My final "first" of 2014

Today when I drove through Chick-fil-a to get lunch and my last peppermint chocolate chip milkshake, the person in front of me had paid for part of my meal. Seems like a a great way to end my year.

Day 365 My year of firsts

Lu Ann Cahn's book "I Dare Me" starting this year long journey of "firsts". I was so excited to have Taylor join me and as I look back at my year of "firsts" the ones we shared were the best. The blog, our whitewater rafting trip, the Escape game, decorating the tree for Fantasy of Trees and our 1st Annual Christmas cookie baking day to name a few. This year has been a struggle at times. Do you know how hard it is to find something new to do each day? Well take my word for it, it is hard. There were times when Taylor and I would copy each other because we couldn't think of anything. It is easy when you are on vacation and there are times when "firsts" fell in your lap but most days you really had to work at it.

I read some new authors, watched some new television shows, saw some plays and they were all fun but the best things I did this year were the ones I did for other people. Buying someone's order at the drive thru, purchasing a present for someone off the baby registry at Toys R Us and doing some volunteer work. It always makes you feel good to do something for someone else. I have to mention the quilt I made (and the two I helped make) for the Medal of Honor recipients. This turned out to be so much more than I thought when I signed up. It was such an honor to do it and they were so appreciative. I shared the experience with my Mother and that shared experience made it so special. This is a memory I will always treasure. 

Looking back at our blog, I have smiled, laughed and cried a little. It has been a fantastic year, but sad things have happened. I lost a friend and that broke my heart. I have had success and failure but I never gave up. Some of my first are silly and some made me very uncomfortable. But I learned new things and I became more confident in myself. Doing a first everyday makes you step outside your comfort zone....A LOT. I know that going into 2015, I will continue to try new things. I like adventure. I like, how at 55, I am willing to continue to learn more about the world and myself. I will continue to use "firsts" as a way to be a better person and not allow fear to rule my life. I will continue to journal. It helps me remember as I get older and my memories don't come as easily.

One thing I noticed about 2014, I was sick a lot. So that makes me more determined and excited to start our adventure for 2015. This new year is going to be about being healthy. I will let Taylor explain, but I am definitely going to be healthier and back in the gym in 2015. 

I hope everyone who reads this blog tries to have a "first" at least every month. You won't regret it.

Day 364 New craft - knooking

My next to last first was knooking. That it is knitting with a crochet hook. Not sure it will become a permanent addition to my bag of tricks but it is an interesting concept.

Day 363 Doing something you said you should do

You know how after eating dinner out, the waitress asked "Do you want dessert?" You want to try one of the desserts because they look delicious but you are always too full. So you say, "We should come here sometimes and just eat dessert." Well tonight I did it.

Day 362 The Red Tent

Lifetime Television made a two part series based on the novel "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant. I read the book and LOVED it. My friends said the Lifetime series was excellent but I hadn't watched it. I wasn't sure I would like it. It is so scary when they make a movie out of a book you like. My friends were right. It was beautifully done. Such a powerful message of strong women.

Day 361 Drove home from Charleston

Today we drove home from Charleston. I drove the entire way in my new car. Not an exciting first but between getting off the ship, finding our luggage, getting to my car and then driving home I was too exhausted for anything else.

Day 360 Afternoon Tea

One of the activities the ship offered was afternoon tea. I had never tried it so we decided to try it. It was so relaxing. I had green tea - one cup with regular sugar and one with brown sugar. The brown sugar was delicious.

Day 359 Sun bathing

Christmas Day in the Bahamas. The ship was docked in Nassau and we were stuck on Board. It was the only sunny day we had so I spent a couple of hours sitting in the sun. I have never done that, but I liked it. I didn't stay any longer because I felt bad leaving Marian in the room alone on Christmas Day. A great way to spend the holiday though.

Day 358 Sunny from Serbia

Today was Christmas Eve. The ship was docked in Freeport. We made the decision not to go ashore. We went up to play trivia and we were the only people there. The young lady who was leading the game was named Sunny. She is from Serbia. We spent a lot of time talking to her. She wants to be an actress and signed up to work on the ship to get a Visa. She is delightful. We had a great time with her. She knew we had already won the ship on a stick so she brought us medals to win. Around three o'clock we headed back to our room. Marian had an upset stomach and we forgot to bring any medicine so she decided to ask the doctor for something. They quarrientined her for 24 hours. She couldn't leave our room and could only eat boiled rice, toast and water. They would not even allow her to order room service for me. It was crazy. I felt so bad for her. It was a horrible way to spend Christmas Eve and most of Christmas Day.

Day 357 Trivia Win

One of our favorite things while sailing is playing trivia. The ship sponsors activities all day and we love the trivia games. Last time we sailed it took all week to win. Today we won on the first day. I actually beat Marian. That seldom happens.

Day 356 Hot Stone massage and Fire and Ice pedicure

Today we boarded our Ship - the Fantasy, Carnival Cruise Line. It was a painless boarding. Charleston harbor is small and Carnival is the only cruise line there. The first thing we did after boarding and dropping our carry on luggage in our room, we headed up to the spa. The spa always offers deals each day. Today's special was for a hot stone massage. I had never had one so we booked one. I also needed a new pedicure since my nail polish had chipped. The pedicure they signed us up for was called a fire and ice pedicure. It used the hot stones also. The massage was wonderful as was the pedicure.

Day 355 Theatre and Prison

Today brought a few firsts. We wondered around downtown Charleston, visiting the market and some of the stores. We found a Tervis store and bought one to use on the ship. They had tops that used straws which I really like. My sister had made a reservation for us at a mystery theater. It was a small place. The show was delightful. They had the audience participate. It was less mystery and more humorous. Another part of the show was guessing the names of the detectives whose pictures were on the wall. My sister got all of them, of course. Then we went to do the tour of the old prison. We had wanted to do the tour last time we were in Charleston but we didn't have time. The tour was supposed to be scary. It was only because you were in this old building standing in total darkness. The tour guide kept turning off the flashlight. What was really cool about the place is that it is a college now. Back when Hurricane Hugo devastated Charleston, the town discovered there were very few people trained in repairing historic buildings. The town started the school to train people to fix and maintain these buildings. Isn't that awesome? The tours help support the school and they use the prison as on site training.

Day 354 King Street Grill

Today we drove to Charleston, South Carolina for the beginning of our holiday vacation. I always wanted to use the week the University is closed to take a trip but I always chickened out. You know you are supposed to stay home or visit family for Christmas, right? But having the week off every year it was so tempting to use that free week to travel. Last year I came close but chickened out. My year of first convinced me to do it. So my sister and I booked a five day cruise to the Bahamas. We decided to spend two nights in Charleston first since we were sailing from there. Tonight we arrived in Charleston and needed a place to eat. We decided to try this Grill. It turned out to be a sports bar. The food was good though.

Day 353 Thunderclap

I had never heard of Thunderclap until today. I got an email from the LGBT group I am a part of. They were encouraging everyone to go and support a petition to Urge Tennessee businesses to join Equality Means Business Free so Tennessee jobs and markets are open to LGBT people. What a great cause!

Day 352 Christmas Carol

Tonight I went to see A Christmas Carol. It was a new interpretation. For the first time, I hated it. There was very little staging. The ghost of Christmas future was weak. I actually feel asleep 4 different times.

Day 351 new dessert

Today at work we had a potluck for lunch. Lots of delicious food. Someone made a dessert. I am not sure exactly what it was. They were white chocolate balls with brownie inside. Wow they were so good.

Day 350 HR Class

Today I went to a class about HR procedures. I am not the person in my office who does HR but they could not go so I was in the class as a substitute. I was pretty confused most of the class but I got the information for the office. I hope I never have to do that again. Lol

Day 349 Elevate app

I read in the USA today that Elevate was the number one app so I downloaded it to see what all the fuss was about. The free app allows you to take three "test" a day to train your brain. The object is to keep your brain sharp which is important as we age. It is a great app. If you pay, you can play more games but it cost more than I am willing to pay so I will keep doing the three free games a day.  I struggle with the remembering name game and the math games but hopefully playing them will help me in those areas.

Day 348 Microwave bowl holders

My Mother gave me a fabric bowl that you use when you microwave a bowl of something. It keeps you from having to hold a hot bowl. It also works for holding a pint of ice cream. My sister, Marian found a pattern for it. I decided to give two each to my coworkers.  They turned out well. I had to watch a YouTube video to understand the pattern but I did it.

Day 347 1st Annual Christmas cookie bake

Taylor called me last month and told me she thought it would be fun to have an annual cookie baking day. I was all for the idea. I love hanging with her and I love to bake. We came up with some cookies we wanted to make. I put all the recipes in a book that we can update each year. We started early Saturday morning and cooked all day. It was fun and I can't wait until next year.

Day 346 Party mix in a crock pot

I saw a recipe for making chex party mix in a crock pot. My daughter, Taylor was coming up tonight for the weekend and it is a favorite of hers. So I decided to try the crock pot recipe. It turned out great. And it was super easy. You still have to stir every hour but it is easier to stir in the pot. Next time I am going to add bagel chips though.

(Taylor here - this was delicious!!) 

Day 345 Apple Pie

The apple is my favorite fruit. But I hate them cooked unless it is applesauce. Tonight was my Christmas party at work. I decided to try a bite of apple pie. I thought maybe my taste buds had matured. Well I was wrong. I still hate cooked apples. My one bite of apple pie was my last. I will stick with my raw Apple.

Day 344 Velvetta cheese sandwich

Growing up my favorite meal was a Velvetta cheese sandwich. I could eat it for every meal. Today I needed some Velvetta cheese for a dip I was making so I made myself a sandwich. I have not had one in years. It was so wonderful. I did use wheat bread but it sure was yummy.

Day 343 Coupon book

You know how you go to a restaurant and they ask if you want to buy a coupon book to support their charity of choice? Well I was in Arby's today for lunch and they wanted me to buy one and for once I said yes. I never would have done that but I needed a first. I will do it more now. It is an easy was to give.

Day 342 C J Box

Today I finished a book by a new author, C J Box. My Mother recommended him. He writes about a warden in Wyoming. It was a good first book. I will definitely read more.

Day 341 Brunch and a movie

Today I had brunch for the first time at Take Five. I had beignets and they were delicious. They had a caramel apple flavor. Yummy. Then we went to see the latest Hunger Games movie. It was good but I felt it was just a filler.

Day 340 Craft show

Today I went to a craft show. I heard about it this summer and was looking forward to it. I liked some of it but it was smaller than I thought it would be. That was disappointing. I really liked that you picked up what you wanted at a booth and pay for it at the door.

Day 339 Glitter toes

Today I got my pedicure. I decided since it would be the one I had for the holidays to go with a red with glitter in it. Now I am not a glitter person but you need to go big for the holidays. I tried to take a picture but the glitter doesn't really show.

Day 338 Retiring

No I'm not retiring. I wish but that is at least 7 years away. For the first time though someone who works for me is retiring. Lucky her.

Day 337 NPR book list

Did you know that NPR has a list of the best books of the year? I didn't. I found it today while playing around on the internet. I wrote down the name of a few books to try next year. I like to try new authors and I keep a list of ones to try. I was excited to find this new avenue of discovery. So my first today was discovering a new list of good books. I also learned what Yik Yak was. Then I discovered a thing called knook. It is knitting using a crochet hook. I have ordered a "learn to knook" kit. Today was all about discovering new things.

Day 336 Giving Tuesday

I did not know there was a Giving Tuesday but apparently it has been around for a couple of years. It was developed in response to Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. So today I made two donations. One was for the guy who delivers our mail at work and the other was at my quilt guild meeting. The one for the guild will go toward three different charities. It always feels good to give.

Day 335 Walmart receipt

A friend at work asked me if I had used the Walmart program where you got a gift card if a product you bought was cheaper at another store. I said no since I try not to shop at Walmart. But this weekend we shopped at Walmart so I entered our receipts on their website. It takes a couple of days before they let you know if you get any money. I didn't spend much so I don't expect to get any money back but it is an easy way to make a little money. We shall see.