn Stockett (9/2/09)
71) Betrayed--PC Cast and Kristin Cast (9/12/09)
72) The Fixer Upper--Mary Kay Andrews (9/17/09)
73) Lover Avenged--JR Ward (9/24/09)
74) Boy Minus Girl--Richard Uhlig (9/30/09)
75) Falling Awake--Jayne Ann Krentz (10/6/09)
76) The Perks of Being a Wallflower--Stephen Chbosky (10/18/09)
77) High Noon--Nora Roberts (10/22/09)
*78) Bliss--Lauren Myracle (10/24/09)
79) Strange Candy--Laurell K. Hamilton (10/28/09)
80) Be Mine Tonight--Kathryn Smith (10/29/09)
81) Inexcusable--Chris Lynch (10/30/09)
82) The Doctor's Wife--Elizabeth Brundage (11/1/09)
*83) Pure--Terry Elan McVoy (11/12/09)
84) Cravings--Laurell K. Hamilton and others (11/16/09)
85) Skin Trade--Laurell K. Hamilton (11/20/09)
86) The Night of the Huntress--Kathryn Smith (11/22/09)
87) Deep Kiss of Winter--Kresley Cole/Gena Showalter (11/26/09)
88) Running Hot--Jayne Ann Krentz (11/30/09)
89) Grave Secret--Charlaine Harris (12/11/09)
*90) The Book Thief--Markus Zusak (12/19/09)
91) Love at First Bite--Sherrilyn Kenyon et al (12/22/09)
92) Beyond the Dark--Lora Leigh et al (12/26/09)
*93) The Chosen One--Carol Lynch Williams (12/27/09)
*94) Scrambled Eggs at Midnight--Brad Barkley (12/28/09)
95) Something Wicked--Catherine Mulvany (12/29/09)

95 books in one year. Whew.