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!