101 things to do in 1001 days..

I haven’t forgotten.. I will update you soon. promise. 

For fall break this year me and my friend Jill spent exploring Nashville. It was a much need day out of town and break from graduate school. While we there we decided to cross some things off my list and eat at some tasty places that had been recently on the food network channel! 

Everyone knows breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so our first stop was at the famous Pancake Pantry! (I must admit I secret crossed my fingers in hopes I would see T.Swift there but no such luck).

We got there at around 9:30am and the line was wrapped around the building! Luckily it was only about 20 minutes and were inside!

We went with the Orange-Walnut Pancakes and they were AMAZING!

After breakfast we decided to do some walking and mark off an item of mine and go tp the Frist Center for Visual Arts. The Frist had some really great exhibits going on right now. Truthfully I really do enjoy museums which is why I am  a bit surprised this is the first one that I have been to since I started this journey of 101 things. 

After visiting the Frist we strolled down broadway drank a blue moon and listened to a band ( I have no idea who they were, but he was good).  While in Nashville I decided I wouldn’t be opposed to dating a country musician maybe could help me mark off #22 and he could write me love songs about how much he adores me and since I don’t have a dog he would have to write about my cat Henry.. doesn’t sound like a bad deal if you ask me. 

 After spending the day downtown before heading home we ate dinner at the Athens Family Greek Restaurant that was featured on Diners, Drive ins and Dives

overall a pretty good day.

We were talking and we watched the sunset together the other day.

I didn’t even realize this marked something off my list until just now. 

unexpected yet happy 

23. Watch a sunrise and a sunset with someone

There is not a single person on this planet that I would have rather jumped out of a perfectly good airplane with than my friend Bentley.

I really don’t know how to describe our friendship, other than when I joined sorority and meet Bentley, we instantly became best friends. I actually think the first time we hung out was around this time 5 years ago because we went shopping for Halloween costumes. Anyways since then I know we have had a lot of ups and downs in our friendship. But I just wanted to say, Thanks. Sometimes I wonder if certain people in my life know how much I value their friendship and the memories we had together. I know our friendship hasn’t always been rainbows and butterflies.. but I can tell you it has been prison shows and  Elliott Yamin’s I will wait for you on repeat (inside joke). I appreciate that we can put things behind us and we can pick up the phone and talk to for an hour straight catching up on life. When I saw the groupon for skydiving you were my only friend that instantly said YES! I WANT TO GO and actually followed through and bought the ticket. But most importantly  thank you for holding my hand right before we jumped out of the plane and telling me to be brave and that this is FUN!  We may not see other each all the time but your always there when I need you the most. 

I’m glad we both got to cross something off. 

love, lee lee. 

When I decided to make my list of 101 things I wanted to do in 1001 days I asked each of my immediate family members if they would include an item that they would like to see me do, my dad choose something physically challenging, my little brother challenged my endurance and appetite and my older brother Chris challenged me emotionally to take a leap of faith in love and trust. My Mom simply said “Fall in love with something that you don’t already love.” There wasn’t anymore of an explanation other than that and to be honest I thought she was referring to a romantic kind of love and frankly, it kind of annoyed me.  

Immediately, I pondered all of the things I could fall in love with …  the first thing that came to mind was Art. Yes, thought that was simple. I love art.. then I realized .. duh..I already loved Art. Thats not going to work. Then I thought maybe I could love my job or school. I could engross myself into graduate school and social work. I enjoy the gratitude that comes with helping others.. but I don’t think that was the point she was getting at… 

May 12, 2011. I fell in love with not something but someone, someone that I had never really met until that day. Her name is Mia. She is my niece and the first grandchild in my family. She is beautiful, healthy, precious and instantly made my heart melt. The first time I met her I loved her so much and knew that she was instantly part of my family and that I would and always want to be in her life. That if she ever needed anything  when she got older that I would be a phone call away.  I hope that when she got older and Christmas time came around and we did our family drawings that she would always  secretly want her Aunt Sarah to draw her name because I would always know exactly what to get her because I knew her so well. Every time I see her she memorizes me by how much she grows and the new things she learns daily. 

 Mia you are wonderful joy and a gift of life not only to your parents, to me,  and the entire family, I know you will touch many peoples hearts through out your life, as you have mine already.

Which brings me to another beautiful memory in my life that I wish forever cherish. It was the moment I realized that my older brother Chris was a Dad. Like a real DAD. I know this sounds weird to say and trust me it was weird for me because it was almost like all of a sudden I was seeing my brother Chris for the first time in a new lens. It was honestly so beautiful. As I write this I am actually tearing up and don’t really know how to explain what I saw or felt. But he stopped over one morning and was having a Daddy and Mia day. I was holding her and she wet her diaper so he changed her and then it was time for her bottle, he held her while he was warming up the bottle, tested the temperature to make sure it was just right and then fed her. Really it doesn’t sound like anything out of the ordinary, just normal parental duties. But I guess it was just the loving look and the gentleness Chris had when he was holding her and taking care of her. I could really just tell how much he loved his daughter. To be honest I have never thought about brother being  a Dad, not even when Lori was pregnant, not because he was immature (he’s 28 incase your wondering) or anything like that but just because I guess I always saw him as just my brother.

But I honestly believe that Chris will be  is the best Dad in the world. 

So #86. Fall in love with something/someone that I don’t already love is officially crossed off. 

Thank you Lori and Chris. I love you both. 

what a crummy Monday, I was on my way to work this morning and was about half way there and was stopped at a red light when the guy next to me tells me my tire on my back passengers side is almost flat. So immediately I pulled over to the closet gas station. To check it out. Since it wasn’t completely flat I was able to put air in it and it stayed it. I figured this way I could at least make it to work and then figure out what to do.

To be honest I knew this day was going to come eventually and that is exactly why I added it on to my list. Its not that I really want to learn how to change a tire. I am 24 and I feel like I have always been dependent on my parents for certain things, what can I say I guess I’m still a daddy little girl. But I know there comes a time when you have to learn how to do things on your own or at least know what to do if a situation should arise and your dad isn’t there to help. And that is EXACTLY the case today. Go figure my entire family (aunts, uncles, cousins etc.) is out of town on a family vacation in Gatlinburg for the week. In a normal circumstance if my tire would have been completely flat I would have just called my dad to come and fix it or if it was safe enough to drive it home asked him to come pick it up while I am work and get the tire changed. Shoot I have to call him to ask for the number is for roadside assistance.

I guess my point is, at some point I have to take some responsibility in my life on matters like this.

So this is how you change a tire. :)

1. Know about your car insurance and policy. Do you have roadside assistance? If so, write down your policy number and the phone number and put it in your glove compartment. I also recommend saving it in your phone.

2. If you don’t have roadside assistance. Know your options. Since my tire wasn’t completely flat. I was able to put air in it and drive to a tire place. Talk to the mechanic. You may not have to get a new tire it could just be something they could plug or fix. Have a SPARE! Even though you cant drive on your spare forever (50 miles, you should also not go over 50mph and only have it on one of the back wheels) its a quick fix!

3. And if you don’t have roadside assistance and you completely blow your tire out! Know to change the tire yourself. While I was getting mine fixed I asked the technician if I could watch and give me a few tips. I guess the most important thing is to make sure you have a spare and to check it every so often to make sure it has plenty air. There is no point of replacing one flat tire with another. Second make sure you have the tools (a jack and a lug wrench) you need to change a tire in case you have to.

Here is a quick video on how to change a tire

And remember everything is easier when you know how to do it.

Happy Monday everyone.

57. Learn to change a tire

My first attempt at going skydiving on June 24th

The day started off to be what seemed to be a nice a day… there were a few clouds in the sky… but the weather north wasn’t looking too good on the radar up north. So I gave the skydiving people a ring and they said that the weather was off and on and they just took a group up. So we decided to push forward and go anyway. 

We were exactly 77 miles from home, when all of a sudden my mom’s car engine light came on and lights across the dashboard flashed “Check oil. Turn of engine immediately”. Now you have to know my moms car and how fickle it is. Normally we would disgregard the warning but since my dad was driving he did as the car instructed.  So we pulled over and checked the oil level. My mom had just got her oil changed last month so the level wasn’t really oil but to be safe my dad stop at the next exit and got gas a the station.  while we were there we pulled out the owner’s manual…  it said if the oil level was fine that it the oil pump/filter whatchama call it (i dont really remember to be honest) wasn’t working! and that was not good! bascially it meant the engine could blow up. Or i could mean we just had a bad sensor and nothing was wrong.  So we put more oil in the car and kept going… 5 mins later the light came on again and we ended up here…

Before I keep going you have to understand there is absolutely nothing between where I live and Louisville. Just a handful of small towns. Thats how we ended up at the Small Brothers Truck and Auto repair. And to make a long story short our car ended up going all the back home 77 miles on one of these…

turns out it was the “whatchama call it” that was broken and was something that needed special parts to be fixed. Note: Im not sure why I am smiling in this picture because I am anything but happy. 

Anyways I did not end up going skydiving on June 24th. Do you ever have have those days when you feel like all of the forces in the world are working against you…thats how I felt that day.

if you were like me about a year ago and did not know what Geocaching was you must immediately go to this website and check it out! 

The simplest way I know how to explain geocaching is like real life treasure hunting! Using a gps system people have placed caches all over the world! There hundreds and thousands and I can guarantee there are some in your city! 

Once I first learned about it I had to do it! Now I am totally addicted and am constantly scouting them out when I know I’m going somewhere to see if any are in the area. This item I marked off with the complete help of my mom and dad. And was a wonderful way to spend quality time with my parents! This is always a great thing to do if you bored and just want to get out and do something!

(just make sure the muggles don’t catch you!)

Jurassic Park Hero

5th Floor

 (this one was one of my favorites, we were riding our bikes trying to find this one and at one point we all put our bicycles in an elevator to get to the cache. it made for a good laugh)

Blackford’s Grove

1956 Marilyn Monroe Movie

Oak Hill Cache

Veterans Memorial Plaza

93. Go geocaching. Locate 5 hidden treasures. (5/5)

Every time I start thinking about the fact that I’m going skydiving  today. My eyes start watering, my hands and armpits start sweating a little and my stomach feels like its doing somersaults. It’s not really the jumping part that’s freaking me out. It’s the right before the jump that’s sending my insides through what feels like a whirlwind, the anticipation, the plane ride up 13,000 feet and then the moment right before you jump and you look down.. thinking what the hell am I am about to do and then yelling Here goes nothing! Then I smile and refer to my countdown to how many hours, minutes, and seconds are left till the big event.

its official going sky diving June 24th. lskfjlsdkfldskfjlsdk!