#88. Donate blood - Completed!

Yay!!! I was eligible. I was worried about everything, but over all, a million questions later, They had to test my iron levels, and they said I could donate! Hopefully they can use my blood.

#88. Donate blood - Completed!

Walk to Save Animals

Arizona Animal Welfare League and SPCA (http://aawl.org/) is my favorite charity for animals. They do so much work for homeless animals and abused or injured animals. This event is for the whole family, 2-legged and 4-legged. They will have several vendors out there. Lots of activities for kids and pets as well as shows. Ryan and I volunteered last year. This year we are going to do a little of both, walk and volunteer. I want TiVO to get photos with Santa.

Hope you all can make it and support AAWL / SPCA!!

Last year at the Petsmart walk, TiVO made out with a crap load of free stuff.

Walk Info: http://aawl.org/AAWL_walk_2009/Default.asp

You can sponsor Ryan, TiVO and I by going to: http://aawlwalk.dojiggy.com/denkes


WHEN:
Saturday, November 14th 2009, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

WHERE:
Tempe Town Lake at Tempe Beach Park (Map)

WHAT:
2K or 5K Pet Walk to raise money and awareness for the Arizona Animal Welfare League and SPCA. The Walk features exhibitors, demonstrations, food and activities for the entire family.

WHY:
For over 38 years, the AAWL / SPCA has helped thousands of homeless animals find their forever home. This is made possible with the help of our friends and partners just like you!Your participation shows the community you care and helps save animal lives.

Betty Crocker on Ryan's ass

I have the need to get all "Betty Crocker" on Ryan's ass.

I asked him to order me Martha Stewart's cupcake book. Will I make any recipes? Probably not or I'll make one and it will be an absolute disaster and never open it back up. But I have a strong desire to bake something. I am OBSESSED with bakeries right now. I just want to go out an buy one. Why? I have NO clue. I can't bake. I can't cook. But I really would love to do it.

Yes, I might be bat sh!t crazy.....the docs are looking into that.

Birth of the Internet - Uttered It's First Word Today

It was 1969 and a busy year for making history: Woodstock, the Miracle Mets, men on the moon -- and something less celebrated but arguably more significant, the birth of the Internet.

On October 29 of that year, for perhaps the first time, a message was sent over the network that would eventually become the Web. Leonard Kleinrock, a professor of computer science at the University of California-Los Angeles, connected the school's host computer to one at Stanford Research Institute, a former arm of Stanford University.

Forty years ago today, the Internet uttered its first word.

To read the entire interview with Leonard Kleinrock: Click Here

This is pretty cool because we read about him in school and studied it. The nerd in me thinks this is a really important day in our history.

Items #56 and #57 Checked Off! Cake Pops!

# 56. Bring in donuts for no reason to share at work
# 57. Bake and decorate a cake

#57 - So I decided that I am going to make cake pops!!! They look so easy to make. Found out how to make wedding cake pops and cupcake pops. Well, as all my baking stuff goes.....disaster! I found out what I did wrong at least. Hopefully next batch goes better.


#56 - I decided to give my co-workers the disasters of #57 for halloween. They are editable at least.

I will try to improve this technique. After all, I still have to complete #44 - Become self efficient as a stay at home mom and make my same salary (build a freelance business). Cake pops are the new cupcakes!

Happy 100th Post!

Happy 100th post!!!!!

100th post - 101 thins in 1001 days. Coincidence? I think not!

#28. Take three spontaneous day/weekend trips

# 28. Take three spontaneous day/weekend trips. Yay.....I completed a third of a task! Ok, I know I can't mark it off, but it is a biggie.....especially for me. I plan vacations.

Ryan and I along with his parents, Dave and June went to southeastern Arizona to Kartchner Caverns.

History:
In 1974 two cavers Tenen and Tufts were exploring the limestone hills at the base of the Whetstone Mountains. In a sinkhole they found a crack where warm air flowed out signaling the existence of a cave. They explored and found themselves in a pristine cavern. Over a period of four years they secretly explored the cave. In 1978 they told the property owners James and Lois Kartchner about their amazing discovery.

These caves only became publicly known in 1988 when the property was purchased by the Arizona States Parks in order that they were preserved and open to the public in a controlled way.

My Review:
LOVED IT! I have been wanting to go for YEARS now. We decieded to go to the Big Room tour. I would like to do the other tour sometime as well.

We started our tour at the informative Discovery Center which told us about the history of the cave and how the formations were formed. We then joined our guide for the tour. Passing through various airlock doors we entered the cave. The cave average temperature is 75+º F with 99% humidity so it felt like walking into a sauna.

The cave is home to several very unusual cave formations. One feature is a soda straw stalactite 21 feet 2 inches long which is one of the world’s longest. Also the cave has the most extensive deposit of brushite moonmilk which is a reaction of bats guano (poop) with the cave minerals to produce a white crystal. The cave is also the area for the first reported occurrence of “turnip” shields formations that look like small turnips and the occurrence of “birdnest” needle quartz formations.

Our guide was excellent in explaining how each of the different formations were occurring and also explaining the work the Arizona state was doing to preserve the caverns in as pristine state as possible. We now understood why there was no cameras, videos, bags, water etc allowed to be taken into the cave.

In two weeks, they are celebrating their 10th year anniversary. I would have liked to go to their celebration.

http://azstateparks.com/Parks/KACA/

My favorite formation: Bacon or Sheets

We also when to Tombstone, Arizona. We walked around the shops and toured the courthouse museum. I was bored out of my mind. I would like to go back when I had a better attitude and wasn't so exhausted. I just wanted to go home.

The Day Zero Project - 101 in 1001 days

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

My Day zero Project starts October 23rd, 2009 and ends on August 5, 2012.

MY LIST

Family
1. Finish our wedding album
2. Finish scrapbook of wedding
3. Get pregnant (Way after my 30th Birthday)
4. Send out Christmas cards (0/2)
5. Visit a church
6. Get a family professional portrait
7. Try 10 new restaurants with Ryan (0/10)
8. No takeout for an entire week (0/5)
9. Learn to make 4 different sauces (0/4)
10. Host Christmas or Thanksgiving
11. Slow dance with Ryan
12. Cook 15 new dishes (0/15)
13. Attend a concert
14. Remodel / Redecorate Living room
15. Remodel / Redecorate 2nd guest room (Baby’s room)
16. Remodel / Redecorate Powered room
17. Go hiking with TiVO
18. Bake a treat for TiVO
19. Surprise Ryan
20. Teach TiVO a new trick or behavior


Travel
21. Take a vacation outside of the U.S.
22. Visit New York City
23. Visit Los Angeles
24. Go to 4 new cities (0/4)
25. Go somewhere tropical to swim in the ocean
26. Take a cruise
27. Have a girl’s weekend
28. Take three spontaneous day/weekend trips (0/3)
29. Attend and participate in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas
30. Go to a theme park
31. Visit an aquarium
32. Go to at least one of the Seven NATURAL World Wonders (Mt. Everest, The Great Barrier Reef, The Grand Canyon, Victoria Falls, The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, Paricutin Volcano, The Northern Lights)
33. Learn to say “thank you” in ten languages (3/10)
34. Hot Air Balloon Ride
35. Go to a comedy club
36. See a play / show live
37. Ride Phoenix’s light rail


Just for me / because
38. Throw myself a 30th birthday party
39. Get a website design degree
40. Get A’s for 2 semesters (0/2)
41. Take a non-course class
42. Build a website portfolio with eight sites (0/8)
43. Build a promotion site
44. Become self efficient as a stay at home mom and make my same salary (build a freelance business)
45. Renew my passport
46. Read three non-fiction books (0/3)
47. Read 25 fiction books (0/25)
48. Learn to knit
49. Knit something
50. Go to a day spa and get the works
51. Get Scuba Certified
52. Paint 4 new paintings (0/4)
53. Give out five “just because” gifts to friends/family (0/5)
54. Host a dinner party for friends
55. Host a game night for friends
56. Bring in donuts for no reason to share at work
57. Bake and decorate a cake
58. Say yes when I rather say no 10 times (0/10)
59. Do something with my wedding dress
60. Buy a nice camera
61. Fix Chinese iPod
62. Get a reading from a psychic
63. Do something by myself (i.e. dinner or movies – NOT lunches)
64. Accessorize my outfits for work (0/30)
65. Buy an “as-seen-on-TV” product
66. Carve a pumpkin
67. Make and send cards to my friends/family at least 15 times (0/15)
68. Make a new friend
69. Stop cussing for seven days straight (0/7)
70. Learn a new board game or card game


Money
71. Win a poker tournament
72. Make a will
73. Make Ryan make a will
74. Make a financial will list
75. Once pg, start a baby savings account
76. Buy lottery tickets twice a week for a month (0/8)
77. Pay off auto LOC
78. Open a special account for a new car and contribute monthly (0/17)
79. Pay down half of student loan


Blog
80. Blog at least once a week for 52 weeks (0/52)
81. Re-design blog
82. Inspire someone to do a 101 in 1001
83. Blog about each task completed (0/101)


Health
84. Take a multivitamin for 30 days (0/30)
85. Go to the gym twice a week for 10 weeks (0/10)
86. Take a class at the gym once a month (0/12)
87. Lose eight pounds


Random acts of kindness
88. Donate blood (if doctor allows it)
89. Volunteer for an organization (0/3)
90. Bring food to a homeless person
91. Send a care package to a soldier
92. Buy items to donate to shelter (i.e. blankets, formula)
93. Donate food to local food bank (0/3)
94. Purchase Christmas presents for a needy family
95. Pay for the car behind me in the drive-thru
96. Give money to a random street musician


Going Greener
97. Use my cloth bags for shopping (0/25)
98. Blog about our solar panel bills to inspire some to get solar panels
99. Start a garden


100. Celebrate day 1001
101. Make a new 101/1001 list

For more information, visit Day Zero Project.


If I have inspired you, please let me know (after all, it is one of my list items).

Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.
2. Stay Focused. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.
3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.
4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.
5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

Deep Fried Butter Anyone??

Fair officials in Texas have announced the eight edible finalists for the fifth annual Big Tex Choice Awards, where vendors cook their way to victory in a battle for the best dish.

Green Goblins: Cherry peppers packed with spicy shredded chicken and guacamole, battered and deep fried. Topped with queso.

Deep Fried Butter: Pure butter whipped light and sweetened with choice of flavor. Placed in dough and deep fried on a stick.

Twisted Yam On A Stick: Spiral-cut yam fried crispy, rolled in butter, dusted with cinnamon and sugar.

Fernie's Deep Fried Peaches & Cream: Peaches coated with batter and deep fried, sprinkled with streusel and cream. Served with raspberry sauce.

Texas Fried Pecan Pie: Pecan pie battered and deep fried, drizzled with caramel sauce and topped with cream and chopped pecans.

Country Fried Pork Chips: Thin pork loin seasoned, dipped in corn meal and deep fried. Served with ketchup or gravy.

Sweet Jalapeno Corn Dog Shrimp: Shrimp coated with sweet and spicy batter, deep fried and served with spicy glaze.

Fried Peanut Butter Cup Macaroon: Peanut butter cup wrapped in coconut macaroon, fried and dusted with powdered sugar. Ice cream scoop optional.


Past winners include Chicken Fried Bacon and the Fried Banana Split.

Walking on Glass and Fire Story....

I was asked by Mya to tell the walking on fire and glass story.

In the "Awesome Girl Award" post, number 2, the question asked what my favorite memory is. These are hard questions usually, but there is one day that really sticks out at me when I think of individual days.

It was a day that I thought I could take on the world. It was a day that I never felt better about myself and my life.

The day started out with me car shopping. I wanted to buy myself a car for a graduation present from college. I went with my then employer "Steve"* (*name was changed) and my BFF, Cathie. I bought a brand new car that day. BRAND NEW....under 50 miles on it. It was cute and I was so proud of the car. Steve and Cathie spent all day with me and finally got my car. Steve had a friend that was having a "party", but I knew it wasn't a normal party, it was some sort of self esteem party. I was exhausted, but after all, he wasted an entire Saturday with me at the car dealership, the least I could do is go to his friend's "party".

The "party" was as weird as I though it was going to be. They did these activities. First they gave us a wooden board and had us write all of our fears on it. They they wanted us to karate chop the board....blah blah blah. Us breaking the board had some sort of symbolism, I don't remember. I didn't partake in karate chopping. No need to break my hand. It would never get rid of the fears. Then they did this weird thing with an arrow where you can break a wooden arrow with the soft spot on your neck...right above the collar bone. Again, no braking arrows with my throat.

Then the glass came out. She put a long sheet down and spread the glass over it. A few people walked across the glass. I thought about it and it really seemed really cool. They didn't cut their feet. So, I did it!! I walk across the glass and back again. I DID IT! I was so happy for myself that I walked across the glass. It was a high that I never felt before. It was a great feeling. I felt I could really take on the world. My life was going to be OK.

They had us do other stuff, again.....I didn't participate in the crazy activities. Cathie did not participate in any of the activities. Steve did a few things.

Then they had us go into the back yard where there was a HUGE bon fire. All I can think about was the fire department coming at any moment. How do you explain what you where doing? They had us throw our boards with our fears into the bon fire. We were burning our fears.

Thinking that was it, oh no, it was not over. Out came musical instruments. I know what you are thinking, because I was thinking the same thing.... "What the hell are these for?" They started going through the fire with shovels and placing the burning coals in a pit. They had all of us walk around the coal pit and play the music and chant and clap our hands. Barefooted of course. Finally people started walking across the fire. Everyone claped their hands. I was really impressed with the people who did it. Each time the circle would come around to the part where you crossed the fire pit, I would chicken out. I didn't want to ruin my high with the glass walking. That was crazy enough. Fire walking? I am not that crazy.

Then all of a sudden.....I went across the fire. I WENT ACROSS THE FIRE. I didn't think about it, I just went across the hot coals.

I will never be able to explain how I felt. I was truly on top of the world. I have NEVER been so proud of myself. NEVER. None of my accomplishments put together, would ever amount to what I just did.

I finally got Steve and Cathie to go across them. They too felt how I did.

This was in the fall of 2003.