40 before 40

I was over ambitious in the early 2010s and wasn't able to accomplish my 30 before 30, so it became 40 before 40!!!

As I turn 30 at the end of 2012 I decided to create a list of thirty things to do before the big day. It started because I am running a mini-marathon this year so I decided to think of other things to accomplish before the big 3-0. Below is my list and I hope to provide updates as the items get checked off.

30 before 30 40 before 40

1. Run a mini-marathon
• Finished my 2nd Mini in May 2013 via the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon.
2. Develop a budget and stick to it for 6 months
• I'll count this as accomplished because we are focused on savings rather than large amounts of debt (thanks to accomplishing #11)
3. Master driving a manual vehicle
4. Write thank you notes to five memorable teachers - 3 down, 2 to go
5. Go vegetarian for one week, one month then decided if it is a lifestyle change
6. Get below 140 pounds (ideally I don't want to be lying anymore on my license which says 130, oops)
• Accomplished in 2018 thanks to eating more vegetables and working out with Beach Body!
7. Try canning vegetables from our garden
8. Get a tattoo
9. Attend a youth group event that impacts someone's life
10. Purchase a $1000 CD
• Purchased 2x $500 in each of the boy's names.
11. Pay off one student loan
• ALL Paid OFF thanks to hard work and teaching for 5+ years in a Title One School
12. Drive a car that costs more than $50,000
• Accomplished in April 2012
13. Read 30 40 books - 40 down
• Updated to 40 before 40 - 35 read as of March 2018
14. Go white-water rafting in West Virginia
15. Visit one of Nate's family members, somewhere we haven't been before
16. Go to Mardi Gras
17. Trace our family trees back to the 1700s
18. Go for a road trip that involves driving through 4 states
19. Do something that scares me
20. Attend an MLB game - preferably an Atlanta Braves game
21. Ride a motorcycle
22. Sing karaoke in a random bar
• Butchered a George Michael song at Sonny's Birthday Party!
23. Attend a wedding in another country
24. Become a Mom
• Accomplished July 2012 and repeated September 2014
25. Figure out a way to visit Asia, Africa, and South America
26. Visit New York City
27. Visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
28. Frolic in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of one of the original 13 colonies
29. Find a second job that brings in substantial income
30. Go fishing, catch my own fish, and remove it from the hook
31. Travel to England with the Boys
• Took them to visit Nan and Aunty Greta in Nov 2017.
32. Experience Disney World with the Boys
33. Visit another NFL Stadium - after seeing Lambeau Field (July 2018), I want to see another historic stadium!!!
• October 2018 - Attended a Pittsburgh Steelers game
34. Visit the Louisville Science Center
35. Cross 10 Bands off my Bucket List
1. Mumford & Sons
2. The Lumineers
3. Kings of Leon
4. Modest Mouse
5. Nathaniel Ratelieff & the Night Sweats
6. Jack Johnson
36. Visit XX States
1. Arizona = Work Conference, Feb 2014
2. Florida = Work Conference, April 2016
3. Washington = Rachel's Bridal Shower, Feb 2017
4. Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois = Girls Kayaking Trip, July 2018
5. Pennsylvania - Pittsburgh Steelers Game, October 2018
37. Experience breweries in 5 different states
• Milwaukee, WI - Lakefront Brewery
• Pittsburgh, PA - The Church Brew Works

Backdated posts

I have done a terrible job of keeping the blog up to date.  To remedy this, I have created some posts and backdated them to when they actually occurred.  Stay tuned for some new old blog posts!!!

:) Natalie

Mr. Chubbs goes under the knife!

Mr. Chubbs has had a recurring ear infection since December which antibiotics did not relieve.  Thankfully, he is such a good natured little boy and this infections were just a nuisance to him and not a battle.  At the recommendation of his primary care physician, we went to a specialist who advised he get tubes put in his ears.  It was a quick series of events.

We got up early and drove about an hour away to the facility.  Mr. Chubbs patiently waited his turn, reading books with Daddy and playing ball.

He went freely with the nurses and did great.  Once he came off the laughing gas, he was calling for Mommy but otherwise not very different.  Once we went back with him, Mr. Chubbs just wanted Mommy to hold him.  He discovered he had a sensor on his foot and quickly removed that.  He was chatting and returned to himself quickly.  The observing nurse discharged him and as we were leaving Mr. Chubbs said "Hug you!" to her and gave her a quick snuggle before we departed.

You could tell he was a little off, probably more confused than anything.  He slept on the way home and snuggled for a little bit once we got home. 

However, the snuggles weren't required for long and soon enough he was up and at it.  He enjoyed a stay home day from daycare and quickly got back to his climbing, book reading, superhero playing ways. 

Super reassuring for this mama!!!

Adventures in Downtown Madison

During the warmer months, the local businesses on Main Street stay open late for Fourth Fridays and the Madison Trolley is patrolling the roads.  This Fourth Friday also happened to be Old Court Days, so our dear friend Julie was in town selling her jewelry (www.JulieBunchOriginals.com).  To convince the kids to go downtown, I said we could ride the trolley....

Little did I know that Judy the Trolley Driver loves to have children help her.  Both Boys got to drive with Judy and they loved it.  I love our community and that there are so many people that make it great!!! 

After our Trolley ride, we stopped for dinner and LBH got his face painted for the first time.  LBH was apprehensive about it and actually changed his mind twice before finally climbing into the chair.  From the artist's collection, he chose Wolverine!  Mr. Chubbs was also going to do it but backed out.

LBH loved that he had "claws" as well!!

Overall, a great visit with Julie and a fabulous evening in our small town!!!!

#TBT - LBH has some dance moves

Rarely can I capture LBH dancing since I can rarely catch him not running through our world.  When he was about 6 months old, we introduced him to Mumford & Sons.

When he was 18 months, we capture him rocking out in my friend's office.

Never a dull moment when this kid is around!!!

LBH Ingenuity

LBH wanted to climb up the slide, so I told him to use his feet.  The video above is his interpretation!

Sorry for the delay.  This video is from April, 2015....oops, Mom Fail!

Trip to the Zoo - Fall 2015

We visited the Indianapolis Zoo with our family friends, the Lichlyters.  The boys had a blast, so much so that YaYa and Papa bought a membership in 2016.

Quinn loves the Snake area, probably because Nan Janet didn't!!

Connor was overwhelmed by the snake! 

Connor enjoying the Desert

Waiting for the Dolphin Show to start

Connor wasn't a fan of the Dolphin show, so we went outside to walk around.

Quinn climbing any chance he got!

Zoo Train with Mommy

It was Zoo Boo, so we got a spider ring

I have decided to recreate this picture every time we visit the zoo!