Married for 1,001 Days

Since my last update in June in 2008, when were were at the half-way point, we've made some great progress on our 101 Things in 1,001 Days of our marriage. We didn't get them all done, but certainly had a ton of fun trying new things on our 101 List & learning during the first 1,001 days of our marriage.

6- Go to a NY Yankees Game (June 2007)
7- The biggie this year as our trip to Brazil & Argentina for our anniversary (February 2008)
9- Attend 2 Plays: Phantom of the Opera & Mauritius
10- We started our garden! (April 2008) & will did it again this year
11- Music library is really coming together on my iMac with iTunes & our new living room stereo system (Dec 2008)
12- Decorate H's office (all of 2008)
14- H to start a 401(K)
16- Start a journal ( blogging )
18- Build a substantial savings

20- Subscribe to a magazine (Newsweek)
21- Visit the dentist
22- Install a Sprinkler System (Jan 2009)
22- Install a sprinkler system (Jan 2009)
23- Join the University of Houston Alumni (January 2009)
26- Clean the carpet
30- Plant some flowerbeds (definitely this spring)
31- Fondue with friends (done twice)
34- Read a fiction novel (You can see that I've done that several times over)
40- Take a photography class (June 2007)

44- SCUBA certification (completed July 2008)
46- We went to the New Orleans Jazz Fest (April 2008)
47- Run everyday for a month (did this, but might do it again)
50- Write and publish a technical paper (presented it in Detroit)
51- Get Professional Engineering License (studied & I passed!)
52- Finish home entertainment system (January 2009)
54- Go to a small town fair & rodeo
57- Subscribe to a travel magazine (we loved Budget Travel)
60-Bake a Cheesecake (1st attempt in November 2008, will try again!)
62- Visit Alabama (Trip for Thanksgiving 2007)
65- Go to an art exhibit (saw Da Vinci) & went to the Art Festival several times
67- Girls weekend (Labor Day 2008 in Colorado with Stephanie & Wine Weekend in 2009)

69 -Austin City Limits Festival (Oct 2009)
72- New grill for the house
75- Organize garage (officially done January 2009)
76- See Dave Matthews Band in Concert (and did this again!)
68- Redecorate our bedroom
71- Give blood
72- Pay off debt
76- Cut Christmas Tree (completed in 2008)

81- Fly a Kite (Feb 2008)
83- Go to a Houston Dynamo Game (July 2008)
84- Rent 10 classic movies
87- Go on a picnic (several times)
88- Couples Massage was awesome (October 2008)
89- Watch a Parade (Houston Rodeo Parade Nov 2008)
94- Try new ethnic restaurants (Mediterranean, Vietnamese & Spanish)
97- Ice Skating (did this with his cousins, but might go again)
100- Visit the Messina Hof Winery (Harvest & Stomp in July 2008)

ON GOING ITEMS

41- Cook 1 new meal a week (I've done a few & plan on doing a few more)
48- Visit grandparents every week (I've been better, but not great about this)
90- Review monthly budget (we're been pretty good about this)

101- Go to the driving range together (we've been a few times)

COMING SOON

13- Hot Air Ballon Ride- it's booked for our trip to New Zealand
27- Go fishing with my dad (Hopefullly this Spring)

45- Camp at 3 New Parks (our 3rd will be this weekend)

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Headed out to South Dakota today for work.

Puppy Dreams

Bury the nose...cover the eyes!



So rough being such an adorable pup!




Thanks to the iPhone- I grabbed this video of her in the middle of some intense dreams!

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: I have been wonderfully in love and married to my amazing husband over 1,000 days now!

New Zealand Trip

We are headed to New Zealand in February!!!! This is my *DREAM* trip...outdoors, nature, beauty, mountains, adventure, great weather and wonderful people. Although we'll have to give driving on the wrong side of the road another shot, I'm glad they speak English there. We will be gone for 2.5 weeks & mostly exploring the rugged and mountainous South Island.



So much adventure- where to start? We're flying into Auckland & spending 2 nights there, but then headed to the South Island for the rest of our stay to explore the mighty and majestic southern Alps. While in Auckland, we're doing a scenic wine tour & then a short sail on an America's Cup vessel.



We'll be doing a day cruise on Milford Sound & spending the night out on Doubtful Sound, plus an over-night stay in Te Anau to see the glowworm caves.



We're doing a few wine tours & winery days, including 1 around Wanaka (above...I think) plus a few helicopter rides to take in all the scenery.



I'm thinking I might easily break my Africa trip record for photographs....



We will be doing a Jet Boat Safari up the Dart River and then touring a few places where Lord of the Rings was filmed.



A few days in Queenstown- the adventure capital of the world. Maybe I can talk my husband into a bungee jump or some paragliding.



We're doing a heli-hike adventure on Fox Glacier- where we will take a short helicopter ride out to a glacier & then spend a few hours hiking on it and walking around it before flying back.

We'll be going out on an inflatable boat to see the Tasman Glacier up close.



We'll be in Christchurch for a few days & H is excited to see the penguins at the Antarctic center & ride a huggaland.

We're booked to do a romantic evening in the Onsen Hot Pool, which have a retractable roof to watch the sunset and see the stars.

On our last full day in Christchurch, we are booked for an early morning hot air balloon ride. It's been on our 101 list, and although it will be a little late, I think it was worth waiting for such a spectacular surroundings. That afternoon we'll take a half-day wine tour of the surrounding countryside before making the 3 flight journey back across the world.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Longest run of the season so far, 17 miles, done for today!

Halloween with the Boys

Last weekend, we had our favorite *nephews* over for Halloween. We decided to take them to a hibachi grill & treat them to some entertainment.



The chopsticks were a very big hit & produced a 3 out of 5 walrus-faces.



We picked up the boys & then braved the 5PM crowd at Wal-mart on Halloween to find them some costumes for the evening's festivities.



They were open to trying new stuff...



... even if they played with the edamame more than the actually ate it.



They really liked the free refills on Cokes and the fire part.



I loved to watch them smile & laugh!



Even the older 2 boys were captivated by the show put on by our chef.



Their absolute favorite part was the rice throwing...we went 2 of 7 on catching.



They did finally get some "beginner" chopsticks, but ended up using 2 sets in the shovel method.



They did surprisingly well with the food & manners in the restaurant.



Gotta love more fire!



More smiles & the video below is of the youngest getting his rice dropped into his mouth.



We were rushed to get out the door, so this was the only photo I got of them this year.



We went to my mom's side of the neighborhood to Trick-or-Treat & my step-dad had set up camp with our neighbor in his front yard to scare the kids. Above- 3 real men, 2 fake ones!



Getting carried away with the videos lately, but I love hearing them laugh.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Nearing the end of our 1001 days & we're doing 1 more tonight- murder/mystery dinner "Death by Chocolate"!

Splashing Dogs

We've had a few good cold front blow through the area in the last 2 weeks & they have dumped several inches of rain. The dogs still need to get out and let the crazies go running, so I took them to the park, not realizing there would be actual pools of water!

Besides all the splashing in the field, they also found a ball to fight over.



I was worried for a few minutes they were even going to jump in the bayou, but it was too cold.

1 soaking wet puppy dog ready to get in the car & head home for a bath!

Mia's Adorableness

In the last 2 weeks, Mia has started "mouthing" on Zoe's ears. She has always liked to chew on her name tag, but more recently will sit there for several minutes at a time with Zoe's ear in her mouth. Zoe stands there & lets her do it, and I've since learned it's a normal sign of affection between dogs.




This video totally cracks me up, and I've titled it "Mia Will NOT be Ignored." All the little grunting and growling and howling, nose nudging, the jumping, the licking, a sneeze, a cry. She's quite the entertainment, plus Zoe in the background upset she is being ignored.

Video taken October 29, 2009

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Headed to Utah today for work, via Las Vegas!

Zoe & Mia Backyard Rumble

These two crack me up! I wonder if Mia was a bucking bull in a former life- with all of her hops and spins. This is pretty mild compared to some of their other playtimes.

Video taken October, 25, 2009, Mij 4.5 months old


GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: It's Election Day- please go vote!