What I've Been Up To Lately

   I've been a little MIA on my little blog lately. I hate that! Here is a little of what I've been up to lately. 

I was going to go here:

But, my dad got sick again. He had to have surgery #5. 

A little pre-surgery Sudoku

I've been reading off and on:

Enjoying the beautiful Autumn scenery around me. {Probably the prettiest I've ever seen!}:

Hanging out with this cutie:

Listening to this awesomess:

Spending a couple of hours with my dream man:

And, the other day I was listening to the show "The Little House on the Prairie." There were a couple of things the characters said that caught my attention:

 ~ Pa told Laura, "You know we have a lot of funny notions born inside of us, Half-Pint. The funniest is that we're supposed to hide the way we feel about people. Let me tell you, everybody wants to know that they are loved, or needed, or cared about. Anybody who doesn't want to know that has something wrong with them."

~ Laura told Mary, "You know Mary, life sure was a lot easier when we didn't like boys."

So true, Laura, so true! :)

A Day in the Wilderness

     This weekend I went hiking with a few people in my Sunday school group at Cane Creek Canyon Nature Preserve. Check off #24 on my 30 Before 30 List!!! Actually, that thought did not even enter my mind until I got back yesterday. The real reason I wanted to go was to hang out with some new people and to have something fun and different to do. This hike was harder than I thought it would be, mainly because I got a really bad headache about an hour into it. But make no mistake about it, I'm a really tough girl and I powered through it to the end!!! There were quite a few inclines and lots of rough terrain to cover. We saw some absolutely beautiful scenes and very unique berries and flowers! We saw a couple of caterpillars and even a turtle. Thank goodness we did not encounter any snakes! My favorite part was probably the Blue Hole where the water was a really pretty transparent bluish color.  I enjoyed the challenge and am only slightly sore today! {We hiked approximately 6.6 miles.}

The waterfall was just a trickle this day...

As close to the edge as I could get!

So pretty!

I was a little braver here :)

Nice little cave area

Beautiful vibrant purple berries of some sort

The most unique flower/berry I have ever seen. Wish I knew what it was!

Close up

Pretty flowers

Cane Creek

I took this picture beside a section they roped off to protect a rare species of butterflies. {The swamp metalmark}
We all know just how much I love butterflies!

Beaver dam

Blue Hole. So so so pretty!

Reflection on the water

30 Before 30!

     Well, I have a little over 5 months to complete 30 things before I turn 30! I think it will be fun. :) Here is my list:

1. Learn to make fried chicken. {Done and done. 2/2/14}
2. Get a unique flavored drink from Sonic. {Peach Vanilla DC, yum, yum! 2/8/14} 
3. Get a massage.
4. Style my hair differently each day for a week.
5. Teach Effie a new trick. {Check. She can "say" I love you. 1/6/14}
6. Go 1 day without caffeine. {Who am I kidding? I went one morning without it and I decided I didn't want a headache.}
7. Buy a red dress. {Completed 12/16/13; technically, it was wine-colored, but I say it counts! :) }
8. Interview my parents about their childhood/memories.
9. Print pictures on camera and organize into albums. {2013 pics printed and in an album! 2/19/14 HUGE accomplishment}
10. Share something special. {Done several times}
11. Read Gone With the Wind. {I attempted! Got about 200 pages read.}
12. Enjoy an afternoon at the park. {Check. 2/16/14}
13. Brush up on ASL.
14. Learn how to download music onto a device. {I didn't actually do it, but I did figure out how.}
15. A couple of my friends think I should taste sushi. Not so sure about this one! {OK, so sushi is a little much for a picky eater like me. BUT, I did taste Southwestern Egg Rolls, and I liked them! Small steps. lol. Completed 12/12/13}
16. Go to sleep early one night. {Check. 2/1/14} 
17. Dye my hair red. {Completed 12/11/13}
18. Throw a speech-language themed party for my kids at school. {Party!!! 2/19/14 & 2/20/14}
19. Make career goals for the next decade. {Ideas in mind. 2/5/4}
20. Buy fresh flowers for my apartment. {Always wanted to do this! Check! 2/8/14}
21. Make my small grandma's strawberry cake.
22. Go 24 hrs without tv or internet. {Again, who am I kidding? I did make it 12 hours though!}
23. Shoot a gun.
24. Travel somewhere I've never been before. {Completed 9/28/13}
25. Buy a car. {Completed 1/11/14}
26. Make dinner for a friend.
27. Memorize a chapter in a book of the Bible.
28. Cook a Thanksgiving turkey. {Completed 11/28/23}
29. Make a gift for someone. {Completed 12/19/13}
30. Have an amazing 30th birthday! :) {It happened!}

So, I didn't complete everything on this list, but that is ok! It was just for fun and hopefully one day I will have the opportunity to do the rest!!!