99 things

99 things
stole this from someone else. . .

Instructions:

Copy the list, bold the ones you've done (with explanations), share with friends.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars.. several times. the last one i remember was when we were engaged and we went on a trip with 3 other couples. we had a girls tent and a boys tent – but hubby and i slept under a tree in our sleeping bags so we could be together. :)
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower. . . it was so awesome! i sat in a rocker on my front porch all wrapped up. must have been about 2 or 3 years ago i guess. i just kept thinking how awesome and loving God is/was to put up a firmament to protect us like that. it was really just amazing!
6. Given more than you can afford to charity. . . i was getting ready to go on a vacation with my kids to ohio – dad would join us by plane in a week. the oddest thing about the amount i gave is that i never missed it. but isn’t God just like that?
7. Been to Disneyland. . . when we got blessed with our van i talked about going to Ohio and hubby said when that van left for vacation it better head south. I had never been to his sisters house. in my life! they lived near orlando, so we combined a week’s vacation with a trip to disneyland. had 7 kids then too. It was good. I rode 3 rides all day I think – Zee was only like 1.5 so not much she could do. Dad took the kids on most of the rides. All had a good time and I felt like a good mom cuz I took my kids to disneyland. Personally it did not seem much different from carowinds to me. . . other than it cost waaaaaaay more! for everything!
8. Climbed a mountain. . . well, i climbed ON a mountain, does that count? i took 7 of my children – ages 15 to 1 hiking. it was one of those perfect days! most of them were too young to go all the way up the mountain, so we took an easier trail that wound around and around. it is one of my bestest memories!
9. Held a praying mantis. . . not saying i would do it now! i used to catch mice and snakes and all that yucky stuff. butcher chickens, etc. would not do a bit of it now! i grew up country. my kids are country. but i don’t touch icky things anymore. i barely touch dirt! roflmbo!
10. Sang a solo. . .i used to sing in church when i was a teen.
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a thunder and lightning storm . . . i love to watch them now. i used to be terrified of them.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. . .i love to cross stitch! but my eyes just can’t handle it anymore. maybe if i did it in sunlight outside – it is on my list. i have a half finished something i am doing for my MIL – maybe i will get it done while she is still here. . . maybe!
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. . . i did. it was so so so awesome! i also rode the ferry to ellis island and back. in the night. in the rain. and i HATE water – and boats – and hated dark then too. but our acapella choir sang on the boat and the people were so enthralled and appreciative. it was not a planned concert, we just did it because ~ it was one of those rare incredible moments when time stood still.
another day was the Statue of Liberty day. It was so incredible – we were allowed to go all the way up into the head then. i know later they stopped that and i do not know if you can now. the way to get up to the crown from the elevator is a spiral staircase. in addition to my fear of water and dark (i only had these 3 but somehow they all got triggered on one trip to NYC!) – i have terrible claustrophobia. the people were packed in so you could not move on that staircase. imagine yourself inside this giant head, you could reach out from the staircase and touch the side of the head in some places and all behind you are people as far as you can see and all ahead of you are people as far as you can see (which is not far either way – you know if you’ve ever climbed a spiral staircase) and noone is moving. You talk about yuck! I started getting lightheaded and it occurred to me that this would not be a good place to pass out! so i stopped and stood still until all the people in front of me were far enough ahead so i could not see them anymore, and then it eased up enough for me to continue. It was well worth it. I wish i had had a camera and taken pictures. but you know, they never do justice to it. it was one of the most memorable times in my life. I would LOVE to go back to NYC!
18. Grown your own vegetables. . . i had a little garden when my twins were 1. it was MY time. after supper the kids and daddy would clean up and watch the babies while mom got some alone time outside to putter in her garden and talk to her plants. IT WAS WONDERFUL! and probably kept me sane. I had 6 children 9 and under! I do regret that i did not teach my children to garden – but it is hard to have it all and i really needed that alone time in the dirt with my plants. we had a terrific harvest and the produce tasted just beyond good! only that one year – after that i got too busy, then we got sick. but it was so great to be able to do that!
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight. . . more times than i could count i reckon. kids still love them!
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort. . . but not enough of them. tho i grew up in ohio, i did not do near the winter sports i wish i had. i have never been skiing, rarely went sledding, went toboganning one time, and never been on a a snowmobile. perhaps because the cold literally hurts me i guess. i just could not take the cold much. i still don’t miss the cold!!
25. Held a lamb. . . i had my own lamb for almost a year. a story for another time.
26. Gone skinny dipping. . . it was awesome. there were no boys. i would do it again in a minute!
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse. . . i watched a lunar eclipse one time. it does not say what kind so i guess it counts. it was unbelievable! only caught one so far tho.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. . . i watch them as often as i possibly can and never take even ONE for granted! we are never guaranteed another one! and every one is so different – each one totally unique! what an incredible thought!
but my best ones are the ones over the ocean. myrtle beach was my sunrise. we took 6 kids and just went to myrtle beach two weeks before Christmas. because i wanted to. i just wanted to. so we did. on the wy there the older kids grumbled about “going to the beach in the winter . .. grr, grr” I informed them this was MY vacation and they were welcome to stay home! none did.
The hotel was $25/night. CAN YOU IMAGINE! off season! and there was no christmas stuff anywhere. it was SUCH a welcome relief from all the hustle and bustle. We got a room RIGHT by the ocean – as close as you are allowed to get. with a balcony. it was just incredible.
I snuck out the next morning while it was still dark. alone. me. but hubby woke up, found me missing and came to find me. so precious! then he went and found me coffee after giving some money to a drifter who needed it. and we sat snuggling and watched MY sun come up over the atlantic ocean!
yup – another one of those perfect times when heaven touches earth, time stops, and all the world is awash with beauty and rightness, love and realness.
wow.
God did that sunrise that morning JUST FOR ME!
i never knew it happened so fast!

The sunset was incredible too! Very unique! And no, not on the pacific ocean – have not been there yet – but on the gulf. Destin Fla. We went for 16 perfect days! I kept wanting to see a sunset, but everyday something else took precedence. Finally ONE night i was out at sunset – but it was cloudy! God gave me a SPECTACULAR sunset anyway! I have pictures of it that will blow you away. They are award winning pics, just unbelievable how beautiful with the sun just streaming brightly through the clouds and reflecting off the never still water. ripples and light and movement. just wow!
oh, i also had another sunset on another vacation to ohio – on lake erie
complete with a sailboat – just like you see in the movies! lol. the saddest part about that one is that my husband was not there to see it with me.
sometimes life is so beautiful it hurts!
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person. .. twice. once as a kid. mostly i was scared. of everything. again on our honeymoon tho just in passing really. i don’t think i would make the trip just for that again but i do think everyone should go see it. it is truly magnificent.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community. .. i grew up in Ohio so Amish were nothing unusual for us. I loved it when we got caught behind a buggy and i could hear the clop clop clop of the hooves through the open windows. so beautiful! got to ride in a buggy on our vacation in Ohio. the kids just loved it!
36. Taught yourself a new language . . . the kids and i have tried to learn spanish. some of us have been more successful than others.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied. . . i have. what does it really take? i just want to be able to pay my bills and not worry. buy groceries and things we need. i would love to be rich so i could give it away – but if you give it away, how will you ever be rich? so i guess that is not going to happen!
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. . . on our trip to destin. i wish i had spent more time on the beach really. the kids kept me pretty busy. we had a pool out back and they stayed in it night and day and i kept the two year old. hubby went up on the third floor balcony with a franklin graham book and a bible and a notepad with pen. He NEVER gets to have time like that to himself with God, so i kept the baby and let the rest of the family have a very special vacation. I do not regret a minute of it. oh – i got time for me too. here and there. hot tub time at night was MY time. no babies! the older kids took turns with him. and i went out to waffle house with my dad. hubby and i went out a few times too. so we all worked together to make it a special time for everyone. so i did not do all i wanted, but we all remember a perfect vacation and that is even better than it just being perfect for me.
i am sure there will be other times for me to walk on a beach, but that was our last vacation with the whole family together. my son moved out the next year and now one daughter is out with another soon to follow ~ so i am so glad we took that vacation together and the kids had all the pool time they could stand and we all played on the beach, and we all laughed and we all shared the load and it stands out as a perfect vacation we will never forget!
46. Been transported in an ambulance. . . i was going to skip that. I was not transported in the back, but i was transported in the ambulance. My hubby was in the back in full grand mal seizure. with a stupid paramedic saying “just relax”. like you can do that in the middle of a seizure??? they could not even get an IV into him. oy!
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
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain. . . no special story, but i know we have.
53. Played in the mud. . . one of my favorite past times as a youngster! nothing feels quite like it! NOT the southern clay yucky orange stuff either! this was REAL MUD! black gooey dark ooie ohio mud! spring planting was always magical! spring rains w/o thunder were always a treat!
54. Gone to a drive-in theater . . . many memories of that. did yours have a playground in front of the screen for before the movie started? so many good memories! kids are missing out!!!
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business . . . hubby and i had a business when the twins were 2. hmmm. . . might be why i never gardened again! seriously! way too much work for way too little income BUT ask my son how he remembers it and he will tell you it shaped who he is today. he got to spend all day everyday working with his dad and there is NO substitute for turning a boy into a man like time with a quality Dad! sometimes we measure what we get out of something with the wrong ruler! we may not have gotten rich, or even broke even, but you cannot measure my son’s memories of that very special time with his dad and all the lessons he learned and the character that was built and the relationship that was cemented by that time with his dad. i would gladly do it again in a heartbeat!
58. Taken a martial arts class. . . i actually took karate when i was very young. maybe 3 lessons. lol. i do not remember learning a thing except discipline. it was totally boring. but i have found every lesson on every thing i have ever taken boring. just let me do it!
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason. . . just a few months ago my daughter brought me a beautiful rose in a gorgeous glass vase. baby’s breath with it and a stunning silver bow around the vase. she sprayed the flower with glitter spray and when i sniffed it – i glittered too! it was soooo pretty and i felt sooo special!
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check . . . oh good grief! and it was not always our fault! i just don’t even use banks anymore. when i found out they have conventions where they share new ways to get more out of their “customers” – spelled v-i-c-t-i-m-s. that was enough for me. whatever happened to the community bank where service was the goal? now it is pleasing shareholders. don’t get me started. . . lol
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy. . . i kept my pink bear until after i got married. it got fleas so bad i finally tossed it. i regret it. if you manage to keep one - keep it!
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt . . . several with my mom lately. i started one the year my niece got married – for her. maybe she will get it by the time her kids are grown! her mom says she will still need one then!
73. Stood in Times Square. . . sure did. wish i could do it again! NYC is just so much, so much to take in even just standing there doing nothing! it has to take several trips to ever have your fill – or maybe you never do. . .
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job. . . not until last year. at age 45! amazing. the world has sure gotten weird! don’t get me started!
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone . . . my kids have broken my nose twice by jumping up suddenly. broke my big toe by something falling out of the fridge in the middle of the night when i was getting a bottle. children are dangerous!
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle . . . wish i had done that more! one long ride. perfect day!
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car . . . after the birth of our first. bought it with a dent in it. my motto is you can either buy it with one – or put one in it yourself. so far it has held totally true! we got a good chunk knocked off the price for it tho!
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper. . . i was in a play both times.
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating . . . i used to help butcher chickens and watch my dad skin rabbits. never thought a thing about it, it was just the way it was. now i would never even watch from afar. isn’t life funny?
88. had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby. . . eight to be exact.
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
99. Been stung by a bee – oddly enough every time i remember being stung, i annoyed the bee! one time i sat on one, another time it landed on my finger but i did not know it was a bee. thought it was just something and went to brush it off. kind of irritated the bee!

i don't get it

You know what i don't get?
i don't get how you can say you love someone
and then treat someone they care about like crap
i don't get that

when you love someone it is supposed to be about them
not about you
love is NOT a feeling!
love is an action
a choice

it is not about what you get
or how they make you feel
it is a choice to care for someone else

how can people even say they "fall" in love
is that like falling in a lake?

and no - you cannot make someone happy
nor can someone else make you happy
happiness is a choice
you can do anything you want
but if a person does not choose to be happy
they are not going to be
and it doesn't matter how much chocolate you bring them!

some people are messed up!