63. Learn Calligraphy

In choosing this goal, I actually thought it was going to be really easy to do.  Turns out, not so much.  Calligraphy isn't like typing, where once you learn to do it, you know how to do it and that's it.  You actually have to learn different styles of font, how to make different strokes, how to use different pens/inks and how to have patience.  I wanted to start learning how to do this because I've always been artsy and I've always had great penmanship.  I practiced using a book and lined paper and eventually got brave enough to go ahead and put my learned skills to the test on my wedding invitations.  Here is a sample of my beginner's calligraphy:

While I was happy with the way they turned out, I also realize that this skill will continue to be developed.  Therefore, the goal of "learn calligraphy" is inevitably an ongoing pursuit.  I will count this as being completed for the purpose of this list, knowing that I will need to refine my skills and keep practicing until I've perfected the techniques.  Eventually I would like to use it in some art work and am looking forward to when I can do that! 

3. Take a Yoga Class

I haven't taken a yoga class since I was in high school and all I remember is that it was challenging and I was sore for about 5 days after...and I was in peak fitness back then!  So to say I was slightly intimidated by the thought of it now, about 16 years later, is an understatement.  That being said, I had to take the bull by the horns and just go for it.  Lucky for me, I have had lots of support from friends during this goal accomplishing time and one of said friends invited me to join her for a class.  Not wanting to put off getting this goal taken care of (and honestly, what better time to start getting in shape than pre-holiday!?), I took her up on the offer! 

I have no idea what the instructor called the type of class we took, but I can tell you it wasn't as bad as I remember it being.  Am I good at it?  Definitely not.  I lack some strength in my arms and core that I could work on to transition thru the poses better.  Am I bad at it?  Definitely not.  But I also don't plan on being a yogi anytime soon so that doesn't really matter.  I guess all that really matters is that I can say I did it and that I would do it again.

A big thanks to Racheal for giving me the motivation to sign up and "get 'er done" and also a big thanks to Monica for letting me talk her into doing it with us!  She was a trooper and I hope she had a good time too!  :)   

24. Grow 3 Vegetables, 25. Grow 3 Herbs

These two goals go together as I did them both at the same time...or better said, attempted to do them at the same time. 

I have a black thumb.  I don't know what exactly I do wrong, every time, but I kill plants, vegetables, herbs and pretty much everything else that is green and grows from the dirt (with the exception of those stinky, ugly red, white and purple flowers you see in the summertime - I'm pretty sure you can't kill them!)   

Knowing this info about myself, this year I decided to try to pick things that would be harder to kill...or at least I thought they would be.  I also have a plan that I don't want to dig up a portion of my yard for a garden if I can't grow anything in a container first.  Makes sense, right?!

So, I planted and harvested the following:

Planter Cherry Tomatoes  - they produced 2-3 actually edible tomatoes before the 100 year flood hit and drowned the plant completely.

One of the lone survivors!

Brussel Sprouts - got them to sprout but never got a brussel.  I can attribute this to the flood, however even with the proper care and if planted in the right time, I don't think I was going to get an actual veggie to grow. 

Beets - got some green stuff to start coming up out of the dirt but pretty sure they didn't have enough room to keep growing and died before any vegetable formed. 

Heirloom Tomatoes - I knew these were a long shot to begin with but we love them so much I had to try.  Not only once, but twice.  The first plant died so we bought a second, only to have it suffer the same fate.  It was pretty though and I did get it to bloom, only to have my dog break the one branch that had blooms on it.  Oh well, better just buy those from the store I guess. 

Cilantro - I was able to get one full harvest of cilantro and we used it in pretty much everything of Mexican flavor.  That plant didn't last long though as it died shortly after the first harvest.  The lesson I learned there is...learn what to do with the plant to keep it growing after you harvest. 

First Harvest of Cilantro!

Basil - I was able to grow basil for a little while as well and we did use it in some caprese salads, but that was about it.  I think our plant did not like being in the sunlight with the other plants and wanted rather to be an indoor plant.  It died...from heat exhaustion and drought (pre-100 year flood, where it likely would have suffered the opposite fate). 

Ate a few leaves with fresh tomatoes but didn't get much else from this basil plant.

Mint - I wanted to grow mint because people tell me there's no way that you can kill a mint plant.  Well, they can take that theory and throw it out the window!  There is a way and I did it.  If you ask me what it was, I couldn't tell you.  All I know is that I was successful at it and the mint did not make it into mojitoes for the 3rd Annual VanDeed Field Day as I had hoped it would. 

So, what did I learn from this?  1.  Don't dig up the yard next Spring as I'm definitely likely to have a mud pit instead of a garden.  2.  Money would better be spent on Farmer's Market produce vs. trying to buy and grow myself.  3.  I'm a horrible gardener and need some serious help.  4.  On my next 101 goals list you will probably see "Take a Gardening Class".

89. Run the Steps at Red Rocks

While this goal could have been attained, on my own, on pretty much any day I chose, I decided to up the ante and make an event out of it by entering the American Heart and Lung Associations Run the Rocks race.  I also managed to talk a couple of friends into joining me, or beating me, but whatever. 

 

This was a relatively easy goal to accomplish as I didn't train for it or really have to "get ready" for it.  The run was a 5k, mostly down hill...except for the last mile.  The last mile, of course, is where the race bites you in the ass!  It's all uphill, to the very top of the Amphitheatre.  I don't know how many actual steps I went up, but by the time I made it to the steps, I was ready to be done.  Good thing I've completed a marathon, as it gave me the inner confidence and drive to suck it up and get to the top!  I finished in 36 minutes and 58 seconds, placing 668th out of 1706 overall, 115th out of 352 in my division and 320th out of 1094 in my gender.  Right in the middle of the pack is fine by me! 

 

On to the next goal!

 Pre-race photo with Megan and Aubree

Post-race photo with Megan and Aubree

19. Read Anna Karinnina or Give It Away

Well, I give up!  I was cleaning the "office" to make it into a studio for ShadyWolf Designs...and I came across this book, once again.  Instead of opening it and pretending I was going to read it (again, for at least the 10th time), I have officially decided to just give it away.  Somebody else can give it a read, or attempt to read it...I'll just watch the movie instead.  :) 

100. Take Kona and Petra to Bark and Splash Bash

For years now I have read about the Lakewood Rec "Bark and Splash Bash" but I have never made it to one with my dogs and I've always been a little mad at myself after the fact.  This year was going to be different!  Even though I had been to a raging bachelorette party the night before and I might have still been a little tipsy, I took my dogs to their first Bark and Splash Bash at Glennon Heights Pool.  Upon arrival we were treated with doggie schwag and ushered into the pool area.  Immediately, they were excited! They had so much fun running around, barking and jumping into the pool!  It was fun for me to watch, but also fun to meet some of the other dog owners that were there.  We had so much fun at this one that I'm planning on taking them to another one this weekend and we may even possibly squeek in one more. 

Here's a picture of my little sea otters, Kona and Petra.  They swam together the entire time we were there!

82. Go to City Park Jazz With a Group of 10 People or More

I accomplished this goal with the help of Brian and his University of Colorado MBA Program Alumni.  We met on the last night of Jazz in the Park at City Park.  It was a nice evening but there was a hint of monsoon rain in the air, as always when Brian and I go to jazz.  Luckily enough, it didn't rain this evening so we were able to enjoy our conversations with this group of new and interesting people.  Well, they were new to me anyways!  Short blurb for this one and no pics unfortunately.  Will probably have to do this again next summer! 

91. Go on the Durango Alpine Slide

When trying to accomplish one goal, I'm always trying to find ways to tie in other goals.  My "Visit National Parks" goal helped me get down to the Durango area, which in turn helped me get to Durango Mountain Resort where they have an alpine slide. 

I have wanted to ride all the alpine slides in Colorado for awhile now, even before I made this official goals list.  Durango was the last one I needed to ride in order to check this goal off my list.  With nowhere else to be, we stood in line for an hour to go down a pretty short but nonetheless, pretty fun slide. 

The ride up the chair lift with the beautiful view behind me!  Tried to take one of both Brian and I in it, but the two-seat chairlift didn't want to play along.   

Here we are at the top with our sleds and gorgeous vistas! 

Here's a picture of me that I took while going down the slide...good times! 

 

So, now having been on all the slides in Colorado, I can officially say that while they are all different rides, my favorite is the Winter Park slide.  :) 

17. Visit a never before visited National Park

This year, the 4th of July fell on a Thursday which allowed me to only have to take one day off of work to get a 4 day weekend.  So what does one do with a 4 day weekend?  ROAD TRIP! 

I love National Parks - they truly are "America's Treasures"!  I have been to quite a few already but there are still so many more that I would love to visit (Bucket List goal is to visit them all!).  Living in Denver, we are pretty close to some of the bigger ones, but also close to some lesser known ones.  We had to decide between going to Yellowstone and The Grand Tetons (both in Wyoming) or going to The Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Mesa Verde (both in Colorado).  Since it was a holiday weekend, we opted to go with the lesser known ones and stay here in Colorado.  The added bonus is that our good friend Monica volunteered to watch our dogs so we were truly free to go and do whatever we wanted without having to worry about our 2 little responsibilities.  

So we started off on Wednesday night and made it to Delta, Colorado, just about 30 minutes from The Black Canyon of the Gunnison N.P., where we planned to hike and tour on Independence Day. 

 

A picture of us by the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park sign...I have one of these for almost all the parks we have visited and can't wait to get them framed and put on display!

Once we got to The Black Canyon, we stopped into the visitor center to get a backcountry permit for hiking.  The ranger was very helpful and really tried to help us figure out the best hiking trail to take.  Brian is not one to shy away from challenges and really wanted to hike down to the bottom of the canyon to get to the Gunnison River.  The trail we took was a one mile hike, which isn't normally too tough, however the elevation change was 1400 feet within that mile, which put us at quite the decline/incline for the duration of the hike.  We hiked on loose rocks and boulders called skree for most of the trail and there was one point where you had to use a chain to repel down as well as pull yourself back up the trail.  This was actually my favorite part of the hike as the chain allowed you to use your arms instead of just the legs, giving them a much needed break!   

 

Here's a picture of us at just about the halfway down point...still looking fresh!  You can see the Gunnison River down below as well as the skree we were climbing up and down.   

We made the round-trip trek in just about 3 hours, which left us plenty of time to check out some other areas of the park (the Painted Dragons were very cool!) and then get on the road to the next destination...Durango!

But first we had to drive on the Million Dollar Highway, which took us thru Ouray and Silverton.  It was a beautiful drive, however the highway was a bit scary as it goes up and down a couple of mountain passes with steep dropoffs, tight pin turns and no guard rails.  I definitely gripped the steering wheel extra tight while I was driving!  

Here's a picture of us with a mountain range that is somewhere between Ouray and Silverton.  It's gorgeous!   

We eventually made our way safely to Durango where we planned on watching the fireworks display - a must for me as I LOVE fireworks!  But first...a camping spot needed to be found and we also needed to see what was going on with our vehicle, as we had heard a weird noise on our way down from the mountains.  We couldn't figure out exactly what the problem was with the truck, but Brian thought it was the front shocks so this meant we would have to take it into the shop immediately the next morning.  Being 8+ hours away from home on a road trip and having car issues is not ideal.  However, we managed to make the best of it anyways.  We found a free campsite with some relatively quiet neighbors and headed back to Durango to get a bucket of chicken and watch things explode.  Nothing more patriotic than that!  :)  

The next morning we took the truck into the bustling car shop (Firestone).  The shop manager, Mike, was extremely nice and helpful and was busy helping lots of tourists in town, but was still able to take care of us in a relatively quick manner.  Turns out, our back passenger side shock had come unbolted and had been rubbing on our back tire for we don't know how long.  But it was long enough that it wore the tire down to the wires and at any point in time, we could have had a major blowout and flew off a mountain side.  :-/  Not cool.  Regardless though, we were able to get it bolted back on and they put on the spare to get us back on the road!  Thanks to Mike and the guys at the Durango Firestone, we were off to the next National Park - Mesa Verde!     

Here is a picture of Brian and I at the Mesa Verde National Park entrance. 

I have wanted to visit Mesa Verde for a really long time.  We actually tried to drive there on our trip to Pagosa Springs last December, however we bailed when we found out that the cliff dwellings were inaccessible and we weren't going to be able to see much.  This time, that was not the case - nothing was going to stop us from seeing this unique place and I was going to make sure of it!

When we arrived, we had to sign up for the ranger-led tours in the visitor center.  We opted to visit Long House and Cliff Palace and we were pretty much on the last couple tours of the day.  I was super thankful we made it in time to sign up for them, even though it was going to be a scorcher of an afternoon. 

Our first visit was the Longhouse Cliff Dwelling.  It took us an hour to get there via a very scenic drive, with lots of fire burn scar areas which were interesting to see.  The cliff dwellings themselves were really cool to see in person, especially since I love visiting ruins.  The Longhouse was really interesting to see and there is a lot of mystery on why they built their dwellings into the cliffside, but the biggest mystery of all is why they left them after only living in them for a short period of time (I believe it was just a couple hundred years).  The ancient Puebloans really were very smart architects and builders and made some amazing structures that have withstood the tests of time!
 

A picture of me with the Longhouse ruins behind me. 

Brian and I with a view of the Longhouse behind us.  We are standing near one of the kivas.  You can see the Sipapu right between us.   For more info on what a kiva is, etc, you can read the wiki page here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiva

Brian and I are at the Cliff Palace dwelling in this picture.  You can see one of the towers to the left of me as well as a good glimpse of the dwellings built all the way up to the where the rocks overhang.  This dwelling was amazing and gave me an eerie sense of calmness while walking through it.  I think it's important to understand the significance of places like this as they are also important pieces of America's history, especially to native peoples.  I hope that we can continue to preserve places like this for future generations!  I really enjoyed my visit here and look forward to returning with my children someday!

With these two parks all wrapped up, it would seem as though the vacation was over, however that was not the case at all.  We still had two more days left of our trip and were back on the road, off to our next adventure - Durango Mountain Resort to ride the alpine slide! 

80. Run the Bolder Boulder

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to accomplish another goal - Run the Bolder Boulder!  The Bolder Boulder is a 10K that has happened every year for the last 25 years and winds thru the streets of Boulder, Colorado.  I wanted to do this race because I had never done it before and so many people who live here talk about it being one of their favorite races.  Not to mention, exercising is easier if you have a goal!  I was also fortunate that my friend Megan and fiance Brian also wanted to run it, so I didn't have to go it alone.

Picture of me, Brian and Megan, post-race victory! 

The race went really well, though it was a little on the warm side.  We all stayed together until about mile 5, where I had to walk for minute due to an aggravated knee.  This put my finishing time 3 minutes behind Brian and Megan's time - I finished at 1:05 and they finished at 1:02.  Not bad, especially considering I gave myself an additional 10 minutes to finish prior to starting the race. 

Here's a link to my results:  http://bolderboulder2013.onlineraceresults.com/individual.php?bib=FL261

I would definitely run the Bolder Boulder again - it was a lot of fun and the distance is just about perfect for me!

79. Go to a Kentucky Derby party wearing a fantastic hat

I actually had the Denver Derby party in mind when I added this goal to the list.  However, I didn't go to the Denver Derby party (tickets are actually pretty pricey).  Instead, I went to a Bridal Shower that doubled as a Derby party.  My friend, Monica, invited me to her bridal shower which was held at her aunt's fabulous home in Highlands Ranch.  Upon arrival, I was immediatly served a delicious glass of sangria and made some new friends who were also wearing fabulous hats.  The bridal shower portion of the day was great - it was one the best bridal showers I've been to and was so good that I would love to hire Monica's aunts to throw my bridal shower in a few months!  (Only kidding...unless they would want to do it, ha!)  They served cute mini foods like sandwiches and fruit tarts, and who can forget, more sangria to wash it all down with!  We played a fun mad libs game and then read our answers out loud to Monica while she opened each of our gifts.  We also took individual pictures with the bride-to-be wearing our fabulous hats. 

Just when you thought the party was nearing it's end, we were escorted to the media room for the Derby party.  For a $5 wager, you picked a random horse and were entered into the betting.  I drew Golden Soul who had 50-1 odds so I was not necessarily feeling too sure about a win.  To ease the pain of any impending losses, we were served blackberry mint juleps. 

I've never had a mint julep before, but after just one I can confirm they are delicious but sneaky little buggers as they have Maker's Mark in them!  Nevertheless, I had another one and enjoyed every sip of it!  Soon the race was on and we were all cheering and yelling for our horse to win!  Orb took first place, and lo-and-behold, Golden Soul took 2nd place earning me a $30 prize!  All in all, I'd say my first Derby party was a great success and I would like to thank Monica for helping me accomplish this goal! 

87. Go on a Dessert Date

This is a continuation from goal 55. Go Ice Skating...so if you want the full story, you've got to read both posts. 

After we were done with our engagement pictures, we went home and popped open some champagne to celebrate.  Brian's original intention during this "break" was to cook us surf and turf which was also a surprise to me.  Unfortunately, we weren't very hungry as we had a large lunch so we postponed that dinner and had it the next evening.  I was very happy to just hang out and sip champagne with my love, however he informed me that the day was not over and that he had one more surprise in store for me. 

We headed towards downtown and as we were driving past all the storefronts, we passed a certain one that tipped me off to what we were doing.  We were going on a Dessert Date at DBar!  And our friends Ben and Megan , along with Ben's brother Elijah, were meeting us there!  At this point, nobody knew about our engagement as we were going to try to keep it a secret until Dave could edit a picture for us.  Brian asked me if we should announce it to them or let them figure it out.  I opted for B, let them figure it out.  I was wearing my ring, so it shouldn't have been too difficult.

This being a dessert date, we had dessert first and then decided to have some savory morsels after.  I ordered "Smashing Pumpkins" which was a fancy pumpkin cheesecake.  Brian ordered D=MC squared which was a presentation of chocolate with peanut butter served 3 different ways.  Both desserts were very good, very rich and very worth it! 

Picture of me eating my dessert and wearing my new engagement ring :) 

Picture of Smashing Pumpkins, partially eaten

Picture of D=MC Squared, partially eaten

After dessert, we each had dinner which ended up being way too much food.  As we wrapped up the evening, Megan had finally noticed my ring and had been giving me looks for about 20 minutes before Brian asked her what the furrowed brow was for.  She mentioned my new sparkly bauble on my hand and at that moment, we revealed we were engaged!  I recounted the story for them as we left the restaurant and we hugged them goodbye as they sent us on our way with well wishes and warm fuzzies.  All in all, this date was a sweet treat indeed! 

55. Go Ice Skating

I'm going to go ahead and venture a guess that this will be my most exciting goal accomplished to tell everyone about!

Brian and I regularly do "date nights" so it wasn't at all strange to me that he wanted to take me on a "date day".  He told me very few details about what we were doing, all I knew was that we needed to be somewhere around noon, he wanted me to curl my hair so I looked cute and he wanted me to wear my nice coat "in case we took a pretty walk".  I kindly obliged, grabbed my camera and away we went! 

First up?  A fancy lunch at Three Tomatoes at Fossil Trace Golf Course.  The meal was really good and the mussels that the waiter recommended were super delicious.  We also got to say hi and congratulate our friend Jaime on her recent engagement so it worked as double duty.  During lunch I had been "bugging" Brian about going to try on rings and go shopping for jeans, to which he pretty much blew me off since he had other plans... 

After we were done with lunch, we were off to another spot, another surprise.  As we drove up the hill on I-70, I could see the Mother Cabrini shrine off in the distance and thought for sure that's where our pretty walk was going to be to, especially since we've talked about going to check it out and haven't done it yet.  As we drove past the exit, it was now clear to me that we were going somewhere else.  I kept quiet, though very difficult, as Brian struggled with directions to his surprise location.  Finally, we turned the corner and I saw Evergreen Lakehouse - we were going ice skating!  And then I saw a sign that said "Evergreen Winter Ice Fest"...ummm, not really expecting that in addition to the 300 people that came along with it.  Now normally, I wouldn't care that there were 300 people there, however this was my first time ever ice skating so I was a bit scared/anxious that I wasn't going to be able to do it and be mortified in front of all these people. 

As we walked into the Lakehouse to get our skates, the queue was ridiculously long.  I turned to Brian, with attitude in my voice, and said "Are you sure you want to do this?  Cause I'd really rather be shopping right now".  He talked me into staying and skating, being the voice of reason that he is, and I shortly got over it and decided to seize the moment.  Once the skates were on, I wasn't as nervous...it was sort of like rollerblading, but much harder.  It was really hard to stay upright on the thin little blades and I found myself getting tired pretty quickly.  A few times I wondered how the heck ice skaters do jumps and flips...they've got to be a little crazy and definitely super athletic!  While there, we even ran into one of our neighbors who was also on a date with his girlfriend.  This was the perfect moment to get a picture of us for this blog post...

Picture taken by our neighbor, Alex

By this point, I was getting tired and mentioned it to Brian.  He talked me into taking one more lap around the ice and I once again obliged...it was pretty fun, so why not?!  As we concluded this lap, Brian slipped and fell down.  I legitimately thought this was a real fall, but as it turns out, he was faking.  As I reached down to help him up, he turned towards me, got on one knee and pulled a ring out of his jacket pocket!  I couldn't believe it!!   All I remember saying was "Oh my god, are you serious? Are you serious?" as tears of joy and happiness streamed down my face.  I only vaguely remember what he said to me as the moment felt like time had stopped yet also flew by all at once.  I know he said something along the lines of being his perfect partner in life and would I be his partner forever.  I do know he had to ask me "is that a yes?" as I was in such shock I hadn't answered him.  Haha!  YES!!!  As the people around us ooh'ed and aah'ed and clapped and yelled congratulations, I said to Brian "we need to get a picture!"  He laughed and told me that he had that taken care of...he had planted a professional photographer friend of ours in the crowd who had captured the whole thing!  I was astonished and could not stop smiling! 

After the big proposal, we decided to take some "engagement" photos and spent the better part of the next couple hours kissing, frolicking and playing in the snow while Dave captured the magical happiness of the day.  This "date day" was simply amazing and beyond anything I could have ever imagined!  I am so incredibly blessed to be marrying this man and can't wait to see what future adventures this life has in store for us!

Shea and Brian...Engagement Photo Slideshow

http://vimeo.com/davidlynnphotography courtesy of David Townsend, David Lynn Photography

Now, just when you think this is the end of the "date day" story...it's not.  It keeps going...see next post.    

64. Bake Christmas Cookies

I didn't realize how many of my goals could be accomplished in one holiday weekend, but it makes me feel good to be checking some things off my list, especially as my first year comes near it's end.  As of today, I've "used up" 362 days of 1,001 days, which leaves me with 639 days to finish the goals on this list.  (Is it sick that I've already started my next 101 goals list??) 

Back to the completed goal - Bake Christmas Cookies!  The reason this goal is on my list is not because I've never done it before.  I was lucky enough to have a good friend invite me to her house to make cookies a few years ago and I had so much fun with her, I've been dying to do it again, but make it more of a tradition.  With the sisters, bro-in-laws and nieces in nephews in town for Christmas, I couldn't think of a better time to do it, especially since Santa needed some cookies anyways. 

So we split into 3 teams:
Team Peanut Butter - Ashlee, Casey and Taylor
Team Gingerbread - Niki, Justin and Tate
Team Sugar Cookie - Shea, Brian and Joey

Joey didn't really want to be on our team, but she wisened up when she realized she was going to get to crack the eggs and do more on our team than if she went with her mom and brother.  We all worked pretty hard on mixing our oil and water into our pre-made cookie mix (scratch baking will have to come another year, we don't have the patience for that right now).  When we were done, each team was in charge of their batches going in and out of the oven.  The PB team was the first to get a batch done, followed quickly by team Sugar and then by team Ginger.  We used the sugar cookie and gingerbread dough to make shapes with cookie cutters so the kids could use sprinkles and frosting and really do it up.  They also each made a special cookie for Santa.  It was a lot of fun and it really brought us all a little closer! 

Joey's Cookies

Tate's Cookies

Taylor's Cookies - and she was so excited, this is her way of saying "cheese", haha!

52. Colorado Christmas With the Family

We did it!  We survived a Colorado Christmas with my family.  My sisters, their significant others, my 2 nieces and my nephew were able to join us this Christmas and we had a great time!  Of course we had somewhat of an agenda to make sure that we weren't all bored to death for 4 straight days.  The first day, we went to a place called JumpStreet and we jumped around and got crazy with the kiddos.  It was a lot of fun and we will definitely go back there again! 

Everybody's Jumping Around!

The next day's activity was my niece Taylor's 2 Year Birthday party.  We celebrated by having our neighbors over and chowing down on lasagna and cake.  I luckily had about an hour to myself earlier in the day so I was able to get the house decorated while everyone was last minute shopping and taking naps.  When they all saw the decor, it made it a little more special for them as it was a good surprise for everybody.  We opted to leave the decor up, minus the Happy Birthday signs, for the rest of the weekend. 

On Christmas Eve day, we tried to take it easy and relax a little in anticipation of the Big Guy's arrival that night.  We watched movies and later in the day we made Christmas cookies for Santa.  We separated into 3 teams for cookie making - Team Peanut Butter, Team Gingerbread and Team Sugar Cookie.  That turned out to be a great way to do it as each kid got 2 adults to help them and we all got to be involved.  The cookies turned out pretty yummy but we discovered the best way to eat them was to mix the gingerbread with the sugar cookie and bake together.  We will definitely be making cookies for Santa again!  We opened our presents on Christmas Eve, after an awesome dinner of Indian Tacos (which all of the kids ate faster than any other meal thru the weekend!)  The following morning, the kids opened the presents Santa left for them and away they all went, back to South Dakota.  All in all, it was a great holiday and I hope that we were able to start building our own traditions and that we can keep them alive as we all grow up and grow older. 

Colorado Christmas - Our Family

56. Buy a Sewing Machine

I technically did not accomplish this goal on my own as my wonderfully awesome partner bought me a new sewing machine for Christmas!  He was looking for ideas on what to get me, so I told him to check out my 101 Goals list and see if there was anything on it he could help with.  He picked the one thing that will help me accomplish several other goals.  I was completely surprised when I opened my gift but super excited as I've wanted to start sewing for awhile now.  My first project is going to be curtains for my bedroom which I'm ready to get started on very shortly!  The sky's the limit once I figure out how to work my new Singer 5500.  :)  Wish me luck on this new adventure into sewing-ville! 

8. Start a Business

Well, I managed to do this one without totally stressing myself out and I was going to wait to hit the one year mark before I officially called it a "business", just to make sure it was going to work out.  However, after a very successful holiday season, I am proud to say that ShadyWolfDesigns is officially a profitable business!  Watch for many new designs to come out this year as well as other product lines, like handmade cards, jewelry storage units and possibly some sewn projects (I got a new sewing machine for Christmas that is itching to be used!)  Thank you all for your support and encouragement during the first 11 months of business!  I look forward to continuing to build these strong relationships throughout 2013 and beyond! 

Visit my etsy shop!  www.etsy.com/shop/shadywolfdesigns 

33. Volunteer to work an event

This goal was left very vague intentionally.  I didn't really care what kind of event I volunteered at, I just wanted to do something that helped others and where I could have a little fun while doing it.  Just so happens that my friend Monica's son, Russell, plays basketball for a local high school team and they were doing a fundraiser at Oktoberfest.  Of course, to help the kids, we signed up to work the beer booth.  While there, Brian and I snuck away for a couple fun pictures:

Here's a picture of me participating in the Stein Hoisting competition...that is not a joke! 

 

7. Run a Half Marathon

I really have no idea why I decided to put this goal on my list, or any other running goal actually.  I guess I added it in order to motivate myself to run...as you can guess, it's not really one of my favorite things to do.  But it does keep me fit and active and it's nice to accomplish goals while I'm busy torturing myself. 

I decided to run the Denver Rock n' Roll Half Marathon because it's local and I've heard that it's "fun".  Well, "fun" is definitely a relative word, however it was as enjoyable as running 13.1 miles can be.  I was fortunate enough to talk a few friends into running it with me as well as two more reluctant walkers.  With a band at about every mile helping us along the way, and a random stranger or two cheering you on just when you need it...I am proud to say that we all 5 finished and we all had "fun"!  I made it in 2 hours and 28 minutes, which I'm happy with since my estimated time was 2 hours and 45 minutes.  As for running half marathons, I'm 50/50 on if I'll do another one.  I'm thinking I'll try a 10k....then maybe a 7k...then maybe a 5k...and then decide which race is for me.   

Race numbers, gear, ready to run!

Half of the finishers....will post the pic of all of us as soon as I get a copy :) 

90. Go on the Winter Park Alpine Slide

This goal is actually a part of a larger goal that I've had for awhile - ride all the alpine slides in Colorado.  Prior to this project I rode the slides in Breckenridge, Golden and Steamboat Springs.  There are only 5 slides in Colorado which means I only had 2 left - Winter Park and Durango.  The same day that I had fun mountain biking, we stopped at Winter Park Ski Resort and decided to ride the slide! 

Brian and I on the chairlift, going up the hill to the top of the slide!

At the top, ready to ride

All in all, the Winter Park alpine slide was a lot of fun and it was decidedly the fastest of all the alpine slides I've been on so far!