Saturday, December 31, 2016

My To Do List

My To Do List
  1. Get out of my comfort zone and  go for some big risks. 
    1. Applied Internationally for jobs and didn't take any.
    2. Moved my kids to the East Coast - June 2018 Done
    Goal #121 - Learn to Knit
  2. Pay off my car (done  July 2016)
  3. Pay off my student loans
  4. Pay off all my credit cards
  5. Get my phd (t12/22 EdS - Leadership from Concordia Portland)
  6. Meet Ric O'Barry
  7. Write a children's book
  8. Teach a class for adults
  9. Get my TEFL certificate (started in May 2011 - Completed October 25, 2011 100 hours completed via www.teflonline.net)
  10. Go to Schoonhoven
  11. Help save a whale or dolphin
  12. Visit Pearl Harbor
  13. Learn how to blow glass   Completed 1/6/13 Click to read the blog post.
  14. Ride a horse on the beach
  15. See in a New Year in Times Square,  NY
  16. See a former student graduate from High School
  17. Stop Drinking Soda  Completed For a year 
  18. Chase a tornado
  19.  Photograph a tornado
  20. Drive across country and stop at the weird sites in each state
  21. Own a house with a widows keep on Cape Cod.
  22. Teach my dog 5 new tricks 5/5 (Taught Bella to show us her tummy, shake and to go to her spot on G's bed at bedtime, taught D'Agoe to hide his face behind my hands, Bella will hug if you ask her to.)
  23. Take a drawing class
  24. Read the Grapes of Wrath (completed 4/12 after 5 years of trying to read it - very sad and depressing story but that is a major part of my family history too)
  25. Ride a rollercoaster that goes upside down = complete March 2015
  26. See the Mona Lisa
  27. Take a pottery class
  28. Spend a night in a working lighthouse
  29. Walk a Barefoot Mile with a Soldier (Completed 12/4/10) Click to read my blog post.
  30. Go to India to see my mom's Sponsored Child.  The CFCA closed the office closest to my mom's sponsored child and she can no longer sponsor him. :( Very sad. We have been following him for 4 years.
  31. See the Northern Lights
  32. Watch Whales in Alaska
  33. Go to Dutch Harbor 
  34. Buy my mom a ticket to the East Coast at least once as a surprise
  35. See my children graduate from college
  36. Ghost hunt at the Stanley Hotel
  37. Ghost Hunt at Mt. Washington
  38. Ghost Hunt at the Spalding Inn (see a pattern here.. LOL)
  39. Learn to Ski
  40. Finish Scrapbooking my son's Karate album 1/12
  41. Hop a plane last minute and head to Arizona and surprise Family at the holidays
  42. Visit Australia Zoo and hold a Koala
  43.  Do something HUGE for my 40th birthday (Vegas Bound....)
  44. Take a trip spontaneously and with no planning ahead of time
  45. Read all of Shakespeare's Sonnets (is it me or are they terrible? -  I have read all of them and I loath them. They are not beautiful like his plays! He clearly was on a tangent when he wrote them.)
  46.  Program a Robot (Lego Mindstorm programming complete but the robot walks crooked and we clearly need a support group 2/11)
  47. Visit the tower of London
  48. Drink a Guinness at an Irish pub
  49. Attend a cheese rolling in Glousteshire, UK (http://www.cheese-rolling.co.uk/index1.htm)
  50. Honeymoon in Belize
  51. Marry my ONE
  52. Camp at the beach
  53.  Visit each country in Europe
  54. Ghost Hunt in the Tower of London
  55. Visit the O'Dea Castle in County Claire Ireland
  56. Drive a race car
  57.  Find the ancestors for Stephen Thornberry - DONE July 2019
  58.  Sell 25 of my handmade cards to strangers Goal Reached 4/19/12
  59. Visit Verona Italy
  60. Organize and give away/sell anything that hasn't been used in the last 18 months. Goal Reached 8/12 and again in 2018
    • Volunteer at an animal shelter
    • Go to Bali
    • See the Parthenon
    • Buy a meal for a stranger Completed several times over
    • Feel the heat of a volcano
    • Take a month off of Facebook  STARTED 11.9.16
    • View the Cherry Blossoms in Japan
    • Go to the Valley of the Kings
    • Go to a luau
    • Drive on the Autoban in Germany
    • Crash a wedding
    • Try a bizarre food
    •  Send flowers to a friend for no reason Sent them to my forever friend Amy
    • Take cheese making lessons in another country
    • Brew my own beer
    • Throw my son a surprise party
    •  Create and Send 100 handmade cards to Operation Write Home  (completed 2/19/11)
    • Go on a Cruise
    • Watch a movie being filmed (or part of one)
    • Learn how to make soap 2019
    • Learn to ride a motorcycle (http://www.motorcycletraining.com/)
    • Volunteer at a wild animal rescue
    • Bet $100 on blackjack and not be afraid to lose
    • Take a road trip  on historic Route 66 from CA to Chicago
    • Visit Seattle
    • Ghost hunt Gettysburg
    • Try past life regression
    • Go to a  FIFA soccer match
    • Toss fish at the Pike Place Fish Market (http://www.pikeplacefish.com/)
    • Celebrate a Christmas at Disneyland
    • Go sledding with my mom (we used to have to much fun doing this)
    • Roast marshmallows on the beach
    • Drive to the beach in the middle of the night to see the sun rise 
    • Rent an RV for the summer and roam the US
    • Learn how to make a quilt and make one for both kids
    • Learn to knit  Completed 11/12
    • Take Gracie shopping in New York City for her 16th birthday
    • Feed a baby elephant  
    • Ride a roller coaster that goes upside down
    • Visit Middle Earth http://www.hobbitontours.com/
    • Learn how to shoot a gun (March 29th, 2015 www.shootersworld.com)
    • Go to Hogwarts in Fl
    • Get my conceal carry permit
    • Shoot an AK 47
    • Ride the coasters at Universal Studios
    • Tour the White House
    • Go to the civil rights museum in Memphis July 2021
    • Own a Jeep
    • Go to NY Comic Con

    Bold = In progress

    Saturday, November 12, 2016

    My To Do List

    My To Do List
    1. Get out of my comfort zone and  go for some big risks. 
    2. Goal #121 - Learn to Knit
      • Applied for a job with the Dept. Of Defense Education Overseas. What better way to support our troops than teaching their kids plus provide a fantastic cultural experience for my son and I. The DODEA has classified me as qualified. Now it is continue to  sit and wait for an interview etc. (Updated 3/30/11)
      • 4/9/11 TeachAway Inc. Update San Fran and China Blog. Update on Cyprus is in there too.
      •  7/15 - Contacted by DODEA. Waiting....... 
      • 8/11 - On the waiting list to interview for the UAE in January or for next school year
      • 4/12 - Was invited to interview for the UAE and had to turn it down because of the baby. Can't have a baby in a foreign country. Will apply again next year when the baby is a year old. 
      • 6/12 - Was invited again to interview for the UAE and turned an October start down again bc of Baby Grace.  
      • 6/12/12 - Accepted a job at a charter school  - left MPES after 6 years. Definitely out of my comfort zone!
      • 3/2014 - declined to interview for a position in Kuwait City and Abu Dhabi again. Need to wait until Grace is old enough to have full sentence conversations.  
      • 10/16  - Accepted invitation to international job fair in Feb 2017. Applied to 8 schools in 6 Countries.

    3. Pay off my car (  done  July 2016)
    4. Pay off my student loans
    5. Pay off all my credit cards
    6. Get my phd (ETA May 2018)
    7. Cosplay at ComicCon
    8. Ghost hunt in a castle
    9. Meet Ric O'Barry
    10. Meet Captain Paul Watson
    11. Write a children's book
    12. Teach a class for adults
    13. Learn how to play the Baritone from my son.
    14. Get my TEFL certificate (started in May 2011 - Completed October 25, 2011 100 hours completed via www.teflonline.net)
    15. Go to Schoonhoven
    16. Help save a whale or dolphin
    17. Build a Huge sandcastle with my son
    18. Visit Pearl Harbor
    19. Learn how to blow glass   Completed 1/6/13 Click to read the blog post.
    20. Ride a horse on the beach
    21. See in a New Year in Times Square,  NY
    22. See a former student graduate from High School
    23. Stop Drinking Soda  Completed January 11, 2014
    24. Chase a tornado
    25.  Photograph a tornado
    26. Drive across country and stop at the weird sites in each state
    27. Own a house with a widows keep on Cape Cod.
    28.  Have a snowball fight with my son
    29. Teach my dog 5 new tricks 5/5 (Taught Bella to show us her tummy, shake and to go to her spot on G's bed at bedtime, taught D'Agoe to hide his face behind my hands, Bella will hug if you ask her to.)
    30. Take a drawing class
    31. Read the Grapes of Wrath (completed 4/12 after 5 years of trying to read it - very sad and depressing story but that is a major part of my family history too)
    32. Ride a rollercoaster that goes upside down = complete March 2015
    33. See the Mona Lisa
    34. Take a pottery class
    35. Spend a night in a working lighthouse
    36. Walk a Barefoot Mile with a Soldier (Completed 12/4/10) Click to read my blog post.
    37. Go to India to see my mom's Sponsored Child.  The CFCA closed the office closest to my mom's sponsored child and she can no longer sponsor him. :( Very sad. We have been following him for 4 years.
    38. See the Northern Lights
    39. Watch Whales in Alaska
    40. Go to Dutch Harbor 
    41. Volunteer for the USO  
    42. Learn to Scuba Dive
    43. Buy my mom a ticket to the East Coast at least once as a surprise
    44. See my children graduate from college
    45. Ghost hunt at the Stanley Hotel
    46. Ghost Hunt at Mt. Washington
    47. Ghost Hunt at the Spalding Inn (see a pattern here.. LOL)
    48. Learn to Ski
    49. Finish Scrapbooking my son's Karate album 1/12
    50. Hop a plane last minute and head to the East Coast and surprise Family at the holidays
    51. Visit Australia Zoo and hold a Koala
    52.  Do something HUGE for my 40th birthday (Vegas Bound....)
    53. Go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans
    54. Take a trip spontaneously and with no planning ahead of time
    55. Read all of Shakespeare's Sonnets (is it me or are they terrible? -  I have read all of them and I loath them. They are not beautiful like his plays! He clearly was on a tangent when he wrote them.)
    56.  Program a Robot (Lego Mindstorm programming complete but the robot walks crooked and we clearly need a support group 2/11)
    57. Visit the tower of London
    58. Drink a Guinness at an Irish pub
    59. Attend a cheese rolling in Glousteshire, UK (http://www.cheese-rolling.co.uk/index1.htm)
    60. Visit all 50 states in the United States (not just a drive through). (13/50)
    61.  Visit each country in Europe
    62. Ghost Hunt in the Tower of London
    63. Visit the O'Dea Castle in County Claire Ireland
    64. Drive a race car
    65.  Find the ancestors for Stephen Thornberry
    66.  Sell 25 of my handmade cards to strangers Goal Reached 4/19/12
    67. Visit Verona Italy
    68. See at least 10 of Chuly's installations on exhibit around the country/world (2/10)
    69. Organize and give away/sell anything that hasn't been used in the last 18 months. Goal Reached 8/12
      • Volunteer at an animal shelter
      • Go to Bali
      • See the Parthenon
      • Buy a meal for a stranger Completed several times over
      • Feel the heat of a volcano
      • Take a month off of Facebook  STARTED 11.9.16
      • View the Cherry Blossoms in Japan
      • Go to the Valley of the Kings
      • Go to a luau
      • Drive on the Autoban in Germany
      • Crash a wedding
      • Try a bizarre food
      •  Send flowers to a friend for no reason Sent them to my forever friend Amy
      • Take cheese making lessons in another country
      • Brew my own beer
      • Throw my son a surprise party
      •  Create and Send 100 handmade cards to Operation Write Home  (completed 2/19/11)
      • Go on a Cruise
      • Watch a movie being filmed (or part of one)
      • Learn how to make soap
      • Learn to ride a motorcyle (http://www.motorcycletraining.com/)
      • Volunteer at a wild animal rescue
      • Bet $100 on blackjack and not be afraid to lose
      • Take a road trip  on historic Route 66 from CA to Chicago
      • Visit Seattle
      • Ghost hunt Gettysburg
      • Try past life regression
      • Go to a  FIFA soccer match
      • Toss fish at the Pike Place Fish Market (http://www.pikeplacefish.com/)
      • Celebrate a Christmas at Disneyland
      • Go sledding with my mom (we used to have to much fun doing this)
      • Roast marshmallows on the beach
      • Drive to the beach in the middle of the night to see the sun rise 
      • Teach in another country
      • Rent an RV for the summer and roam the US
      • Learn how to make a quilt and make one for both kids
      • Learn to knit  Completed 11/12
      • Take Gracie shopping in New York City for her 16th birthday
      • Feed a baby elephant  
      • Ride a roller coaster that goes upside down
      • Visit Middle Earth http://www.hobbitontours.com/
      • Learn how to shoot a gun (March 29th, 2015 www.shootersworld.com)
      • Go to Hogwarts in Fl
      • Get my conceal carry permit
      • Shoot an AK 47
      • Ride the coasters at Universal Studios
      • Teach in another Country (Started process...) 
      • Meet the President of the United States

      Bold = In progress

      My To Do List

      My To Do List
      1. Get out of my comfort zone and  go for some big risks. 
      2. Goal #121 - Learn to Knit
        • Applied for a job with the Dept. Of Defense Education Overseas. What better way to support our troops than teaching their kids plus provide a fantastic cultural experience for my son and I. The DODEA has classified me as qualified. Now it is continue to  sit and wait for an interview etc. (Updated 3/30/11)
        • 4/9/11 TeachAway Inc. Update San Fran and China Blog. Update on Cyprus is in there too.
        •  7/15 - Contacted by DODEA. Waiting....... 
        • 8/11 - On the waiting list to interview for the UAE in January or for next school year
        • 4/12 - Was invited to interview for the UAE and had to turn it down because of the baby. Can't have a baby in a foreign country. Will apply again next year when the baby is a year old. 
        • 6/12 - Was invited again to interview for the UAE and turned an October start down again bc of Baby Grace.  
        • 6/12/12 - Accepted a job at a charter school  - left MPES after 6 years. Definitely out of my comfort zone!
        • 3/2014 - declined to interview for a position in Kuwait City and Abu Dhabi again. Need to wait until Grace is old enough to have full sentence conversations. 

      3. Pay off my car ( will be done in July 2016)
      4. Pay off my student loans
      5. Pay off all my credit cards
      6. Get my phd
      7. Cosplay at ComicCon
      8. Ghost hunt in a castle
      9. Meet Ric O'Barry
      10. Meet Captain Paul Watson
      11. Write a children's book
      12. Teach a class for adults
      13. Learn how to play the Baritone from my son.
      14. Get my TEFL certificate (started in May 2011 - Completed October 25, 2011 100 hours completed via www.teflonline.net)
      15. Go to Schoonhoven
      16. Help save a whale or dolphin
      17. Build a Huge sandcastle with my son
      18. Visit Pearl Harbor
      19. Learn how to blow glass   Completed 1/6/13 Click to read the blog post.
      20. Ride a horse on the beach
      21. See in a New Year in Times Square,  NY
      22. See a former student graduate from High School
      23. Stop Drinking Soda  Completed January 11, 2014
      24. Chase a tornado
      25.  Photograph a tornado
      26. Drive across country and stop at the weird sites in each state
      27. Own a house with a widows keep on Cape Cod.
      28.  Have a snowball fight with my son
      29. Teach my dog 5 new tricks 5/5 (Taught Bella to show us her tummy, shake and to go to her spot on G's bed at bedtime, taught D'Agoe to hide his face behind my hands, Bella will hug if you ask her to.)
      30. Take a drawing class
      31. Read the Grapes of Wrath (completed 4/12 after 5 years of trying to read it - very sad and depressing story but that is a major part of my family history too)
      32. Ride a rollercoaster that goes upside down = complete March 2015
      33. See the Mona Lisa
      34. Take a pottery class
      35. Spend a night in a working lighthouse
      36. Walk a Barefoot Mile with a Soldier (Completed 12/4/10) Click to read my blog post.
      37. Go to India to see my mom's Sponsored Child.  The CFCA closed the office closest to my mom's sponsored child and she can no longer sponsor him. :( Very sad. We have been following him for 4 years.
      38. See the Northern Lights
      39. Watch Whales in Alaska
      40. Go to Dutch Harbor 
      41. Volunteer for the USO  
      42. Learn to Scuba Dive
      43. Buy my mom a ticket to the East Coast at least once as a surprise
      44. See my children graduate from college
      45. Ghost hunt at the Stanley Hotel
      46. Ghost Hunt at Mt. Washington
      47. Ghost Hunt at the Spalding Inn (see a pattern here.. LOL)
      48. Learn to Ski
      49. Finish Scrapbooking my son's Karate album 1/12
      50. Hop a plane last minute and head to the East Coast and surprise Family at the holidays
      51. Visit Australia Zoo and hold a Koala
      52.  Do something HUGE for my 40th birthday (Vegas Bound....)
      53. Go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans
      54. Take a trip spontaneously and with no planning ahead of time
      55. Read all of Shakespeare's Sonnets (is it me or are they terrible? -  I have read all of them and I loath them. They are not beautiful like his plays! He clearly was on a tangent when he wrote them.)
      56.  Program a Robot (Lego Mindstorm programming complete but the robot walks crooked and we clearly need a support group 2/11)
      57. Visit the tower of London
      58. Drink a Guinness at an Irish pub
      59. Attend a cheese rolling in Glousteshire, UK (http://www.cheese-rolling.co.uk/index1.htm)
      60. Visit all 50 states in the United States (not just a drive through). (13/50)
      61.  Visit each country in Europe
      62. Ghost Hunt in the Tower of London
      63. Visit the O'Dea Castle in County Claire Ireland
      64. Drive a race car
      65.  Find the ancestors for Stephen Thornberry
      66.  Sell 25 of my handmade cards to strangers Goal Reached 4/19/12
      67. Visit Verona Italy
      68. See at least 10 of Chuly's installations on exhibit around the country/world (2/10)
      69. Organize and give away/sell anything that hasn't been used in the last 18 months. Goal Reached 8/12
        • Volunteer at an animal shelter
        • Go to Bali
        • See the Parthenon
        • Buy a meal for a stranger Completed several times over
        • Feel the heat of a volcano
        • Take a month off of Facebook  STARTED 11.9.10
        • View the Cherry Blossoms in Japan
        • Go to the Valley of the Kings
        • Go to a luau
        • Drive on the Autoban in Germany
        • Crash a wedding
        • Try a bizarre food
        •  Send flowers to a friend for no reason Sent them to my forever friend Amy
        • Take cheese making lessons in another country
        • Brew my own beer
        • Throw my son a surprise party
        •  Create and Send 100 handmade cards to Operation Write Home  (completed 2/19/11)
        • Go on a Cruise
        • Watch a movie being filmed (or part of one)
        • Learn how to make soap
        • Learn to ride a motorcyle (http://www.motorcycletraining.com/)
        • Volunteer at a wild animal rescue
        • Bet $100 on blackjack and not be afraid to lose
        • Take a road trip  on historic Route 66 from CA to Chicago
        • Visit Seattle
        • Ghost hunt Gettysburg
        • Try past life regression
        • Go to a  FIFA soccer match
        • Toss fish at the Pike Place Fish Market (http://www.pikeplacefish.com/)
        • Celebrate a Christmas at Disneyland
        • Go sledding with my mom (we used to have to much fun doing this)
        • Roast marshmallows on the beach
        • Drive to the beach in the middle of the night to see the sun rise 
        • Teach in another country
        • Rent an RV for the summer and roam the US
        • Learn how to make a quilt and make one for both kids
        • Learn to knit  Completed 11/12
        • Take Gracie shopping in New York City for her 16th birthday
        • Feed a baby elephant  
        • Ride a roller coaster that goes upside down
        • Visit Middle Earth http://www.hobbitontours.com/
        • Learn how to shoot a gun (March 29th, 2015 www.shootersworld.com)
        • Go to Hogwarts in Fl
        • Get my conceal carry permit
        • Shoot an AK 47
        • Ride the coasters at Universal Studios
        • Teach in another Country (Started process...) 
        • Meet the President of the United States

        Bold = In progress

        My To Do List

        My To Do List
        1. Get out of my comfort zone and  go for some big risks. 
        2. Goal #121 - Learn to Knit
          • Applied for a job with the Dept. Of Defense Education Overseas. What better way to support our troops than teaching their kids plus provide a fantastic cultural experience for my son and I. The DODEA has classified me as qualified. Now it is continue to  sit and wait for an interview etc. (Updated 3/30/11)
          • 4/9/11 TeachAway Inc. Update San Fran and China Blog. Update on Cyprus is in there too.
          •  7/15 - Contacted by DODEA. Waiting....... 
          • 8/11 - On the waiting list to interview for the UAE in January or for next school year
          • 4/12 - Was invited to interview for the UAE and had to turn it down because of the baby. Can't have a baby in a foreign country. Will apply again next year when the baby is a year old. 
          • 6/12 - Was invited again to interview for the UAE and turned an October start down again bc of Baby Grace.  
          • 6/12/12 - Accepted a job at a charter school  - left MPES after 6 years. Definitely out of my comfort zone!
          • 3/2014 - declined to interview for a position in Kuwait City and Abu Dhabi again. Need to wait until Grace is old enough to have full sentence conversations. 
          • 10/2016 - Invited to International Job Fair in San Fran. Applied to 8 schools in Europe, Cayman Islands and Abu Dhabi
        3. Pay off my car (Done July 2016)
        4. Pay off my student loans
        5. Pay off all my credit cards
        6. Get my phd (ETA May 2018)
        7. Cosplay at ComicCon
        8. Ghost hunt in a castle
        9. Meet Ric O'Barry
        10. Meet Captain Paul Watson
        11. Write a children's book
        12. Teach a class for adults
        13. Learn how to play the Baritone from my son.
        14. Get my TEFL certificate (started in May 2011 - Completed October 25, 2011 100 hours completed via www.teflonline.net)
        15. Go to Schoonhoven
        16. Help save a whale or dolphin
        17. Build a Huge sandcastle with my son
        18. Visit Pearl Harbor
        19. Learn how to blow glass   Completed 1/6/13 Click to read the blog post.
        20. Ride a horse on the beach
        21. See in a New Year in Times Square,  NY
        22. See a former student graduate from High School
        23. Stop Drinking Soda  Completed January 11, 2014
        24. Chase a tornado
        25.  Photograph a tornado
        26. Drive across country and stop at the weird sites in each state
        27. Own a house with a widows keep on Cape Cod.
        28.  Have a snowball fight with my son
        29. Teach my dog 5 new tricks 5/5 (Taught Bella to show us her tummy, shake and to go to her spot on G's bed at bedtime, taught D'Agoe to hide his face behind my hands, Bella will hug if you ask her to.)
        30. Take a drawing class
        31. Read the Grapes of Wrath (completed 4/12 after 5 years of trying to read it - very sad and depressing story but that is a major part of my family history too)
        32. Ride a rollercoaster that goes upside down = complete March 2015
        33. See the Mona Lisa
        34. Take a pottery class
        35. Spend a night in a working lighthouse
        36. Walk a Barefoot Mile with a Soldier (Completed 12/4/10) Click to read my blog post.
        37. Go to India to see my mom's Sponsored Child.  The CFCA closed the office closest to my mom's sponsored child and she can no longer sponsor him. :( Very sad. We have been following him for 4 years.
        38. See the Northern Lights
        39. Watch Whales in Alaska
        40. Go to Dutch Harbor 
        41. Volunteer for the USO  
        42. Learn to Scuba Dive
        43. Buy my mom a ticket to the East Coast at least once as a surprise
        44. See my children graduate from college
        45. Ghost hunt at the Stanley Hotel
        46. Ghost Hunt at Mt. Washington
        47. Ghost Hunt at the Spalding Inn (see a pattern here.. LOL)
        48. Learn to Ski
        49. Finish Scrapbooking my son's Karate album 1/12
        50. Hop a plane last minute and head to the East Coast and surprise Family at the holidays
        51. Visit Australia Zoo and hold a Koala
        52.  Do something HUGE for my 40th birthday (Vegas Bound....)
        53. Go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans
        54. Take a trip spontaneously and with no planning ahead of time
        55. Read all of Shakespeare's Sonnets (is it me or are they terrible? -  I have read all of them and I loath them. They are not beautiful like his plays! He clearly was on a tangent when he wrote them.)
        56.  Program a Robot (Lego Mindstorm programming complete but the robot walks crooked and we clearly need a support group 2/11)
        57. Visit the tower of London
        58. Drink a Guinness at an Irish pub
        59. Attend a cheese rolling in Glousteshire, UK (http://www.cheese-rolling.co.uk/index1.htm)
        60. Visit all 50 states in the United States (not just a drive through). (13/50)
        61.  Visit each country in Europe
        62. Ghost Hunt in the Tower of London
        63. Visit the O'Dea Castle in County Claire Ireland
        64. Drive a race car
        65.  Find the ancestors for Stephen Thornberry
        66.  Sell 25 of my handmade cards to strangers Goal Reached 4/19/12
        67. Visit Verona Italy
        68. See at least 10 of Chuly's installations on exhibit around the country/world (2/10)
        69. Organize and give away/sell anything that hasn't been used in the last 18 months. Goal Reached 8/12
          • Volunteer at an animal shelter
          • Go to Bali
          • See the Parthenon
          • Buy a meal for a stranger Completed several times over
          • Feel the heat of a volcano
          • Take a month off of Facebook  STARTED 11.9.16
          • View the Cherry Blossoms in Japan
          • Go to the Valley of the Kings
          • Go to a luau
          • Drive on the Autoban in Germany
          • Crash a wedding
          • Try a bizarre food (Various types of sushi count on this one)
          •  Send flowers to a friend for no reason Sent them to my forever friend Amy
          • Take cheese making lessons in another country
          • Brew my own beer
          • Throw my son a surprise party
          •  Create and Send 100 handmade cards to Operation Write Home  (completed 2/19/11)
          • Go on a Cruise
          • Watch a movie being filmed (or part of one)
          • Learn how to make soap
          • Learn to ride a motorcyle (http://www.motorcycletraining.com/)
          • Volunteer at a wild animal rescue
          • Bet $100 on blackjack and not be afraid to lose
          • Take a road trip  on historic Route 66 from CA to Chicago
          • Visit Seattle
          • Ghost hunt Gettysburg
          • Try past life regression
          • Go to a  FIFA soccer match
          • Toss fish at the Pike Place Fish Market (http://www.pikeplacefish.com/)
          • Celebrate a Christmas at Disneyland
          • Go sledding with my mom (we used to have to much fun doing this)
          • Roast marshmallows on the beach
          • Drive to the beach in the middle of the night to see the sun rise 
          • Teach in another country
          • Rent an RV for the summer and roam the US
          • Learn how to make a quilt and make one for both kids
          • Learn to knit  Completed 11/12
          • Take Gracie shopping in New York City for her 16th birthday
          • Feed a baby elephant  
          • Ride a roller coaster that goes upside down
          • Visit Middle Earth http://www.hobbitontours.com/
          • Learn how to shoot a gun (March 29th, 2015 www.shootersworld.com)
          • Go to Hogwarts in Fl
          • Get my conceal carry permit
          • Shoot an AK 47
          • Ride the coasters at Universal Studios
          • Teach in another Country (Started process...) 
          • Meet the President of the United States

          Bold = In progress

          I JUST SUED THE SCHOOL SYSTEM !!!

          WHY IM HAPPY TRUMP WON

          Monday, July 4, 2016

          My To Do List

          My To Do List



          1. Get out of my comfort zone and  go for some big risks. 
          2. Goal #121 - Learn to Knit
            • Applied for a job with the Dept. Of Defense Education Overseas. What better way to support our troops than teaching their kids plus provide a fantastic cultural experience for my son and I. The DODEA has classified me as qualified. Now it is continue to  sit and wait for an interview etc. (Updated 3/30/11)
            • 4/9/11 TeachAway Inc. Update San Fran and China Blog. Update on Cyprus is in there too.
            •  7/15 - Contacted by DODEA. Waiting....... 
            • 8/11 - On the waiting list to interview for the UAE in January or for next school year
            • 4/12 - Was invited to interview for the UAE and had to turn it down because of the baby. Can't have a baby in a foreign country. Will apply again next year when the baby is a year old. 
            • 6/12 - Was invited again to interview for the UAE and turned an October start down again bc of Baby Grace.  
            • 6/12/12 - Accepted a job at a charter school  - left MPES after 6 years. Definitely out of my comfort zone!
            • 3/2014 - declined to interview for a position in Kuwait City and Abu Dhabi again. Need to wait until Grace is old enough to have full sentence conversations. 

          3. Pay off my car ( will be done in July 2016)
          4. Pay off my student loans
          5. Pay off all my credit cards
          6. Cosplay at ComicCon
          7. Ghost hunt in a castle
          8. Meet Ric O'Barry
          9. Meet Captain Paul Watson
          10. Write a children's book
          11. Teach a class for adults
          12. Learn how to play the Baritone from my son.
          13. Get my TEFL certificate (started in May 2011 - Completed October 25, 2011 100 hours completed via www.teflonline.net)
          14. Go to Schoonhoven
          15. Help save a whale or dolphin
          16. Build a Huge sandcastle with my son
          17. Visit Pearl Harbor
          18. Learn how to blow glass   Completed 1/6/13 Click to read the blog post.
          19. Ride a horse on the beach
          20. See in a New Year in Times Square,  NY
          21. See a former student graduate from High School
          22. Stop Drinking Soda  Completed January 11, 2014
          23. Chase a tornado
          24.  Photograph a tornado
          25. Drive across country and stop at the weird sites in each state
          26. Own a house with a widows keep on Cape Cod.
          27.  Have a snowball fight with my son
          28. Teach my dog 5 new tricks 5/5 (Taught Bella to show us her tummy, shake and to go to her spot on G's bed at bedtime, taught D'Agoe to hide his face behind my hands, Bella will hug if you ask her to.)
          29. Take a drawing class
          30. Read the Grapes of Wrath (completed 4/12 after 5 years of trying to read it - very sad and depressing story but that is a major part of my family history too)
          31. Ride a rollercoaster that goes upside down = complete March 2015
          32. See the Mona Lisa
          33. Take a pottery class
          34. Spend a night in a working lighthouse
          35. Walk a Barefoot Mile with a Soldier (Completed 12/4/10) Click to read my blog post.
          36. Go to India to see my mom's Sponsored Child.  The CFCA closed the office closest to my mom's sponsored child and she can no longer sponsor him. :( Very sad. We have been following him for 4 years.
          37. See the Northern Lights
          38. Watch Whales in Alaska
          39. Go to Dutch Harbor 
          40. Volunteer for the USO  
          41. Learn to Scuba Dive
          42. Buy my mom a ticket to the East Coast at least once as a surprise
          43. See my children graduate from college
          44. Ghost hunt at the Stanley Hotel
          45. Ghost Hunt at Mt. Washington
          46. Ghost Hunt at the Spalding Inn (see a pattern here.. LOL)
          47. Learn to Ski
          48. Finish Scrapbooking my son's Karate album 1/12
          49. Hop a plane last minute and head to the East Coast and surprise Family at the holidays
          50. Visit Australia Zoo and hold a Koala
          51.  Do something HUGE for my 40th birthday (Vegas Bound....)
          52. Go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans
          53. Take a trip spontaneously and with no planning ahead of time
          54. Read all of Shakespeare's Sonnets (is it me or are they terrible? -  I have read all of them and I loath them. They are not beautiful like his plays! He clearly was on a tangent when he wrote them.)
          55.  Program a Robot (Lego Mindstorm programming complete but the robot walks crooked and we clearly need a support group 2/11)
          56. Visit the tower of London
          57. Drink a Guinness at an Irish pub
          58. Attend a cheese rolling in Glousteshire, UK (http://www.cheese-rolling.co.uk/index1.htm)
          59. Visit all 50 states in the United States (not just a drive through). (13/50)
          60.  Visit each country in Europe
          61. Ghost Hunt in the Tower of London
          62. Visit the O'Dea Castle in County Claire Ireland
          63. Drive a race car
          64.  Find the ancestors for Stephen Thornberry
          65.  Sell 25 of my handmade cards to strangers Goal Reached 4/19/12
          66. Visit Verona Italy
          67. See at least 10 of Chuly's installations on exhibit around the country/world (2/10)
          68. Organize and give away/sell anything that hasn't been used in the last 18 months. Goal Reached 8/12
            • Volunteer at an animal shelter
            • Go to Bali
            • See the Parthenon
            • Buy a meal for a stranger Completed several times over
            • Feel the heat of a volcano
            • Take a month off of Facebook
            • View the Cherry Blossoms in Japan
            • Go to the Valley of the Kings
            • Go to a luau
            • Drive on the Autoban in Germany
            • Crash a wedding
            • Try a bizarre food
            •  Send flowers to a friend for no reason Sent them to my forever friend Amy
            • Take cheese making lessons in another country
            • Brew my own beer
            • Throw my son a surprise party
            •  Create and Send 100 handmade cards to Operation Write Home  (completed 2/19/11)
            • Go on a Cruise
            • Watch a movie being filmed (or part of one)
            • Learn how to make soap
            • Learn to ride a motorcyle (http://www.motorcycletraining.com/)
            • Volunteer at a wild animal rescue
            • Bet $100 on blackjack and not be afraid to lose
            • Take a road trip  on historic Route 66 from CA to Chicago
            • Visit Seattle
            • Ghost hunt Gettysburg
            • Try past life regression
            • Go to a  FIFA soccer match
            • Toss fish at the Pike Place Fish Market (http://www.pikeplacefish.com/)
            • Celebrate a Christmas at Disneyland
            • Go sledding with my mom (we used to have to much fun doing this)
            • Roast marshmallows on the beach
            • Drive to the beach in the middle of the night to see the sun rise 
            • Teach in another country
            • Rent an RV for the summer and roam the US
            • Learn how to make a quilt and make one for both kids
            • Learn to knit  Completed 11/12
            • Take Gracie shopping in New York City for her 16th birthday
            • Feed a baby elephant  
            • Ride a roller coaster that goes upside down
            • Visit Middle Earth http://www.hobbitontours.com/
            • Learn how to shoot a gun (March 29th, 2015 www.shootersworld.com)
            •  Go on The Tower of Terror 
            • Go to Hogwarts in Fl
            • Get my conceal carry permit
            • Shoot an AK 47
            • Ride the coasters at Universal Studios
            •  

            Bold = In progress

            My To Do List

            My To Do List



            1. Get out of my comfort zone and  go for some big risks. 
            2. Goal #121 - Learn to Knit
              • Applied for a job with the Dept. Of Defense Education Overseas. What better way to support our troops than teaching their kids plus provide a fantastic cultural experience for my son and I. The DODEA has classified me as qualified. Now it is continue to  sit and wait for an interview etc. (Updated 3/30/11)
              • 4/9/11 TeachAway Inc. Update San Fran and China Blog. Update on Cyprus is in there too.
              •  7/15 - Contacted by DODEA. Waiting....... 
              • 8/11 - On the waiting list to interview for the UAE in January or for next school year
              • 4/12 - Was invited to interview for the UAE and had to turn it down because of the baby. Can't have a baby in a foreign country. Will apply again next year when the baby is a year old. 
              • 6/12 - Was invited again to interview for the UAE and turned an October start down again bc of Baby Grace.  
              • 6/12/12 - Accepted a job at a charter school  - left MPES after 6 years. Definitely out of my comfort zone!
              • 3/2014 - declined to interview for a position in Kuwait City and Abu Dhabi again. Need to wait until Grace is old enough to have full sentence conversations. 

            3. Pay off my car ( will be done in July 2016)
            4. Pay off my student loans
            5. Pay off all my credit cards
            6. Cosplay at ComicCon
            7. Ghost hunt in a castle
            8. Meet Ric O'Barry
            9. Meet Captain Paul Watson
            10. Write a children's book
            11. Teach a class for adults
            12. Learn how to play the Baritone from my son.
            13. Get my TEFL certificate (started in May 2011 - Completed October 25, 2011 100 hours completed via www.teflonline.net)
            14. Go to Schoonhoven
            15. Help save a whale or dolphin
            16. Build a Huge sandcastle with my son
            17. Visit Pearl Harbor
            18. Learn how to blow glass   Completed 1/6/13 Click to read the blog post.
            19. Ride a horse on the beach
            20. See in a New Year in Times Square,  NY
            21. See a former student graduate from High School
            22. Stop Drinking Soda  Completed January 11, 2014
            23. Chase a tornado
            24.  Photograph a tornado
            25. Drive across country and stop at the weird sites in each state
            26. Own a house with a widows keep on Cape Cod.
            27.  Have a snowball fight with my son
            28. Teach my dog 5 new tricks 5/5 (Taught Bella to show us her tummy, shake and to go to her spot on G's bed at bedtime, taught D'Agoe to hide his face behind my hands, Bella will hug if you ask her to.)
            29. Take a drawing class
            30. Read the Grapes of Wrath (completed 4/12 after 5 years of trying to read it - very sad and depressing story but that is a major part of my family history too)
            31. Ride a rollercoaster that goes upside down = complete March 2015
            32. See the Mona Lisa
            33. Take a pottery class
            34. Spend a night in a working lighthouse
            35. Walk a Barefoot Mile with a Soldier (Completed 12/4/10) Click to read my blog post.
            36. Go to India to see my mom's Sponsored Child.  The CFCA closed the office closest to my mom's sponsored child and she can no longer sponsor him. :( Very sad. We have been following him for 4 years.
            37. See the Northern Lights
            38. Watch Whales in Alaska
            39. Go to Dutch Harbor 
            40. Volunteer for the USO  
            41. Learn to Scuba Dive
            42. Buy my mom a ticket to the East Coast at least once as a surprise
            43. See my children graduate from college
            44. Ghost hunt at the Stanley Hotel
            45. Ghost Hunt at Mt. Washington
            46. Ghost Hunt at the Spalding Inn (see a pattern here.. LOL)
            47. Learn to Ski
            48. Finish Scrapbooking my son's Karate album 1/12
            49. Hop a plane last minute and head to the East Coast and surprise Family at the holidays
            50. Visit Australia Zoo and hold a Koala
            51.  Do something HUGE for my 40th birthday (Vegas Bound....)
            52. Go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans
            53. Take a trip spontaneously and with no planning ahead of time
            54. Read all of Shakespeare's Sonnets (is it me or are they terrible? -  I have read all of them and I loath them. They are not beautiful like his plays! He clearly was on a tangent when he wrote them.)
            55.  Program a Robot (Lego Mindstorm programming complete but the robot walks crooked and we clearly need a support group 2/11)
            56. Visit the tower of London
            57. Drink a Guinness at an Irish pub
            58. Attend a cheese rolling in Glousteshire, UK (http://www.cheese-rolling.co.uk/index1.htm)
            59. Visit all 50 states in the United States (not just a drive through). (13/50)
            60.  Visit each country in Europe
            61. Ghost Hunt in the Tower of London
            62. Visit the O'Dea Castle in County Claire Ireland
            63. Drive a race car
            64.  Find the ancestors for Stephen Thornberry
            65.  Sell 25 of my handmade cards to strangers Goal Reached 4/19/12
            66. Visit Verona Italy
            67. See at least 10 of Chuly's installations on exhibit around the country/world (2/10)
            68. Organize and give away/sell anything that hasn't been used in the last 18 months. Goal Reached 8/12
              • Volunteer at an animal shelter
              • Go to Bali
              • See the Parthenon
              • Buy a meal for a stranger Completed several times over
              • Feel the heat of a volcano
              • Take a month off of Facebook
              • View the Cherry Blossoms in Japan
              • Go to the Valley of the Kings
              • Go to a luau
              • Drive on the Autoban in Germany
              • Crash a wedding
              • Try a bizarre food
              •  Send flowers to a friend for no reason Sent them to my forever friend Amy
              • Take cheese making lessons in another country
              • Brew my own beer
              • Throw my son a surprise party
              •  Create and Send 100 handmade cards to Operation Write Home  (completed 2/19/11)
              • Go on a Cruise
              • Watch a movie being filmed (or part of one)
              • Learn how to make soap
              • Learn to ride a motorcyle (http://www.motorcycletraining.com/)
              • Volunteer at a wild animal rescue
              • Bet $100 on blackjack and not be afraid to lose
              • Take a road trip  on historic Route 66 from CA to Chicago
              • Visit Seattle
              • Ghost hunt Gettysburg
              • Try past life regression
              • Go to a  FIFA soccer match
              • Toss fish at the Pike Place Fish Market (http://www.pikeplacefish.com/)
              • Celebrate a Christmas at Disneyland
              • Go sledding with my mom (we used to have to much fun doing this)
              • Roast marshmallows on the beach
              • Drive to the beach in the middle of the night to see the sun rise 
              • Teach in another country
              • Rent an RV for the summer and roam the US
              • Learn how to make a quilt and make one for both kids
              • Learn to knit  Completed 11/12
              • Take Gracie shopping in New York City for her 16th birthday
              • Feed a baby elephant  
              • Consciously perform a random act of kindness daily for 365 days. 
              • Visit Middle Earth http://www.hobbitontours.com/
              • Learn how to shoot a gun (March 29th, 2015 www.shootersworld.com)
              •  Go on The Tower of Terror 
              • Go to Hogwarts in Fl
              • Get my conceal carry permit
              • Shoot an AK 47
              • Ride the coasters at Universal Studios
              •  

              Bold = In progress

              Thursday, May 29, 2014

              Books Worth Reading.. Sometimes More than Once!

              Some of my faves....

              1. The Martian
              2. Alice in Wonderland
              3. Fairest
              4. Winter
              5.  I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced, Nujood Ali with Delphine Minoui, New York, 2010 (ISBN 978-0307589675)
              6.  Juliet. Anne Fortier.
              7. Catcher in the Rye (again).
              8.  Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
              9. Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
              10. The Secret (again)
              11. The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd: Eighth Grade Bites  by Heather Brewer
              12. The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd: Ninth Grade Slays by Heather Brewer
              13.  Hiroshima by John Hersey
              14. Married Lovers by Jackie Collins
              15. The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod 11th Grade Burns by Heather Brewer
              16.  Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse
              17.  Heaven is Real by Todd Burpo 
              18.  Ask Your Guides: Connecting to Your Divine Support System by Sonia Choquette (Jun 1, 2007)
              19.  The Power
              20. 365 Ways to Live the Law of Attraction: Harness the power of positive thinking every day of the year 
              21.  Thirst by Ava Delaney
              22.  The Meditation Experience
              23.  Charlane Harris's Dead  in the Family (Sookie Stackhouse)
              24.  Forever by Maggie Steifvater
              25. City of Ashes
              26. The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod 12th Grade by Heather Brewer
              27. Grapes of Wrath
              28. Nothing to Envy  Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
              29. Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James
              30. Fifty Shades Darker by EL James
              31. Fifty Shades Freed by EL James
              32. Hunger Games 
              33. Mockingjay
              34. American Sniper
              35. Bared to You
              36. Catching Fire
              37. Fallen Angels
              38. No Apology by Mitt Romney
              39. The Midnight Garden
              40. Sold
              41. Gabriel's Inferno
              42. Gabriel's Rapture 
              43. Divergent
              44. Allegient
              45. Insurgent
              46. World War Z
              47. All 7 of the Shadow Children books by Margaret Peterson Haddix
              48. The Magician's Nephew
              49. Lion, Witch and Wardrobe
              50. The Boy and His Horse
              51.  Number the Stars
              52. The Maze Runner
              53. The Scorch Trials
              54. Cinder
              55. Scarlet
              56. Cress
              57. The Fault in Our Stars
              58. If I Stay
              59. Gone 
              60. The Hunger
              61. If I Stay
              62. Where She went
              63. Johnny Tremain
              64. Sophia's War
              65. The 21 Balloons
              66. Island of the Blue Dolphins
              67. 1776
              68. American Sniper
              69.  Fairest
              70. Legend
              71. Unwind
              72. The Testing
              73. Graduation Day
              74. Prodigy
              75. Champion

              Being Grateful



              Things I am Grateful For....
              • My son and my daughter
              • My family
              • My pets
              • having felt unconditional love
              • a rewarding career
              • the smell of rain
              • The quiet and stillness of the Midnight Hour
              •  Having been in love more than once in my life
              • The Ocean
              • Having been able to touch a dolphin and look in its eyes
              • Seeing a humpback whale feeding in the wild
              • wishing on shooting stars
              • Watching my son's eyes light up after a Karate win
              • Seeing my son's eyes light up when he discovers something new in the world
              • hearing my son laugh when he thinks I am not listening
              •  having a dog to snuggle up with
              • sunlight on my face when I am down
              • standing my ground
              • being able to stand on my two feet
              • speaking my mind when I have to
              • for knowing my grandma and being her "pink and gold angel"
              • for being so close to my mom
              • for having two children whom I adore
              • making snow angels in a foot of snow
              • wishing on a shooting star
              •  my mom teaching me how to cook
              •  the smell of turkey in the oven
              • eating crepes in Quebec
              • seeing Hiroshima
              • listening to my great grandma talk about how things were when she was a young girl
              • for getting published in my college newspaper more than once
              • friends - some I have known my entire life and we are still friends
              • hot showers
              • Santa Clause
              • knowing there is more to life than what we can see
              • meditating on the red rocks in Sedona
              • having seen the Twin towers pre-9/11
              • finding my grandma's family and piecing together the genealogy
              • my education
              • puppy kisses
              • having put the bad memories of the past in the past and live with the great memories
              • knowing when to forgive and when to just forget and move on
              • cold beer with pizza
              • listening to my son sing or do karate in the shower or in his room
              • kitty purrs
              • flowers
              • my mom's uncontrollable laughing
              •  the smell of an old book
              • classic music
              • Sinatra
              • diet coke even though it is bad for me
              • creativity
              • for being able to name my baby girl after my Grandma Grace
              • for having known and loved both sets of my grandparents and for having step-grandparents that were not "steps"
              • the smell of a clean baby after a bath
              • baby smiles when I am feeling blue
              • the freedom to be able to vote
              • french fries and ketchup
              • the esp I have with my mom
              •  laughing with my son until we have tears running down our faces
              • power of prayer
              • lost and found love
              • being able to talk to friends I haven't seen in ages and feeling like we saw each other yesterday
              • for having baggage because it has helped me grow as a person 
              • wonderful childhood memories
              • Vibram Fivefingers and Injini socks
              • flip flops
              • chocolate
              • being brave enough to try new things
              • baby snuggles and sighs
              • watching my daughter explore her world
              • having a very supportive admin at work and teachers that are so supportive as well
              • knowing that a smile can change everything 
              •  sushi
              • having friends that I have known my entire life
              • having new friends
              • being able to  keep in touch with members of my ex's family
              • gaming with my son
              • cupcakes

              Sunday, January 6, 2013

              Goal #21 Glass blowing

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