100 things...

I was surfing through some blogs and found a really good one… ivegasfamily and he did a really cool thing for New Years… It is a Bucket List.

After reading it I wondered how many I've accomplished/experienced so far in my life. With it being the start of a new year, I thought I'd embark on the tedious task of reviewing the list and seeing how I fare. Perhaps some can be accomplished in 2009 as resolutions. Maybe not… we’ll see!

Like iVegas, items in bold are those that I have accomplished/experienced. Items in red are ones that I wish to accomplish in my lifetime. Items in green are those that I wish to accomplish in this new year.

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (does marching band count?)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/World
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
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 my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself 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 my 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 - I've eaten my share.
62. Went 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 - Not proud of it. I was young.
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
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
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. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my 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
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby – my wife is pregnant
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone - Who doesn't?
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Ridden an elephant

I've accomplished/experienced 40 out of 100! Not too shabby if you ask me. As you can see, I have many more on my list to do… Here’s to 2009 and beyond!

What about you?
Happy New Year!!!

2009 is upon us... Year end review... and beyond

Well, it has come to my attention (not that I am not the kind of person who doesn’t pay attention) that it has finally hit me that we have less than a week until the new year… is here!

I know, sometimes it take a while for things to really sink in. I digress...

Now, have I accomplished everything I wanted in 2008? I guess you could say this year has been sort of a busy one. I mean if you look back three big milestones have been crossed off… #1. Getting married to Laura…#2. Honeymoon and #3. We got pregnant, okay Laura got pregnant, but I helped!

SIDE NOTE: Some people say our bundle of joy on the way was a honeymoon baby, but he isn’t. That is my story and I know it to be true.

Anyway, the year has kind of been a blur of events… January to June were all basically preparing for our wedding… all that was talked about or discussed was wedding invitations, tuxes, dresses, flowers, wedding showers, wedding gifts, wedding guests, well you get the picture…then the honeymoon! After we got back things sorta slowed down, that is, until we found out on July 16 we were going to have a baby!

July to the present have been… I am sure you can guess… baby, baby, baby… Which I do not mind in the least, but do you find a trend here? We like to plan big events! Hahaha

I guess come March we will be finishing up planning for our big family trip to Walt Disney World in September.

I mean, that is if he actually comes in March... I have figured I may have my son born while I am still 28... we will just have to wait and see.

We are now in our 27^th week on our way to week 28 which, soon-there-after, is the beginning of the, dum dum dum, 3^rd trimester!!!!!!!!!!!!Whoa.

Another thing that kind of hit me today was when Laura sent me an email asking me about the dates of our “birthing class” (all I could picture was that scene from "Baby Mama" HAHAHA) and then texting me a very interesting question…

“Do you want to cut the cord?” Now, being the knowledgeable person I am I figured she meant Mauldin’s cord… but what if she was talking about some other cord? That is such a big decision… I started wondering, well do I? Acting as if there were a choice of cords… like on a bomb.. the red one or blue one? Of course I do right? But, what if I pass out… what if I start sweating like some sort of farm animal and can’t do it… everyone is gonna call me a wuss… now is that where we are? Are we thinking of other people in this instance.. I should be thinking about my son… this is my son! I am never going to get this chance again… my one and only chance to do this. My child needs to have his umbilical cord cut, but will Laura resent me for cutting the cord that connected her and Mauldin for those long nine months? Of course not, that is quite preposterous, but welcome to my mind. So, what did I finally decide in those two seconds… yes, a person with ADD thinks that fast… “Y-e-s.” That is all I texted back to her.

So, here we are upon the end of the year 2008 and about to venture into new territory… What exactly will 2009 bring… well besides the birth of my first born man-child? I mean that is a pretty big, life altering difference, right?

Who knows… if we knew what would be the point of waking up if we knew what was going to happen? I mean if I seriously knew I was gonna wake up, go to work and come home and not have anything truly interesting happen to me… I might as well stay home and enjoy my new Xbox360 game… however, I was not blessed with the gift to see into the future as Cassandra did back in the ole’ Greek days… But, bear in mind, it didn’t turn out so good for her.

Alright 2009… bring it on. Lets do this.