Monday, December 15, 2008

#9 Get baptized

Sunday was a special day for me. I got baptized for the first time ever. i have been going to a brethren church for almost a year now, and thanks to my sister, i really enjoy this particular church. i feel peace and at home at this church. the people are really nice and the services are more contemporary. i have been attending every sunday that i can, except when i have to work. it's very rare now that i miss a sunday. i really wanted to be a part of this church, so i took a step forward and got baptized. i was the 21st person to be baptized at this church for the year. afterwards, they had a soup and sandwich meal in the social hall. i look forward to growing with this church with my spiritual self.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

#22 Do Christmas cards 1 year

Boy this one you should be proud of me. i got this one outta the way early, before i forget or run out of time. i sat down this morning and wrote out all the Christmas cards to my family and relatives. that was the main goal to send them to family. it i get spunky, i just may send out to friends as well. as for now, im happy i got this accomplished.

#90 Go to my alma mater JMU homecoming

Sure has been a long time since i have posted something, but it doesn't mean i haven't been working on a few things. Been kinda crazy the last few months with OT at my job. i have been able to knock two more items off my list. Slowly im marking them off the list. In nov., i was able to go to my college homecoming at JMU. this was the first time i had been to JMU's homecoming since i graduated many moons ago. It was a great atmosphere, that was made better by our team winning the game. What a great season they are having. Go Dukes. I didnt see any of the classmates i went to school with, but im sure there were there somewhere. Hope to get back to homecoming next year as well.

Monday, September 22, 2008

#64 Buy myself new clothes

Finally, got around to buying myself new clothes, even though it took going to the beach to do it. This is something i continually neglect to do is to my myself new clothes, which i desperately needed. So while i was at the beach, i bought myself 2 new pair of dress pants, 4 new tank tops, new pair of jeans, new pair of dress shoes and a new pair of water shoes. Still need to get a few dress shirts, but they wont be hard to buy. i got the most of what i wanted and needed. Havent really bought any new clothes for myself since i lost alot of weight, so it was time i went and did the dreaded deed of getting myself the new clothes. What a relief it is to be done with that.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

#12 Go to church 2 Sundays a month for four months

This wasn't to hard to do, but a t times i wasn't sure if i would be able to get all the sundays in church due to my work schedule, taking weekend classes, and family and recreation commitments. So, after 4 long months, i have completed another task on my list. Yeah, i know i have'nt done to well in August as far as working on my list, but it just seemed to be a hectic month. This post should have been done on Aug. 31st, but i have been slacking, so i'll try to do better this month and get back on track. I have a few more things in the works and should do better as the fall season approaches.

Thursday, July 31, 2008

#15 Go to a pro baseball game




Well, it took 38 years, but i finally made it to a pro baseball game, and man was it fun. Definitely more exciting then watching it on tv. The atmosphere was extraordinary. The fans, the noise, the fly balls. Better keep a watch out on those. I got to go, because i went to the Baltimore Fire convention and a friend and myself stayed over to catch the game. i took my glove to see if i could catch a few homeruns. There were 3 hit in my area, and two were just over my head. As a matter of fact the guy 4 rows behind me got both homeruns hit to him. Would have liked to got one for the game, but maybe next time. The game atmosphere was exciting as well as the game. The O's got down early, but fought back. Twice with two outs, the O's scored in different innings, the last feat coming in the bottom on the 9th. O's had two outs and one guy on down 6-5 that would have given them the win, but the angels secured the game on a ground out by luke scott. Most definitely will go back again to see another pro game. I think i'm hooked. So, with this accomplished another item falls from my list. Now on to august.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

#78 Make my bed each day for a week

This may not seem like a big deal, but for a single man, making the bed each day kinda just gets passed over. So i made a conscious effort to add this to my list in hoping that by doing it each day for a week, well help me in making the bed every day when i get up, or at least more then i did before. Actually, i went beyond 7 days on making my bed, because i mis-counted the days, but thats good. So far im doing pretty good, so we'll see how long it lasts. anyway, on to the next 101 list.

#55 Have a yard sale

Yup, i had my yard sale. What a great way to get rid of some unwanted things and make some extra cash along the way. It took alot of work to get it together since i had to price stuff and move things out to see what i wanted to sell. It was a big 3 day joint yard sale with my dad. I did fairly good, made a few bucks and dad did real well. It definitely was a success. The next item that i was gonna mark off my list is put on hold for the moment, because we made have one more sale before summer is out. After the next yard sale, im gonna donate all remaining items to charity, and then i can mark another item off the BIG list. Can't wait til the next sale.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

#65 Take niece and nephrew to a museum/re-enactment





The first post of july and it was an exciting time and a busy day, but we made the most of it. I got to take my oldest niece and nephrew to Gettysburg to several museums and the big re-enactment that was held that afternoon. We started the day off by going to the visitor center and seeing a short documentary on the battle of Gettysburg. From there we traveled to a few other museums, including the Lincoln train museum. There was a big crowd on hand that day in town, since it was the 145th anniversary of the actual battle. We had lunch and stopped in a few shops along the way and then made our way out to a huge farm where the re-enactment was held. This was not on the actual battlefield, since its protected as a national park, but still got the feel of how things felt that hot july day. Boom, Boom. The cannon blasted as the opening of the engagement started with a good half hour to forty-five minute artillery dual between the north and the south, then the infantry moved in for small arms combat. There was a huge turnout of 12,000 re-enactors and at least that many spectators if not a few several thousand more on hand. The whole thing lasted about an hour and a half, but we sat in traffic about 45 minutes getting out the big field we were in. We went back into town and toured a few places in town, such as the one building that still has a visible cannon ball lodged under the second story window. Also, we looked at farnswroth house that has over 150 holes in the south wall from shots being fired by union troops at a confederate sniper in the window. Then lastly we stopped in to see the Jennie Wade house, where the only civilian casaulty of the war occurred. Mrs. Jennie Wade herself was struck by a stray bullet that pierced two doors and struck her in the back and killed her instantly. Only 20 years of age, so sad.
After touring that, we stopped and re-fueled and headed back to ole virginia. About a 2 1/2 hour trip. The niece and nephrew thoroughly enjoyed themselves and they both said that they like to go back, maybe even do the the ghost tours. There's definitely to much to do and see in one day, so we've already made plans to go back.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

#81 Take a nap in a hammock




Ahh, talk about taking it easy on a nice warm, sunny, breezy summer day, this is the way to do it. This has been my inspiration all winter, to buy myself a hammock and take a nap hours on end. Talk about the good life, man I've been enjoying the hammock like crazy. Nothing like a good book, a beer and swinging in the hammock til ya nod off. Definitely a very peaceful and tranquil setting. I surely do plan on some more R & R in the very near future. Enjoying the summer to no end.

#96 Say a prayer for someone in need

This may seem like such a silly task to put on a 101 list, because all of us are in need of prayer. But i had to really look around and see who REALLY needed a sincere and heartfelt prayer. Someone that has been suffering or has been through so much, not just in the past few weeks, but years as well. I have a friend that i went to high school with and she has been through he wringer, so to speak with one tragedy after another, but yet she continues to plug along. A very strong willed lady. She lost her 5 year old son to a horrific tractor accident with her father while bush hogging a field. then about a year later, she lost her father when he fell off a roof while working on it, and he eventually died from his injuries. Several months or a year later, she lost her ex-husband to an accident on I-81 involving a tractor trailer. Now all of this you say would be enough in itself to make somone to just give up on life, but this is not even the worst of the worst. During this whole time period she battled cervical cancer, AND a brain tumor at the stem on her brain. The docs told her she had only 6 months to live, but she proved them wrong. She did actually die on the operating table, but was brought back. The cancer was treated and she had surgery for a hysterectomy and the tumor was removed, or course she lost all her hair from chemo. now, today, she is cancer free, but her tumor has grown back at the base of her brain again, so she has to have surgery again to remove the tumor. So she has to shave her head again to have the surgery, but the docs have told her she is at risk for surgery because of her weight, so she has to lose this weight before they can operate. And thats where she is today, currently. So after sitting down and talking with her on two different occasions for serveral hours, i thought, here is a good friend of mine that most definitely needs prayer and lots of it, because she has suffered so hard and for so long, that its amazing she's still so strong and upbeat on life. She still cuts jokes, but that's how she handles life everyday. My friend, she gets the prayer.

Friday, June 27, 2008

#82 Go through file cabinet and throw away old stuff

Wow, this is my first post in June. I started off completing items on my list in May with a bang, but june has been a diferent story. I do have a good explanation for my lapse though. I have been taking numerous classes and working plenty of overtime at my current job, plus i have several items on my list that i am currently working on and will complete in the next few months. This task that i completed is something that has been in need of some attention since i got out of college, so since the item was added to my list, gives me all the more reason to knock it off the list and move on to the next item. I will make at least 2 more posts this month, so look for those in the next few days.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

#80 Keep jackets/shirts off of the back of the kitchen chairs for a month



This may seem like an easy one to complete, but where do most people like to stash their jackets when they come home from work? That's right, on the back of a kitchen chair. I'm guilty. On any given winter day, you could find 2-3 jackets/shirts hanging off the back of my chairs. It was awful. So when i started my things to do list, this one was a shoo in to be placed on the list and would give me concrete motivation to see the task through. And, the final prognosis is to now continue to keep jackets/shirts off the back on the kitchen chairs. So far, so good...

#45 Keep shoes off the floor and in the hall closet for a month

Once again, another not so hard task to accomplish. However, given the fact that i had several tasks going at one time in May, made it pretty hard to get all tasks started and completed. I completed 8 tasks in May, and started three others that came to a close at the beginning of June. Aside from trying to accomplish all these tasks, i had to juggle a full time job, working at my store, church, the tennis league and whatever else popped up. So, actually im pretty proud that i was able to complete this task. I know that there are harder tasks that lie ahead.

#39 Clean house once a week for a month

This task was not so hard to complete. The average female however, would probably argue that its nearly impossible for a man to keep a clean house once a week for a month. But i'd have to say, i'm not the average male. I keep a clean house and have always done so. If you clean a house, it's going to be easier to keep it clean in the long run, because you will have less to do each time. I guess it's kind of a personal message statement about myself. I have always been well organized and like to keep things neat and in proper order. A messy house doesn't say alot for a person. At least that's my take on it.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

May Update

May was the first month that i started my 101 list of things to do and as the month progressed, i feel pretty good about what a jump start i got on my list. I accomplished 8 tasks for the month, and i feel that's not to bad, if i can only accomplish 8 tasks every month, but i fear that's not going to happen. On the lighter side, i did start several other tasks that will come to fruitation at the first of June, so at the least there will be 3 more things being stricken from the list at that time. The plans are in the works to accomplish at least 5 more things in the next month, so we'll see how that goes. I do have the drive and desire to see my list through, so there's no question about my motivation. Guess that's all for now. Until next post....

Sunday, May 25, 2008

#95 Visit my Mom on her birthday

Today(Sat. 24th), i went to visit my Mom on her birthday. It was a beautiful spring day out and there could not have been a more perfect day for my Mom's birthday. The day was perfect, set aside the one fact that still revels pain in my heart. My mom passed away just a day after her 66th birthday, but it was a day that she always loved. She loved the spring time of the year with everything blooming full of life, but she was not around this year to enjoy seeing new life spring up from the abyss of winter. She was a healthy woman, who feared dying from cancer, yet she got stricken with pneumonia and succombed to that illness some 26 days later. For we know not what lies ahead of us each day, but we know two things in life are certain. We are born into this world, and death we will all face. I sat down beside Mom and talked to her for about a half hour. It was refreshing and i felt good that i was able to visit with her. I wished her a happy birthday anyway, for her to celebrate in heaven. Until i am able to tell her again myself.

#54 Read from the Bible every night for seven days

This task sounds easy to accomplish, but is much harder then it sounds. Even though 7 days aren't alot, try doing it when you have a full time job, have a business to run, exercise every day, volunteer at the fire dept., play in a tennis league, going out some nights with friends to relieve some stress, birthday parties to attend and whatever numerous other things that may pop up in those 7 days that you didn't expect and had no control over. With all that said, the task was completed entirely the second time that i had set my mind to do it. First time that i tried, i was 2 days short of completeing the task. I didn't think i was still so busy, since i took a 24 hour shift job, but i guess i was wrong. With all of the extra time off, i thought i would relax more, however, i guess that just gives me more time to add things to my already overflowing plate. Ah well, the task is accomplished, move on to the next one and see how much more i can put on myself.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

#50 Write my cousin in prison

Well, today i sat down and finally knocked off another one of my 101 to do list. It is something i should have done sooner, but things don't always get done when you hope they will. This is kind of a sad story. I had a cousin go to prison for drugs. I can't remember if he used or sold, but that's not the point here. He basically took the rap for the higher ups and he didn't snitch on them, so the judge made an example out of him and sentenced him to nine years in prison. Let me explain, that my cousin is not a bad person, one of the most likeable people you would like to meet. He just got caught up in the wrong crowd, like so many other young people do. Our family is not a family of rough necks and have no problems with the law. Every now and then, things happen. Today, then i sat down and wrote my letter and it was quite nice. Got to just sit and reminisce about the good ole days. Now, that this task is done, i have a few more that i am currently working on.

Monday, May 12, 2008

#35 Run a 5k

On Saturday, i was able to complete yet another one of my 101 things to do. Luray, VA held a 5k run in conjunction with their Festival of Spring street festival. I'm not sure if many of you know it, but i am an avid runner, so i decided to participate in my second 5k of the year. This was the first ever 5k, that was hosted by PMH, so there were not so many participants; maybe 30 or so. I did fairly well, covering the 3.1 mile course in 19:26 and finishing 3rd overall and second in my age division. The overall winner was a re-known tri-athlete, so i finished just 30 seconds behind him and 10 seconds behind a high school cross country runner. Not so bad i guess, but i had a good time. Next up will be to try a 10k, so i'm excited to see how i'll do in that. Until next post.

#94 Participate in Relay for LIfe




The same evening that i planted the flowers, i moved on with task 94 on my list, and that was to participate in Relay For Life. After i had planted the flowers, it was time to shower and head to harrisonburg for several hours to walk for the cancer research. This is something i had always wanted to do, and as it seems with a written list of things to accomplish, i am more apt to do them, then to just have them in my head. If its on paper, it's kinda like a constant reminder to just do it. I was able to meet up with a good friend of mine and his wife and mom, and their team and be able to walk with them for several hours. It was a great exerience and i am going to try to do this each yeah now.

#79 Plant some flowers outside my house



I was able to complete another item from my list since i was on my five day break from work. I planted some flowers in the flower pots outside on my porch to make the entrance look a lot nicer. Again, not a big task to complete, and didn't take alot of effort, but one less item remaining on the list. Now my goal to to try to keep them alive.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

#84 Organize my fire safe

Well, i was off work today and decided to accomplish another one of my to do list tasks, since i was bored to death. I can now marked off #84 on the list, even though it wasn't a major task, it was something that needed to be done. Onward to the next task.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

#31 Start a rainy day fund

I started my list with the rainy day fund. What a better way to start off a brand new task then to try to save some money and have for that time when i may need it. To clairfy my rainy day fund a bit, the ultimate goal is to put a $1 bill in jar every day, outside some pocket change as well. This goal should add up to a nice chunk of change if left untouched. We'll see how it goes.

updates to my list

As i review the list that i had created over the past two months, i come to realize that there were a few items on my list that were, in no way measureable or attainable. The goal of the list is to have items that are achievable and understandably since this list will be completed over the next three years, some things change and additions or upgrades will have to be made. There were at least three items that i had to change or make updates to. I will do my best now to leave the list as is, to accomplish all items.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

My List of 101 Things To Do In 1001 Days

  1. take a cruise to the Bahamas

  2. run a half marathon

  3. visit las vegas

  4. buy a new washing machine

  5. fly on a jetliner

  6. have friends over to my house<2/01/2009>

  7. travel Europe

  8. read entire Bible

  9. get baptized<12/14/2008>

  10. go to Macy’s Day parade

  11. bike the skyline drive from elkton to luray

  12. go to church 2 Sundays a month for four months<8/31/08>

  13. take my niece shopping

  14. go to a pro football game

  15. go to a pro baseball game<7/25/2008>

  16. go to a nascar race

  17. go canoeing

  18. get up and go for a drive one day with no directions

  19. visit more civil war battlefield sites

  20. finish my fire scrapbook

  21. start and complete my scfr scrapbook

  22. do Christmas cards 1 year<11/26/2008>

  23. call my relatives on their birthdays.

  24. get a puppy

  25. bake a cake from scratch

  26. read an entire book<1/27/2009>

  27. get a tattoo

  28. hike part of the Appalacian trail

  29. visit 6 flags

  30. buy a nice necklace

  31. start a “rainy day” fund to be kept at my house<5/01/2008>

  32. go to NYC toy show

  33. see another broadway play

  34. ride an Amtrak train

  35. run a 5k<5/10/2008>

  36. run a 10k

  37. take my family on a picnic

  38. achieve a job promotion

  39. clean house once a week for a month
  40. <6/01/2008>
  41. open a new mutual fund

  42. start an IRA<3/1/2009>

  43. go to a concert

  44. buy a small car good on gas

  45. upgrade my pc<5/31/2009>

  46. keep shoes off the floor and in the hall closet for a month<6/01/2008>

  47. take SCUBA class and become a diver

  48. visit the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial

  49. do a recruit session at local high school for new members for the fire dept.

  50. eat healthy for a week

  51. write my cousin in prison<5/21/2008>

  52. lay in bed 1 day and watch movies/dvds all day

  53. go snorkeling

  54. visit CA

  55. read from the bible every nite for 7 days<5/20/2008>

  56. have a yard sale<7/13/08>

  57. buy new curtains for house

  58. when im out to eat at a restaurant and see other firefighters who I don’t know, pay for their meal.

  59. get a massage

  60. have my youngest niece over for a sleep over

  61. visit the wildlife reserve

  62. learn to play golf

  63. play on an organized basketball team

  64. run a triathlon

  65. buy myself new clothes<9/17/08>

  66. take niece and nephew to a museum/re-enactment<7/06/2008>

  67. take a bath instead of a shower once a month for three consecutive months<12?31/2008>

  68. ride in a limo

  69. learn how to sew on buttons

  70. donate old clothes to charity

  71. help my dad plant his garden

  72. go Christmas caroling

  73. get a pedicure

  74. take my family out to eat<5/16/2009>

  75. make my own sauce to bar-b-que chicken

  76. learn to play the piano again

  77. take a self-defense course

  78. kiss in the rain

  79. make my bed each day for a week<7/14/08>

  80. plant some flowers outside my house<5/09/2008>

  81. keep jackets/shirts off of the back of the kitchen chairs for a month<6/01/08>

  82. take a nap in a hammock<6/26/08>

  83. go through file cabinet and throw away old stuff<6/26/08>

  84. go parasailing

  85. organize my fire safe<5/06/2008>

  86. bike once a week to work for two months to save gas

  87. go horseback riding

  88. help plan and organize my 20yr class reunion

  89. go to my JMU college 15yr reunion

  90. plan and start my HO gauge train layout

  91. go to my alma mater JMU homecoming<11/8/2008>

  92. call my sisters once a week for a month to check on them

  93. give kayaking a try

  94. visit my relatives in FL

  95. participate in relay for life<5/09/2008>

  96. visit my mom on her birthday.<5/24/2008>

  97. say a prayer for someone in need<6/28/08>

  98. coach a rec league sports team

  99. list 5-8 items a month on my ebay auction and store site(5 months)

  100. complete my store website

  101. get my motorcycle license

  102. review my list/success after 1001 days to see how many things I have accomplished.