Boomer...

Who wouldn't want to go to a Dallas Cowboys football game?!? Me too, but unfortunately a college game was a lot more feasible. I had always wanted to go to an OU game. After all, I was born and bread a Sooner fan. I may have graduated from OSU but at a minimum I bleed red and orange. Kelly had been wanting to go to a game too so I seized the opportunity and got us tickets to the Baylor game for his birthday.

The score of the game ended up being too close for comfort but it made for an entertaining day. I did a horrible job picking out seats online and we ended up in the nose bleed section. It was still a great time. I prefer watching from the comfort of my own home though where I can lounge on the couch, drink a beer, and have a better understanding of what's happening with the game. You don't get to see a million instant replays when you are there live!

Tapas again

Eat tapas was on my list. I had some delicious tapas on a cruise we went on. I posted about it earlier. However, we were in Spain and I had the opportunity to have tapas at one of the oldest tapas restaurants in Spain, Quimet & Quimet. I decided to give it another go.

We got there and the language barrier really kicked in. The menu was all in Spanish and we could hardly figure any of it out. We tried ordering a sampling of tapas. They ended up bringing out plate after plate of seafood tapas. The only edible thing for me was the bagel and lox. The other items included cod liver and some thing that looked like a tongue! Kelly was braver than I and sampled most everything. After the second plate of food, we refused any more. We left starving and hit up the Burger King down the street. Seafood tapas = EW.

Eat [suh-vee-chey]

ce·vi·che
- noun
1.an appetizer of small pieces of raw fish marinated in lime or lemon juice, often with onions, peppers, and spices.

That pretty much says it all. I was pretty indifferent about it. Now I know what it's all about!

Two years have flown by and time is running out. In 10 days I turn 25 for the 5th time and have one year to complete my list. Better get moving!

Down and dirty

When I heard about the TATUR mud run a couple of years ago I knew that it was going on my list. When was the last time you got to play in the mud?! When I found out there was a costume contest, I was even more excited. We signed up as a team of five to complete the non-timed race: me, Kelly, Cheri, Jeff and Mollie. I had seen these fun costumes from the old nickelodeon show Double Dare and knew they would be perfect for the event. We would have a red team (me and Kelly) and a blue team (Cheri and Jeff) and our referee (Mollie). Cheri and I got together and created some pretty awesome outfits and waited around for race day to come.

Unfortunately, Mollie was unable to participate at the last minute. Luckily, Sam agreed to sub-in. We suited up race day and prepared ourselves for the challenge ahead. We really had no idea what we had signed up for. It was a sweltering summer day. The first part of the race consisted of running, followed by a slide, tire obstacles, and more grueling components. It felt never ending at one point but we persevered and completed the race in the middle of the pack. Did we win the costume contest? Of course we did! And Cheri even got her picture in the Tulsa World. It was a fun time and I'm glad to check it off my list!

Gobble, gobble

I'm not a big fan of change and I'm a huge advocate for keeping traditions. I'm an "if it's not broke, why fix it?" kind of gal. That brings us to the next thing on my list: cook with my mom for Thanksgiving. Being the baby of the family means I may never be solely responsible for Thanksgiving dinner, but I found it important to know how to make my mom's delicious meal. I've always admired and loved her simple homemade cooking. The older I get, the more precious time is and I would hate to miss the opportunity to learn all her secrets.

I stayed over the night before Thanksgiving to get started on the prep for the next day. We got up bright and early Thanksgiving morning and got to cooking. We prepared a feast! Turkey and dressing (I stuffed the butt stuffing), green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, coleslaw and a ton of tummy desserts. We got in some quality time together and both decided it would make a great annual tradition.; and I might just have to test my newly learned knowledge and cook a Thanksgiving in July meal.

Take an Unmapped Out Road Trip

Well, it feels good to break through the first 10 and on to 11 although I’m definitely losing steam! One Saturday afternoon in April, Kelly and I were lounging around the house being unproductive and bored. It seemed like a great opportunity to check one off the list. The kind of opportunities that are fewer and further between once you start a family. We loaded up the car for an overnight stay and headed out to nowhere in particular. We made a quick stop on the way out of a town at QT to stock up on some road trip snacks: Twizzlers, sunflower seeds and 32 ounce drinks. We drove in multiple directions for awhile, mostly east, and then made our first stop in Chouteau, Oklahoma for some Amish jerky, cheese tasting, and yogurt nibs. We saw some funny signs and stopped to pose with a few monuments along the way.

Yum.

Another one off the list! After Kelly’s grandma made us this insanely good but labor intensive lasagna a few years ago, I knew I wanted to tackle a Martha Stewart recipe. I came across one for Yankee Pot Roast. It sounded really good and gave me the opportunity to make my very first roast. Something about making a roast just feels very 1950’s housewife. I was looking forward to it and it gave me the chance to use my Dutch oven Lydia had gotten me for Christmas a couple of years ago. I took my time and slowly followed the recipe. After about an hour, it was all prepared for its three hour “roast” in the oven. I decided to invite family over feeling not right about Kelly and I tackling it on our own. It was huge success and we only ended up with enough leftovers for me to take to work for lunch the next day. If only I could share the smell! Buon Appetito!

Eat Tapas

While we were cruising the Caribbean Thanksgiving weekend, I was looking for opportunities to check another one off the list. On the boat, they have a cool little wine bar called Vines. With the purchase of wine, you get free tapas and/or sushi. Tapas! On our last night we got in our best dressed and headed over to vines before dinner. I selected a white wine flight and Kelly got a red wine flight (a sampling of select wines). With that we got three types of Spanish appetizers: a lamb lollipop, (I was excited to see that since they have them on Top Chef all the time!) cheesy focaccia bread and lamb rib chops. It was all very delish! 9 down, 21 to go!

Bang, Bang - Part 2

I shot a gun. And I hated it. Shooting one did not help subside any of my fears. Kelly and Sam were headed to the “shooting range” to sight in their rifles. Kelly thought it would be the perfect time for me to tag along and shoot his 22. We showed up at the “range” and there was already about 10 other people setup and shooting. This “range” as I keep calling it is a field filled with rednecks and homemade targets. I shot 5 rounds and was finished. I couldn’t stop physically shaking. By the time I was ready to try again, another 15 people had shown up. I questioned Kelly about the safety and sanity of the situation and he reassured me that it was perfectly safe. Not sure when I will shoot guns again. The only way I would consider it is to go to an indoor range. Not a month after we were at the outdoor range, I heard on the news that I man was shot in the neck and leg and almost died at that exact range. A woman knows best!

Road Trip!

It’s hard to stay motivated. But that’s a fair statement in general which is why it’s to no surprise that it’s been awhile since my last post. I have since then however, completed another item off my list: take a girl’s road trip. When my Arkansas girl JRam told me she was tying the knot and having her last single weekend in Dallas, I thought it would be the perfect weekend to check this one off the list. After signing myself up and finalizing the plans, I wasn’t sure what I had gotten into! In order to start this trip, I had to drive 2.5 hours to Ada, Oklahoma to meet up with JRam and Jillian to then make the rest of the trek to Dallas. I headed out bright and early Saturday morning. We made a couple of pit stops on the way but made it into D-Town in excellent time. We had an amazing night on the town and milked the bachelorette party status for everything we could from an upgraded limo ride to VIP high roller status at the club. It was an unforgettable night and a great way to spend JRam’s last weekend without a ring on it.

Vegas Baby!

One of the BIG things on my list was to go to the airport and fly somewhere on a whim. It helps that Kelly and I are crazy, impulsive and spontaneous. Thats why we go together so nicely. When I say on a Thursday afternoon "Let's go to Vegas this weekend!" Kelly says "Okay." The next thing we know we are planning a weekend getaway. Purchasing last minute tickets wasn't an option when we realized they would cost $2700! With A LOT of help from my mom, we decided to fly standby. She set us up with a flight from Tulsa to Dallas at 12:45pm. Playing the game of flying non-rev is always risky. My mom refers to it as a 'crap chute': you never know what you're going to get. We didn't make the flight. My mom informed us our best bet would be to drive to northwest regional Arkansas airport and fly out from there.

After a couple hour drive we were able to catch a 3:40 flight to Dallas. We got to Dallas and had a couple hours before trying to catch a 7pm flight to Las Vegas. There's only one thing to do when you have a layover: have a margarita! Afterall, vacation time has officially started even if 24 hours earlier you didn't know you would be on vacation. Lucky for us, there was a Papasito's right across from our gate. Papasito's= yummy margaritas and amazing food. I got this fantastic grilled chicken sandwich smothered in cheese, pico de gallo and avocado. Kelly got a combo platter with a taco, enchilada and bomb grilled shrimp.

After we wrapped up dinner, we checked in at the gate. Another long list of standby passengers awaited us with us being #23 and #24. Knowing we wouldn't be getting out of Dallas anytime soon, we regrouped and decided we needed to get closer to Vegas. My mom looked and found we would have no trouble getting to Los angeles. Off we went. As Kelly put it "it's not like we have anything better to do!" we made it into Los angeles late Friday night. We caught a shuttle to an el dumpo motel Aka the Travellodge. I can tell you that you don't get much for $90 a night in LA.

The next morning we headed back to LAX to try to catch a flight to Las Vegas. We were finally successful and arrived in Vegas around noon. We were extremely excited to finally make it after our long journey. The weekend was a crazy blast. We walked for miles all over Vegas, gambled, hit the clubs, hungout poolside and took in a show. It was an awesome unexpected weekend. By the end of trip we had spent time in Tulsa, Arkansas, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Chicago. Mission accomplished! 6 things checked off my list, 24 to go! If you want to start your own list, check out 43things.com. They even have a mobile app.

Make a Difference

Some of the things on my list make me super nervous. The list talks me into it but when I get to do what I'm supposed to be doing I find myself asking "Did I really volunteer to do this?" This next thing I completed on my list had me asking that question. No it wasn't skydiving but it still got my nerves going.

Angela and I tag teamed this one as well. When she heard her work was having a blood drive, we both decided to get on board. The timing couldn't have ended up being more perfect given current events of the devastating tornadoes in Joplin. I left work on my lunch break to meet up with her. You have to read some information in a binder then you go to a "private" area to go through the application process. I had to answer about 20 questions and have my finger pricked before getting blood drawn. The finger pricking is actually the most painful part. It feels like an electric shock. We both sucked it up though and did our part to Make a Difference. It was a good feeling!

Afterward I had a cookie and some juice and headed back to work. I made the mistake of walking three flights of stairs and almost fainted. Silly me! I think everyone should have something on their list that is for the greater good of helping others. I highly recommend it.

Eat Indian Food

On the list: eat Indian food. It's always fun to try new cuisines. I've eaten a number of exotic fare in my days most of which was consumed on cruise ships. It's always easy to try new food when you know it's "free" and you can always hit the midnight buffet later.

Angela also had this one on her list so we made it a family affair. My manager Olivia loves Indian food and swears by India Palace. We each ordered something different from the menu so we could get a taste of everything. We ordered beef curry, chicken tikka masala, shrimp and lamb dishes. Kelly and I ordered the assorted hors d'oeuvers and I have to say I sort of felt transported back to San Juan. It was hard not to think of Dad with his corn fritter plate. All the hors d'oeuvers were fried vegetables. We had Indian beer and chai tea. I am NOT a fan of chai tea. We also tried Indian bread - garlic naan and spinach paratha. Overall everything tasted great. I've never seen less appealing food before though. This was a good one to check off the list but it will likely be a "been there and done that" one time event.

If I could only remember...

I will be attempting to write about this next thing I checked off of my list. Unfortunately, when you complete this task, the details for some reason get a little blurry. Here is why: Finish a whole bottle of wine by myself, with good company. It didn’t seem like the brightest idea after the fact. That much I know.

My friend Angela and I had been talking about checking this one off the list for weeks. The opportunity finally presented itself this past Saturday night. Kelly and I headed over to Vic and Sue’s, wine in tow. I selected a bottle of Pinot Noir for the occasion. I have to tell you, the task seems rather easy once you have the first glass poured but not so much as you go along. The night consisted of prank calling, singing very loudly, poker, and the rest is a blur. I told you there wasn’t much to tell. I’m not sure I would recommend this to anyone else considering the hangover the next day was brutal! I think I may still be dehydrated. 3 down, 27 to go!

Bang, Bang - Part 1

I am terrified of guns so naturally shooting a gun is on my list of 30 before 30. With each thing on my list, I hope to try new things, conquer old fears, and inspire others to do the same. When a Living Social deal came up one day for 50% off paintball, I signed Kelly and I up and had Cheri and Jeff jump on board as well.

Five months later with the deal about to expire, we marked our calendars to go one Sunday afternoon. I can’t explain how much I was dreading going because of how scared I was to play. I had heard people say how much it hurts to get hit by a paintball. I’m all for adrenaline rush inspired adventures but this one had me shaking in my boots. I thought about cancelling especially since I was already sick but I decided it was now or never.

Kelly and I put on old jeans and sweats and headed out to Sapulpa Paintball Adventure Games. It was the perfect weather to play, about 70 degrees. We got there and met up with Cheri and Jeff. Luckily I wasn't alone and Jeff was just as unenthusiastic as I was about what we were about to do. To make matters worse, we see these military guys in their camo-wear ready to go. The idea of having Marines open fire on me didn’t soothe my fears. I sucked it up, as did Jeff, and grabbed our guns and yellow paintballs.

My anxiety managed to ease as we waited in a holding area for about 20 minutes before play. We were then divided up into teams by the referee, yellow bands vs. no bands. He directed us to a field of play that had different barricades to hide behind. One team started from the top and the other team started at the bottom. The safe zone where you go when you are out is called the dead box. Play begins when each team is at their designated starting place. The referee counts to three and the chaos begins. The game ends when one team is completely eliminated. The first couple of rounds, Cheri and I did awesome. We won the first game and were the last two standing on game two. By the third and fourth games, the guys were warmed up and ready to attack. I took a gnarly shot under my arm and shoulder from two feet away. After that, I speculated the final two games. Our only complaint overall was that you had to take too many breaks in between games. I already felt like hell and after a couple of hours into it, I had had my fill.

After the initial anxiety, I had a blast. It turns out it doesn’t hurt too badly at all and it’s really fun. I’m glad I was able to conquer half of my fear and am feeling a little more confident going into part two (shooting a real gun). I would recommend everyone to try it once. I’m definitely planning on playing again and I know Kelly can’t wait! 27.5 things left to do on my list!