Update #5

#179 caddy for Keynote's 100 Holes of Golf

Yes, I am holding a hockey stick at a golf event.  That's normal, right?  I had a blast caddying for Travis at Keynote's annual fundraiser.  Because the Willmans are such overachievers, we actually played 248 holes.  It was a long day, but so much fun getting to spend the day with an awesome group of people and bonding with my baby brother.

#187 go on a picnic

These are some of the lovely ladies (Dasha, Cassidy, Brielle, Rachel) in my girls group.  We enjoyed beautiful weather at Fort Harrison State Park where we toured through the museum, went on a hike (only got slightly lost), and enjoyed a delicious picnic.  Love these girls!!

#165 play in an ultimate frisbee game

Picture pending...

While this wasn't the highest quality game (pick-up with the high school youth group), I chose to use it for the blog since it was a rather interesting evening.  First we watched a squirrel fall from a tree, lay stunned, run back up the tree, fall again, then slowly die.  Then during the game I took a chin directly to the eyeball.  Luckily it was only sore for a week or so and didn't leave me with a black eye like one of the boys received that night.

#20 read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Hooray for vacation and having time to read!  This year I made it through 3 books.  Jane Eyre is one of my roomie's favorite books, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it too.  I had seen the Masterpiece Theatre version, but the book was even more interesting and had a lot more about her childhood and background.

#26 read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Another classic that did not fail to disappoint.  I will have to be sure to follow up it up with Gregory Peck in the movie now.  Fun fact that I learned: this was the only book she ever had published.  Not a bad record- one book published, one Pulitzer Prize won.

#74 read Stuff Christians Like by Jonathan Acuff

I have to admit that I probably annoyed Sarah & Ashleigh as I sat by the pool constantly giggling as I read this.  He puts a hilarious spin on so many aspects of the Christian life.  I'm a terrible blog follower, but his is one that I should read each day just to start my day off on a great note.  Here's a great one that is hilarious, but so true to life: Surviving Church as a Single

#189 eat Indian food

We're doing a series called Cater with the youth group right now, so we're having a different ethnic food each week.  I don't remember what all it was- a couple of kinds of chicken, some lamb- a good mix of curry & spices.

#288 find the right hat (in process)

This update is simply to provide entertainment for Holly & her Wigger House girls.  Let it be stated for the record that my love for others trumps my personal dignity.
The search continues...

1 Year Down, 9 to Go...

My 30th year was definitely a busy one as I crossed off 45 things on my list.  I guess that means I can slack off for the first half of my 31st year then!!  Seriously though, it's been a blast having people participating in my list and giving me new ideas to add.  Here's what rounded out the first year and here's to another great year!

#184 bake a pie

My friend Ashleyne requested that she participate in eating the pie, so she and her roommate Kristen were the recipients of my Double-Chocolate Meringue Pie.  It took a long time to make and it was late at night, so I got a little lazy with my meringue.  By the time we ate it the next day it definitely tasted better than it looked.  A crust made with Oreos, a chocolate ganache layer, and a cocoa meringue...which after it was cut basically looked like a pile of sludge.  So that is why I'm posting the picture of pre-cut pie.

#258 send snail mail

In January I started up a group with 9 sophomore girls from church.  My snail mail I sent was a letter to all of their parents sharing my heart for these girls.  I'm really excited about the opportunity to meet with them on a consistent basis- serving together, talking through life, and just having fun.  A good looking group of girls if I do say so myself.

#147 walk around Monument Circle

Yeah...such a natural, unplanned action shot.  Haha this one kind of happened by accident actually.  My roomie and I were downtown for the NFL Experience during Super Bowl week so we thought we'd get an easy one crossed off my list.

#68 read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller

Great book that we read this semester with our high school girls' group.  Donald Miller talks about the elements of a story and how to live a better story.  As part of the semester with the girls, the leaders all shared their stories, then the girls shared theirs in small groups.  It was definitely a great process to be able to look back and see how God has worked in each of our lives and how He is using our different experiences to shape who we are and who we are becoming.  Now the goal is to continue to live a bold, adventurous, meaningful story for Him.

#185 cook a dinner for 6

No better time to cook a dinner for 6 than to celebrate some of my single friends on Valentine's Day!  I had Creamy Chicken Casserole, Caesar salad, Raspberry Shimmer, bread with dipping oils, Decadent Chocolate-Hazelnut Torte, and little bags of chocolates for them.  We may have eaten way too much.

#286 buy a lottery ticket

I went up to Marion to hang out with Holly and her housemates, and we decided to find something to do off my list.  Since there were no craft fairs nearby and we weren't able to find me the right hat, we found something nice and easy to do instead.  And apparently it was my lucky day because I won my dollar back. Woohoo!  Thus ends my career as a gambler.

#213 go antiquing

The last time I hung out with Emily & Amanda Blake (former & current youth group girls) they gave me a tour of Pendleton.  This time we scheduled a trip back to Pendleton to do some antiquing.  Treasures Old & New had a rather wide variety of items- some that would definitely qualify as antiques and some slightly less so...although I guess Barney could count since he's a dinosaur.  We made friends with the owner and I had her pick out some possible things around $5 that could count as something "antique-y".  So I ended up with a cute little oil wick lamp, although I haven't actually lit it yet.

#253 surprise someone

My dad retired last month and the 5 Willman children threw him a surprise retirement party.  Although he had a hunch that something was happening, he was surprised by some of the family and friends that were able to make it.  We also had a really neat video made that had notes from his first & last bosses, his cousin out in New York, and videos from extended family in California & our Slovakian exchange student we hosted back in 1992.  I'm so proud of him and if anyone deserves an early retirement, it's him.  He's already exhausted by how busy his first month of retirement has been.  : )  My lovely family- with apologies to Holly for using a picture where her eyes are closed.


#140 go to 10 Pacers games

Even though they played a crappy game, it was great to finally get to a Pacers game this season, especially with good friends.  It was a Lucas Oil Family Night so for about $20 we got a ticket to the game, t-shirt, hot dog, chips, and drink.  Hooray for cheap entertainment.  They are a lot of fun to watch this year and it's great to have them back to playing  real Pacers basketball again.


#72 read Forgotten God by Francis Chan

My 6:30am (ouch) Monday morning women's group has been reading this book for the last few months or so...we tend to take our time and meander through books at whatever pace we feel like, so I don't really remember when we started it.  Francis Chan writes about the Holy Spirit- who He is, recognizing His presence in us, and discerning how we can daily be in step with the Spirit.  While some of the information was more basic and foundational, I found it to be extremely insightful and he made me realize that I really do not focus enough on the Spirit's role and leading in my life.

#263 make 10 pieces of origami

This actually was started on the night of our Valentine's dinner because it was too late and dark to go to climb a water tower or a silo.  Sarah provided the origami paper and the rest is history.  Behold my collection: elephant, 8 point star, crane, boat, box, panda, butterfly, tulip, frog, turtle.

And with that dramatic finish, the first year is finished.  A special shout-out to one of my high school girls, Maggie, for her creative suggestions to add to my list.  And just for her, I added "eat corn on the cob without using my hands" to the list.  Feel free to continue to throw your ideas into the hat.

Update #3

I thought I'd wait to update since I hadn't done very many things after a month, but suddenly it's been almost 3 months since I updated.  So here's the latest on my journey:

#171 go hunting
I bought myself a small game hunting license and went squirrel hunting with Travis a couple of times.  We didn't see much of anything either time, but it was fun hanging out with him.  I discovered that hunting isn't all that exciting when you don't even get a shot off, so I shot a tree the second time out.  : )

#233 secretly give away $36

I was going to make a care package for Holly's semester at school, but instead created a treasure hunt for her in her room.  I got her housemates in on the plan so that they hid a key for me to get in their house and hide 36 $1 bills all over Holly's room.  I didn't make it super hard for her to find them and I gave her hints on where they were, but it was so entertaining to see her tearing apart her room for half an hour trying to find all of them.

#293 pay for the person behind me at a drive-thru

This was one of my favorite things that I've done so far.  It was a rainy, crummy night and it brought a smile to the cashier's face that someone would pay for the stranger behind them.  So if this is your car in my rear view mirror, I hope you enjoyed your free McDonalds!

#245 buy a GPS...or an atlas...or a globe

This was definitely a smart purchase on my part since I don't do well with detours or picking the fastest route.  I found a great deal on a really nice 5" Tom Tom GPS on Cyber Monday.  I've done all I can now to prevent getting lost.

#198 see Straight No Chaser in concert

Early birthday present from my roomie!!  These guys seem to have so much fun in their shows and are really entertaining.  Two of them, Ryan Ahlwardt & Mike Luginbill, were high school friends of mine so I enjoyed getting to talk to them afterwards too.  Check the group out HERE.

#59 read A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers

#60 read An Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers

#61 read As Sure as the Dawn by Francine Rivers

I would recommend reading this Francine Rivers trilogy.  They're quick reads and have a lot of action in them.  They take place during the time of the apostles and follow the lives of a Jewish slave, a rich Roman, and a barbarian gladiator.  She helps to bring characters to life and makes you aware of what life was like at that time in Rome and the surrounding areas, particularly for the new followers of Christ.

#141 go to 5 Colts games

Thanks to my mom, I got to go to 2 games in the last month.  My parents have had season tickets since the Colts came to town and it was very nice of her to let me have her seat to go with my dad.  The Panthers game was one they should have won, but at least I got to be there to see Marvin Harrison get inducted into the team Ring of Honor (not a great picture, but that's him up on one of the screens in the stadium as he was down on the field).  But game two against the Titans was one of the best games that I've been to as they finally got their first win!!  My parents' seats are in the end zone and Donald Brown's 80 yard touchdown run was right up the sideline toward us.  I love my Colts!!!

Update #2

 I've made several changes to the list, so check them out and see if there's anything new that you want to participate in.  Here's what I've done the last couple of months:

#177 swim in the ocean

Okay, this one actually should have been on my last update since we were at the beach on vacation.

#70 read The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas

This was another historical fiction book by the same author as The Big Fisherman.  I liked this a little better because of its unique perspective.  The main character is a Roman soldier who helps to crucify Jesus and then wins his robe when they cast lots.  It shows his journey as he goes from guilt over his role in the crucifixion, to trying to discover what made Jesus so different, to his conversion, to his influence in others' lives as he realizes the complete transformation that has taken place in his life.  In his words, "I can't go on as if it hadn't happened...But I know I have a duty to perform.  It is not clear-what I am to do.  But I couldn't go back to living as I did-not even if I tried.  I couldn't!"  That's the type of conviction & passion that I want to have so that it influences every part of my daily life.  

#128 take a roadtrip with Holly

Don't worry, no life-changing lists were created on this roadtrip!  But it was another fun trip up to Wisconsin.  While we were in Madison we had dinner at The Dane, went to the farmer's market for spicy cheese bread & fried cheese, visited the magic shop where Holly worked this summer, and had fun hanging out with Holly's ultimate frisbee posse- Dan Bock, Asian Holly, & Secret Colin.  Then we headed to Milwaukee to hang out with the Hansen sisters (no relation to the Hanson brothers).  Sunday we...

#160 tailgate at a Brewers game

went tailgating at the Cubs/Brewers game with Miranda and her family.  Holly & Miranda have been friends for years and this was my 5th trip to Wisconsin, so it was great to finally meet Miranda's parents.  And it was my first Cubs game!!!!  Even though they lost to the nasty Brewers (Lily's words), they made it exciting at the end.  Miller Park is a great place to watch a game and it was a lot of fun to finally see the Cubs play in person.

#264 give away 20 pieces of clothing

Yeah nothing extremely exciting about this.  I've been piling clothes up in my closet for quite a while for this one.  I saved them up for my mom's friend so she can add them to the next garage sale for Samaritan's Purse.  If you ever have clothes or anything else you want to donate, Jan Willman will be happy to store them for you.  : )

#239 take public transportation

I went up to Chicago on a little day trip with my friend Ashleigh and got to have lunch with her brother Chris, his girlfriend, and my college roomie Shannon!!  Took a little ride on the red line of the L so we could...

#161 see the Cubs at Wrigley

root, root, root for the Cubbies!!!  Okay, so I was cheesing for this picture, but I was totally this excited the entire time I was there.  As I walked up the ramp into the ballpark, I think I heard angels singing.  We had seats with a really good view of the field.  Being there and seeing the ivy, watching the players up close, singing the 7th inning stretch...it was everything I thought it would be.  We saw Tom Ricketts (owner/chairman) and best of all, they won & I got to sing "Go, Cubs, go!"  This was definitely my favorite thing I've done so far!

#270 do something that makes me uncomfortable

This is by far the hardest thing I've had to do.  I was interviewed at all three services in church as part of a Modern Family series they did.  (a Biblical look at families, but realizing that in today's church, families don't just look like the Cleavers anymore- there are single parents, blended families, adoptive families, etc.)  I talked about what it's like to be a single woman in a church with lots of couples and families.  A big part of how I have made connections and BridgeWay has become like a family in the last 10 years is working in the youth ministry.  So a lot of what I talked about was my high schools kids, which made it a little easier since I'm so passionate about them.  I was super nervous before every service, but I'm glad that I forced myself to be stretched and to do something outside of my comfort zone.  However, public speaking is not going to be on the docket again for a very long time.

As a little teaser for the next update, I may be posting about guns & butchering.  : )

Update #1...finally!!

Have I mentioned I'm not very good at blogging?  The goal was to post updates every month, but apparently it's more like 3 months this time.  In order of completion (I think), here are the things I've done so far:

#223 plan a 30th birthday bash

My party went past midnight, so it officially counted as happening in my 30s.  I had a great time celebrating with church & college friends.  Thanks to everyone who came or showed up at the house later to say hi!!

#69 read The Big Fisherman by Lloyd C. Douglas

Great piece of historical fiction that really helps bring to life the character of Peter and the role he played as one Jesus' disciples.

#112 read The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin

This is a book my older brother Kyle recommended.  It was a little hard to read at first with the choppy way it's written, but Steve Martin definitely injects his humor into it.  I really appreciated the main character's OCD traits & quirks, as well as getting to see his journey throughout the book. 

#299 sit in a different section in church 4 consecutive weeks

Ok, this was a kind of random add-on to my list because I'm a creature of habit and always sit in the same place.  I survived a little change in my life.

#211 paint something

My sister Holly & I did this one together as we went and helped our cousins Eric & Cathy paint at their new house.  Lesson learned: apparently I can only do trim with a real brush...using anything else I'm terrible.  At least the kids, Chris & Sam, can enjoy their lovely blue bathroom.  : )

#181 go bowling

Had a lot of fun hanging out with the high schoolers at Pinheads.  Years since I've bowled, and it definitely showed!

 
#222 host a slumber party

This has become an annual tradition with the girls in my high school youth group.  Hospitality isn't really my thing, but I love being a part of their lives and getting to spend time with them.

#232 support a new missionary

My friend Brian Veen & his fiance Emily were some of the first people to hear about this list and contribute ideas to it.  I'm so excited that she is my new person to support as she joins him in the Dominican Republic after they're married...which is less than a month away!!

As a last-minute addition to the blog, I'm now also going to be supporting another friend as he leaves in a few weeks to work on The JESUS Film Project with Campus Crusade.  I really enjoyed talking to him last night and hearing his heart for this ministry.

#191 eat real sushi

My brother Travis & I had one last dinner date together while he was still a single man.  I Love Sushi in Fishers was delicious!!

#204 dance in public

Thank goodness this one is now checked off the list!  I promised Travis that I would dance at his wedding and my nephew Daniel was the cutest partner there.

 #234 buy flowers for someone

My friends Mitch & Kasie (closest couple in the 30th birthday picture) had an adorable baby boy, Holden, on the same day as Travis & Kelli's wedding.  I took some flowers to her the next day and I still think she looked better than anyone else I've ever seen that soon after giving birth.

#129 take a real vacation

My roommate Sarah, friends Christy & Ashleigh, and I all went to Charleston, SC for a week.  We did some historical things, went to the beach & pool, ate tons of great food, and just relaxed a lot.  Funniest moments of the trip were an old man asking me if I was the mom and a guy trying to hit on us by asking if the four of us were Colts cheerleaders.

#1 read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I read three books while I was on vacation- all classics since they were free downloads on my Kindle.  Both Jane Austen books were easy, short reads for the car ride.

#4 read Persuasion by Jane Austen

If you've seen any of the movies made of these books, they are very similar.  A lot of the dialogue is actually word for word.

#21 read Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

I thought this was a very appropriate book to read after we visited Boone Hall Plantation near our condo- there are original brick slaves' quarters there to this day.  I have to say that I really enjoyed this book and would say this is one classic that is actually worth reading.

#190 eat Greek food

This was a tiny little restaurant we went to one night in Charleston.  I seriously could have just sat there eating their pitas all night long.

#196 go to a live musical/play

Our neighbor Lindsay did a great job as Millie in the Pendleton Players Theatre production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (or Seven Brothers for Seven Brothers as the banner said in downtown Pendleton).  They did a fun dance number in the middle of it that included flips and pommel horse moves.

#142 go to 10 Indians games

2 down, 8 to go.  I actually went to both of them in the same week.  First, we took the high school kids down for a game.  Depsite their best efforts, they weren't able to hook me up with one of the outfielders.  : )  The second game we went to celebrate Ashleigh's upcoming 25th birthday.   I had forgotten how much I really enjoy going and relaxing at an Indians game.

#280 donate blood

This was a spur of the moment decision this week.  I haven't been able to give very often lately with leaving the country for missions trips.  Tuesday ended up being my lucky day since they were having a giveaway.  For my time (and bruised arm) I got a t-shirt, ticket to the Styx concert, and a coupon for a chargrilled turkey burger at Hardees...I'll let you know if it's gross or not.  I have decided that I'm going to try and donate regularly though.

#166 use golf clubs or sell them

My niece Lily agreed to be my lovely model in this picture.  My sister Holly and I were given matching golf clubs in junior high, but I've never used them outside of the backyard.  So I donated them to a friend who was having a garage sale for Samaritan's Purse to help keep girls out of sex trafficking.

Whew.  So apparently that's why I shouldn't wait so long between updates.  Because it takes forever then!  Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed that little glimpse into what my life has looked like over the last few months.

As a final thought, you should know that I decided this list will remain fluid.  So feel free to continue to contribute any ideas that you think should be on the list.