Been there, done that... Part Deux

Now for the last 1/2 of this little blog-ercise.

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling: On the Great Barrier Reef! It was awesome!
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater: My family went to Crocodile Dundee in Wahpeton when I was little, but I don't remember much besides playing in the car & eating popcorn...
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business: I talk piano lessons in high school... sort of counts!!
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia: someday w/ my co-worker Yulia hopefully!!
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp: Visited 2 in Germany - very moving experience.
67. Bounced a check: No, thank God. I used to have nightmares about this when I got my first checkbook at the age of 16. Yes, I know that is ridiculous to have a nightmare about something like that!!!
68. Flown in a helicopter: Flew over some gorges in New Zealand the day I went bungee jumping!!
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone: Fractured my wrist when a larger classmate fell on it during gym class...
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book: Not yet, but this is something I dream of doing!!!!
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper: Yep. I was in the Richland County Monitor when I was in 6th grade - they asked 6 of us who we would vote for if we could... I said Clinton back then! I don't think my Grandparents (huge Republicans) were super excited about that! I now am affiliated w/ the Elephant Party, though!!
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox: my mom has some pretty awful pictures of it & I still have a scar from one of them!
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club: Yes, but we have since disbanded... hope to join Brooke's after I finish grad school.
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
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
100. Read an entire book in one day

* Happy Friday everyone!!! *

Been there, done that... Part Une

Saw this post on another girl's blog & thought it looked fun! Here's how it works - bold what you've done, italicize what you kind of did, leave the things you didn't do alone...

Simple right? Play along if you care to!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band - does High School band count??
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity:
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain: Heck yes! During my fabulous summer in Steamboat Springs, I did this multiple times. I miss Steamboat. :(
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo: many times during high school... and I forgot the words during a competition once. Awkward!!!!
11. Bungee jumped: Did this in NZ - those who know me know this is WAY out of character for me (I'm risk averse) so I have VHS of it & pictures to prove it!
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch: Does knitting count?
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France: I skipped this... The Louvre is way too overwhelming for me!
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill: Had stayed home when I probably wasn't quite sick enough to warrant a sick day...
24. Held a lamb
25.?
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon: 2006 Twin Cities Marathon!
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors: Sort of, visited Germany but not other areas of ancestry like Scotland or Sweden. Someday...
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language: Learned some French on my own
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
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: Did this in the DR w/ Ali & some of her Peace Corp friends!
46. Been transported in an ambulance
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: I skipped this! The line was so long & I had already been to the top of the Notre Dame & Arc de Triomphe. How many times can a person look at the skyline of a city??

* wow, there sure are A LOT of things I haven't done!

Stay tuned for part deux

And the winner is....

A few weeks ago, I did a post about some potential vacation destinations.




After careful consideration, I have made my choice:

In June of 2009, I will be visiting Peru!! I'm just in the early stage of vacation planning so don't have much of an itinerary just yet... I know I will be doing the 4 day Machu Picchu trek which I am really excited about! I have never really 'camped' before, so it will be quite an experience. The trek company provides the food, though, so that will really help!

I've already purchase Lonely Planet Peru & plan on picking up some other books, especially books about the life of the Inca's since I'll be following in their footsteps during the trek.

People who have traveled to Peru have popped up all over the place!! A friend of a friend went to Peru, a girl who's website I follow is over there right now, and last night I ran into a gentleman at Bella Lana whose son was recently in Peru for 4 weeks - he gave me his email address so I plan on emailing him as well.

Between these Peru travelers & the recommendations on Tripadvisor.com, I should be in good shape.

Oh how I love to plan a trip!!

Oh, and the date for my graduation party has been set - May 30th, 2009!! It'll be at the cabin & will feature the famous bbq of my brothers. Yum!

(image courtesy of Lauren)

Thanksgiving Weekend 2008

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving weekend has already come and gone. I had a fabulous time! All 5 of us kids were home, so it was a full house! Especially with the 4 nephews running in circles. Well, only 3 were running I guess - Matthew is only 8 months so isn't running quite yet! ;) Soon enough, though!

I started off Thanksgiving Day by giving the boys the scarves that I had knit for them. I put a book in with the scarves since boys usually don't get too excited about apparel!

As usual, there was quite a spread. Mom made the main dishes like Turkey, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, etc, and everyone else helped out with the sides. Even me. This was the first year I brought something! I tried a new recipe - Brussel Sprouts! I had never made Brussel Sprouts before, but they turned out really well. Unfortunately I don't have any photos to share. This was a dish that I had to put together during the last 20 minutes before we sat down to eat... and let's just say the kitchen is pretty much Grand Central Station at that point! If I would have pulled out a camera to take pictures during the cooking process, I probably would have gotten some dirty looks (rightly so!). I did get some pictures of some of the food (there was more but I had to quick snap these pics before the gang started to dish up!) Sorry, no pictures of the bird, but trust me - it was fabulous!!!

The 4 boys all played well together. James & Andrew are so close in age, so they are the best of buds. They lucked out & got their own little kids table, which is a small table that was made by my Grandpa McDougall. It was probably made 20+ years ago - I bet he'd be happy to know that it's still being put to use!

Matthew & Kolin are pretty close in age and get along great as well.

I think there were about 25 of us in total! That is alot of people, but not even close to our record of about 38! We always celebrate Thanksgiving with the McDougalls, and when they are all there, it's quite a large, lively bunch!! 2 of my uncles were able to join us - it was great to see them.

My little sister & her fiance, Ryan, flew in from Tucson for the weekend; Ryan's mom, step dad, step brother, and his sister & her husband and son, were able to join us. It was great getting to meet them before the wedding next summer! Ryan's sister could seriously be Abby's twin. They have the same personality!! I didn't get any pictures of them as I didn't want them to feel like they were in the presence of paparazzi! Ryan's family fit in so well with ours; they even took part in the annual Football game and beat the McDougall/Dotzenrod team!!

We had lots of pies to choose from - Pumpkin, Chocolate, Pecan, and Sweet Potato. Yum. Sorry, no pics of this either. I was too busy playing with my adorable nephew Matthew! He has the most beautiful blue eyes!

***

Thanksgiving Day came & went. The rest of the weekend was full of lots of family time. On Saturday, Mom, Dad, Chad, Emily, Kolin, and I headed to Wahpeton since Santa was making an appearance. We weren't sure what Kolin would think of him...

He was pretty spooked! When Emily tried to put Kolin in Santa's lap, he started to say 'All done! All done!' It was pretty funny to watch. Hopefully he'll be a little less scared next year!

It was pretty cold outside (windy and in the 20's) but we decided to take a sleigh ride! (dad was too cold to smile, I guess!!)

Surprisingly, Kolin was not afraid of the horses. He actually gave one a kiss! You'd think a large horse would be scarier than Santa but I guess not!



After the sleigh ride, we headed to the Wilkin to warm up with some drinks and appetizers. Kolin perked right up as soon as he saw our waitress & became quite the flirt! It's funny how early boys learn how to flirt w/ the ladies! He was all smiles the whole time we were there!

We ended the evening back at mom & dad's with a dinner of leftovers, followed by a dessert that I made - dark chocolate mousse. My aunt Barb gave me the recipe & it turned out great! The mousse recipe called for Brandy, and I had way more than I needed, so we decided to make some Brandy Alexanders! Yum!

All in all, the weekend was wonderful. I barely left the house, which was my goal! It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the Minneapolis/St Paul area. The weekend was full of lots of laughs, lots of calories, and lots of good times. Our family probably won't all be together again until Abby's wedding next August. Given how fast 2008 has gone, 8-8-09 will be here in the blink of an eye!

I hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving weekend!!

Advent Week 1: Hope

If you ask my best friend Brooke - 'what is Lisa's favorite season of the year?' - I'd bet that she'd get it right. My favorite season is Advent. Why does Brooke know this? She knows this because we traveled to Germany & Prague together 4 years ago, during the season of Advent. Let me tell you, those Europeans know how to celebrate the coming of Christmas! They had these huge, outdoor Christmas Markets with lots of hand made goods, sweets, and mulled wine (something Brooke loved). While I was there, I was searching for an Advent Calendar. I had heard about them from a friend, years ago. Unfortunately, I didn't know how to describe what I was looking for... and I didn't speak any German... So shopping for that item was a bit of a bust! Hopefully some day I'll find one, though. My understanding of said Calendar is that it is made of wood, with little doors that open. That's all I know though! So if anyone knows what I am taking about, and where I can find one, let me know!! Probably not something I need until I have kids, so I figure I have time to look for it!

Anyways. Back to the Season of Advent. I have so many fond memories of celebrating Advent as a child. Every night during Advent, we'd light the candle(s) and say a prayer. Then mom would play Christmas Carols and us kids would sing along. Seriously. As I type this, it sounds like something from a"Hallmark Special" or something! But that was my childhood. As we got older, that traditional fell by the wayside due to busy schedules and other commitments. I'll never forget those winter nights spent around the Advent Wreath, though, and hope to continue that tradition some day when I have a family.

For now, I am celebrating it on my own in my condo. Each Sunday I'll light a candle and prepare for the week of Advent. The Christmas Season always flies by; with all the holiday parties, baking, and shopping, it's easy for the days to go by in a blur. Hopefully by slowing down on Sunday and thinking about the reason for the season, it'll make time go more slowly!

The theme of the first week of Advent is "Hope." Feeling a sense of hope, in my opinion, is crucial to a person's happiness. If I am honest, there have definitely been times where I've felt a little bit hopeless. I give into those feelings during moments of weakness, but usually snap out of them quickly, most often due to a conversation with my mom, Brooke, or Heidi. If I'm feeling particularly low, I have a bible verse that I like to read. My Grandma Dotzenrod emailed it to me when I told her about my recent break-up with Ryan. I was feeling pretty darn hopeless. Grandma Janet is a wise woman though, and knew the perfect words to help comfort me and give me hope. Hopefully they help you if you are ever feeling down and hopeless.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)

Day 10: Family

I am very thankful to have such a warm, caring family.

I have been looking forward to Thanksgiving weekend for months. All 5 of us kids were coming home, and that doesn't happen very often, especially now that Abby & her fiance live in Arizona. Her wedding is coming up in August of 2009 so we have another reunion to look forward to!

I love spending time with my family - I am incredibly lucky to feel that way. We definitely have our occasional spat - it's inevitable with a family of our size! The older we get, the less we argue!

I had a wonderful time on Thanksgiving Day and look forward to posting pictures with all the details when I get back to MSP on Sunday!

Hope everyone is having a fabulous Thanksgiving Weekend!

Day 9: Fabulous Friends

I am incredibly thankful that I have such a wonderful circle of friends.

I honestly don't know what I would do without my girlfriends. I have an extremely supportive family, but in my opinion, you always need girlfriends. I have a wonderful group of girlfriends from college - they are almost like family now. We have known each other for nearly 10 years, though, which is a pretty long time! Also, I think those 10 years have had more ups and downs than all 27 years of my life.

We came to college as strangers, and left as the best of friends. Say what you will about sororities, but I did meet the most wonderful women during my years at Delta Gamma. I guess there is something about living in a house with 42 girls (yes, you read that right! 42!). Luckily, many of my friends also moved to the Twin Cities after college, so I have had a great support system. Balancing jobs, grad school, boyfriends, husbands, and wedding planning has made it a challenge for us to see each other as often as we'd like, but we are still as close as ever. Not everyone made the move to Minneapolis or has since moved on to different cities, but the friendships remain just as strong; thank God for cell phones - I can't imagine paying for long distance phone calls like we would have 10 years ago!

Thanks to digital cameras, it's so much easier to capture & save pictures of all the wonderful times we've had together!

Alissa, Amy N., Trish, Amy S., and I at Nicole's wedding

Nicole and I at her wedding

Katie and I

Heidi, Brooke, and I at Brooke's Rehearsal

Heidi & I rocking the dance floor at her wedding!

Thanks, ladies, for enriching the last 10 years of my life!