Powered Down

Saturday, December 24, 2011
Location: Everywhere
Task #9

I really liked this task. I may have made it a little too easy on myself, but I picked Christmas Eve to attempt turning off my phone for an entire day. I started at midnight on Friday. Leaving Bar Louie at about 10 minutes  to 12, I got a few last texts and facebook peeks out of my system, then switched my little Motorola Charm off by the time the date officially turned to 12/24/11.

It was hard to turn it off before I went to bed. I like to troll the internet right before I fall asleep at night, and after having a couple beers, there were a few more random texts I probably wanted to send (or at least have the option to send).

When I first woke up in the morning it wasn't so bad. The pleasant buzz was long since slept off, and I had a few things to take care of for Christams Eve. Mid day though I found myself itching to check facebook and my fantasy scores.

Now Jess says that this is cheating ,  I have to disagree since  the task was to turn my PHONE off, but I went on my computer and quickly checked my respective accounts. And that was it. I signed off the computer, shut it down and didn't check it the rest of the day.

You know that naked feeling you get when your phone dies or you forget it at home? And all you can think about it, "What if someone calls" or "What if I have a bunch of texts that I am missing and people are freaking out that I am not responding?" Well by the end of the night, nothing remained of that feeling. I stopped thinking those thoughts by the time everyone showed up for Christmas Eve.  I do have to say I was a little relieved though when I finally decided I better turn my phone on the next day that I didn't have a missed text from a friend I was worried about. I didnt want her to think I was ignoring her.

 But aside from that I found out on Christams Day that I liked much better having the phone off.  I wasn't constantly checking facebook, stale with the same statuses from the last time I checked a minute earlier. I wasn't checking Fantasy football to see that I still didn't have any players playing since the game didn't start for several hours, and I wasn't checking my empty inbox hoping I'd missed something.

I think leaving it off, or at least put away in my purse, is something I am going to try to keep up with. I feel so much more relaxed not glued to it, more free. Before I was obsessed with being obligated to respond to messages and calls instantaneously, but now it doesn't seem so serious.

I reccomend anyone with a phone addiction to give it a shot. You'll be surprised how good it feels.

Baked Clams

Saturday, December 24, 2011
Location: My Parent's House
Task #30

Well, I survived. About all I can say for the baked clams is that they didn't kill me. Maria lied.  They weren't delicious. They were bitter and chewy and I have no idea why anyone would ever eat more than one. Once you know how terrible they taste, why go back for more?

But my cousins and Jess all got a kick out of watching me try the clams, after practically psyching me out altogether. My Uncle told me not to chew it at all, just scrape the shell and swallow. Clearly that didn't happen. There was way too much crap in that shell not to chew. They all promised you couldn't actually taste the clam part, because of all the breading, and I couldnt tell you whether or not that was true. It all tasted terrible. One bite was enough, I saw no reason to eat the rest of it. I simply starred it down, the grimy shell, as I ate the rest of my more edible food.

But I did it, and sometimes I'm right. Sometimes I don't have to try something to know I don't like it.  In this case though, it helped me accomplish task # 30 - try a new food on Christmas Eve.  I just won't ever try them again.

Kirin, Daisy Cutter, and Something German

Friday, December 23, 2011
Location: Bar Louie
Task #4

Nelly and I went to Bar Luie Friday night with the goal in mind to try a new beer - task # 4. When the waitress came to the table we asked if they had beers on tap that weren't on the menu. I asked if she had something "odd" to try, and Nelly asked if there were any locally brewed beers. The woman looked at us like we were crazy, new to drinking, and since we were in a hotel bar she probably assumed we were from out of town. She must have really been confused when she asked for our I.D.'s and discovered we were both from Illinois. But she gave us a run down of some of the brews on tap, asked us what we normally drank, what we liked in a beer and offered to bring us a couple samples before we ordered.

She cam back with three samples: Daisy Cutter - locally brewed and her recommendation, Kirin - a Japanese beer, and something German that I couldn't tell you the name of or spell if my life depended on it. We sampled the Kirin first. It wasn't so bad, it had a bit of a sweet after taste, the German one was a little bitter I think, but mostly blah tasting, and the Daisy Cutter, well let's just say I have no idea why she'd be recommending that to people with taste buds. Unless you like the taste of Pine Sol or liquid bleach, Daisy Cutter is probably not for you. I have never tasted a beer I liked less and both Nelly and I nearly spit it across the table. Needless to say, that was not the drink we opted to order.

We both ended up ordering the Kirin, which after 3 glasses I discovered I really liked. They went down smooth while we chatted and laughed away. And if given the option, I would definitely order it again.

Task #4 - Check!

The Wishing Flower

Thursday, December 22, 2011
Location: Arts 'n' Spirits - Chicago
Task #5

After work on Christmas Eve Eve Eve, since all my shopping and wrapping were done, Laura and I headed to Bucktown for a painting class. Arts 'n' Spirits is a cute little studio, that is set up like a boutique in the front. They sell purses and jewelry and other accessories. A crystal chandelier was the main source of light above 5 tables lined with canvases set on easils.

Laura and I spent much of the time before the demonstration debating which colors to use. We put every interesting hue on our palette, deciding in the end to stick with the  artist's original color scheme.

We discovered it was more of a Let's-Drink-Some-Wine-And-Oh-By-The-Way-There-Is-A-Canvas-In- Front- Of-You  Class. We, unlike the majority of the rest of the class, took it pretty seriously though. I barely made it to a second glass of wine, and was several steps behind the instructor in painting the "Wishing Flower". So was Laura, who started over probably twice.

When the demonstration ended we both were still working furiously, trying to perfect every aspect of our creation, and were the last two to finish. I have to say I was pretty happy with my end result, as was Laura. Both painting looked slightly different then the original, but, at the risk of sounding conceited, turned out better than most of our "classmates'".  Then once we finally put the brushes down for good, the instructor took our picture with our work, probably to hang with the those of the many previous participants - including a guy, who at a glance could easily be mistaken for my father.

Some of the steps were difficult:  finding the right shades of each color, mixing and remixing paint, putting enough black on baby brush to make visible stems, distributing the colored "pollen" to create an aesthetically pleasing, balanced compostition, using highlights to make a more realistic effect. But for the most part I found the exercise relaxing and theraputic. I felt my self slipping into my own world where I could focus completely on the task at hand and shut out all the distractions from my daily life. And unlike my day job, having a completed work at the end of my efforts gave me a great sense of accomplishment.

The whole experience reminded me of when I was still in school, when painting, drawing, and writing were a part of my everyday activities. It made me realize how much I miss that part of my life, how I need to make time for the things that I truly enjoy, the things that make me feel dynamic and fullfilled, rather then settling for the stagnant redundant nights on the couch or in a bar.

So again, to anyone remotely interested in taking an art class, this is something you should try. It doesn't matter your skill level, just bring some wine and enjoy the ride.

Getting in the spirit

Phase One

The Stem - More difficult than it looks

Nearly Done

My End Result

Tada!

Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo

Friday, December 16, 2011 - Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Location: At Home
Task #1

I guess my purpose for putting this task on my list originally was to simply force myself to give biographies a chance. Generally, those of you who know me know,  I can tend to form hard and fast opinions about whether or not I like something, often with very little evidence/support for my reasoning - and would cling to my own rationale with a fierce pride driven stubbornness. Well, I for some reason decided I hated biographies. I refuse to read them, think that the personal lives of JFK or Eleanor Roosevelt for example were no more important, fascinating, or relevant than that of the juvenile delinquents that get dropped off at elmwood park hs at the end of my block. So when I put "read a biographic novel" on my list I assumed my blog entry after completing the task would start of with something like this "I was wrong" or "Biographies, where have you been all my life?" Or even, "Never again."

But instead of reciting the pros and cons of biographies in general (which I will get to) I feel more compelled to talk about the story I read and where it sent my mind a wandering. I chose to read Heaven is for Real on a suggestion. The book sounded touching and inspirational. And the fact that it was about a little boy, instead of alleged important adults I thought it would be a fun read.

The general premise is based on a little boy named Colton, son of a Pastor, in Imperial, Nebraska. Colton, not even 4 yrs old, undergoes emergency appendectomy surgery and claimes to visit Heaven while he is under anesthesia.

I was really looking forward to reading this book, thinking that I would be uttely convinced, that the story would be so compelling, told from a child's perspective, but, instead, I found myself getting angry.  I was mostly angry at how STUPID this poor kid's parents are. In the beginning of the book Colton is very sick, and the country bumkin doctors tell them it's the flu, and he gets a little better for a couple of days. But while on a family trip he gets extremely sick again. Friends keep telling Colton's parents to take him to the children's hospital near by in a major city, but they, being the lazy morons that they are, decide to drive three hours back home before rushing him back to the same hospital that originally told them it was the flu. Needless to say they eventually get a correct diagnosis, but still have to take him to the children's hospital they should have been at all along.

I was seething at this point. I get it, the flu was going around, Colton sister was sick (one night and fine the next morning), but virtual strangers could tell there was something severely wrong with this kid and his own parents didn't think he needed to get to a hospital!

I think that tainted me on anything the father said from that point on - he was the author of the book. Not to mention before he even got into his son's story he spent a chapter complaining about a broken leg and some kidney stones. Perhaps God thought he needed some perspective. Ok ok, he had a cyst they thought could have been cancer, but they did a lumpectomy and it wasn't - buck up buddy... Jeez.

Anyway, I already found it a little difficult not to judge the parents after the intitial hospital debacle, and then the father goes on to admit how some of the questions he asked Colton about his visit to Heaven were leading. He said after he realized this, they were strict about not doing so again. But it still seemed, as the story went on, the questions were leading to a certain extent.

Initially, Colton randomly told them about his experience. Not giving much detail, not explaining. But the parents generally were the ones to bring it up. It's been my experience that kids will make up details and facts ( espeically at 4yrs old) when asked pointed questions about something they did or where they went.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying there's no way this actually happened. Logic aside, I believe miraculous things can happen. It's just that this story was a bit of a stretch - at least parts of it. Many of the details Colton told his parents could have been what he learned in Sunday school or at home, considering his father was a Pastor.  His father claimed, however, the things Colton spoke of were too advanced for Colton to have learned at Sunday school or through the stories they read at home. But the terms in which Colton spoke were simple yet fantastic to a kid, the meaning put behind them came from his father, and the inferred meaning could simply have been coincidence.

There were, however, three anecdotes in the book I will admit were at least somewhat convincing.

1. Someone sent Todd an email of an article from CNN. It was about a girl who never went to church, went to public school (she may have been home schooled, I can't remember), and whose mother was an athiest.
This girl claimed to have a similar experience as Colton, and after he experience she decided to paint what she had seen. Her paintings were amazing, they called her a child prodigy.

One of her paintings was of the face of Jesus. Now Colton's family had a little game going the previous year or so. They would point out pictures of Jesus that they came across and ask Colton if it looked right. Every picture Colton saw he said something was off. Either the hair was too long, the clothes were wrong, something in every single picture he saw since his surgery. When his father saw the photo of this young girl's paiting, he asks Colton, "What's wrong with this one?"

Colton looks at the picture and said, "That one's right" Apparently this girl he'd never met, had gotten it right somehow.

2. While in Heaven Colton said he met his father's grandpa. When they showed him pictures of him, Colton said that wasn't him, that no one is old in Heaven. So Todd asked his mother to send pictures of her father when he was young.

(Supposedly) Without anyone pointing him out, never seeing the photo or any photo of the young version of his great grandfather, Colton was able to identify him as a young man, saything that was the "Pop" he met in Heaven.

3. Lastly was the story of his second sister. Before Colton was born, his mother miscarried. Colton said he met his unborn sister in Heaven. This shocked his parents since Todd and Sonja( his mother) never learned the sex of the baby. He told them that she looked like his other sister, but with dark hair, and that she didn't have a name because his parents never gave her one.

Todd and Sonja were also shocked because they had decided not to tell Colton about the miscarriage, he was too young to understand still. However, they did tell his older sister. So there is a chance that Colton heard the story without even his parents knowing it.

 But if it is true he hadn't heard about it, and that's a big "if", the anecdote is pretty incredible.

The thing about biographies is that you never know what's being left out. You never know how facts and details are skewed and colored to come off a certain way, to make a certain point that is otherwise simply not there.

It takes a lot of faith in the author to believe that the story is factual. And in this case, being that the author is a Pastor, and has a preconceived notion about the subject matter and a stake in whether or not people believe it. He may also have an intrinsic predisposition to believe it himself, because he is a Pastor and because this is his son's story. Therefore, it's difficult not to believe Todd wrote this with an angle of bias, and perhaps even ulterior motives.

Maybe I am too cynical, but in reading this book I discovered the author's motives is part of why I don't like reading biographies. The other part is that I tend to get bored by them, or simply don't have an interest in the subject. This book was not boring per se, but I found myself saying "and...?", questioning the conclusions the author drew, the assumptions he made. And at the end of the book, I thought, "That's it?". It felt like something was missing, like I'd missed the punch line, or as if this was a you-had-to-be-there kind of situation.  Perhaps it would have helped if the details of Colton's visit didn't come out over such a long stretch. He never sat down with his parents and said, "This is what happened when I was in surgery" He never gave them a "full story". It was more bits and pieces that he threw out in conversation, or in questions he answered, or sometimes throguh random outbursts. I felt totally misled by the reviews printed on the cover and in the openning pages - "Compelling and convincing" it said... Hmmm, I'm not so sure.  

The DR

Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Location:  My Car - Oak Park, Chicago, River Grove -
Task #8

I know the list said to drive the DR one "official last time". But I think it's pretty safe to say that this wasn't the end.

Lauren made a good point. The DR wasn't really about where we went, which streets slowed us to a crawl. It was more about the freedom.

Not just the freedom of a teenager behind the wheel ( although that was part of it) but also the kind of freedom that you can only feel when you're with a person that gets what you mean without you having to say a word, a person that you can spaz and flip in front of and you know she's spazing and flipping right there with you. It's about a freedom in knowing your whole bright future lay out before you all you had to do was dream it up right there in the car, an unencumbered momentary hold on reality.   

 

It was about a freedom to be nuts, be goofy, and awkward, to learn new things, try new things, talk, and be ourselves. And it was funny how easy it was to slip back into our 18 year old selves and feel that way again. 

We may have forgotten a few of the streets, or nearly climbed into someone else's  car, and felt so uncomfortably full from the mountainous cheese on our stuffed pizza, but the effect was the same. We laughed and reminisced, and had another "close call" in an alley, same alley actually.

One thing that struck me as funny was the music. I spent time creating a play list of all the songs we loved, were obsessed with learning the words to, and had meaning. We gathered nearly all of them. The funny part was that we barely listened to any of them. Of course we belted out "Nothing to Lose"( a couple of times), flailing about in the car as we went, and we found that it only took one play to remember all the tongue twisty words.But for the most part we were too busy talking. Some of those stories I hadn't heard in years. And each story reminded us of another way-back-when moment. 

But it wasn't just about "back then", it was taking time out of our busy lives, shutting out the rest of the world, to be us again.

Making my Doctor's Appointment

Monday, December 19, 2011
Location: Berry Electric, Work
 Task #26


Again, this one is not all that exciting, and is pretty self explanatory.  However, I have been known to be somewhat long winded with the extraneous details.  Not to mention, the simplest task can be quite the production for me.

I haven't been to the doctor in, um, proabably over 3 years. But I have told my Grandma it's only been 2. If she knew how long it has really been, I'd hear more nagging and scolding than I already do for the abbreviated time lapse.

This morning, after laying awake a couple hours last night fretting over it, I decided I better make the appointment. I was dreading it for a few reasons.

One, despite my extensive experience with doctors, and my affection for Dr. Griffin, I hate doctors. I hate going to them, I hate being examined, answering questions that I have the wrong answers to, and all the waiting.

Two, because it's been so long, I am a little worried about a negative review. My doctor has warned me about eating better, staying at a certain weight, quitting smoking... He may be a little mad to learn I haven't listend to s a single instruction.

Three,  I hate making appointments in general. The person that answers the phone asks the dumbest questions. After seeing the same doctor in the same hospital for almost 30 years, they should have my birthdate and the reason for my visit on file.

Four, I am an indecisive procratinator. When is the best time to take off work? Do I want to use a full day? Do I really have to drive all the way the Orland Park? Is he going to make me stay for an echo, do I have time for that? All these questions generally make me put off making any decision, making the call at all, until it has been, oh about 4 years, and I start to freak myself out imgining there's some underlying issue.

And five, of course there is always the possibility that something is wrong. Generally this isn't a major concern, but there is a reason follow up visits are "required".

So after some further debate in my head I dug the hospital number out of my purse, stared at it for a while, considered whether or not I should be worried about my co-workers over hearing my call or if I should wait until my lunch, I dialed. My heart pounded as the phone rang.

The good news was that the doctor still has office hours at Illinois Masonic, so I won't have to drive all the way to Orland Park, the bad news was that there are no appointments avaialbale until January 19th.  So I won't be able to get it out of the way, using my last 1/2 day off for the year, but that's a small price to pay for the shorter trek.

When I hung up the phone, appointment set, my heard started to slow and I felt relieved. It was a relatively painless process, aside from being on hold for a bit, and now what was done was done.  I'm not the kind of person to skip an appointment; I realize I build things up in my head to be worse than they are, so I will feel much better once it's all out of the way.

Printing Mack's Picture

Saturday, December 10, 2011
Location: Walgreens, River Grove
Task #18

What can I really write about this task? Not too much. So I will just say that all too often we rely solely on digital albums to keep our memories safe. Sometimes it's just nice to have a hard copy. 

This is the one I hung on my bulletin board.

Isn't he cute!?

The Carriage Ride

Sunday, December 11, 2011
Location: Michigan Avenue
Task #19 

Sometimes it's fun to pretend to be a tourist in your own city. And I nearly missed all the fun!

I knew I had to be ready to go by 10am Sunday morning, but for some reason I didn't let that stop me from drinking plenty of wine by Abbie's the night before. Apparently my tolerance has gone down quite a bit, since I am suddenly old, and not going out nearly as much as I used to. But I digress, this is not the point.

The point is, due to my latent immaturity, I almost skipped the trip downtown altogether. I thought that was what I wanted - to stay home, hide in my bed, nursing my hangover. But when my aunt offered me the option to stay home and my mom told me I looked like death warmed over, I took one look at my sister and decided I didn't want to miss the day. After all it's one of those things that you can't get back. It wasn't like brunch downtown is a once in a lifetime experience. It's not even that I felt guilty cause I knew why I wasn't feeling well ( ok it was a little out of guilt) But it was mostly because I knew I would be letting an opportunity go by, an opportunity to have a nice day with my aunt and cousin, my sister and my mom. I would be missing the whole point of the holidays and life in general - enjoying the time you have with the people you love.

Being that I am not new to the hang over experience, I popped an advil and trusted that soon enough I would feel like a slightly shaky version of my old self. And sure enough by the time I sat on the sqooshy couch at Deca in the Ritz Carlton my headache was gone and my queeziness was down to a minimum.

It was a good thing too, because brunch proved to be quite amusing, on top of tasty.  We laughed over the nonexistent food network show - "Bitch can Cook", which is actually called "Bitchin' Kitchen". But we sure had fun repeating "Bitch can cook" the rest of the day - even using the phrase to refer to the horse and his manure...

But back to brunch: the restaurant was not as hoity toity as I expected. It was comfortable and relaxed, big windows (yet a bad view), a big tree with brightly colored packages. Ginger bread Houses were displayed in the upper lobby, lifelike and unique, and sold for donations to children's memorial hospital.

I had plenty of coffee, a large belgium waffle, and Beignets filled with chocolate. I accidentally put maple syrup in my cup (it actually tastes pretty good), got caught up on the Real House Wives of Fill in the Blank (not that I wanted to), shared old stories and one liners from growing up with the Beebe's (Drive Driver!), and had an overall hilarious good time (especially considering we were the loudest table there).

After brunch we headed to Michigan Ave to catch a carriage. Right beside the old water tower a white horse and sleigh were ready and waiting. After a few pictures and silly questions about how the horse got the name Aura, we prepared for our city tour.

"Meredith, do you want some blanket?" Dia asks.

"No, Mom, I'm ok, " Meredith replied.

A few minutes later - "Meredith, do you want some blanket?"

"No, Mom, I'm ok."

We snap a few more pics - ones where we can see our faces - more than a boob or dark hole, or one without the driver standing in the way of on coming traffic. Then call "Drive, Driver!"

And again, a few minutes later, "Meredith, you want some blanket?"

"For the love of GOD, MOM,  how many times are you going to ask? I DONT WANT ANY BLANKET!"

We laughed and laughed and repeated " do you want some blanket at least 100 times on the ride. We pointed out restaurants we ate at, ones we wanted to try, bars we had been to, stores we wanted to stop in, stores we could never afford to shop in, and picturesque brownstones with unique facades. We were sad to finish the ride, and took a few more shots with the horse before we were willing to let the experience end.

While our chariot was a little rickety, we had the best seat in town, the temp was just right, all five of us huddled inside. It was a classic Chicago Christmas moment. I was warmed by the new experience that put me in the Christmas Spirit, and glad to be able to share it with people I love.

My head is mostly missing, nice job, driver!

Um... Yea, who can tell who's in there?

Snug as bugs

Over here, Dia.

The Old Water Tower

Love the green facade to the left.

Quigley Building - Can't see the Nativity from here...

Stumped

You'd think there would be an endless list of tasks, so many I'd have to debate which to keep and which to roll over for next year. But I'm stumped instead. 

I need to add  9 more items to the list. I do have a couple weeks before I have to get started, but I need to know what I'm in for in case I want get started a little early...

The idea of a bucket list in general is limitless, after all you have your entire life to complete it. But 30 things I've never done-  or rarely get the chance to-  that has to be done in thirty days sort of puts a cap on the possibilties (unless of course I can find a generous donor- just kidding)

Obstacles

Personally, I don't think this task is really all that out of reach. The items so far on the list are, for the most part, rather easy. So I was surprised when I mentioned it to a few people the responses I got went something like "You're never going to be able to do that in 30 days", "You're nuts", or "You will never finish because you couldn't not be negative for more than 5 minutes" - followed by laughter.

I must say those are quite some encouraging words. Really. Because now I will not only finish the list, but when I do, I will have the added satisfaction of being able to say "HA! Told you so!" I will have the added satisfaction of proving them wrong and knowing that I am capable of more than people might expect. Even if it is just some silly list.

So here's to the Naysayers! And here's to finishing what I started!

The List : Tentative Ideas

1. Read a Biographic Novel (Check)

2. Go an entire day without saying anything negative (fail twice) Substitute - "Spring Clean" my room (Check)

3. Listen to an entire CD of someone I have never heard of (Check)

4. Try a new beer (Check)

5. Take a drop in art class (Check)

6. Watch a Foreign Film (Check)

7. Do an anonymous good deed (Check)


8. Drive the DR one Official last time (Check)
9. Spend 24hrs with my phone off (Check)

10. Snowboard - Substituted - For every time I swear, in a 24 hr period, I have to put a dollar in a "swear jar" (Check)11. Take a hike at dawn (Check)


12. Cook an entire meal for my family (Check)
13. Tattoo #2 (Check)

14. Create a vision board (Check)
15. Drive to where I can actually see the stars (Check)
16. Have a "Friends" marathon weekend (Check)17. Take a dare (Check)

18. Print an actual picture of Mack for my desk at work (Check)

19. Take a carriage ride downtown (Check)

20. Pay off my Macy's card (Check)

21. Watch an entire game of any sport in which no Chicago teams play (Check)

22. Nelly is insisting I add: Wax the tractor. I don't know if I can handle that one... (Check)

23. Add 5 Blog entries, not related to this list. (Check)

24. Get a Facial (Check)

25. Finish this Blog (Friday 1/20/12)

26. Make my doctor's appointment (Check)

27. Buy an outfit that's "not me" (Check)

28. Make a Charitable Donation (Check)

29. Completely research at least 2 grad school options - all requirements for application and GRE (Check)

30. Try at least 1 new food at Christmas Eve (Check)

Thirty before Thirty in Thirty

I'm not generally one of those people scared by age. I never considered myself vain. But in just over a month I will leave my 20's behind, and it is scaring the crap out if me. It's been difficult not to look at turning 30 as an end, rather than simply the beginning of a new chapter.  Saying goodbye is always hard, especially when the last 10 years hold the most memorable moments ( good and bad) of my life to date. 

There are things, though, that my 20's did not bring , things I still hope for, things that WILL come.  Like the Cubs winning the World Series, or a woman being elected president. But I'll stick to the things I have some control over.

And that's what I have come to realize, there is still time. There is still so much to look forward to, to accomplish. After all 30 is not old. I mean, it's not 40, for crying out loud! (just kidding)

So in honor of my 20's and ushering in the new decade, it's time for Thirty before Thirty in Thirty.  Thanks to Nelly for the idea to blog it all!

All I have to do now it come up with 30 items, do one a day for 30 days, take lots of pictures, and write about it all!. I have been given a few great ideas, came up with some myself, but am going to have to dig deep and narrow it down. 

Suggestions Welcome!