50 Things I Want to Try Before I Die:

I'm writing a bucket list of things I want to do before I die. This could take awhile, lol!

1. Own a house, that has my name on the papers.
2. Get my passport.
3. See the house in Italy that Toni grew up in, and count how many layers of paint are actually on the walls.
4. Learn to drive a motorcycle.
5. Get a tattoo of my children's names, somewhere on my person.
6. Jump off a cliff, bridge, or other high place, maybe into water...
7. Design my perfect flower garden, the kind that you see in pretty pictures.
8. Grow #7 without killing it.
9. Visit the vacation house in Croatia that we helped buy, every year.
10. Travel to Europe and visit all the countries I can in one day, Road Trip!
11. Have another baby before I'm 35.
12. Be pregnant at the same time as my 2 sisters.
13. See the Mayan ruins.
14. Do the 3 day walk
15. Paint a series of art pieces to hang on my walls.
16. Go to a summer solstice event. The wild ones...
17. Take a cruise.
18. Visit the town in Oregon where I was born, and see how much has changed since I was 9.
19. Go to Disney World and Disney Land.
20. Take a road-trip to see Mardi Gras.
21. Go to a Masquerade Ball.
22. Learn Italian.
23. Learn German.
24. Learn to Ski.
25. Swim with Dolphins.
26. Visit Paris and do all the touristy things.
27. Make my own perfume.
28. Take my children on a pirate adventure.
29. Ride in a hot air balloon.
30. Send a message in a bottle.
31. Travel to all 50 states.
32. Write a letter to Juliet and place it on her wall in Verona.
33. Sing in front of a group of people.
34. Scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef.
35. Learn how to do a hand-stand.
36. Take a picture of myself every year on my birthday to see how much I change as I get older.
37. Make love to my husband on a beach, with the waves tickling our toes.
38. Explore England.
39. Write a romance book.
40. Go to Vegas, gamble and get remarried in one of those Vegas wedding Chapels.
41. Design a house and build it.
42. Go on the Chicago Ghost Tour.
43. Visit a Hookah Lounge.
44. Own a Vespa.
45. Successfully ride a Unicycle.
46. Visit the Wonders of the World.
47. Watch a grandchild come into this world.
48. Own a convertible and drive it in a parade.
49. Paint a room in every shade of purple.
50. Celebrate my 50th Wedding anniversary.

A to Z

This is for Valarie, so she can finally get back to stalking me, too!


A. Age: 32 years young.
B. Bed size: Queen, not so big that I can't cuddle my hubby.. but not so small that I can't stick one foot out of the blankets while not touching said hubby in cases of extreme heat waves. 
C. Chore that you hate: Taking out the trash.. that's why I got married and had spawnlings... so they can do that sort of stuff.
D. Dogs: I do want one.. or two. 
E. Essential start to your day: Coffee, I am no fun with a caffeine headache. Trust me.
F. Favorite color: Purple
G. Gold or Silver: Silver
H. Height: 5'8" unless it's Jess asking, then she breaks out the measuring tape to get very accurate so she can say she's taller than me.  :P
I. Instruments you play: I tried to play the Flute in 7th grade. I successfully learned how to properly blow into it. 
J. Job title: Wife, Mom... wish I could add more to that...
K. Kids: 2 boys
L. Live: I live in a huge apartment so my oldest son can go to the "right" school. 
M. Mother's name: Judy
N. Nicknames: Sis, Bella, Stien, Wiener, Christiner wiener, Allora, Mom, Mo-om (said in sarcastic 13 yr old boy voice)
O. Overnight hospital stays: 2, both times I brought spawn into the world.
P. Pet peeve: Leaving the kitchen cabinets opened. Ugh!
Q. Quote from a movie: "Your life is defined by its opportunities... even the ones you miss."
R. Right or left handed: Right
S. Siblings: 2 younger sisters and 2 younger brothers.
T. Time you wake up: 7:30am
U. Underwear: yes
V. Vegetable you hate: Lima Beans, I'm counting that as a vegetable.. grrr
W. What makes you run late: Everything! I am a huge procrastinator and late for everything constantly! 
X. X-Rays you've had: My teeth
Y. Yummy food that you make: Cake, cookies, muffins, and they now say I make a pretty yummy turkey.  
Z. Zoo animal: Zebra! My husband says I am like a zebra all the time. Of course when he compares himself to a lion, I am a little scared of him.. lol!

Holiday Shopping

How do you manage your holiday shopping? It seems every year, my budget shrinks. My husband gets a nice holiday bonus every December, a few days before Christmas. It helps, a lot! We end up doing 90% of our holiday shopping just days before Christmas. I try to stick to lists, and a budget, by setting up dollar amounts for each person I buy gifts for. I start my lists months in advance, I have a nice list going for my kids, and another for what I need to buy for the big family diner I am in charge of this year. I want to work on another list for decorating ideas and craft projects I can work on with the kiddos.

I wanna Blog, Sort of.

I want to try this Blog thing.. I am not the best writer, I am way too unorganized with my thoughts. So if you choose to read this, try to keep up with my crazy thought process.