The Bucket List

This is something I have had for a while, and something I like to update every year or so... I thought why not post it? What actually inspired my "bucket list" was the movie, "A Walk to Remember" based on the book written by Nicholas Sparks, one of my favorite authors. So read it if you want to, make your own, or just think about it! It's a great way to make sure you're living the life you want right now, instead of just thinking about it.

I have placed an X by the things I have accomplished. :)


1. Learn how to drive a motorcycle.

2. Ride a motorcycle on Route 66. X


3. Learn how to scuba dive or snorkel. X

4. Learn how to surf.

5. Learn how to snowboard. X

6. Learn how to waterski. X

7. Conquer a fear: Water.

8. Be independent. X

9. Buy a house.

10. Decorate an entire house. X

11. Help a needy child. X

12. Buy a handbag in Paris.

13. Go to Italy. Go to Rome and tour the famous architecture there, including St. Peter's Square and the Vatican.

14. Go to Austria and see the Vienna Boys Choir perform in the Imperial Chapel in Vienna.

15. See the Vienna Boys Choir. X

16. See the Statue of Liberty.

17. Go to a pro football game.

18. Meet Martina McBride.

19. Record a song.

20. Write a song. X

21. Sing for more than 1,000 people at one time. X

22. Go to college. X

23. Graduate from college.

24. Date 100 people. X

25. Go to Israel.

26. Read the Bible.

27. Read the Book of Mormon. X

28. Have long hair. X

29. Sing in the Tabernacle Choir.

30. Be a flight attendant. Almost.. I interviewed, and then decided it was something I didn't want to do.

31. Host a party. X

32. Learn Karate. X

33. Be in a swimsuit contest. X

34. Play in the rain. X

35. Go to Mexico. X

36. Buy a sportscar.

37. Take a photography class.

38. Adopt a child.

39. Raise a family.

40. Fall in love. X

41. Go shopping in New York City.

42. Go to the opera.

43. Climb a radio tower. X

44. Own a pair of stilettos. X

45. Eat sushi. X

46. Stay in an expensive hotel. X

47. Save a life. X

48. Go to the temple.

49. Learn about a different culture. X

50. Own a Jeep.

51. Own a truck. X

52. Learn how to dance: Swing X
Latin X
Ballet X
Hip-hop X

53. Teach a class. X

54. Inspire someone. X

55. Go to South America.

56. Be successful. X

57. Go rock climbing. X

58. Go to the Garden of Gethsemane.

59. Be a model. X

60. Act in a play. X

61. Write a book. X - Not finished... a work in progress.

62. Publish a poem or essay. X

63. Run a half marathon.

64. Learn how to golf. 

65. Ride a horse. X

66. Ride a camel across sand dunes.

67. Go off-roading in Moab.

68. See the Narrows in Southern Utah. X

69. See the Arches. X

70. Drive a 63 Corvette with a split window.

71. Ride an elephant.

72. Act in a movie.  X

73. Go to a Broadway show. X

74. Hike through Kolob Canyon. X

75. Go to a ballet. X

76. Be a mother.

77. Own a store.

78. Go on a cruise. X

79. See an old southern plantation. X

80. Get married. X

82. Move across the country.

83. Go to a movie alone.

84. Drive across the country.

85. Tour Europe.

86. Adopt a puppy. X


87. Go to a cemetery in Europe.


88. Tour Versailles and the Arc de Triumphe in France. And the Louvre would be pretty cool.


89. Go to London.


90. Buy a pair of really expensive shoes.


91. Own a purple Softail Harley... deep purple only when the sun shines.


92.  Build a successful business from the ground up.


93.  Sing karaoke.


94.  Climb a mountain.


95.  Climb to Ben Lomond Peak 


96.  Run a full marathon.


97.  Practice yoga in Bali.


98.   Go to India.


99.  Learn and practice Astanga yoga.


100.  Become a yoga instructor.  X

Tribute to a Best Friend

For those of you who don't know her, this is my friend Lindsy. We have been best friends since we met at age 15. She moved in next door when my neighbor married her dad, and we were inseparable after that! We have been through everything: Overalls, divorce, Girl Talk, learning to drive, kissing boys to first relationships with boys, new families, old families, and just about every awkward thing a teenager can go through! More than that, we have maintained our friendship in the years following high school - and recently became best friends again.



Lindsy is a great person - one thing most people notice about her is her selflessness. She is all about helping other people, all the time. She has had an interesting life - and it's one that gets her in trouble sometimes - not by her own doing, but by others' inability to understand and be mature and accepting of consequences they can't control. I won't go into it because it's really not my business, but it makes me so sad to see somebody just openly badmouthing my best friend!


Lindsy is an honest, open, and caring person, and she would never intentionally hurt another person. It makes me really sad that she is the target of such nastiness and anger. I wish there was something I could do for her - I know it hurts her and her family. She and Derin are absolutely wonderful people and wonderful parents, and most people who read this blog know them and their story.


Lindsy and Derin have 13 children - 11 by Derin's previous marriage, and 2 of she and Derin's. Embree is 7 and Kinleigh is 2.






Embree

Lindsy and Kinleigh

Sorry I couldn't find a bigger pic!

I just want to give a shout out to Lindsy, for braving the storm. Reading the nasty comments made about Lindsy on Derin's ex-wife's blog made me realize that Lindsy is going through a lot more pain than I even knew. I just want her to know that I love her, and that I am here for her. There are many, many people whose lives she has touched and she is truly someone to look up to. I admire her every day for her courage. I admire what a great wife and mother she is. I mostly admire what a genuine and giving person she is. She is always willing to do anything for anybody.






Most of all, she is always willing to do what's best for her family and her friends. She is a great example of a true friend, and one that I am consistently trying to be more like. :)

Our House

So, our house has intrigued me from the first day I met it! Anyone who knows me knows I love love love houses and just about everything to do with them. Call me strange, but I talk to my house. I feel it has been neglected for so long it needs some love and assurance. :) Dustin bought our house about 4 years ago as a foreclosure, and it was a mess! Our neighbor told us it was a party house for the Weber State basketball team, so I'm sure you can imagine! Dustin told me he spent a month cleaning our house from floor to ceiling. The picture above was taken at Halloween.

We have done some work to it since I moved in and have really enjoyed our home improvement time together. There is still a lot we want to do, and I will keep you posted as we do more! A lot of people say they would never want to live in an old house, and I thought I was one of them. However, my old house has completely changed my mind! It has such character and such history that I can't help but be in love with it despite its shortcomings. :)

I had some bridal pictures taken on my front porch. :)

I have wanted to dig up some history on my house for a while but didn't quite know how to. The other day I went to the Weber Center in Ogden and asked the assessor how I would go about finding old records on my house. She sent me to the vault (yes, there is actually a real vault with public records!) and a cute little lady helped me. The assessor's office has it recorded that our house was built in 1917, so we looked in the book with that date range.

Getting ready to paint the dining room...

The book was in handwritten cursive, and it was tiny! Thank goodness we have always kept records though, or I would never be able to find anything out! We found our block and looked up the records for it. The first thing we found was a transfer of property for part of the block on June 23, 1913. Lucky for me, there was only one record on the whole block, and we have thought for a while that our house was the oldest on the block, so this confirmed it!

Dustin in his coveralls!! :)

What was interesting as I continued down the page for more information was another transfer, and the property was bought for 500 dollars by a J.P. Corry and his wife, Olive. J.P. Corry then took out the first mortgage recorded on July 14, 1913 for the amount of 1800 dollars with 8% interest! Ouch! So we concluded that the construction actually began in 1913 since you can't take a mortgage out on property. In February of 1914 J.P. Corry then borrowed another 2000 from a man named Dan Pugh. It's crazy that I could find all this information! I really consider myself quite lucky because I've heard how hard it can be.

I now believe that the house was completed in 1914, as on October 22, 1914, our house was sold to a lady named Ella M.A. Greenwell in the amount of 3500 dollars. I figured nobody is going to buy a half-finished house, especially a woman! I thought it was also interesting that her name was the only one that appeared. I am going to have to do some more digging. I want to find out more information about her, as I think she is the original owner of our house. I made it to the year 1936 so far, and Ella was still living there. I am going to go back and get a complete timeline, but I definitely want to know more about Ella.

I called my mom, who is the Internet guru - she can find ANYTHING online - and gave her Ella's name. Five minutes later she called me with a lot more information! Ella's maiden name was Morton, and she was the daughter of Ruther Verna Leavitt and William Anthony Morton. She married David Verne Greenwell, and my mom even found a marraige license, but it will cost me to get it. I'm going to look into it.

Here's the crazy part - while I was on the phone with my mom I was standing in my dining room, and when I said Ella Greenwell out loud, I seriously got chills! It could be that it's just crazy to think that she used to live in my house, but I think her name has not been spoken in my house for years and years, and it was a cool feeling. I would absolutely love to find a picture of her to keep in my house, as she is part of its history.

I am so excited to be finding out bits and pieces of my house's history. I think it's important, and hopefully when we decide to move it will be something that the next owners will treasure.

So there's some history on my house! The rest is still a mystery, but I'm digging it up! I will post more pictures when I get them organized. Sorry so long - I tend to write novels. I hope it wasn't boring! :)