40 Before 40 - What Didn't Make the Blog

There were some items that I worked on but didn't really blog about during my 40 Before 40 quest. It's not that I didn't find them important. They just seemed minimal to blog about individual. So I'm going to blog about them all here.

 

Take number nine for instance; learn how to crochet and actually make something. You know what I made, a chain. That's right, I made a single chain. I took it out, tried again. Took it out, tried again. I got so frustrated that I put it down and never picked it up again! I would say that number nine is complete in the fact that I will NEVER try it again!

 

Numbers 13 and 14 go hand in hand; get back in the gym and lose remaining baby weight. I never actually got back in the gym, but I did start working out again. It's not on a weekly basis, shoot, it's not even on a bi-weekly basis. However, I'm working out when I can by using my Zumba for Wii, taking walks around the neighborhood, and currently partaking in dance parties with McKinley. Those are the most fun! (Have you ever seen Shag: The Movie? DO!) And, I may not have lost all the remaining baby weight, but I am within five pounds of my goal weight. These may not be complete, but at least I've made something happen, right?

 

Number 23 has been hard, but I truly have been trying to refrain from using the F word so much! Especially now that McKinley has started to repeat things I say, like, oh my god! Actually, he used that once and I've tried to start using oh my gosh. Over the course of our trip to California, he found that when he used "oh my gosh" everyone would laugh, so he used it a lot. He hasn't used it since we've been home, which is a good thing! As for the F word, I still use it. It's one of my favorite words, just ask my friends, but I use it around adults or alone in the car while cursing bad drivers!

 

Number 28 is one that I definitely tried to take to heart; correspond more by written mail. I love to get something in the mail that's not a bill and I'm pretty sure others feel the same way. I've tried to send my grandmothers cards and little notes of love. I've sent holiday cards to friends which I haven't done in a couple of years because "I was too busy." When did I get so busy? I used to send them all the time. I just got lazy! I also sent cards of congratulations or for nothing at all. I really hope to keep that going in the years to come!

 

Same with number 39. Number 39 was to spend more time with girlfriends. This has been the toughest to do. I've tried. Honestly, I've tried. A small group of us went out to dinner before the holidays to celebrate in a smaller setting. I've had sushi and drinks with my friend Julie. I've had plans with some that have fallen through, but will get those rescheduled soon. I've said it before and I will continue to say it. I spend my "free" time with McKinley because I get such limited time with him. I'm not going to get into the debate of mothers who work inside or outside the home. The truth of the matter is I work. And, because I work, I get limited time with my son. I will alway put him first! And I hope my girlfriends can understand.

 

So, that's six that never really got a blog post, but are worth blogging about as a lump sum. A recap is coming soon, in case you haven't been following along.

 



40 Before 40 - Visit the San Diego Zoo

 

We are a family whole loves to go to the zoo. Even before we were married, we would visit the Kansas City Zoo often. It's just a peaceful place where you get fresh air, be one with nature and get a great walk with beautiful views! While in NY several years ago, we attended the Central Park Zoo and had a blast! It's a great zoo too. I truly recommend it. You don't feel like you're in the city. It's so quite, and again, a peaceful place to visit. We also attended the Lincoln Park Zoo while in Chicago last year. It's free, which is perfect while on a vacation, and fairly large. Again, we are zoo people! 

  

 So when I made my list of forty things to do before I turned 40, I indicated that I wanted to go to the San Diego Zoo. I honestly didn't think I would actually get to go. I hadn't planned a trip to Southern California in my head when I made the list. My main focus was Italy, so when that fell through, the next logical place was California, right? As soon as we booked the airline tickets, I knew that I would make number four a reality!

 

It's a long trip from LA to San Diego, about an hour and a half, but such a beautiful drive! You have mountains on one side and the ocean on the other. McKinley, who isn't up for long car rides, was at first enthralled by the views. That quickly turned sour so we read and watched You Tube videos to pass the time. (What did we do as kids on long car rides? On that's right, nothing! If you couldn't read, which at two I couldn't, you just sat in the back of the car and rode! These kids today have it so easy!)

 

 

We finally arrived in San Diego and made our way through Balboa Park to the zoo. I purchased our tickets online so no standing in line for us! We made our way through the gates and were right in the middle of the expansive view of the zoo entrance. It was amazing! We asked McKinley what he wanted to see first. His response, the double-decker bus that was headed our way. This happens to us at the KC zoo. Does he want to see animals? No! He wants to see the school bus, aka tram, and all the golf carts that make their way through the zoo. Maybe someday he will care about the animals. Maybe not. Joel and I decided that we would make our way to the Elephant Odyssey and what an odyssey it was! The elephant exhibit was huge! It's not that they had a large number of elephants, but their lay of the land was enormous! We even got to see one having their nails clipped in the elephant care center. Get your nails clipped by one person and be fed lunch by another. Where do I sign up?

 

 

 

We continued our journey through Africa where we found large lions, cheetahs, camels, llamas and zebras. Then came Northern Frontier, and as if on command, the temps turned cold! We started off with light layers, that were eventually removed, only to be added back within minutes! We covered McKinley with his blanket and he said "That's much better." Even he was cold! Their polar bears were snoozing, opening an eye every now and then, loving the chilly temps. We saw moose, which we don't have at our zoo, and they were so cool! Not in temperature, but as in so cool to see! They were enormous, by my standards anyway. And their antlers were impressive!

 

 

 

 

 

At this point in the zoo, we could go to Panda Canyon and the Asian Passage, but we decided to head to the Lost Forest. Inside the Lost Forest is a menagerie of animals, no pun intended. We saw amazingly huge hippos, a vast array of monkeys, turtles and alligators, and a swimming cat. That's what it was a called, a swimming cat. I've never heard of any cat loving water so this was huge news! Lastly, as we made our way to the beginning of the zoo, we found pink flamingos and McKinley found them to be hilarious! Since we never really get to see them at our zoo, it was fun to see him expression!

 

 

 

 

 

 

On our way out of the zoo, McKinley asked to ride the carousel, however this zoo didn't have one. I remembered seeing the one in Balboa Park, so we took a minor detour on the way to the car so he could take a spin. This was an old carousel that flew! I mean flew! It was roughly 15 miles an hour where newer carousels go around 10. Five miles an hour doesn't sound like much, but when you're spinning, it really does! He also wanted to ride the "small carousel", planes and butterflies that spun around on chains, and ride he did! There was a little train that ran around the park, but the entrance was back at the zoo, so we had to tell him no. It was getting late and we still had the hour and a half drive back to LA. He said, "Maybe next time, Mama." Next time indeed!!

 

 

 

There were several parts of the zoo we didn't see, and we really couldn't have in one day. If we do make it back to Southern California, the zoo is definitely on the list of things to see again. Or continue to explore.

 

 

But for now, I can say that number four is complete! For now....

 

40 Before 40 - Champagne and Caviar

Before the big 40th birthday celebration in LA, there was the early birthday celebration with family. And with that celebration came Dom Perignon and caviar! All of that took place right before a big birthday dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and cooked apples with a three layer homemade chocolate cake to follow. It was an amazing evening!!

 

Let's start with the champagne. My mom purchased the bottle earlier in the week and the story is crazy! As she browsed the selection of champagnes, looking specifically for Dom Perignon, one of the guys at the store asked if he could help. She stated which bottle she wanted and they said, "It's behind lock and key. We'll be right back." As they came back with the bottle, my mom was told that they would just carry it for her to the front. "We get it to the front. After you pay for it, it's up to you get it out of here in one piece." Can you imagine? Asking for assistance with a bottle of champagne, having it be in the back behind lock and key, and then to have it carried for you to the front of the store? This stuff better have been worth it, right? Well, it totally was!!

 

It was a smooth sip with very little bubbles. We normally drink Moet & Chandon or Perrier Jouet, which is just a lovely, but it does have a little more fizz. And I realize that number 37 was to drink a glass, but I think I had about three! Hey, it was my birthday celebration!!

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers to being 40....almost!

 

Then came number 35, the caviar. I was much more nervous about eating this than drinking! But, I was going to try something new. This is a new chapter in my life and I am going to try and do things differently. Conquer fears and try new things. This was definitely something new that I feared!

 

I just couldn't imagine eating fish eggs. That's when my dad said, "You eat the ones that come from a chicken." So true! But these were different. They were tiny, and black, and they just looked disgusting! But I was going to do this!

 

My mom purchased the caviar at Dean & Deluca and worked with George, their expert on caviar. My mom followed his instructions to the letter, and I would assume we did it correctly. You place shaved ice (we didn't have any so we used small cubed ice) in a small bowl and then place the caviar inside the ice. 

 

In another small bowl, add Creme Fraiche. Creme Fraiche is a very mild form of sour cream so it won't over power the taste of the caviar. 

 

George told mom to serve the caviar on little Blini's. So she did! They are basically little pancakes.

 

Now it was time! My dad took a Blini, added a thin layer of Creme Fraiche, a tiny spoonful of caviar and passed it over. (Note: do not use metal to serve caviar. All you will taste is the metal. The best way to serve is traditionally on a mother of pearl spoon, but George said a porcelain version was fine.)

 

Here we go!  Joel said I probably wasn't supposed to fold it like a taco, but I thought it was better to hide the evidence!

 

 

First bite....

 

I'm not sure what I thought it would taste like, but it didn't taste like what I thought it would taste like. I think I thought it would roll around on my tongue, since it's a small, round egg. But it didn't. My dad thought they tasted saltier than he expected. I just ate it!





I will tell you this. I wouldn't order it at a restaurant, but if someone served it a party, I wouldn't pass it up. Make sense? I would, however order the champagne again, but I'm not going to spend the kind of money! Can you imagine how they would present it in a restaurant though? Could be pretty impressive!

 

So, numbers 35 and 37 are now complete! I'm making headway, even if I had less than a week left! Still one more to blog about with a few little ones to talk about!

40 Before 40 - Learn to Use My Sewing Machine

 

 

So this is my sewing machine that my mom got me for Christmas a couple of years ago and this is the first time it's been out of the box! I have desperately wanted to use it, but hadn't a clue how to use it! Neither did my mom! So, it sat in the box, I had a baby, and had no time whatsoever to sew. I am going to make that last part change. And that started with a drivers ed sewing class I took a couple of weeks ago!

 

I have huge aspirations in the sewing world. I would really like to start making clothing, using patterns that my mom and I have purchased over the last several years instead of letting them collect dust in the sewing closet at her house. And, I would love to be able to make Halloween costumes for McKinley instead of spending a fortune on something he will wear only once. And, there is always Project Runway in a couple of years....

 

As you can see below, I am apparently terrified of my machine....

 

 

This is me and my lovely teacher Elaine Johnson. She owns Harper's Fabrics, where I took the class, and was absolutely wonderful!! She was so patient, kind, thorough and above all, my first step in getting this machine up and running!

 

Here I am learning how to thread my machine.

 

Now that we have the machine threaded, I am learning to sew a straight line. I need to clarify that I actually do know how to sew. I took sewing in middle school and I've used my mom's machines off and on over the years. But there is so much more I need to know than just sewing a straight line. Like, learning how to change each foot that came with the machine, how to change the needle and how to wind a bobbin.



  

I'm starting to get the hang of it!





 

Now I'm learning how to sew in a zipper. That was a little difficult!

 

Here are the notes I took. There are three things to remember: Quality of Thread, Using the Right Needle, and Proper Threading of the Machine.

 

This is me after the class with my sewing machine that I can't wait to use! I am going to start with a pair of shorts. My mom and I bought a pattern almost 12 years ago, or more, and she made me this skirt. From that pattern, you can also make pants and shorts. We purchased fabric from Harper's earlier this summer for the shorts, but haven't gotten around to cutting it out. It's the easiest pattern we have and I think it's the perfect start!

 

Number 11 is officially complete and one I'm super excited that I finally tackled!



40 Before 40 - Drink a Martini in a Fancy Bar

I love beer! I also love champagne. But really, I love beer!  If we go out to dinner with friends to a nice restaurant, I usually order a glass of Pinot Grigio or Moet Chandon, but what I prefer to drink on any occasion is beer! If we're going for an easy, laid back beer, I prefer Bud Light. A no fuss, no muss beer! However, I do love a Blue Moon with a slice of orange. Either one will do me just fine. I drink white wine to feel fancy. I drink champagne because I can!

I've never been a mixed drink girl. I do love fruity drinks. A strawberry margarita, a pina coloda, and a Jamican-Me-Smile that we had on our honeymoon, but that's about it in the mixed drink world. My dad makes a vodka Gimlet that I like, but that's where the love stops. So, because I am getting ready to turn 40, I thought I needed to step up my drinking game and give a martini a try. You read about celebrities and how they love a dry martini or a dirty martini. Giada De Laurentiis is all about the mixed drinks. As is Sandra Lee. I mean, she does tell you that cocktail time is the best time of the day. If these women can do it, so can I!

I felt like, in the case of all of these high powered women, I needed to experience said martini at a fancy restaurant, dressed in fancy clothes and seated at an expansive, dark wood bar. My husband pointed out that I would more than likely take one sip of said martini, grimace, and never have another sip. We decided to have my dad make a gin martini with a lemon twist, in the comfort of my parents kitchen, where he could finish it for me! And that's exactly what took place! My husband knows me so well!

Here are some photos from the evening. Keep in mind still no makeup from the facial that morning. Boy, makeup sure does amplify the pretty!

Making a martini is a very serious process! Just look at the expression on my dad's face!

He even chilled my glasses!

 

 

Okay, here we go.....

 

So far so good!

Nope! Don't like it!

 

But, I'm going to give it another shot!

 

Yep, nope, still don't like it!

But, with a smile on my face, I can say that number 36 is officially complete!

 

CHEERS!