How many have you done?

My friend had this tag on her blog. Yipee, I’ve done 73 of the 99 things (maybe I’m not so boring after all)! Just copy and paste this to your blog and highlight or Bold the ones that you HAVE done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (orchestra count?)
4. Visited Hawaii (no have but been to many tropical islands in the Caribbean)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (Disney World)
8. Climbed a mountain (more than one!)
9. Held a praying mantis (and many other creepy crawlies)
10. Sang a solo (ya for FHE, ha ha)
11. Bungee jumped (NO and I hope I never do)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (Puerto Rico)
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 (they didn’t let you go to the top when I was there, but I’ve seen it in person a bunch of times)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (in China- not very comfortable)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (who me?)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb and fed the cute little thing with a bottle
26. Gone skinny dipping (I was like 8, and I did have underwear on)
27. Run a Marathon (maybe someday…)
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 (I was so close, several times but too tired to stop)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community (just the other day no kidding- there was an amish couple riding their horse and buggy on the side of the main road in E-town! I’ve seen them at walmart and wondered how they got there, I can’t believe they really drive those things in town!)
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (before I was married and had kids!)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (unfortunate for all who were present)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (missionaries in NYC)
44. Visited Africa -not yet but I will someday!
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 (climbed all 668 steps)
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
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (before I became anemic)
65. Gone sky diving -no, and have no desire to
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (thank goodness for overdraft protection!)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (no thanks, and never will)
72. Pieced a quilt (have I mentioned I HATE quilting?)
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job (NO- laid off though)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (right arm- yes that’s why it’s crooked)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (not speeding, just a motorcycle)
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 (tried to, the army didn’t approve our leave)
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (saved many a child from choking)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (twice)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (ARE YOU KIDDING ME, that’s sick!)
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee (at least 5 different times)

Ethan's 2nd birthday & television debut

Ethan turned two on October 14th! I can't believe how the last two years have flown by. He recognizes all the letters of the alphabet now (see video) so we got him fridge phonics so he can practice the sounds they make.

Remember that funny video of him running into the wall on his first birthday? They're going to be airing it on America's Funniest Home Videos this Sunday the 26th on ABC. Check your local listings for the time.

Cincinnati

Anthony got back from a week of backpacking in Colorado and had a few days off for Columbus Day, so we took a trip up to Cincinnati. There's a little historic German town just outside the city we stopped and walked around the glockenspiel and the little town square. Saw the bell and purple people bridge, then took Ethan to the aquarium. He really enjoyed seeing all the fish and getting to touch baby sting rays, crabs & sharks. He would have gone swimming with the sharks if he could, he kept trying to jump in. We had to stop at skyline chili but were a bit dissapointed... sorry Ohioans (and Texans), but we like beans with our chili... Anyway, the city is beautiful at night with all the bridges lit up. We had a picnic in between the two stadiums and played some frisbee.

And of course, no trip to Northern Kentucky would be complete without a stop at the GAP distribution center. While you really have to dig to find cute things, I did find a great pair of jeans and got the boys halloween costumes for $5 each. Can't beat that. Anthony actually outshopped me. He spent more on himself than I spent on me and the boys. I've made him watch TLC's "What Not to Wear" with me the last year or so and he's started to become more aware of what he puts on his body, so now anytime I go shopping he loads up on stuff for him. I use to think I wanted him to like shopping now I don't think I'm going to bring him along anymore- the more he buys the less I get to spend on myself! Anyway it was a really fun weekend and nice to spend time together as a family again.

Anthony's sisters were having their annual sister retreat so they gave me a call and I got to talk to all of them while I shopped. I miss you all and wish I was there! Also my mom got married on Saturday- I wish I could have been there also but it was impossible for us to make it. Hope everything was perfect for you- have fun on your cruise! We sure miss all our family and are really sorry we can't be there for all your important events!

Going digital!

I think I've finally made the plunge! I never wanted to do digital scrapbooking because #1) it kind of feels like cheating- there's no hands on creativity involved #2) I am already so invested in real products and my other albums are paper #3) printing photobooks were pretty pricey
BUT...I finished all my pages for 2007 this weekend but it will take me 2-3 albums to fill- I actually broke the binding on my oversized album trying to fit half the pages in it. They just don't make albums large enough! I was feeling a little discouraged- what's the point of scrapbooking all these pages if I can't even display them...then a light came on...

Digital pages take up much less room in an album, plus I can cram a ton more pictures on each page because I can resize them all. And I can save money on paper and embellishments because I can create them myself. I started to realize that the creative options were endless. I am usually so focused on creating a chronological documentary of our life I forget to take the time to make the fun creative layouts and journal the simple things. Plus since I already have a bunch of backgrounds I've created for my announcements, I can use those and when I make new elements I can use them for my business and scrapbook. Why has it taken me so long to connect the dots???

I seem to be doing lots of things I never wanted to do. Like stamping. I never ever ever wanted to get into stamps. They seemed too overwhelming and possibilities endless I just didn't even want to start. But, Amber got me hooked and now I love them! Next think you know I'll be quilting (something I never ever ever want to do)...

Anyway, I'm going to try to do all my layouts for 2008 digital and print them in a photobook and see if I like it as much as my paper albums. I think I'll miss the 3d elements and hands-on, but since I am into cards and such now, I can still be creative that way. Anyone have recommendations on good (inexpensive) photobook printers? Thanks Sara for the extensive list of digi resources- I keep going to your blog to get more ideas (I LOVE shabby princess)! Here are my first two layouts...

Balloon Festival

Last Saturday after our stake fall festival we took the boys to the hot air balloon festival in Louisville. Ethan got his first taste of cotton candy and ran around like a wild thing. But when the real fun began our chicken little didn't have so much fun. As soon as they lit the torches he screamed like a baby and cried the whole time we looked at the balloons (Joshua fell asleep). Kind of reminds me of when we took him to the ocean, or on the train ride. He's such a scaredy cat. The kid will climb up something three times his height and jump off on his head, but he hears a loud noise and screams and cries like a little baby...Oh well, we tried...