100 Things

I swiped this list from a friend's blog. It was interesting to see how many of the things on the list I have or have not done, and which of them were memorable experiences.

* 1. Started your own blog- Check.

* 2. Slept under the stars- Many times. I love this.

* 3. Played in a band- Yes. I played flute in the band from 7th grade until my junior year of college.

* 4. Visited Hawaii- Twice.

* 5. Watched a meteor shower

* 6. Given more than you can afford to charity- Yes. It was satisfying.

* 7. Been to Disneyland- So many times I’ve lost count!

* 8. Climbed a mountain- all the way to the top? I guess it depends on what you’d call a mountain. I’ve climbed Nellie’s Mountain at the Ranch many times. I want to climb Timp some day.

* 9. Held a praying mantis- Yes. They are light and scratchy.

* 10. Sang a solo- Yes. I sang “When You Say Nothing At All” accompanied by my dad’s band for a family reunion.

* 11. Bungee jumped

* 12. Visited Paris- Yes, for a week.

* 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

* 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

* 15. Adopted a child

* 16. Had food poisoning- Several times, unfortunately. It was a fairly regular happening on my mission. The last time was when Brandon and I were engaged. I got sick after eating tomato soup at Jason’s Deli.

* 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

* 18. Grown your own vegetables- We almost always had a garden while I was growing up. One summer Dad let Rachel and I plant the entire plot with tomatoes and sell them to buy school clothes. We had to water and weed and fertilize and pick and sell them all by ourselves. We got so tired of killing those big fat caterpillars that seem to love tomato plants.

* 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France-Yes. I was surprised by how small it really is.

* 20. Slept on an overnight train- Only on a bus.

* 21. Had a pillow fight- It seems to occur fairly often at our house.

* 22. Hitch hiked- when I was a missionary in Bolivia.

* 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill- Well, I'd call it a "personal day".

* 24. Built a snow fort- Oh yeah! You’ve got to love those big mounds of snow that accumulate after the snow plow goes by, and then your dad clears out the driveway. Perfect for hollowing out and making snow forts.

* 25. Held a lamb

* 26. Gone skinny dipping- Yes. That’s all I’ll say about that.

* 27. Run a Marathon- I ran the Top of Utah Marathon in Logan in 2002. It was a very cool experience.

* 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

* 29. Seen a total eclipse

* 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset- I try to see as many as I can.

* 31. Hit a home run

* 32. Been on a cruise- I went on a cruise with my friends before I was married. Later Brandon and I went on one for our honeymoon.

* 33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

* 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

* 35. Seen an Amish community

* 36. Taught yourself a new language- I learned Spanish, though I can't take all the credit.

* 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied- Does money ever bring satisfaction?

* 38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

* 39. Gone rock climbing- Only at the Quarry.

* 40. Seen Michelangelo’s David- Only in a book.

* 41. Sung karaoke- Several times. It is fun. Once I even sang in Spanish.

* 42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt- Yep.

* 43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

* 44. Visited Africa

* 45. Walked on a beach by moonlight- Yes. Carlsbad State Park in California.

* 46. Been transported in an ambulance

* 47. Had your portrait painted

* 48. Gone deep sea fishing

* 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

* 50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris- Yes. I went on Study Abroad to London in 1995. We spent a week in France. We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower at evening time in order to see the city lights, and our little BYU group was a bit scandalized by all the couples making out in the shadows. Apparently, the top of the Eiffel Tower is a popular place to kiss.

* 51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling- I’ve been snorkeling several times.

* 52. Kissed in the rain- Yes.

* 53. Played in the mud- Yes.

* 54. Gone to a drive-in theater- A couple of times.

* 55. Been in a movie

* 56. Visited the Great Wall of China

* 57. Started a business-Yes.

* 58. Taken a martial arts class

* 59. Visited Russia

* 60. Served at a soup kitchen- Once on a date. It was a cool experience.

* 61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

* 62. Gone whale watching

* 63. Got flowers for no reason- I’ve bought flowers for myself for no reason before. Brandon gives me flowers, but usually for a reason.

* 64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma- only blood, and only once, and it was a long time ago.

* 65. Gone sky diving

* 66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp

* 67. Bounced a check- More than once, unfortunately. I’ve learned to be more careful, however.

* 68. Flown in a helicopter-Yes. We went on a helicopter tour when Mom, Dad, Ray and I went to Hawaii. I got a little sick from the motion.

* 69. Saved a favorite childhood toy- I still have Oot, my Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy, and Wally the bear. They are in a box in the basement.

* 70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial- Yes. There is a sort of reverence about the place.

* 71. Eaten Caviar- I can’t remember why, but my 8th grade History teacher brought in caviar for us to try. It was salty. I like the little tiny fish eggs that they put on sushi rolls.

* 72. Pieced a quilt- Sort of. When I was in High School I made a crazy patchwork lapquilt out of odds and ends. I sewed the patches together, but then tied the quilt rather than stitching it.

* 73. Stood in Times Square

* 74. Toured the Everglades

* 75. Been fired from a job

* 76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London-No! I spent an entire Summer term there on Study Abroad and never made it to Buckinham Palace.

* 77. Broken a bone- Never. I sprained my ankle very badly, however. I tripped in a hole in our yard. I was 19.

* 78. Been on a speeding motorcycle- A couple of times, and always holding tightly to the boy who was driving, not driving myself.

* 79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person- No. Hard to believe when I live fairly close to it, I know.

* 80. Published a book

* 81. Bought a brand new car- The first and only car I’ve owned myself is named Ruby. She is a ’99 Chevy Lumina, and I bought her in 2000. She’s a bit shabby, but still running well!

* 82. Walked in Jerusalem- Someday I hope to.

* 83. Had your picture in the newspaper

* 84. Read the entire Bible- When we studied the Bible in seminary, we were only required to read certain chapters, but I was an over achiever and read straight through. After reading certain parts of the Old Testament, I understood why the Seminary program recommended only the “good parts” version.

* 85. Killed and prepared an animal for eating- A fish. My bro-in-law Peter caught it, but he let me gut it because I’d never done it before and wanted to try. It was squishy.

* 86. Had chickenpox- I caught a pretty bad case because I was a little older-10 or 11 I think. It was during the summer, so the heat made me even itchier.

* 87. Saved someone’s life- Not that I know of.

* 88. Met someone famous- Does my husband count? I saw actor Bill Patton at a play in London when I was on study abroad. I’ve met Patricia C. Wrede, Michelle West, Lloyd Alexander, Gail Carson Levine, and lots of other authors.

* 89. Joined a book club- almost two years ago. My former roommates and I choose a list of books to read, then get together once a month to discuss them. (Of course, we do a lot of eating and visiting too.)

* 90. Lost a loved one- both paternal grandparents. My grandma died while I was on my mission. When I visited her just before I left, I had a feeling it would be the last time I would see her, but it was still a shock to me when I found out she’d passed away.

* 91. Had a baby- Yes, and he’s very cute!

* 92. Seen the Alamo in person

* 93. Swam in the Great Salt Lake-I think I dipped my toes in it when we went to visit Antelope Island. I don’t remember for sure.

* 94. Been involved in a law suit

* 95. Owned a cell phone- I’m on number 3 now.

* 96. Been stung by a bee- a couple of times. The one I remember most happened at school when I was in Kindergarten. My teacher took me in to the nurse, but the nurse wasn’t around at the time, so the Principal took care of me. He was such a wonderful, kind man.

* 97. Seen Mount Rushmore in person

* 98. Learned to play an instrument- piano, flute, guitar

* 99. Sat on jury duty

* 100. Had a pet rat-only a gross looking rubber rat that a coworker gave me at Halloween years ago. I still have it, and each year when I get out the Halloween decorations, this rat ends up in places like the shower, my bed, the fridge or other startling locations.