and..... here we go AGAIN!

Each time I have attempted the 101 in 1001 I have failed and yet succeeded. Let me explain, I have failed to ever get all 101 things marked off of my list BUT I have succeeded to accomplish some/most of them.  I have seen and learned things that I otherwise wouldn't have and in that I feel that my attempts were a success.

What am I doing different this time, I am not filling out the entire list. This may feel like a little bit of a cop out but I assure you it is not. What I learned last time is I put in a bunch of "filler" things at the end that I was not passionate about just so the list was complete.  This time I am leaving 82-97 blank so that I can fill them in with things that pop into my brain over the next few weeks. Don't worry, I won't drag this out for years, I promise.

I am excited to start on this new adventure and hope that it will inspire me to be more active and intentional.  I have been so blessed and I want nothing more than to embrace this amazing life that God has given me. As my grandpa would say "take the bull by the horns" and just DO IT!

Updating 4 &5 (day 584)

So I have come to realize that I may have made a few goals that are wonderful goals but are pretty near impossible for me to accomplish. Instead of failing to complete them entirely I have decided to change them a bit.

Goal #4 use to be "Use my Vitamix for 30 consecutive days" I am taking out the word consecutively which is what is making the goal nearly impossible. I will get on a roll and then get called to attend a 30 hour birth which throws everything off. Because I am taking away part of the challenge I figured it is only right to also add in a different challenge so I will now have to making 30 different creations instead of just my morning smoothies.

Goal #5 use to be "Walk (rain or shine) for 30 consecutive days" This is a goal that I have attempted to complete several times now and have not been able to for various reasons (birth, illness, weather). So like I did to #4 I am removing the word consecutive but I am adding the challenge of making the walk be at least a mile and I added 30 additional days to the goal.

So is changing the goals in the middle cheating? .... maybe!

Seeing as the entire reason for doing this 101 in 1001 is to accomplish stuff and be successful, am I feeling at all guilty.... NOPE!

Dating on a dime (Day 584)

I have no qualms admitting that I am a cheap date. I love going out and spending as little as possible. Now don't get me wrong, I like being wined and dined, but I appreciate when the wining & dining is done in the cheapest way possible. My husband had learned over the years that the way to my heart is through... a coupon!

I am proud to say that I am passing on my "thriftiness" to my children. They are learning that you don't have to spend a bundle of money to have fun. Case in point, I have taken both of my boys out on "dates" recently to... wait for it... COSTCO!!!

Many of you may be thinking "Costco??? Trish, Costco is NOT a date!" or "boy she meant it when she said she was cheap!" Well, I have to admit that while it may not be conventional, it was still a date and the Croom Clan thinks of it as a great date!!

Think about what you usually do on a date;

Talk: At Costco we talk about items that we would someday like to own or things that we would never dream of buying. We walk around the store and just enjoy each others company.

Relax: Have you ever tried out the theater chairs or the chairs that have built in back massager? It is so relaxing, Ben and I spent 15 minutes just sitting in the recliners, it was awesome.

Eat: This is one of our favorite reasons for visiting Costco. The "appetizers" they serve are amazing and the best part is, they are free! Micah and I went out on a Costco date we where served tri-tip steak, wild rice, cheese & crackers, pizza, garlic bread and a fizzy drink!

After we finish with the appetizers we then visit the cafe for the main course and dessert. All of this is done for around $5.

So there you have it folks my justification, not that it needs to be justified, of why Costco is a great dating location!

Post's that are coming soon.... "Best happy hour locations!"

2 birds with one stone (Day 498)

I am all about multi tasking, this is why I decided to combine #46 (try 20 new recipes) with #78 (take Micah out for 10 dates). Now technically I didn't actually take Micah out on a date, but who says that a date has to involve leaving the house? Both Micah and I agreed that even though we stayed in it was totally an awesome date!

Micah and I have a fascination for cooking shows. We both enjoy watching just about anything that is on the food network or cooking channels. Yesterday was no exception, when Paula Dean came across our screen we were both mesmerized. She was cooking with her sons and they were having a grand ole' time. Micah and I were both starting to salivate over the screen and I thought, "This is ridiculous, we could totally do that"

Well, it was not QUITE as easy as Paula made it out to be, but with a few minor substitutions to the recipe we ended up with a rather lovely meal.

Now to answer the question that I know you are all wanting to ask... we made two dishes and both of them were really amazing.

~Grilled Steak with Blue Cheese and Berry Glaze

I was surprised at how good this was, I was worried it would be overly sweet with four different kinds of berries and two cups of sugar. The creaminess of the cheese really meshed well with the glaze (which I might add is beyond wonderful over

vanilla ice cream)

~Baked Wild Rice

Our version was a lot less wild and a whole lot more brown... it was AMAZING!

Yes!

Stuck (Day 478)

I have a knack for getting stuck in places.

When I was really little I got my head stuck in the stair railing, with a little fanagaling (one of my new favorite made up words) and I believe a stick of butter, I was freed and I never again tried to put my head through the stair railing.

When I was about 11 years old my mom, my sister Tracy (who had just gotten her drivers permit), and I were driving across the country. I was in the backseat and dropped something, when I reached down to get what had fallen under the drivers seat, I of course got my arm and shoulder stuck under the drivers seat. While trying to get my arm out my head got stuck. My mom (who by this time was use to me getting stuck) crawled over the seats to try and "unstick" me. It was quite the fiasco... me whimpering, my sister laughing, and my mother yelling "Tracy, slow down... Tricia stop crying!"

I remember, as a teenager, getting my foot stuck under the passanger seat of my friend Scott's parent's car. We were on our way to youth group and I managed to somehow get the sling of my new sling back shoes stuck under the passenger seat. I think we may have had to cut my shoe to get me unstuck.

In college, I took a class called "Math for Educators" I was pretty much stuck from day one and only managed to get a C in the class because my amazing fiance spent hours on the phone working patiently through every problem with me.

Just the other day, I was stuck in downtown Seattle. I had been at a doula training and forgot to move my car.... a 1/2 mile walk, a bus ride and $150 towing bill later I became unstuck.

So why am I writing all of this... Because I once again find myself stuck. I have done all of the "easy" things on my list and I am now stuck.

#3 getting skinnnny! (Day 473)

Long time no update on my weight loss... So here it is folks

*** 164.4 lbs ***

Yup, that's right folks, I am down 33.6 pounds since I started this blog. That is a little over half way to my goal weight and I feel SO much better.

Here are my stats from my first blog on June 17th 2010:

Age: 33 (40 days shy of 34)

Weight: 198

Pant Size: 12/14

Shirt: Extra Large

Now here are my stats as of today:

Age: 35 (70 days since my birthday)

Weight: 164.4

Pant Size: 10

Shirt: Large

Looking forward to what the future holds... Don't know what that is, but I do know that it includes long walks where I don't get out of breathe, playing chase with the boys and not having to always be it, and a healthier and happier out look on life because I am finally taking a real initiative to take care of the only body that God gave me!

(Day 459)

This was written on day 459 but I accidentally saved it as a draft instead of publishing, better late than never :)

Have you ever gotten so far behind on something that you feel like just quiting because there is no possible way to catch up? That is how I feel about this blog right now. For months I have felt like I've needed to blog but I have SO much to tell you, and just can't figure out where to begin. So this blog may not be pretty or even be coherent but I am going to try and catch you up on what I have been doing.

#12- Do a 3 week cleanse: I am 2 weeks into my cleanse and I feel great. I conned Brent into doing it with me which has been, for the most part, very helpful. The first few days we were both a little grouchy, but we have now adjusted to it and are seeing some great results (energy level is up and weight is down)

#8- Hike 10 different trails: Some dear friends suggested that we take the kids on a walk down near the Des Moines marina. Now typically I would not consider this a hike because the trail is paved and it just doesn't seem like "hiking". So why am I putting it down on my blog? Because I want to! It is a really cool walking trail and we have had so much fun walking there that it deserves to be mentioned.

Last Saturday we took the youth group on a hike to Denny Creek. It sprinkled most of the hike but we still managed to have a good time. I would like to go back there again when the weather is more cooperative.

# 46- Try 20 new recipes: I just made a meatball recipe that is not only tasty but it is healthy too. I also have been playing around with marinades and chicken a lot lately.

# 53- Turn garage into a playroom: I don't know how much I can actually take credit for on this one. I guess if nagging your spouse to lay carpet tiles down counts then I have done a TON of the work :-)

# 68- Go on a cross country road-trip: WOW, I need to dedicate an entry just for our cross country train trip adventure. When I originally wrote this I was thinking of a traditional road-trip. What I can tell you is that there was nothing "traditional" about our cross country Rail-road trip!

# 85- Spend the day playing board games: I love that my hubby & kiddo's are board game freaks! We have so much fun pulling out our "non-monopoly games" (that's what Ben calls them). We sat down the other day and played almost 7 hours of games... I think that qualifies , don't you?

#24 Share my faith: Since Brent & I have taken over the senior high youth group at our church there has been a lot of opportunity for me to talk about what and why I believe what I do. I have to say that this is not exactly what I was thinking of when I wrote out this goal. In my heart I really would love to talk to some of my family and friends that don't share the same belief system that I do. I hate that I am at times hesitant to bring it up, I know that they know where I stand, but I would love to talk more about it with them. I also know that I am very passionate about Christ and I never want for my passion to come off as being pushy.

It's funny, I was talking to some doulas the other day and the subject of religion came up. I was amazed at how tolerant everyone was toward Buddhism, Universalism, and even Judaism. When I brought up Christianity the door was slammed so hard (all I said was that some Christian women enjoy playing worship music and quoting scripture during their labors). I was really shocked at the reaction. I had not said anything negative about their use of non-Christian practices in the labor room, such as Reiki, so I figured that I would be safe. Where is the tolerance... I have to be tolerant of others but the same courtesy is not reciprocated?

I am thinking that I need to grow a thicker skin and not let what is said to me bother me so much.

WOW- I had no idea that I had so much to say about that. Thanks for letting me stand on my own little blogging soap-box and vent.