Number 25

See that satellite dish?  I haven't had DirectTV for a couple of years now.  I have U-Verse (which is awesome by the way and doesn't include some ugly metal piece to go somewhere in your yard).  When I cancelled DirectTV they said "Oh, by the way, you are responsible for removing that dish." ...oh great...

I have mentioned to Paul a number of times (especially when I'm mowing the grass and have to go around it) that when WE have time  I would like to get rid of that old thing.  I also emphasized that there was no rush.  Just needed it gone at least by the end of my 1001 days. 

Three weeks ago my amazing boyfriend was weed eating my yard.  It was a very very hot day and he had to take a number of milk breaks (Yes, milk, not water...).  He finally came in and I could tell he was so exhausted.  I told him to just wait and I'd maybe weed eat the rest during after work one day.  He only had to do the back yard, and it really wasn't more than I could handle.  He then explained to me that he wouldn't be so exhausted had he not tried to dig up the satellite dish.  Of course, I don't have a single tool in my shed to make removing the dish easy.  He basically bent the thing back and forth until it snapped in half only to realize that it was in about 2 feet of cement under the ground. 

Oh, that boy is crazy, but he loves me and that's why he did it and didn't ask for help I guess.

So now the yard looks much better.  No more ugly dish.  The cement is still there for the moment, but it's underground.  Also, this picture is just after the tornado - which is why you see such a mess.  All of that is gone as well.  So my yard looks quite nice!

Number 4

We made it to Montgomery Zoo! 

Going to the zoo has always been mine and the girls "thing."  We go at least once a year, and every time we talk about how we need to plan a trip to Montgomery.  Birmingham Zoo is great, but a change of scenery sounded nice. Fourth of July we planned to go on this date, and nothing was going to stop us...not even a 60% chance of rain (By the way - it didn't rain.  Thank you, Lord).

It took us almost 3 hours to walk through the entire zoo.  It was split up into continents - South America, North America, Africa, Asia, and Australia.  A few of the animals I had never even heard of - Like the mix between a deer and a rabbit (can't remember what that one was called, but it was interesting looking.)  We saw 2 bears - Birmingham Zoo took theirs out years ago.

The highlight of our trip was feeding the Giraffe.  Each of us were able to feed some leafy greens to a certain giraffe.  He had the biggest tongue and licked our hand whenever he'd try to eat the leaves.  Paul tried to hold a green up against his cheek to get a kiss (yuck...) but no luck.  The giraffe was smarter than that. 

After we left the zoo, we decided to visit the Capitol.  The Capitol wasn't open, but we were able to tour the first white house of the confederate.  It was really neat and beautiful.  Then, we visited the Alabama Department of Archives and History.  As soon as we walked into "Grandma's Attic" I remembered visiting this museum in the 4th grade.  Grandma's Attic is a "hands-on" area for kids.  The reason I remember it:  my entire class dressed up, and we did the same today.  Even Paul dressed up a little.

We ended the day with dinner at O'Charleys and jammed out to some Disney, Phantom, and Aaron Carter on the way home.  We had the best day!  I'm so glad we FINALLY made it!

A goal in progress...

I have put this little guy here to track my weight progress.  One of my goals is to lose at least 40 lbs.  Before starting this ticker, I have lost 9.  But I thought you guys would be interested in seeing my progress as well!

Number 10

Wyatt Dee was born today, which means I completed a goal - Hold a brand new baby.  And this baby was less that one hour old!  This may seem silly to some of you, but I have never held a baby that was less than a day old.  When Loralei was born, I wasn't feeling well and didn't want to touch her and get her sick.  I didn't hold her until she was back home. To make completing this goal even more special, I was the first person to hold Wyatt besides his mommy and daddy.

This is going to be one spoiled little boy (just like his sister). These two have so many people who love them!  I am so blessed to have such a close, loving family.

Numbers 23 and 30

My baby sister is engaged!  I am so stinking excited for her and Calan.  I could not have picked out a better person for her to spend the rest of her life with.  

I definitely cried when she called me.  I know I'm going to be a big ole baby up on that stage when she's saying "I do", but I cannot wait to start my Maid of Honor duties!  I already have a few things planned.

 Also, I went to the beach this weekend!  We went down to Destin Friday afternoon and came home yesterday.  It was beautiful there! We all got very sun burnt on Saturday, so we didn't get but one full day on the beach.  It was definitely a nice vacation though!

  

Numbers 97, 42, and 66

Number 97 - While reading my list, I realized I never blogged about something!  I planted flowers!  Remember when I spruced up my mailbox?  A week or so later, I planted pretty pink flowers around it.  Sorry I don't have any pictures to post, but the flowers make the mailbox area complete!

Number 42 - I didn't eat out for a whole week.  Boy was my checkbook happy!  Not to mention I actually dropped like 2 pounds from not eating so badly.  If I could make this a permanent thing, I would be in good shape!

Number 66 - I sent a random note to a friend "just because" and I have a picture of this one.  I sent my friend, Madeline (whom I miss terribly) a "goodie" envelope with a little note by way of my runner for the day (AKA my sister).  This was one of my "rewarding" goals - by that, I mean I may have gotten more out of it than she did.  Granted, it was only some snacks and coupons, but it felt good to send a surprise over just to say hey and I hope week is great!  The rewarding goals are the best.

Number 11

Number 11 is my very favorite number (couldn't tell you why, but it always has been), and this is probably my very favorite goal - for a couple of reasons.  First, this is something I've always wanted to do, but never had the guts.  Next, I was able to do it with someone close to me.  Lastly, it had a special meaning behind it.

This was kind of a revised goal.  I was going to give my hair to Locks of Love - because that's the only organization I knew of.  Lara called me one day and told me about Beautiful Lengths by Pantene.  She has donated her hair through them before.  The difference is Beautiful Lengths makes wigs for cancer patients, and Locks of Love makes wigs for people with Alopecia.  So, the two of us decided to plan a day (April 28) to go together and get our hair cut.

Here's what made this so special...

This is Aunt Anita with Erik and Lara

Today is my Aunt Anita's death anniversary.  I was only eight when she passed away, so I really didn't know much about her, but I've been told that she loved me and my sister very much.  When Kayla and I were little, mom would drop us off at Granny's frequently on her way to work. Granny lived in Midfield, so it was on her way out.  Almost every time we were there, Aunt Anita would come by for lunch and bring us both kid's meals from Taco Bell.  I loved these little visits.

I didn't have a clue what was happening to Aunt Anita until her hair started falling out.  At eight years old, I had probably never heard the word "cancer."  But I knew something was hurting my Aunt, and that was making my family hurt.  Now we have an angel watching over us, and I know she was smiling down as Lara and I did this in her honor.  How much more special donating my hair was after Lara asked to do it with me, and for my sweet Aunt!