Some Thoughts on My 101 in 1001 List

Way, way, wayyy back in the year 2010, I made a list. A list of stuff I wanted to do in 1001 days. Well, the final day is approaching in less than 2 months, and I am nowhere near done with this list.

And I'm mostly okay with that.

Yes, it's a sort-of arbitrary length of time. A lot of these things are on my bigger bucket list that spans my whole life. And I must admit that I was in a completely different life situation when I made the list. I was still a giddy newlywed, my husband was in the middle of a 6-month military deployment, I lived in Virginia, I had just started blogging, and I spent a lot of time reading at the beach.

I got to cross off the biggest life-changing event from this list (#11: Have a baby), and in doing so, I have greatly impeded most chances to finish this entire list by the deadline.

A few things I'm 99% sure I won't be finishing:

• performing on stage in a play or musical (I did audition for one back in Pensacola, though!)
• joining a sports league (although B and I lift weights together now, so does that count?)
• learning to do a cool trick on my boogie board (oops, moved away from the beach)
• dressing like a cow and getting Chick-Fil-A on Cow Appreciation Day (it's not until July, and I was too exhausted to deal with it last year)

HOWEVER, many of the goals on this list are still attainable! Even after having a baby! On that note, I seriously want to smack anyone who says you won't have time for anything you love after having a baby--babies grow and become more independent, sitters can be hired, and if you really want to do something, by golly, you can! The first 3 months postpartum you probably won't, but after that? Of course! What you choose to do after baby can actually show you what you really LOVE to do versus things you just did to fill time or please others. (Hey, I even did some baking during my baby's first week of life because I love it so.)

Tonight, I am very proud to say I accomplished something on my list that I had wanted to do for a while:

✔ 53. Do a Navy PRT, meeting at least Good requirements for my age/sex

For those of you non-military folks, the PRT (PFT to some) is the Physical Readiness (Fitness) Test that military members have to take (and pass) twice a year. B has one coming up in April, so he has been working hard to make sure he passes.

My final stats: 57 curl-ups (Good), 34 push-ups (Good), and the 1.5-mile run in 12:52 (Excellent)

The truth is I hadn't even looked at the requirements lately, so I had no idea what I was aiming for. (B sprung this on me today at the last minute.) I just tried my best, and this is what happened! I actually beat B on the running part, lapping him on my final lap (we were on a small indoor track where we had to do 12 laps for 1.5 miles), and hollering at him during that pass-by to give me his watch since I had no idea of my time (unprepared much?).

I am very proud of myself tonight! I think it is time for some celebratory chocolate. And if I get a 60% completion on my 101 list, I will be equally proud. I'll probably celebrate with more chocolate.

Baby Food, Revisited

Baby Cora has really taken to eating food lately!  The last time I posted about it, she still wasn't all that interested in food.  As much as I stressed over the what and the how in the beginning, I am relieved now that it's all working out.  We are still sorta doing baby-led weaning (BLW), but there are just some foods I wanted to introduce that don't work that way.  Plus, we now feed her twice a day (lunch and dinner), and my lunch foods are not very baby-friendly.  If we're spoon-feeding her and she really likes it, she will grab the spoon and help guide it into her mouth.  In addition, she still hasn't mastered the sippy cup (she just chews on it), but she totally drinks out of a regular cup when we hold it to her mouth and she sometimes grabs the sides.  I went to Target and got some little kid-sized plastic cups and bowls that were on clearance in the kitchen section, and they are perfect.  (I got 4 pieces for $1--can't beat that!  Pink and purple, too.)

The downfall of the BLW approach for me is that it just assumes you're eating super-healthy, which I often am not (especially for lunch).  One thing that has helped me a lot is a site called Babyfood101.  I have absolutely no idea how I stumbled upon this place, but it has been my saving grace.  Instead of being overwhelmed by a bunch of options, I get one email a week that tells me two new foods to give to baby (here's an example for the curious).  It tells me at what age she's ready (and it always matches up to her age, so there's never a food she's not ready for), how to prepare it, whether it is worth it to buy it organic or not, and it even gives an adult recipe for the food too.  For someone like me who has never had a good relationship with food (I generally eat for sustenance and didn't learn to cook until my 20's, so I mostly stick to the same stuff all the time), this is fan-freakin'-tastic!  I've been learning a lot about food and trying new things myself as well.

Oh, and most of the preparation that the site gives me is catered to not having much time (i.e., buy frozen peas instead of shelling them because they freeze well) and none of it has involved a steamer basket.  Most of the things can be finger foods or "fork-mashed" too, so I've only busted out the blender once--and it wasn't for lack of trying to do without it first when we did green beans.  I've used plain whole yogurt to our advantage too, as sometimes I just mix the food with that.  Who would've thought my baby would like pea-flavored yogurt?

Yum-o!

Speaking of the greens, I decided for this past week to be a vegetarian.  It's on my 101 list, so I figured now was a good time.  I also got to cross off another goal, which was to make something from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  I made her Ratatouille on Sunday night.  Her directions were pretty clear, and I learned how to juice and peel a tomato easily, but I still kinda screwed it up.  It just didn't have enough tomato at the end, so I did what any normal American would do and threw a can of tomato sauce in there.  The whole thing probably should have cooked even longer after that, but we were getting hungry.  The dish came out alright, but it was not nearly as good as the version my cousin made at Thanksgiving that B and I had both raved over.  From the ratatouille, though, we gave baby some green peppers and she loved them.  She has mostly liked everything so far except white potatoes.

Going vegetarian for the week wasn't all too hard, but I realized that almost everything I made had a tomato base to it.  Even the Boca burgers had tomato ketchup!  I also realized that I could never be vegan.  Or at least it would require a major pantry/fridge overhaul to do so, and at this point in unemployment/possibly-moving-soon, that is just out of the question.  As for being vegetarian?  I went to the store one night, and the fried chicken someone behind me was buying smelled heavenly.  I had already eaten dinner, too!  One week was enough for me, so pass me that bucket of chicken already.

7 Quick Takes (Olympic Fever Edition)

— 1 —

B and I have been having fun keeping up with the Olympics.  He's a lot more into it than I thought he would be!  I think he's watched about every sport that has come on.  He likes to whine and moan about some of it, though.  I sometimes agree.  One thing he hates is swimming.  I get this.  Why is someone who won a gabillion medals in swimming the "greatest Olympic athlete"?  You can win a gabillion medals in swimming because it has a gabillion events.  (17 events, I just counted.)  But what about those sports that only offer one medal?  I personally love women's beach volleyball, and I think May-Treanor/Walsh is one of the greatest teams of all Olympic history.  And what about skeet shooter Kim Rhode who has won gold in five consecutive Olympics?

— 2 —

Speaking of beach volleyball, can I just say that Kerri Walsh is amazing?  Did you know this gal popped out TWO kids between the last Olympics and this one?

Source

I remember hearing Jillian Michaels say she didn't want to "ruin her body" with pregnancy.  Um, I think Kerri Walsh just proved that it does not ruin your body if you don't let it.  (I can personally vouch for this, as I have a similar body type to Jillian and have lost every ounce of pregnancy weight and even a pound extra to boot.)

— 3 —

Going back to swimming, what in the world is the point of the butterfly stroke?  Why would you ever use this stroke in swimming?  Freestyle is the fastest, breaststroke is an endurance stroke, backstroke probably has the least risk of drowning . . . but butterfly?  To look like a fish?  I don't get it.

— 4 —

I really enjoyed this YouTube video that shows the evolution of uneven bars routines over the year.  Neat, huh?


— 5 — Did you catch my guest post over at Many Waters earlier this week?  I talked about my views on my husband leaving active duty military service, which you can read here.  His replacement is checking in today, which means it's turnover time.  Less than 30 days left until his end date.  Yeep.  And, no, we still don't know where his job search is going to land us. — 6 — I've crossed two items off my 101 list lately.  The first was that I got my butt back to that farmer's market and finally bought a few items:

Flowers, local raw honey, and some yummy bread.  Total was under $20.

The honey was from a church friend's yard, so that was cool too.  You can check out their website here. — 7 — And yesterday I blogged about how I made ice cream from scratch without an ice cream maker.

Check out how I did it here. —— And check out more quick takes at Conversion Diary!

Truly Old-Fashioned

I should have done this a long time ago.

Yeah, that?  I made it.

Thus fulfilling . . .

✔ 38. Make ice cream from scratch

Now before you roll your eyes and say, "Whatever, no big deal," let me inform you that I did this without an ice cream maker.  Let me say that again, but in bold and all caps.  I MADE IT WITHOUT AN ICE CREAM MAKER.

We don't have the space for one, and I didn't want to buy something I might use only once a year anyway.  (Yes, I know you can get them for cheap at a thrift store, but that's not the point here.)

Okay, so how did I do it, you ask?  I have actually made ice cream in the bag method before, way back in my Girl Scout days.  That's sorta fun, but you should probably buy rock salt and you'll need some good plastic bags.  Also, the ice cream isn't as good as the kind you buy.  For that, you need a custard base, which means eggs and a little bit of cooking.

Where's an easy place to find a good ice cream recipe?  Screw Pinterest, this one calls for tried and true.  Betty Crocker red book to the rescue.  Here is her vanilla ice cream recipe.

Now, as for the freezing it into ice cream part, I searched around and found this guy's method.  The basic premise is that you put it in the freezer and just keep stirring it every half hour or so for at least 3 hours.  Yes, it takes much longer than whatever magic an ice cream maker does, but it worked!  The timing was perfect, too, as our ice cream was ready right after baby went to bed!  (It was soft serve consistency around the 3-hour mark, so I actually tacked on an extra hour.)

It was pretty cool watching it slowly turn into ice cream over the course of the evening!

It came out so good!  The only ingredient I actually had to purchase specifically for this was heavy cream.  Everything else was on hand.

I actually did a little happy dance in the kitchen after getting these two beautiful scoops into the bowl.

Have you ever made ice cream without a gadget?  How did it turn out?

Flyin' High

Thanks to Groupon, I got to fulfill one of my more adventurous goals from my list!

✔ 43. Go parasailing

Even though there are places to do this around here in Pensacola, the Groupon was for a place in Destin.  That's about an hour and a half east of here, and I had wanted to go visit anyway.  My mom was in town to come with us and watch the baby while we were out on the boat.

We had one hiccup in the day, where we found out the idiot who took our reservation had booked us for the wrong Sunday, but it ended up being a blessing in disguise.  They had extra spots on the later cruise, so we went for some ice cream and got the last outing of the day at 6pm.   It was much more pleasant weather!  And sort of a sunset cruise, too, although the sun just sorta hid behind some clouds when it was done.

As for parasailing--I loved it!  Well, actually I was pretty scared watching the first couple go up.  Then I reminded myself that I had pushed a baby out of me, so I could probably do this.

Before we were out there, I had no idea how they got you from point A on the boat to point B in the air.  I had some theories, which were all wrong.

They strap you in, then have you sit on the back of the boat.  Then they let out the line and speed up!  It was actually very smooth, even though I look scared out of my mind there.

Up, up, and away!

It was so quiet and calm once we were 500 feet up there.  I felt like I should say something profound.  Instead, I think I just said "Ooh, pretty" and held onto the straps for dear life.

The deckhand was nice and took pictures!

My favorite part was when they dipped us in the water.  It was a lovely day, and the water was delightfully warm!

We were the second couple of six to go in the air.  This was good for my nerves to get it over earlier, but terrible for my stomach.  I've never gotten seasick before, not even when I was pregnant.  But by the time the fifth couple was in the air, that ice cream and the rocking boat had joined forces against me.  It didn't get too bad (all stomach contents stayed intact), but the last half hour of the trip all I could think was, "Please get me off this boat!"  I was immediately better the second I got back onto land.  I didn't even have that rocking feeling in me when I went to bed that night.

All in all, we had a great day in Destin!

He hates it when I do cutesy stuff like this.

miscellaneous thoughts

Here are just some updates and thoughts from the recesses of my mind right now.

I have taken a shower every single day since coming home from the hospital.  Granted, that's the only consistent thing I've done every day, but it's something.

Breastfeeding has been a HUGE trial for us, to the point where my baby was actually losing weight.  This all started the day after Ash Wednesday, and I decided that weekend that I would stick it out until Easter.  I had to go on an herbal supplement to get my supply up, but I'm happy to report that Cora has gained and finally clocked in at 8 pounds last Friday.  We go tomorrow for another weight check.  I'm glad I've stuck it out because it's definitely getting better.

I can't believe how quickly I lost the baby weight.  I lost about 20 pounds in the first two weeks (this had to be because of breastfeeding, right??).  I had only gained 30 total.  I only have 7 pounds to go now, but if I stall out a bit higher, I won't care.  My goal is to just firm up the tummy and fit back into my pre-pregnancy jeans (they won't button--ugh!).

B is going out of town next week again, and I am dreading it!  He is such a big help at night when I'm just completely OVER being a mom!  We still don't have a routine down, and I feel like all she wants to do is nurse constantly from noon until 8pm.  I need a break!

I haven't taken a nap in over 2 weeks.  I know I should sleep when she sleeps, but sometimes that's the only chance I get to do something on my to-do list (which is getting lengthy).

My parents are coming this weekend, so that my dad can meet his newest grandchild.  They're also going to babysit so B and I can have our first date night!  We still aren't sure what we're going to do, but bowling and the shooting range have both been mentioned.  I'm pretty sure the shooting range is on my 101 list.  If it isn't, it should be, since I've never shot a gun and would like to cross that off.

Speaking of my list, I'm going parasailing!  I don't know when exactly, but I bought a Groupon for it, so I have to!  I actually bought 2 of them, since it was for tandem parasailing, but B doesn't seem too interested.  I'm hoping if his siblings come down and visit, one of them will join me.

I am officially changing the name of my blog with the re-design I won.  We put the project on hold for a bit while I adjusted to baby, so be on the lookout for a new design and a new name soon!

I hate posts without pictures, so here ya go:

My rings on Cora's big toe!

 

a big meal for just us two

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I don't really like to cook all that much. And this pregnancy obviously hasn't helped. Most nights, B is lucky if there are two options on the table. It's usually an entree and some veggies from the freezer. Sometimes no veggies at all, just a cut-up apple.

But then I decided, at 35 weeks pregnant, that I could and would make Thanksgiving dinner.  Well, actually it was Christmas dinner, but it mostly resembled a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner.  I didn't get too ambitious, but it was definitely a bigger meal than we've been eating lately!  The best part?  I didn't even call my mother for help.  Thus, fulfilling . . .

✔ 37. Cook Thanksgiving dinner with minimal help from my mother

Yes, I even busted out our wedding china!

The menu:

• Roast chicken.  I decided this was more practical (and quicker) than a giant turkey.  One of my aunts had given us some homemade rosemary-garlic olive oil for Christmas.  I opened the present in the morning and decided it would be perfect for coating our chicken!  I then added a few extra herbs.  It came out so tender and delicious.  I mostly just followed the directions on the chicken's packaging and then basted it occasionally.  (My digital meat thermometer is awesome, by the way--it beeps when the meat is the correct temperature!)  Of course, we're still eating this bird 4 days later since it was still a lot of meat. Less cooking for me, so I don't mind one bit.

• Stuffing (box mix).  I only like the stuff that comes out of the bird, so I froze the leftover dressing for later.
• Buttermilk mashed potatoes.  Betty Crocker recipe.  I wish I had made more; these are always a fave of mine.
• Rolls from a box mix.  Hawaiian sweet rolls, to be exact.  They didn't rise as much as they should have, but they were really good.  I had found this in my mom's pantry on a trip home (she lets me go "shopping" when I'm in town), and now I want to find another box so I can try again.

This was before they went into the oven, obviously.

• Steamed broccoli.  I needed a green vegetable, what with all the starches running around.
• Gravy.  This was my nemesis.  I almost forgot about it, too.  I have never actually made gravy before (to be honest, I don't generally like it) and was trying to follow Betty Crocker's recipe for Pan Gravy.  I usually do very well with Betty, and I would probably jump off a cliff if one of her recipes called for it, but this one just didn't make sense to me.  I read and re-read the thing at least 3 times.  I figured out we were going for a roux, but I was a bit rushed at this point and my roux never bubbled.  I added some liquid and tried to bring that to a boil and then everything separated on me.  It went to the table anyway because B was finished carving the bird.  The good news was that the gravy tasted amazing (and even I liked it!), but it was definitely nowhere close to the correct consistency.  I told B that it was "homestyle" gravy because I've decided you can get away with a lot of flubs if you just give it a pretty label.
• Apple pie.  This is only the second time I've made it (see this post for the first).  I followed the same recipe (thanks again to Betty) and had the exact same problem with not being able to get the crust off my work surface.  Sigh.  I cursed at it a bit and then re-rolled it.  I decided on a lattice top so I wouldn't have to deal with that issue more than once.  I am so glad I decided to make my pie the previous day.  We just popped it in the oven for a bit (foil on top) on Christmas night and added some ice cream!

So my Christmas day was spent mostly in the kitchen.  I told B that I was so glad we have an open kitchen/dining/living room area, since otherwise I would have felt like a slave (and very lonely while B played on the Wii).  I think an open area like this will be a requirement for any future house we buy, since I don't like cooking enough to be content in one all by myself while fun stuff is going on in another room.

That was basically my "Thanksgiving in training," and if I ever do anything bigger, I better have some extra hands to help!

  

 

adventures in crochet

Not only is it on my 101 List, but it was also on my "focused" before-baby list. And hey, I think I've found a new hobby I enjoy!

✔ 41. Crochet or knit a scarf

I spent about 2 weeks just learning a few stitches and techniques, using both Crochet Geek videos and a book I got from the library geared toward children (pictured on the right).

 I also had to get someone to help me in person a bit because I just wasn't holding things right (that's my one of my gripes about Crochet Geek's video), and not using the hook to its full potential. My mom and sister sorta showed me when I was home for my GA baby shower.  The book only taught the single crochet stitch, but from the videos I learned a few more stitches.  I'm glad I did all that for a bit and didn't just dive head-first into a project.

I posted on an online forum for some help and was advised to try making a hat before a scarf.  It sounds weird, but it was great advice! It forced me to learn slip stitch/joining, crochet in circles, COUNT, and read a pattern. And it only took me a few days (I did it while we were traveling for Thanksgiving). My stitch got pretty consistent, also.  Here's the hat I made for my niece:

The border was a happy accident.

I knew her head was large, so I added a round or 2.  But then it turned out a bit too big.

Here's the Crochet Geek video I followed for the hat.  The hardest part was the very beginning--I restarted it about 5 times until I figured it out.

After this achievement, I decided it was time to try a scarf.  I joined Ravelry, an online community for knit and crochet with a huge pattern database, got some pretty yarn, and decided on a pattern called "easy ribbed scarf" that looked both simple and interesting.  I mostly worked on it in the car while B drove us various places.

The results:

The pattern actually added fringe to the ends, but my scarf was already longer than what the finished (including fringe) measurement should be.  Maybe I'll put some on later, but this is fine for now.

Pardon my exercise/"birthing" ball back there.

The stitch was a double crochet in the back loop only, which created the ribbing.

Also, while I was at it, I decided to make a simple headband that I'd found by some means or another and thrown on Pinterest.

The tutorial can be found here.

Even if you don't know how to crochet, I bet that headband could be made with a simple braid.  And I think that knot has an official name, I just can't think of it right now, but I'm pretty sure I learned it in Girl Scouts  (sheet bend knot??).

With my scarf and matching headband!

I haven't actually had a need for a scarf here in FL yet  . . .

I now have other crochet projects up my sleeve (including a stuffed animal).  I'm really loving this new hobby of mine!

 

waving the green and gold

I love my little 101 list, and a lot of the things on there I really have to work for (a post about my adventures in learning to crochet coming soon). But sometimes one of them just falls into my lap. Last week while B and I visited family in central Florida for the holiday, we were invited to go to the University of South Florida football game, thus fulfilling:

✔ 83. Attend a college football game again

B likes to make fun of me for having stuff on my list that I've already done before, but I put them on there for a reason!  I haven't been to a college football game since I was in college myself, so it's been 6 years.  I've been to a few NFL games since then and was not impressed.  Luckily for me, college football games are just as awesome as I remember, even though I wasn't watching my beloved Dawgs play between the hedges.

I have a lot of USF alumni on my mom's side of the family (including my mother); however, the school didn't have a football team until most of them were well past graduated. My cousin is a more recent grad, and they live about 45 minutes away so they go to a lot of the games.  B and I went with my aunt and my cousin, who have gone to most of the games this season and have their own little game-day rituals.

The game against Louisville was on Friday at 11am, which was . . . odd.  But they got it televised on ESPN2, so that's something.  USF doesn't actually have their own stadium, so they just use the one where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play.  Parking was super-close to the stadium, but we still got to walk by some fun tailgates.  My aunt and I even got free gigantic t-shirts.  (I normally wouldn't care for an XL, but I had recently seen this tutorial for yoga pants made from a big t-shirt, so I went for it.  Can't wait to make my pants!)

It was a nice stadium, but definitely too big for a team like USF.  I know it was a holiday and all, but there was no one there!  They weren't even selling the upper decks.  B and my cousin bought the tickets at the window and said they were only selling three sections.  The student section was really really empty.  We sorta ended up sitting in the visitors' section, but there weren't that many of them, so it was fine.  And we were in the shade the whole time and the seats were actually cushy!  (I'd never actually sat down during a college game before--at the GA games, we would stand on top of the bleachers--so that was also new, but my swollen pregnant feet were very happy.)  I actually got a bit cold in the shade and ended up wearing my free XL t-shirt, so that was a good call on my part!

The game itself was actually pretty good.  It was back and forth on the score with some fun touchdowns and frustrating fumbles.  In the end, our USF Bulls lost 34-24, pretty much because of their fumbles.  Hey, at least it wasn't a blowout.

My camera battery died before we ever made it in the stadium, so here are some pics from watching the marching band play before we went in.

Yeah, I didn't need the sun hat in the shade, but it's better to be prepared!

 

from the 101 list: my first graphic novel

Successfully crossed another one off!

✔ 52. Read a graphic novel

A graphic novel is kinda like a comic book, but longer and possibly with better writing.  As I perused the shelf of them at the library, I learned a few things:

• Almost all of them are geared toward teenagers.
• Some of them from Japan read right-to-left (and "back" to "front")
• There are even classics like Romeo and Juliet that have been made into graphic novels.

I thought about picking up one of the classics, but I had read them all already, and this mission was to read something entirely new.  I settled on a book by an American woman called Page by Paige, written and illustrated by Laura Lee Gulledge.

The book is about a teenage girl named Paige who moves from Charlottesville, VA, to New York City.  Her parents are writers, but she's more of an artist.  She picks up a sketchbook upon moving there and basically documents her new life in the city and her exploration of herself as an artist with sketches and panels.  Even though it's in grayscale, there are some really beautiful full-page sketches.  The book turns sorta "meta" as she shows her sketches to others, and it's basically the same book you're reading.

I actually liked this book more than I thought I would.  It was a super-quick read, since it was mostly drawings.  But it took me back to my 16-year-old self, who was full of quirky ideas and had the friends to help execute them.  There were even instructions on how to play what they called "drawing telephone"--I blogged about this game last year, calling it "Picta-phone."

This book was also a very recent publication (2011), so there were references to certain internet sites and bands that helped me feel connected to the characters.  (Maybe it's because I get most books at the library that I expect them to be dated so much??)  The book also had a subplot about Paige's relationship with her mother, and toward the end there was this really great page/panel about it.  Being pregnant with my own daughter, it really struck me:

I suppose all moms have an idea who they HOPE their daughters will be.  Like a connect-the-dots picture where you think you know what shape it will become.  But then it's the daughter who draws the lines, and she might connect dots you didn't intend, making a whole different picture.  So I've gotta trust the dots she's given me, and she's gotta trust me to draw the picture myself.

So have you ever read a graphic novel?  Do you have any recommendations anyone new to the genre?

 

pregnancy vs. my 101 list

I've been working on my 101 in 1001 list for over a year now. While my pregnancy is actually helping to cross off a big one (#11), it's also hindering me in a lot of the more "extreme" tasks.

Case in point: I was not able to try waterskiing.  Or parasailing.  Couldn't take a surfing lesson this summer or do new tricks on the boogie board.  And I can't donate blood.

However, I'm going to commit myself to cross three easy ones for a preggo off in the near future (as in, before Baby W makes her arrival).  I figure if I write it here, I'll hold myself more accountable, so here goes.

These 3 goals:

• 46. Color an entire coloring book - I'm about halfway through the Arthur coloring book I got a year ago, specifically for this task.  I need to just sit down one day and go for it.
• 41. Crochet or knit a scarf - I sorta learned how to crochet 5 years ago, but never really got the hang of it.  I think YouTube is going to be a big help with this one.  If anyone out there has a recommended YouTuber that teaches this, please tell!
• 52. Read a graphic novel - there is a section of these at the library.  I just need to pick one!  (Recommendations also welcome.)

Of course, there are some other ones I will hopefully be crossing off in the meantime as well, but I just needed to pinpoint three right now to really get my bum in motion.  Now I'm off to find my crayons . . .

 

baskets and balloons

I volunteer for the most random and interesting things sometimes!  I blame my years in Girl Scouts.  A bit after we moved here to Pensacola, I volunteered to help with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (read about it here if you haven't yet).  This past weekend, I volunteered with . . .

. . . the Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival!

I was digging around online for prices on taking an actual balloon flight (um, super expensive!) and came across a festival that they do every year in Foley, Alabama.  Foley is actually pretty close to us since we live near the state line.  The festival's website had a callout for "balloon crew" volunteers, and I figured it was the closest I would get to riding in a balloon, so why not?

I signed up to do both Friday and Saturday evenings.  I was paired with the pilot for the RE/MAX balloon.  This guy is a full-time balloonist, and he basically just does PR with it for the company.  How cool is that?  So on that first night, he told me that half the pilots fly (before sunset) and the other half "glow."  We were set to glow on Friday and fly on Saturday.

I was so impressed that the whole balloon contraption fit in his van.  All in all, these are actually very simple machines.

The basket is pushed up against that back window.

Also, on that first night, I was the only one to show up for his crew.  Our pilot said that two people could set it up, but since we were out at the festival, among many other balloons, we just borrowed some people from the neighboring crew (which had like 15 people).  A high school-aged girl came over to help, and it was very obvious she knew what she was doing.  She actually is the daughter of a balloon pilot, and her grandfather had owned a balloon also.  Her stories about growing up in a ballooning family were pretty interesting (and funny, too).  She goes around to various festivals and events with her mom all summer, helping out.  That certainly beat out any summer jobs I ever had.

Setting up the balloon really wasn't that hard.  Basically, you just lay the basket on its side, attach the deflated balloon to it, and then fill it with cool air.  Once it's gotten really big on its side, the pilot turned on the burner and got some hot air into it to make it rise.  The basket was attached by a rope to the back of the van so the balloon couldn't go too far.

The entire balloon was contained in this rather small bag.

The balloon being stretched out, attached to the basket.

My task through all of this was to hold some ropes at the mouth so the cold air could blow into it.  The fan looked small, but was very powerful and very loud.  B came with me to help on the second night, so here he is on the opposite side of the mouth while it was being filled with air.

Speaking of that second night, our pilot was supposed to fly and take up a few passengers from the local RE/MAX office and then we were supposed to "chase" him in the van to his landing point.  We drove around a bit trying to find a good place for takeoff, but then the wind picked up too much.  Apparently, they can't fly if the wind is more than 10 knots--which is basically just a bit more than a gentle breeze.  Oh, and they can't fly after sunset since they can't be seen (no lights) and can't see power lines.  Hot air balloons don't have any precise steering, so it's all about catching updrafts and having a good starting place.  Also, to operate one,  you have to have a pilot's license, and yes, balloons are regulated by the FAA.

Adding the hot air to get it off the ground

 If I volunteer with this again next year, I'd probably choose the morning sessions (competition flights--for accuracy, not speed), since the wind is usually very gentle then and all the pilots get to fly.  Downside: have to be there at 5:30am.  So I chose the "glow" this year, and got to do it twice.

One balloon did make it in the air that second night, but he was definitely pushing it on the "sunset" thing.

On the first night I was there, once we got our balloon set up, the pilot invited me to get in the basket with him to give it more weight on the ground.  The basket was pretty small, and was crowded with three 15-gallon propane tanks, so you could only fit three people at most.  We had our other two crew members holding it on the sides.  After a bit, I told him if he let it go a few feet in the air, I could cross it off my bucket list.  He obliged.  Which means . . .

✔ 7. Ride in a hot air balloon

Check!  Okay, so it wasn't what I was expecting, but I can say that I went on a "tethered ride" and got about 6 feet in the air!  We went slightly over the heads of the crew members on the outside of the basket.  It was a pretty cool minute of my life, and now I really do want to go on a full-out balloon ride in the sky.

The second night, the wind was pretty rough, and our basket was definitely tipping back and forth with us in it.  Here's a video I took on my camera while inside the basket on the ground.




Yeah, we started tipping as I said the word "balloon."  Oh, and pardon my obnoxious laugh.

B and me in the basket with the pilot lighting it up behind us

It was really beautiful to see all the balloons lit up.  I actually never got to see ours lit up since I spent almost my whole time in the basket, but it probably looks like their logo.  One thing I learned is that almost all balloons have trading cards, so if you're ever at a festival with tethered balloons, go up to the pilots and ask for a card!

Have you ever been up in a hot air balloon?  Do you think my "tethered ride" should count?

birthday recap

I had a wonderful birthday week! Someone told me it's okay to have a whole birthday month, but I think that's a bit excessive when you're born on the 1st.

Anyway, on my actual birthday, I got lots of awesome phone calls, emails, facebook messages, etc.  And while I was on the phone with my dad, I got a knock on my door.

An Edible Arrangement from my in-laws!

 I've given these to people before, but I've actually never even seen one in person.  I was ecstatic!  B came home and brought me a "balloon on a stick," so we added it in there.

Then we immediately moved it to the fridge because of the Florida heat.

For my birthday night, I wanted to go do Trivia Night at Mellow Mushroom once again.  The first time we went to this, we came in third place!  And it had been downhill since then.  But somehow last week we pulled out second place!!  This is awesome because coming in first or second is actually on my 101 List.  They also gave me a free dessert, so I was a very happy camper.

Our 2nd-place prize: $25 gift card to come back!

On Friday night, I had a party.  Or, well, a "get-together."  We don't actually know a lot of people here, and apparently my birthday falls at a really inconvenient time or something, so we had 5 guests (and a baby).  It was a "Hurricane Party"--I bought some hurricane mix and some rum, and we mixed up some frozen hurricanes!  It kinda just tastes like red Kool-Aid, if you're wondering.  I also made some cupcakes and B put a candle in one.

I find it really awkward to be sung to, so I did a little dance along with it.

I also got some birthday goodies in the mail from my family.  The card made me laugh because of how my 7-year-old nephew signed his super-long name:

Also, it looks like my Dad signed as "Nad" -- my whole family has pretty terrible penmanship

All in all, I'd say that 27 is starting off on the right foot.