Resurrected as a Baby Blog

Well, I advise that you stop here if you don't care about cute baby pictures and stories.  Because that is officially what this blog is going to turn into.  I may occasionally update on my 30 before 30, and maybe post about things I make from Pinterest, but mostly it's going to be a baby journal.  Our family is scattered all over the place so this will be a venue for me to post pictures and videos to share with family and friends that we don't get to see on a daily (or even monthly and sometimes yearly basis).

So let's start with a quick update on my 30 before 30 list and then move on to infant type things.

1. Travel outside the country:  nope haven't made this happen yet.  Have an open invitation to visit Madrid and stay with our old exchange student, so this is definitely a possibility soon.

2. Interview my grandmother and record her stories: We talked about it, so that's a start.  And then I got pregnant so that kind of consumed me (literally).  Now that I have a baby though (Grandmother's first great-grandchild!) this is becoming more and more important to me.

3. Fist pump and the Jersey Shore and see a Guido:  DONE! Justin and I traveled to Jersey last Thanksgiving.  I saw a Snooki pouf and a Guido before I even got out of the airport.  And I fist pumped on the shore, much to my husband's embarrassment.  Seriously though, the trip was an amazing opportunity to see where Justin grew up. I absolutely fell in love with Red Bank and Shrewsbury.  If it didn't get so dang cold there, I would consider moving.  Hurricane Sandy has destroyed a lot of the area that Justin grew up in. After seeing those wonderful places, I am sad to see how much of it is gone.  I am glad that I got to see it before all of that happened and I look forward to taking our kids up there once everything is rebuilt.

The house Justin grew up in!

4. See a musical on Broadway:  Hasn't happened yet!

5. Run a 5k:  yeah, right.  I started running on the Couch to 5K program, and then I got pregnant.  Maybe someday.  Maybe.

6. See the Pacific Ocean:  Nope, not yet.

7. Visit at least 5 new states: I can cross off TWO thanks to our trip last Thanksgiving!  I have now visited Pennsylvania and New Jersey!

8. Visit New Orleans again Post-Katrina:  DONE!  I visited New Orleans last July for a work conference.  I was holed up by myself in the hotel most of the time, but I did get to spend a couple of hours with my good friend Jenny before I hopped on the plane.  After some delicious beignets, she drove me around so I could see how things have changed since my last visit over ten years ago.  I was heartbroken to hear that her family's home (that I stayed in on my previous visit) was a total loss, along with a lot of their belongings.  I got a chance to see the house that Jenny and her husband are renovating that was salvaged from the storm.  It is amazing how much you can still see the after effects of Katrina, but it is hopeful that there are still people like Jenny's family who is working hard to rebuild the city they love.

9. Go to the Kentucky Derby:  Not yet!

10. Go on a trip in an RV: Not yet!

11. Go to Harry Potter World:  My mom gets to soon during her work conference and I am so jealous.  I need a wand.

12. Vegas:  Not getting far on any of these that involve travel ...

13. See 5 MLB teams play in their home stadiums:  yeah, no.

14. Create a list every year with smaller goals: I am crossing this one off because it was ridiculous.  I don't need more lists in my life.

15. Plant a veggie garden:  This won't happen until we move to a house that has somewhere in the yard that gets sun.

16. Have a baby:  DONE!  Audrey Rose arrived on September 16th.  Since the blog is going to become a baby blog, there will obviously be more to come on this subject.

Hey, look!  A baby!

17. Find a hobby:  Thanks to Pinterest, I am accomplishing this.  I have found that I am pretty crafty when I have instructions.  I also love to cook recipes I find on there.  So I am hereby claiming Pinterest-ing as my hobby.  DONE!

18. Read the Bible all the way through:  Not done yet!

19. Witness a flash mob or be part of one:  I am still holding out for this one.  I really want to see a Random Act of Culture.  Go YouTube them, you will love it!

20. Watch all 100 movies on Time's All Time 100 Movies:  Started with 7 down 93 to go.  Apparently I am now up to 9.  I really don't watch movies all that often.

21. Buy a kayak and use it:  Nope.

22. Move out of Macon.  Or at least have a plan.: Still a topic of conversation.  But no closer to action.

23. Start grad school again:  I have researched, but this is on hold for right now.

24. Take a Tae Kwon Do or Karate class:   Well I got a Groupon to do this.  And then I got pregnant :)

25. Learn how to quilt or knit or something equally crafty from my mother: Half way there, I now own a sewing machine.  I just need to take it out of the box and do something with it.

26. Kiteboard:  Nope, not yet.

27. Pay off my credit card debt:  Getting closer every month!  I am now within 3 years of being debt-free!

28. Be a part of a world record: Nope.

29. Swim with dolphins:  Again, no.

30.  Sponsor another kid through Compassion International: I am calling this done.  I sponsor 2 kids and correspond with 3 more.  I love the relationships I am developing with Caroline (12, Uganda), Mwongeli (10, Kenya), Dwi (9, Indonesia) and Mauricio (13, Peru). I am expecting a new correspondence kid any day now since Anchelo from Haiti is no longer in the program.

Phew, glad that update is over.  Transition to Baby Blog starting NOW.