Bill's Birthday

Bill turned 30 last week!  I helped him celebrate by giving him "30 Days of Presents".  Starting 30 days before his birthday, I gave him a new gift each day plus another one of the gifts he'd received the previous days, and so on.  Needless to say, he ended up with a LOT of gifts!  It was fun - and then we had a big birthday party with all his cumulative gifts on display.  We also had 30+ postcards from friends around the world wishing him a happy birthday.  He was surprised by everything and I know he loved it all!!

And, since I didn't take any video footage while I was in the US, I'm going to make this month's video out of still pictures.  It's short, but sweet!  It shows a picture of each day of gifts leading up to Bill's 30th birthday

Note: to better enjoy the video you should click on the HD at the bottom and follow the link to go watch it on Vimeo's website.  Otherwise the text is blurry!
 

Week 44

October 30
It was late...my camera was downstairs and I didn't feel like getting it. I also had no ideas for what my picture of the day should be. So, Bill went downstairs and took a picture of a picture of himself. It was silly...but it was better than anything I would have come up with. So, here is my picture of the day - but it's really Bill's picture.

October 31
It was a very rough day! I stayed home alone watching Monday Night Football (Bill had to go to the airport). It was good for me to have some alone time.

November 1
I love Fall because I love everything pumpkin. Tonight I took pumpkin bars to Bible Study. They were yummy! I'm looking forward to more pumpkin treats in the coming month.

November 2
I love looking at November on the calendar...it makes me happy. That's because we have 6 (SIX) holidays in November! So many days off makes me very, very happy. We get November 3, 4, 10, 11, 24, and 28 off. And, I'm taking more time off at the end of the month so that's even better. It's a good month!

November 3
Happy Birthday, Abby!!! We had a huge *surprise* party for Abby and everything was PURPLE. It was so much fun planning it and everything came together beautifully. So many people helped to make the party a big success. Abby was surprised and everyone really enjoyed themselves. It was fun!! Welcome to the 30's, Abby!

November 4
Abby and I went to a movie. At the mall, each entrance has an animal name (it's a huge mall) and there is an animal statue by each door. We decided to get a quick photo as we exited the Hippo door.

November 5
Bill and I went to the Marine Ball, to celebrate the birthday of the Marine Corps. It is an annual formal event that the Marines host. It was fun. (Inspired by the purple party earlier in the week, I bought a purple dress!)

Week 42

October 16
On our way back to Panama, we had a 12-hour layover in Newark. Instead of sleep all day in the airport, we went in to New York City to see some sights. We were really tired from our overnight flight, but we were able to take a tour bus around and see the highlights. It was fun!

October 17
We bought a lot of goodies in the US. My favorite candy, Peanut Butter M&Ms, were available in snack sizes because of Halloween so I bought a bunch. The bag in this picture is from the pie we bought at Shari's. It was a delicious pie!

October 18
Happy Birthday to me! I celebrated my birthday before we left Oregon and again when my co-workers threw me a surprise party so I didn't really do anything on the evening of my birthday (other than eat from my favorite restaurant here). Instead, I went to Bible Study and helped prepare for the women's retreat. It was a good birthday.

October 19
Bill is sick. Too much vacationing and changing temperatures! He started his last two classes this week but he's been very sick.

October 20
Coming back from vacation is so much work. My desk is a mess and it bothers me that I don't have time to clean it up. The upcoming weeks look just as busy so I'm afraid my desk won't get cleaned off for a while! Uggh!

October 21
We had our Women's Retreat this weekend. It was fun to share a room with Abby, Amber and Jen. We had a really good time!

October 22
The hotel where we had our retreat was really nice...including a beautiful pool! What a fun time with great friends!

Week 24

June 12

We were invited to a birthday party to celebrate several June birthdays, but it was on Susan's actual birthday. She shared the candle-blowing-out responsibility with Kayla. I made Susan a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, one of my favorites!!

June 13
Half the time, Ubi doesn't even sleep on his bed...he sleeps next to it or on the carpet. Silly dog!

June 14
Happy Anniversary to us! I can't believe it's been three years! Looking forward to many more. We celebrated by going to dinner at our favorite restaurant - of course!!

June 15
We were supposed to drink this on our anniversary and forgot. It's still good the next day - I love sparkling cider!

June 16
I made stuffed red peppers in the crock pot. They weren't the best, but they were ok. I might have to adjust the recipe a bit if I decide to make them again.

June 17
Another going away party - this one for Katie. We will really miss you, Katie and our fun Tuesday lunch club! (I don't know why my eyes are so huge in this picture!!)

June 18
It happened again! I'm so sad. I carried my camera around all day. And we did fun stuff: we went to the mall, we ate at the food court, Bill got a haircut, we went to another mall, and we went to a movie with new friends. It was a great day and I just forgot to take a picture. Sorry...I guess it has to be Project 363 now - sad!!

Week 23

June 5
Happy Birthday, Bill! You've already heard about his birthday, but here he is with his wings, again!

June 6
Fresh steamed broccoli...you can even see the steam. It is just another part of our healthy eating.

June 7
What's more healthy than a salad?? We had Cobb salad and it was actually a lot better than I thought it would be. A little roasted chicken, some boiled egg, some cheese, tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce = healthy dinner!

June 8
Bill is charging the battery in his old Jeep. We want to sell it, but there continue to be obstacles. Hopefully, we can get rid of it soon!

June 9
Another picture of me...I actually took it a day early this month - just to be different! I still look the same.

June 10
Summertime is when people start leaving and a lot of "going away" parties are planned. This is the first of many to come!

June 11
Another going away party - this one was '80s themed. It was a fun (and interesting) night. Bill and I don't really get into the costume parties, but I wore my 49er jersey (because they won 4 Super Bowls in the '80s). My friends dressed is more "traditional" '80s costumes.

Happy Birthday Bill

It was Bill's Birthday last weekend. Since he was still on break from school, I gave him his present early so he could enjoy it. I got him a computer game and I knew he wouldn't be able to play it once school started (this week) so he played it ALL weekend. He seemed to enjoy it. On Sunday, I made chicken wings for him, because that's what he requested. We used the "happy birthday" plate for the wings and they looked good. Bill ate them all, so I guess they were tasty. Then we had Banana Trifle. Bill didn't want a birthday cake, he wanted a birthday trifle. I must admit, it looked pretty good and it tasted good too. After trifle, he opened his other presents (from family, not me). All in all, I think he had a good birthday.

Week 14

April 3

We went to the mall to eat at the food court and do a little shopping. There are so many choices at the food court that it's really a good place to eat - everyone gets what they want. The mall we go to is HUGE, and now they're building more. They do not need more mall, they need more parking - but instead they build more building IN the parking lot...great! Arrocha is one of my favorite stores here. April 4

We bought a Scat Mat. It's intended to keep animals off counters and tables. We're trying it out to see if Bacon will stay off. It gives her a little shock if she touches it. Hopefully it's working! April 5

Today was Bacon's 1st birthday. At least, today is the day we picked to be her birthday. Since she was a rescue cat, they didn't know her exact birthday, but our veterinarian friend guessed her approximate age and we picked a date to use as her birthday. She is a small cat, but we're saying she's 1. Bill gave her some treats to celebrate her special day. April 6

These are two of my very favoritest candy bars. Maggie came back from America and brought them for me since we can't get them here. April 7

I got a new tote bag because Bill supports OPB. Last time they sent him a bookmark, but he sent more money so this time we got a tote bag...yay!

April 8
I can't remember if I already took a picture of this. Oh well, it's pretty cool (and I'm sure I'll repeat some pictures before the year is over). This is the wall hanging Bill gave me on our last anniversary. I LOVE it!! April 9
Bill made pancakes again. He even made a few chocolate-chip pancakes. I love eating pancakes on Saturday morning, thanks Bill!

Happy Birthday

Today I celebrated my 31st birthday. We went out for a very nice dinner and had jumbo chocolate chocolate-chip muffins for dessert. It was a good birthday (I even left work early today so that was extra special).

Since it's my birthday again, I feel compelled to share with you the progress from my list of Birthday Goals established 1 year ago today. Looking back, I don't think I did a very good job. But, it was nice to have the goals to keep me focused on something during the times when I wasn't enjoying life as much. I tried to blog about each goal as I accomplished it so I've included a bunch of links below. If you've already read my blog posts, you don't have to read them again, but it's a nice way to capture my successes in one place. I've also included a little bit of info on the items that I failed or only partially completed. Hopefully, I've done a good job of explaining myself (a.k.a. making excuses).

BIRTHDAY GOALS:
✔1. Go on a cruise

✘2. Make donuts
(FAILED: I don't know why I didn't do this. I love donuts...I just never made time for it so it didn't get done. I'll do it next year!)

✘3. Start an herb garden (and keep it alive!)
(FAILED: I have an herb garden kit, but it's still sitting in the box. I guess I don't get points if I didn't even open the box.)

✔4. Send homemade Christmas cards

✘5. Learn all the U.S. Presidents, in order
(FAILED: I started this one by listening to a song about 10 months ago...but then I never listened to it again so I can only name the first 6 presidents and the last 5.)

✔6. Go to the dentist

½ 7. Read the entire Bible (chronologically)
(PARTIAL: I started off strong with the reading and then slowly stopped. I do get points for getting about 33% thru. I think I'll start this one again next year!)

✔8. Watch all the Lord of the Rings movies in one day

½ 9. Cook thru an entire cookbook
(PARTIAL: I started the cookbook, and I was doing really well... for a while. Then I just got tired of the pressure and the weird ingredients in the cookbook. I was also tired of always having to use recipes from the book instead of other things that sounded good at the time. So, I stopped...therefore I only get partial credit.)

✔10. Buy an exercise bike (and use it!)

✘11. Go whitewater rafting
(FAILED: I really wanted to do this, but I just could get it planned. There is a place in Panama to go rafting and we talked about it in Costa Rica, but never followed through.)

✘12. Read “The Path Between the Seas” by David McCullough
(FAILED: The book is really big. Have you seen it? I just don't have time for huge books...maybe I'll start it slowly next year!)

✔13. Go to Costa Rica
(DONE: We went to Costa Rica in February. I have wonderful great pictures and even stories about the wonderful restaurant at our hotel. But, I realized that I've never written about it or shared the photos or stories. I'm so sorry! I'll try to write about it sometime soon, just to prove we did it!)

✔14. Volunteer for something at church
(DONE: I'm going to take credit for this one. The reason I added it to the list originally was to get more involved in church and meet more people. So, even though I didn't exactly volunteer for something, I did join a Bible Study. And, now I'm more involved and I'm meeting more people...so I'd say I accomplished the purpose of the goal.)

✔15. Get a second pet
(DONE: I never really wrote about this event either...I didn't keep up very well with my blog posts, huh? We got a new kitten for Bill's birthday in June. I've mentioned her, but never properly blogged about her arrival. The link above shows a recent post of the cat and her friend gekko.)

½ 16. Watch the entire Gilmore Girls series with my husband
(PARTIAL: We started watching Gilmore Girls...and we would have finished but we started too many other series at the same time. Bill was actually willing to watch Gilmore Girls with me, but we were too busy enjoying Stargate SG1, The Office, Arrested Development, and others. So, I get partial credit and we intend to finish the series eventually!)

✔17. Cross-stitch something

½ 18. Write a letter once a month
(PARTIAL: I think I wrote a total of 6 letters. One a month for the first 6 months...then I got lazy. I really wish I had kept up with this one, I wanted to get better at sending thoughtful letters and notes to friends and family. Maybe I'll continue to work on it.)

✔19. Learn how to make pesto

✘20. Paint a picture (paint-by-numbers is good enough!)
(FAILED: I have the picture! It's a cute paint-by-number picture of a dog. I've had it for a while and I really intended to get it painted...but again, laziness got the better of me. If I ever finish it, I'll let you know.)

✘21. Make a will
(FAILED: We just never got around to it. Bill and I talked about it several times, but we don't really have anything worthy of putting in a will. I guess the animals could be added to a will...we'll try to work on that next year.)

✔22. Participate in “Flavor of the Month” on my blog
(DONE: I participated in a fellow blogger's monthly theme for a while, then she cancelled the whole thing. But, I get credit for participating as long as it lasted. You can read the posts here, here, here, and here.)

½ 23. Exercise twice a week (at least)
(PARTIAL: I'm taking half credit for this one too. I may not exercise enough, but I definitely exercise more than I used to. More than I did before I made this list of goals. So, the purpose has been accomplished. Right now, I am exercising at least twice a week with water aerobics and exercise videos. So, although I can't say I did this every week, I'm doing better!)

✔24. Go camping on Anderson Island
(DONE: Another one that I've accomplished and failed to blog about. Last May, when we visited my family, we went camping. I had a lot of video footage so I planned to make a video clip. It ended up being 10 minutes long and I knew that my blogging friends would get BORED so I didn't post it. I had intended to write something about our wonderful time on Anderson Island and share some pictures, but I guess I forgot. I'll work on getting that posted.)

½ 25. Save enough for a down-payment to buy a house
(PARTIAL: Technically, I could say this one is done. We have enough money for a down-payment on some house...but not enough for a down-payment on the kind of house we want to buy. But, we're doing an excellent job of saving our money right now so I know that we will have a good amount saved when it's time to finally buy our first house!)

✘26. Make shrimp or scallops for my husband
(FAILED: I guess since I don't like shrimp or scallops I was never very enthusiastic about this one. I did want to learn an easy shrimp recipe so Bill could enjoy them from time to time, but I never made it a priority. Maybe next year...maybe.)

✘27. Go snorkeling in the Atlantic Ocean
(FAILED: I thought I was going to get this one. We were supposed to go snorkeling on our cruise [see #1 above] but that didn't work out. We made it to the Atlantic [Caribbean] one other time but I didn't get to snorkel. Oh well, someday I'll snorkel again.)

✔28. Go snorkeling in the Pacific Ocean
(DONE: I technically snorkeled. I didn't see anything, but I put the mask on and swam around for a while. There was nothing to see except sand and water, but I was there and I made the effort so it counts!)

✘29. Host a Murder Mystery Dinner
(FAILED: I tried, I really did. I had the guests all picked out...but no one could make it fit in their busy schedules. So, I picked different guests and had the same problem. We've tentatively scheduled it for November, which doesn't count for this list, but I'll let you know when/if it finally happens.)

✘30. Make an address list in Access (a really good one)
(FAILED: I have been very unorganized lately so creating something in Access hasn't sounded fun. Usually, I'm so organized that I would jump at the opportunity, but I've been in a funk for a while and never got it done. I guess it's not a priority since my little address book is so well maintained, but someday I hope to make a good list.)

TOTAL: So, if I add up a point for each one I accomplished, and subtract a point for each one I failed, and add in the half points for each partial, I get a grand total of...5. Can you believe that? Not very good! I guess it's better than failing completely, but I really thought I would do a better job in the 30th year of my life. Maybe I need to wait until I'm 40 and make another list. Oh well, I'm done now. Hope you enjoyed the ride!

More Boxes

I got another box in the mail today. Could it be birthday presents?!?!?! I think so...

Happy Birthday #30

Today is my 30th birthday. I don't feel 30, but I guess I don't really know what its supposed to feel like. I wanted my birthday to be super special, to do something historic, something worthy of the big 3-0, but I couldn't think of much. I finally settled on making a list - yes, I love lists! I decided to make a list of things to do in the next year...30 things to do. (I wanted to be cute and say it was "30 things to do in my 30th year of life", but I guess I'm starting my 31st year so its too late for that.) Instead, I just made a list of 30 things I want to do this year. I'm 30 years old now so I should be able to handle 30 goals.

It was harder to make the list than I thought it would be. I wanted to include things that were realistic...that I could actually accomplish. But, I also wanted to include things that were not ordinary...things I would have to work a little harder for or that held extra importance. I also wanted to be sure the goals were fairly specific so I would know when to cross them off the list! Not everything on the list is new - some of these things I've done before and want to do again. Other things are first timers and probably won't be done ever again!

I hope to accomplish everything on my list in the next 365 days. I'm even going to laminate the list and post it above my desk so I can be reminded to work on my "Birthday Goals" throughout the year. As I accomplish the things on this list, I will try to write about them on my blog so you, my faithful reader, can follow my progress. (I'm sure you will be on the edge of your seat all year!) I noticed that quite a few items on the list have to do with either food or travel, so it should fit in nicely with my blog title. Also, I noticed that nothing on the list had anything to do my job or work....hmmm, interesting! So, without further ado, here is my list:

30 Things
1. Go on a cruise
2. Make donuts
3. Start an herb garden (and keep it alive!)
4. Send homemade Christmas cards
5. Learn all the U.S. Presidents, in order
6. Go to the dentist
7. Read the entire Bible (chronologically)
8. Watch all the Lord of the Rings movies in one day
9. Cook thru an entire cookbook
10. Buy an exercise bike (and use it!)
11. Go whitewater rafting
12. Read “The Path Between the Seas” by David McCullough
13. Go to Costa Rica
14. Volunteer for something at church
15. Get a second pet
16. Watch the entire Gilmore Girls series with my husband
17. Cross-stitch something
18. Write a letter once a month
19. Learn how to make pesto
20. Paint a picture (paint-by-numbers is good enough!)
21. Make a will
22. Participate in “Flavor of the Month” on my blog
23. Exercise twice a week (at least)
24. Go camping on Anderson Island
25. Save enough for a down-payment to buy a house
26. Make shrimp or scallops for my husband
27. Go snorkeling in the Atlantic Ocean
28. Go snorkeling in the Pacific Ocean
29. Host a Murder Mystery Dinner
30. Make an address list in Access (a really good one)

I have had a wonderful 30th birthday! My amazing husband bought me donuts for breakfast, Peruvian food for lunch, and brownies for dinner. It doesn't get any better than that. I look forward to having an equally good year and getting at least 30 things done!

Happy Birthday Bill

Bill's birthday was on Friday. We had a lot of weekend plans so we decided to celebrate on Sunday. We spent Friday night at a Trivia Night event and I made birthday cookies for Bill. He was nice and shared them with everyone on our team. On Saturday we helped out at an embassy fundraiser, the Auction. It was fun, but it was a long night. So, on Sunday we were more than ready to relax and celebrate Bill's birthday.

I decided to take Bill out on his birthday for a special adventure. I told Bill we were just going for a walk, but we met up with some friends and headed for our secret location. We went to the ZOO!! As you may remember from my earlier post about the zoo signs, you know that we've been curious about this "legendary" zoo for some time. And, I figured if the quantity of signs pointing to the zoo was any indication of its quality, then it would be terrific! Besides, who doesn't love the zoo?!?

We insisted that Bill get a birthday balloon to identify him as the birthday boy all day long. The girls picked out a pretty pink unicorn balloon for him. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed to take the balloon inside the zoo so we had to tie it to the entrance fence. The good news is that she was still there when we got out...so the pretty pink unicorn is happy in our living room.

We had a fun time at the zoo. It was bigger than I thought it would be but it still wasn't too impressive. The monkeys were very entertaining and funny. Other popular animals were the lemurs, the seals, the pygmy hippopotamus, and the entire reptile house.

After the zoo, we went back to our apartment for cake, ice cream, and presents. It was very fun to have everyone there to help celebrate Bill's birthday. He was surprised by the zoo outing and had fun with the cake and ice cream. Thanks to all our friends for coming and enjoying the afternoon with us.

Bill with his birthday balloon that the girls picked out

we're ready to see the whole zoo!
hanging out with the bison

looking at the funny monkeys

we are cute lemurs!

very cute!

walking home

now that we've been to the zoo, we all know where it is!

Bill's birthday cake with all the candles

waiting for cake

opening presents

happy birthday, Bill

I know that I didn't include any pictures of the animals, but a day at the zoo is about more than just exotic animals. Its about spending a sunny afternoon with good friends and having a great time. Yes, we did see the animals, but they were not the important part and you'll have to look at Bill's pictures to see them...he took lots!

Happy Birthday Bill!

**As a side note, this is my 100th blog post, and I think that's cause for celebration. Its a big deal...I've written something 100 times and people are still reading. So, I'm looking forward to 100 more.