Setting Sail

Josh and I have been busy working our tails off and are in dire need of a vacation.

We really enjoyed ourselves when we went to FL in early April 2 years ago and we really wanted to go again. I was doing some searching around and came across a great deal for us for booking early.

So bing, bang, boom, I booked it and we set sail in early April on the Carnival Sensation for 3 nights!

We'll stop in Nassau, Bahamas! =)

I'm ridiculously excited. I get to check this off my 101 in 1,001!

Influenster

Just joined this interestingly, great site

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Laughter Medicine Sundays

So I've decided to do a post every Sunday that will hopefully make your laugh. Josh is actually collaborating on this with me to help me find videos and anything else that may tickle your funny bone.

The first one is a video my sister, Aleece, sent to us a few weeks back, before it really even hit the radio. It is hilarious. I guess I'll warn you now that if you're easily offended please skip over this post.

Explicit langue is used.

Change.

Change.

I used to think I was relatively adaptable to change. Recently I've actually noticed just how much of a creature of habit I am. I don't have a problem with change, but when it occurs I linger on it.

Change of routine. change of opinion. change of outlook. change of job.

I think most people kid their selves when they say they "welcome change". I'm just as adventurous as the next person, maybe even more, but change is down right scary.

Any initial change for me, I feel... almost lost? Not quite all there. It's like my body is ahead of my mind. My mind always catches up, but like I said..it lingers.

I'm no where close to where I thought I'd be last year.

I've returned to a job I love, grown closer to old friends, and met some new ones that I hope to keep for life. I feel more energized because of the lifestyle changes I'm making, that includes drinking 7+ cups of water a day and working out on a decently regular basis.

I know my life is heading in a direction I can be proud of, a life I can bring children into one day down the road.

More change is coming and I'm going to try my best to welcome it with open arms and I encourage you to do the same.

Changing for the better
Striving for the best.

101 in 1001 - The List

Being new to blogging I've seen all kind of lists around.

• 52 in 52
• 25 before 25
• 30 before 30
• 101 in 1001

You get the idea.

So I took it on. I really like the 101 in 1001 because it gives you enough time to complete them. I had a little bit of difficulty coming up with 101, but in the end I think I have a pretty solid, attainable list.
Here we go..

101 in 1001 Days
Beigin: 1/6/2013
End: 10/14/2015


To: Me, Love: Me
1. Get a Tattoo
2. Get Glasses
3. Update Wardrobe

For a Better Me
4. Run a 5K
5. See My Own Abs
6. Begin Taking a Multivitamin on a Regular Basis
7. Go back to School Obtain Bachelor's majoring in Business Management
8. Work towards completing prerequisites for Optomentry School
9. Take the OAT {Optometry Addmitance Test}

Something New Every Day
10. Learn to Fly Fish
11. Learn to Play Golf
12. Learn to Ski
13. Learn to Drive Stick Shift
14. Learn more of the History of the Towns Around Us
15. Research Our Family History and Document it so it's Not Forgotten

I've Done it Before, I'll Do it Again
16. Re-Learn French
17. Re-Learn to Crochet

Been Meaning to..
18. Have Old Laptop Fixed
19. Go Through Our Stuff in PA and Bring the Things We Want Back to WV, Sell/Donate the Rest
20. Fill Every Empty Picture Frame in the House
21. Organize the Home Office
22. Have a Yard Sale
23. Find 5 Things on Free Cycle and Put up 5 Thing in Return
24. Host a Slumber Party
25. Keep up on the Laundry for 30 Days Straight. No Clothes on the Floor/in the Basket

House to Home
26. Remodel Master Bedroom
27. Remodel Master Bathroom
28. Complete Photo Project for Downstairs Hallway
29. Fence in Backyard
30. Complete Home Renovation Book
31. Remodel Basement aka Fan Cave
In the Kitchen
32. Try 20 New Foods [0/20]
33. Build a Gingerbread House from Scratch
34. Cook/Bake 50 New Recipes [0/50]

Shopping List
35. Buy Something from Etsy
36. Buy a my own DSLR Camera {currently borrowed}
37. Buy a Truck for Josh
38. Buy a Pair of Really Nice Boots
39. Buy a Grill
40. Buy a N64
41. Buy a Kitchen Aide Mixer
42. Buy a Pool Table
43. Buy 10 New Pairs of Heels
44. Buy a Sewing Machine
45. Buy a Cricut

Cha-Ching!
46. Pay off Credit Cards
47. Pay off Nissan Maxima
48. Pay off Loan
49. Open a Savings Account
50. Start Saving for My Retirement
51. Save $10 for Every Task I Complete [$0/$1010]

Giving Back
52. Donate Blood I've never done this; I've always been scared to
53. Donate 100,000 Grains of Rice Through Freerice.com [13,900/100,000]
54. Donate Clothes I don't wear/want
55. Leave a 100% Tip for a Server {over $10}
56. Treat 3 of My "Girlfriends" to a "Spa Day"
57. Stop Using Plastic Bags When Grocery Shopping/Buy the Reusable Ones

The Where in Life
58. Go to Las Vegas
59. Go to Canada
60. Go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras
61. Go to New York for New Year's Eve
62. Go to Mexico

Experiencing Life
63. Go on a Cruise
64. Go to another Concert it'll only be my 2nd
65. Take a Brewery Tour
66. Visit 3 Local Wineries [0/3]
67. Attend Another Steeler Game
68. Attend Another Penguins Game
69. Attend Another Pirates Game
70. See the Statue of Liberty
71. See Another Musical in New York
72. See the Tran Siberian Orchestra Live

Be a Little Daring
73. Go Parasialing
74. Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
75. Sing Karaoke at a Bar
76. Participate in a Polar Bear Plunge
77. Go Black Friday Shopping

Watch and See
80. Watch 50 of IMDB's Top 250 Movies [0/50]
81. Watch all Seasons of Boy Meets World [0/7]

Lost in Another World
82. Read the 50 Shades of Gray Triology [0/3]
83. Read the book a Veteran at Work Sold Me
84. Finish reading the Biography of Steve Jobs
85. Read the Vow

My Creative Side
86. Complete a Coloring Book
87. Complete a Crossword Book
88. Complete a Cross Stitch Project
89. Scrapbook Our Wedding
90. Make Pin-String Art for the House
91. Complete the 365 Day Photo Challenge [0/365] Starting Tomorrow
Pen to Paper
92. Write a Letter to Myself to Open in 10 Years
93. Write Old Fashioned, Heart Felt Letters to Those in My Life
94. Complete 5 Chapters of my Book [1/5]
95. Complete 10 Chapters of my Book [1/10]
96. Finish Writing Another 101 List by the End of 1001 Days

Wannabe Blogger
97. 300 Blog Posts in 2013
98. 400 Blog Posts in 2014
99. Blog About Each Task Completed
100. Have a post that gets over 10 comments {not including my own}
101. Obtain 50 Subscribers/Followers to Blog [12/50]

What do you think?

Signing off,
Ida Jade

2013 and Changes to be Made

I really don't want to call any of this as resolutions; it makes me feel like it's guarenteed to fail if you label them with the "R" word.

Last year wasn't all that great of a year. There were many road blocks and obstacles to overcome in 2012. I wouldn't really change anything, because it got me where I am today, right now, but you can't help but wonder if some things would have played out differently what would have happened.

Enough dwelling on the past though. Here are the things I'd like to work on this year.

1. Trim Down and Maintain.

We'll start with the normal "weight loss" goal. I didn't do bad last year for the first few months, but a few things happened and ricocheted me way off track. That's changing this week. I felt so good back when I did my waist watcher posts with Rachael at The Growing Tree. So I hope to start this up again. I started by drinking a lot more water than I have in the past. It's a step in the right direction.

2. Making Time.
I want to make time for the people who make time for me. That includes family and friends. I spend way too much effort exhausting my time on those who are not truly there for me. It's a terrible habit of mine.

Something my mom always told me and still does to this day - if someone cares about you, you won't always be the first to make contact/plans ect. This goes for texting, calling, and even visiting. I remember being little and having a friend mad at me for not "talking" to them in one way or another. She would always remind me...the phone works both ways.

With that said I'd really like to call my family and friends more and I definitely want to write the snail mail letters I was going to do last year.

3. Taking Care of Myself.
I'm finally back to having a good job again so I really want to try and keep up on my hair care as well as update my wardrobe. I started by getting a few new tops from Charlotte Russe for the new year. I even wore one for our New Year party last night.

4. Go Back to School.
I have a really long journey ahead of me. I'm very set on completing my bachelor's and going to grad school for Optometry. I hope to start back up in the fall semester. I hate putting in off another semester, but starting right now doesn't make sense. I need to get us back on track with a few things and then go back, but I swear (and please slap me if I come back on this) I will go in the Fall.

Here's to what will hopefully be a great year.

What are your "R" words?

Starting off the New Year Right

Well friends, family, and followers I'm back for good this time.

I was finally able to fix my laptop after being extremely close to tossing it out our top floor window. Every time I would log on it would work for a few minutes and crash. Up would pop this terribly annoying blue screen of death, as I like to call it, and I'd have to restart. I knew I needed to wipe it clean. So I slowly put all my files on an external hard drive and restored it back to factory. Thank goodness it worked.

I'm so excited to have my fingers back to the keyboard.

2013 is going to be remarkable.