The 101 list: I continue to try!

Hello again!

Alrighty, let's dive in!

#18 Donating rice. I'm up to 163,390 grains! Wooo! Still a ways to go to get to 1,500,000. But I'll get there.

#30 Joining the church worship team. I DID! For a few glorious weeks, I was on the worship team. And then, insomnia hit and I had to cut out so many things because I was running on survival energy. I haven't re-joined yet. I don't know if I will. The insomnia kicked in after my first Sunday singing, and I carry just enough fear with me that getting back to my old life will mean having the insomnia kick back in. So, we'll put a pin in this one.

#31 Lifelong Learning classes. One down, one to go! I just completed Business Law for the Small Business Owner... maybe the next class I take will be more fun. :)

#32 COMPLETED! I did it! 3 quarters down! I completed my first full year of college! WOOOOOOO!

#52 Write a poem. I'm in a class called Making Poems this quarter, so I should have one soon. Whether or not I share it with the world is yet to be decided.

#55 Journaling. I have been really trying to write out my feelings and thoughts and not keep things bottled up. It's been at least once a week and it's helping.

#65 My 26th birthday was one week before my brother's wedding in Chicago. So, any plans to go to Great America got back-burnered while money and travel got directed to the wedding. WORTH IT! Here's a couple of pics from that weekend:

Aren't they adorable?! Forgive my brother's expression, he tends to look like a sad camel when taking pictures. But there is no denying the happiness!

#74 See The Weepies in concert. Possibly the most exciting thing to happen this year!!!! I've loved the Weepies for at least 5 years now, and up until this year, they have never toured. They would play a couple of shows in California but nowhere accessible to me. UNTIL NOW! They will be at the High Noon Saloon in Madison next month, and I will be there. Hopefully, in the front row. And hopefully, I will meet them. And fawn over them. And get their autographs. Fingers crossed!!

#77 Ah, music. I love you so. So, The Runaways have been a big listen for me lately. It's so good and raw and powerful. I especially like Queens of Noise and Born to be Bad. What else? Tuesday's Gone. SKYNYRD! And the Weepies new album, Be My Thrill, especially the title track. Never limit yourself to one kind of music! There's so much good out there!

#83 Haha, movies. According to my last update, I only have 16 left to watch... well, we got some new movies, so now I have 20 more to see. And I've watched 8 others in the last few days. So, I'm working on it!

#87 The dollhouse. All that's left is getting furniture and decor. It's all wallpapered and the stairs are in! It's so pretty.

I've got a couple of pieces of furniture. I black hutch in the kitchen (like the one in my dining room), and a gumball machine, and a turquoise chair (like the one in my craft room). I've got lots of ideas. Less money. :)

#88 Still brushing the cat every week... she's a bit crazy about it and likes to rub her gums on the comb. Little weirdo.

#94 Tried wearing false eyelashes... slight allergy to the glue. Oh, well.

#100 The Kolos. My dad's side of the family. We don't get to see them often, we live on opposite sides of the state. But I got to sit and talk to my Uncle Dale and Aunt Gail at my brother's wedding. And it was delightful! It's so nice to catch up and hear about everyone and just to talk to them. It was a great time!

And that's about it for now... I may not be writing often or well, but I haven't given up on my list! And I won't! What I don't finish gets moved to the next list. Wink. :)

Toodles!

Laura

A long pause... then an update!

Hello Everyone!

2010 has been a long year so far... and a somewhat difficult one. Lots of wonderful things have happened with a few not so wonderful things... not a bad balance!

Shortly after my last post, I began to suffer from insomnia. What a horrible, horrible thing. For three months straight, I averaged 3 hours of sleep a night, sometimes less. And the sleep I got was more of a waking sleep, definitely not sound. I watched a LOT of television during this time. I was incredibly grateful that the Olympics were on... I think I saw more than most of the newscasters. I watched during the regular scheduled time, and then starting around 2-3:00 am, I saw it again! Thank the Lord! I love the Olympics. Always have, always will.

Another coping technique I dove into during that time was the act of painting my nails. Not sleeping takes a toll in many areas of life. One day at work, my boss actually thought I was drunk. Why? Shaky hands, vacant eyes, stumbling around. Painting my nails steadied my hands. I threw myself into learning about nail polish and finding new colors and blogs and friends. The nail polish blogosphere is incredibly kind and supportive. It allowed me to focus for a little bit and forget about not sleeping. I changed my polish every day, and even now, nine months later, I am still engrossed in the world of nail polish!

So, now I'm on an anti-anxiety medicine (not sleeping for me=panic attacks) and doing much better. I still get worried sometimes that it'll come back and I'll be in that not really living place again, but for now, things are good. I've also finished my first year at DePaul University. It has been much more difficult than I ever thought it would be, but that's great, because school has never been challenging for me.

This is me, at my sister's graduation a few months ago... my mom and sister both wanted me to pose because "it's my school too!" This is me laughing, because I can't ever keep a straight face around my mom and sister.

Let's see... other things that have happened this year? Gramma in and out of the hospital, almost died... my dad in and out of the hospital, my husband's dad needing surgery after a fall. I spent about a month in Door County (without my husband, sad face) helping my in-laws at their hotel after my father-in-law's fall. I left my library job to have time this summer to concentrate on school and my jewelry business. And my oldest brother got married last month to a wonderful woman! In about a week, my sister will be headed to London to live. Everything always happens so quickly! This year has been crazy. Plenty of good to outweigh the bad. Any troubles I've had have drawn me closer to some amazing new friends. Life is good.

Anyhow, that's a life update... brace yourselves for the list update!

Laura