Dreams

Sometimes I think that if I don't have a list already made, I forget half of the things I wanted to do. If I ever go to the grocery store and forget a list, I only come home with about half of the items that I needed. I don't know if this normal, or if I am crazy. But I am a list type of a person.



I have been thinking a lot about the things that I would like to do in my lifetime, all the things I want to see, accomplish, be... So I decided to create a list of goals for my life. Some of them may be lofty goals... but I hope that I can accomplish all that I seek out to accomplish.

My Lifetime Goals:
1. Learn to play the guitar
2. Learn to ice skate without falling down every minute or two.
3. Go skydiving
4. Go parachuting
5. Learn Italian
6. Learn how to cook healthily and consistently
7. Run a 10 k
8. Do a triathlon
9. Read the Book of Mormon in one month
10.Graduate with a bachelors in Nursing
11.Go to med school or get my DNP
12. Have a family
13. Buy a plane ticket for that same day.
14. Learn to play tennis
15. Learn to play Ultimate frisbee
16. Witness a miracle
17. Become an expert in something
18. Serve a mission - including service missions
19. Learn to rock climb expertly
20. bowl a game of 200
21. Travel to: Egypt, Fiji, Australia, Peru, Chile, Africa, Ecuador, Panama, Honduras, Kenya, South Africa, along with many places in Europe (Scotland, Ireland, Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy... so many places)

MN Bucket List

I love change.

I am always excited for new opportunities.

New places to go.

New Faces.

New Beginnings.

All of it!

Now that we know we won't be in Minnesota next year, I am excited to have a new city and state to explore and discover.

But before we go, I want to be sure that I have experienced everything that I want to in Minnesota. You would think that after almost 24 years, I would have done everything. But there is still so much I would like to do!

Here is my Bucket List for good ol' Minnesota:

1. Go backpacking on the Superior Hiking Trail
2. Rockclimb in a new area.
3. Eat a Juicy Lucy at Matt's Bar
4. Ice skate outside one more time
5. Visit the Minneapolis farmers market
6. Camp in s really rural area
7. Visit the MN sculpture garden-- I have never done that!
8. Mill City Museum
9. Fort Snelling
10. North St Paul Car Show
11. Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
12. Visit the Tate Lab on a Friday to star gaze

Oh there is so much more! We will just have to see what I can accomplish with a 22 credit work load, work, church and volunteering.

OOPS!

Yesterday I was a complete idiot and fell off a treadmill.... at the jam-packed gym.

The end.

p.s. who knew that it could be so painful?
p.p.s. I may or may not have some burns and painful bleeding knees.
p.p.s. Most people probably wouldn't share something like that, but I hope this will help me laugh about it and get over my complete and utter embarrasment. aaah!

Happy Birthday... My Love

On Sunday it is Ben's birthday! I am so blessed to have him in my life. There are so many things that I love about him... I could list 33 things but that just might get a little too long! So here are a few....

1. His smile.... it melts my heart (plus I hope someday our kids get his amazing teeth!).

2. How he always greets me at the door when I get home from work with a kiss and a hug.

3. Even though I steal the whole bed and interrupt his sleep all night with my sleep talking, he always wakes up happy to see me.

4. His laid back attitude on things that aren't important. I tend to sweat the little stuff, have schedules, and all in all be uptight about everything, and he has shown me how to enjoy the little moments.

5. What a great listener he is. Sometimes when we get home and I just need to talk about everything, he listens so well and never complains about it.

6. His goofiness. He just makes me laugh.

7. How great he is about calling me during the day to make sure everything is going okay and to tell me he loves me.

8. His wonderful testimony.

9. How he makes me want to be a better person.

10. The way he is able to calm and teach the four year old boys at primary. He is a great primary teacher and really knows how to help those little boys (yes... all boys) learn.

11. The way he surprises me randomly with flowers or some little token of his thankfulness.

12. His adventurous personality. I love going with him on hikes, swimming, sky diving, exploring, or whatever it may be. I am always doing something new.

13. His geeky love of teeth. I don't know why anyone would want to go to school for 33 years just to look at rotting mouths all day. But I am sure glad that he enjoys it! This is coming from the girl who is going to school to be a nurse and will see worse things in her life.... but I guess to each her own!

14. How thoughtful he is of other people.

15. The way he will just relax with me on a Friday night and not do anything at all. I love that!

16. I love how he loves to go shopping with me for new clothes.... for ME! And usually HIS idea!

17. I love that he makes me talk to him even when I am being angry and stubborn and altogether stupid and decide that I am going to ignore him!

Okay... so this is super mushy and tacky, but I am having a good time writing down things that I love about him. So I will continue this until I get up to 33 and if there is anyone out there who reads this blog they will just have to skip over this post!!

18. I love that he loves Star Trek and all sorts of sci- fiy things!

19. I love that he puts up with finding my hair in just abour every nook and cranny of the house (including his food..eewww!).

20. It is amazing how he can fix anything. There is a joke in my family that all Ben has to do is look at something and it is fixed.

21. He has virtually no temper and is always so sweet and kind to me... even/especially when I am not always the nicest to him.

22. He is a fix-it man and will spend countless hours mending something if I even mention that it is making my life difficult.

23. He Loves ME!

24. I love that we both want to live someplace warm and sunny. People... Hawaii.... here we come!

25. I love his mullet from high school, sometimes I wish I knew him in those days. The earring also intrigues me!

26. How much he loves his family and always hopes for their happiness and triumphs.

27. That he speaks spanish. Although we rarely speak it together, it's nice to know that we could if we wanted.... maybe not Hawaii... maybe we'll live in Chile....hmmm?

28. I love that he secretly likes chick flicks and will watch them with me!

29. How creative he is. He thinks outside the box.

30. He is so good at making chocolate chip cookies. Did I say cookies? I meant to say Choc. Chip Cookie Dough.

31. I love how when I am really tired and half asleep on the couch, he picks me up and carries me to bed... he is so strong!

32. His love of the gospel.

33. I love that he is my best friend.

Happy Birthday, My love!

Sunday Repentance

So it has been almost a year since we have posted anything. Whoops! Well, there is always tomorrow. I feel that it is really important to keep up with this so wish me luck! Tomorrow is a good day to start anew!

Nothing but blue skies

The ZooYesterday was a rare, gorgeous, blue skied day and Ben and I had to make the most of it since we haven't seen too many of those this summer. So we decided it was the perfect day to go to Como zoo. Someday we'll splurge and go to the Minnesota Zoo, but yesterday was there was no better way to spend the day then at Como zoo. There were some gorgeous flowers in bloom and Ben and I couldn't resist snapping some pictures of them.

But by far the best part of the day was the Orangutan habitat. Only one baby had been born this year and he completely stole all the thunder away from the other animals. He put on quite a show for everyone wrestling with his mama and swinging up the ropes trying to 'catch' his father.

All of this was going on while the obese Grandpa sat around glaring at everyone.

Have you ever seen such a large orangutan?

What's in a name?

Drumroll please...

Today Ben and I decided to start a blog.

I know, WOW! This is big coming from someone who hasn't even taken time to write in a journal! Anyway, as we thought up names and ideas for our blog, we were having no inspiration. We felt a name was important, it rather shows a personality. During our brain storming session names such as 'Hanging with the Ricks' or 'Ricks Picks' just didn't really make the cut. But then, completely out of nowhere, songs from my childhood dance recitals came flooding in and I started singing 'Puttin' on the Ritz' and I thought it would be so perfect for our blog. It has some past and a lot of our future in the name. It gives life to a place that will enable us to be our own unique selfs and put down our thoughts and our adventures together. So here is a link to the song that gave the inspiration behind the name.

Thanks Fred Astaire and Taco!

Here's the link to the song, sung by Taco:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_W5QnO5UGk