Halfway Done!?!

It is crazy to believe that I am already halfway through my 30s (and luckily, halfway done with my list)!! Here's the latest:

#73 read Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis

Ugh another book that really challenges you to think about what you're doing with your life. In a nutshell, Katie went on a mission trip to Uganda while she was in high school, fell in love with the country & the orphans, moved there after high school, and eventually adopted 13 girls and started Amazima, a ministry to educate and empower children. She has so much wisdom at such a young age, such a love for Christ, and a desire to follow Him in all she does. Here are some of my favorite quotes:

"Thankfully, God's plans also happen to be much better than my own. You see, Jesus wrecked my life."

"Many days, I am still overwhelmed by the magnitude of the need and the incredible number of people who need help. Many days I see the destitute, disease-ridden children lining the streets in the communities I serve and I want to scoop up every single one of them, take them home with me, and feed and clothe and love them. And I look at the life of my Savior, who stopped for one. So I keep stopping and loving one person at a time. Because this is my call as a Christian. I can do only what one woman can do, but I will do what I can. Daily, the Jesus who wrecked my life enables me to do so much more than I ever thought possible."

 "I believe that God totally, absolutely, intentionally gives us more than we can handle. Because this is when we surrender to Him and He takes over, proving Himself by doing the impossible in our lives."

 "Yes, that is what I feel like: one of His favorites, lavished with His love. Isn't that what He wants each and every one of His children to feel, all the time? The big God of small details loves each one of us so intimately, created each of us in His image. Each one of us is cherished. How would life change if we thought of each other as such? If each person who approached us we treated as beloved of God, cherished by God, one of God's favorite people? The God of the universe delights in you. In me. In them. Could we rest in that? Could we love like that?"

#230 find a mentor
I didn't technically find a mentor, but I did find a spiritual director, so I'm counting that. My friend Karen meets with me once a month and it's been a really great experience. The article My Journey Into Spiritual Direction by Bill Shereos, sidebars by Anita Lustrea and Lee Eclov, on Christianity Today does a great job explaining what spiritual direction entails. While it looks different for us every time, it's always a great time of seeking after God and listening to the Spirit's guidance.

#267 watch a sunrise with coffee

Well I sort of saw the sunrise...there's a coffee cup in my hand and it's getting light out. But this was the beginning of a highly entertaining, looong day. My sister-in-law Kelli had my name for Christmas and wanted to help me cross something big off my list. So she helped me with...

#274 sit in Starbucks open to close one day
Do you have any idea how long some Starbucks are open?!? 5am-10:30pm!! It was a ton of fun though. We put it out there to the Facebook world that we would be there all day and that people should come hang out with us. So here's some of the fun we had for the day...

We had various prizes we offered throughout the day for our visitors. Kenny won for being our first one!

Joanna was the winner of the best gift we received for the day- it was our first one and was a good combination of food, fun, and practical. Seriously though, our friends really outdid themselves with 21 people bringing us stuff . We got snacks, magazines, an adult coloring book & colored pencils, games, homemade pretzel bites, a song, and so much more.

My niece Kinsey is pretty stinking adorable!!

My brother Kyle & niece Lily ended up staying for hours & hours (and maybe only partly because of the free snacks)!

Sisters, sisters

John & his kids were hilarious. "Meet someone famous" is on my list, but they ran in asking for my autograph like they were meeting someone famous.

Fancy, skinny parents & my nephew Daniel made an appearance. Seriously, those curls!

The Boyds serenaded us with the theme song from The Cosby Show. They are ridiculously awesome.

#205 learn a cultural dance

I don't know what happened to the video, but my sweet friend Paula taught us the Hora (it's Jewish!). Yes, we danced throughout Starbucks for several minutes.

So that's a quick peek into our super exciting Starbucks day. If you need more details or pictures, check out my Twitter or Facebook from February 15th-16th. We had over 50 visitors and Holly added some intrigue to do the day by assigning a point system for number of visitors, gifts, etc. Usually if I cross off 15 items in one day I get 1 freebie to cross off at some point in the future, but I racked up enough points throughout the day to earn my freebie.

#250 build a fort

These are my kiddos that I've babysat for almost 9 years. I stayed with them for 10 days while their parents were on vacation, so we thought we'd make the most of it and get some items crossed off my list. We actually could live in this fort if necessary since we used 2 couches, 4 chairs, and a pile of blankets.

#144 go to a Fuel game

We also went to an Indy Fuel game and had a blast. They are affiliated with the Blackhawks and have unfortunately adopted the practice of playing the same song the Blackhawks do after they score a goal. While I feel much more knowledgeable now that I can recognize the song "Chelsea Dagger" by The Fratellis, it also gets stuck in your head for days.

#25 read The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
I thought it was only fitting to read this now since I just saw the new movie and recently saw the other two Disney versions (all three are worth watching). While there were some interesting differences- Baloo is actually the teacher of the wolves & Mowgli and Bagheera is actually a big softie- the biggest difference is that Shere Khan was dead halfway through the book. And then it started talking about a seal. What?!? I was reading it on my Kindle so I thought maybe something weird was happening. It turns out that the book is actually a collection of seven short stories (the first three are about Mowgli). The others are "The White Seal," "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" (one I'd heard of!), "Toomai of the Elephants," and "Her Majesty's Servants." Who knew?

So there you have it. I am halfway done with this blog. The grand total after 5 years...I have read 60/120 books and completed 160/300 items total. Whew. Only 140 more things to go! : ) I have also accumulated 2 freebies that I can use to cross items off my list. Thanks for sticking with me for the first half of this journey. Here's to a lot more fun in the second half!