T-minus-5 Days and Counting...

I like to blame the Gemini in me for my capricious personality. It basically gives me a valid excuse for getting bored of things easily--and makes me feel better about not completing my Bucket List...oh I came so close. In five days, I will have crossed that threshold to 30 and I'm quite excited about it. (Okay...so I'm mostly excited about the party!) I don't know where the time went, but it's here and I'm lovin' every bit of it.

The Lopezes have been so busy these past months--so much of which I would ordinarily post on here, but haven't...I'd like to blame the Gemini for that fail as well. We had a fantastic ski trip with our friends in March and we had an entire kickball season where we had our best season yet! My stepson ran a track meet this month and graduated into middle school! My daughter got numerous awards at her assembly and was promoted to the fourth grade.

The biggest 'away' thing has been the fact that we spent 3.5 months renovating our house...Andy did it all on his own...and I have before and after pictures that I can't wait to post!

The most exciting time I spent away from blogland was the weekend of April 17th. I fulfilled three Bucket List items that weekend and had one of the most glorious times ever with my BFF. I went to Dallas to have my girls weekend (check!) and we went to an AMAZING drag show (check!) at the Rose Room. I am now obsessed with drag queens--I LOVE THEM! The next night, I had a whole lotta shots and got my ass up on stage and sang karaoke (check!) with the girls! I can't put into words how fun this weekend was (although I tried!) and how much it meant to me. My BFF is amazing. She has been such a big part of my life...for almost 20 years...and I love her til death do us part.

Below are a few fun pictures of our weekend...and below that are the *FINAL* results of My 30 before 30 bucket list...

Here is a pic of my BFF:

Here is a pic of my favorite Dallas drag queen:

This drag queen had a killer bod:

This drag queen danced to really fun 70's music and it made me like him/her a lot!:

and *PROOF* that I really did get up and sing some karaoke. Four Non-Blondes "What's Up":


And Now...the results of my *BUCKET LIST*:
Read [at least] 30 books in 12 months Made 20/30
Read War and Peace
Create a Self Portrait I tried this...too embarrassing to even publish here
Run a 10K FAIL
Have an impromptu food fight FAIL
Explore Wines [and hopefully find a fav!]
Karaoke [Not just attend, perform]
Spend a Saturday volunteering FAIL
Create a Signature Dish FAIL
Extreme Ironing [any ironing for me is extreme]
Write one letter per month to Jadyn throughout my 30th year.
Have a *girls only* weekend
Make it through 30 days of boot camp [starting June 15! Yikes!]
Watch every episode of The O.C. from start to finish [since sis keeps buggin' about it]
Do a Chinese Fire Drill!
Toilet Paper a house - Mr. Shane was the victim
Run ten 5K's this year [round down to 30 miles! Magic Number: 30!] Made it to 7/10
Lose 25 pounds [I CAN do this] FAIL
Keep a plant alive for a year FAIL
Kill a spider by myself
Find a better alternative to curse words [I'm going to start using terms that I read in G.I. and MLS's blogs to replace my cursing! Bugger!] I am cursing less--but my mind has gotten dirtier. Go figure.
Go to a Drag Show
Family Trip - Just the four of us!
Make New Friends love love love this one!
Read Little Women Currently at page 300/472--so so close
Go Camping - with an actual tent and actual bugs!
Bowl an entire game granny style
Prepare a meal - by myself - and surprise Hubs with it - Jan. 12 turkeyloaf
Every Friday for a month - do not say one thing negative [December]
Play in the mud [Oklahoma Red Dirt] on a rainy day. [Yuck]

Deer Creek Classic 5K - March 6, 2010

With my seventh 5K behind me, I seem to be lacking the motivation to complete my next three by June 2nd. Yesterday's run--with zero training going in--was extremely hard. The course was hellacious...or should I say hillacious, as there were so many uphill battles to conquer. Alas, I did it and am moving forward.

Bucket List: War and Peace

War and Peace
by Leo Tolstoy
This post is a 'twofer', as I get to strike an entire item off of my Bucket List as well as add one more book to my count [however, if I get close to June 2 and my book goal doesn't seem possible, I will be counting this book as '3', since it was 1,256 pages. My list, My rules. Ha!].

I started this book in June, read about 200 pages and stopped. When December rolled around, Hubs asked me about it and then told me to just give up because I was never going to finish the book. Yes, psychological motivation totally works on me…I picked it up mid-December and finished it last night.

The book was amazing and I can see why people would devote their time to reading it more than once. Almost everyone has an opinion of this book, mostly the same: boring and I have since come to the conclusion that those peeps have either not read the book [most likely] or got a crappy translation of the book [possible].

There are so many characters in the book, so many Russian names, but the story was tightly wound around three main families: Rostov, Bolkonsky and Bezukov. Each family is of high society and is connected together through some sort of relations. At first, the characters were so hard to remember and they were constantly called by different names [i.e. Marya, Masha, Marie would be one person], but once the story got flowing, I was hooked.

I would love to know if Natasha Rostov was based on someone that Tolstoy knew. She is described as beautiful, talented and adored, yet her plight and sorrow hit the most in the book leading to a relatively happy ending. Pierre was another favorite character of mine--an bastard child trying to find meaning in life and the true base for happiness. He finds it in the most unlikely place: a prisoner of war camp.

The battle scenes didn't hold my attention as much as the stories surrounding them. The history that Tolstoy threw in there was rather dull, but those bits were few and far between. As a reader 200 years later, it was interesting to see Tolstoy refer to the views of 'historians' about Napoleon, the war, etc. and the numerous books written about the whole debacle.

With over 1,200 pages of material, I could go on and on about how intrigued I was with this book--go over each of my favorite characters, as the list goes on. Had I read War and Peace in highschool or college, I don't think I would have truly appreciated it as much as I did [and I am most certain that going back to read it again wouldn't have been an option and I would have missed out on this magnificent book.]

16/30

Book Club: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe is a novel about a young girl who has just taken her stressful qualifying exams and is spending the summer doing research for her dissertation. In addition to her Harvard graduate work, she has also been asked by her mother to go to her grandmother's house--that has been abandoned for over 20 years--and clean it up to put on the market to pay back taxes. While there, the young girl finds a mysterious key that leads her into the past--and she stumbles upon a family history that she knew nothing about. A family history that goes back to 1692, during the Witch Trials in Salem, Massachusetts. Her modern life and her roots combine together to form a very well written story.

This book has piqued my interest in witches and I plan to do more reading (non-fiction) on the subject. It has also brought back my longing for a visit up east to where North America (as we know it) began. I suggested a field trip to Book Club, but they didn't bite. Go figure!

Also in book club this week, we had another special event--a shower for Baby Ventura. We each brought our favorite baby story book so mommy has lots of literature to read to baby. Due early next month, although I hardly think she'll make it to the end of this one, I am so excited to meet Baby Ventura!

14/30

Sweetheart 5K - February 13, 2010

Saturday morning, Tulsa hosted a Sweetheart 5K that I eagerly entered. It had been 3 months since my last run with virtually no activity in between and only two proper jogs to train for it--so, needless to say, I was a bit nervous.
This run turned out to be huge for me, as it was the first one that I have done all the way through without stopping to walk. My time wasn't even in the top three of my best times, but my feat has pleased me beyond any other.  I am so excited to have finished my sixth 5K for the Bucket List...and anticipate our next event in two weeks!
6/10

Going through my posts, I realized that I had not posted my November 7, 2009 run. It marked the halfway point through my list.  5/10

Book Reviews: Chasing Harry Winston & What the Dog Saw

I must admit that I picked up this fluff novel to pad my bucket list numbers, as I'm pretty concerned that I haven't made it halfway through to my goal yet; however, I think my literary tastes have morphed into adulthood, as this book took me almost a month to read for the sole purpose that I wasn't that into it.

Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger [yes the same lady that wrote The Devil Wears Prada] is a chick-lit book about three 29-year old women who have neither married nor have kids although the clock is ticking. They have made a bet with each other to accomplish something out of their comfort zone by the time they are thirty. Adriana will stop sleeping with every man she meets and get a ring. Emmy will stop her monogamous relationships and start sleeping with a guy from each continent, except the obvious Antarctica. Leigh's life is perfect, so she doesn't participate in the bet; however, towards the end, her life has gone from stuffily straight-laced to unpredictable and happy.

I may not have been into this book…but I did start feeling super old. I am at the same point in my life as the three main characters. I am about to turn 30--although my life is pretty put together: marriage, kid, job, house…Adriana constantly points out how "old" she is and the young 20's girls are getting all of the hot guys. Emmy points out that men their age are either ugly, married or gay. It really makes a girl feel old, ya know?

In the end, none of the girls fulfill their end of the bet and each decides that life is good without a man--and maybe 30 is just the beginning. Well, that's the stance I'm going to take. I really don't have a choice, do I?

I don't really recommend this book…I do feel like the author is writing in hopes of making the book into a movie. I've read all three of her books and I do think this will be the last.

13/30



If you have been following closely, then you know that my mind has been having a secret love affair with Malcolm Gladwell. (Praise be to Susan who introduced me to him!) What the Dog Saw is compilation of the best articles that Gladwell published in The New Yorker--articles that I may never have read had they not been bound together in this book. Each article is filled with answers to questions that I never thought to ask--reasonings for certain things I certainly found interesting.

Por ejemplo, my sister in law recently introduced the Lopez clan to a series on television called Mad Men, which is based in the 1960's and focuses around an Advertising firm on Madison Avenue. As I watch the series (which I love!), I am reminded of Gladwell's article entitled True Colors: Hair Dye and the Hidden Histories of Postwar America which focuses around women in that era and the beginning of breaking from the mold, which leads to the modern day woman.

Each article has a unique spin and Gladwell's extensive research makes for an interesting read. Malcolm Gladwell really knows how to make a reader think. Even a person who is not much of a reader can pick this book up and read each article, put it down and come back to it later. (I mean, Hubs finished this book for crying out loud!)

12/30

Bucket List: The O.C.

After six grueling months of sporadic viewing, I finally finished the entire series of The O.C.. Mindless hours wasted on this teeny bopper drama…and I had to keep pushing forward in order to complete this item on my list.

This series had the same story plot over and over--the only difference being the new character thrown in every once in awhile. When Mischa Barton decided to quit the show at the end of Season 3, a frequent appearance (yet small role individual) on the show (Taylor) became more prominent and pretty much took Marissa's place, becoming Ryan's love interest and they started their on-off romance.

The drama didn't just revolve around the teenagers either. The adults had an ample amout of drama too--especially Julie Cooper who pretty much slept with every single man on the show. Ultimately all of the characters were linked together somehow by marriage or the Ex-Factor.

I will state for the record that my favorite character on the show was teenage Kaitlyn Cooper. Beautiful, devious and quick witted, she made the show pretty tolerable.

Despite loathing the series and making fun of the acting every chance possible, the final episode with the kids growing up and the adults moving on made me a bit teary eyed. As ready as I was to finally be free of this show, I was surprised to be a bit sentimental about leaving Ryan, Seth and Summer behind. This was definitely a great way to shut the door on teeny bopper shows [um, The Hills/The City does not count] and proceed through the door with a big, fat 30 written on it!

Thank you, Stephanie, for not only the suggestion to put this on my list, but for purchasing the entire series to make it possible for me to complete this item!!! You rock!!! [There is no sarcasm there]

Another Bucket List Item Bites the Dust

Book Club: Lush Life

Lush Life by Richard Price was our book club pick for December. It was a super quick, easy read, but I feel like the audience was directed more towards the male gender rather than, well…me. The main characters were male from the victim to the main detective [even the female detective talked like and had mannerisms of a male] to the friend to the grieving father to the killer.

This is a story about a young adult who is murdered on the streets of NYC and his acquaintance is initially accused of the act; however when he is exonerated, the search is on for the true killer. The reader knows throughout the book who is the murderer, but what the author shows is all sides of the incident:

Reasons why the killer [who I found myself sympathizing with] committed his act.

The downfall of the character who is falsely accused--and he seems to fall far very quickly.

The processes that the detectives go through--the red tape, the 'higher ups' and, of course, the politics of it all.

The grieving stages of the victim's family--that I found most difficult to read…I can't begin to imagine the sadness of a family that loses a child. An only child.

All in all, I did enjoy the read. It was like watching a detective movie or a tv drama such as Law & Order or CSI [but definitely not as scientific!] If this sounds interesting to you, I suggest picking it up!

11/30

Today we had a special treat in Book Club, as we celebrated the upcoming nuptials for Lauren! She ties the knot in two weeks and she is going to be a beautiful bride! We had cuppie cuppie cupcakes and presented Lauren with a gift certificate to a cooking class to enjoy with her soon-to-be husband, Trent.

In other book-related news: as you can see, I have 19 books left to read before June 2, 2010, including War & Peace and Little Women. I am really stressing out--not to mention the fact that I have so many things on my 30 before 30 list left to do--so as a favor, please cross your fingers hard for me!!! HARD

Book Review: Blink

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.

In the beginning, Blink was a difficult book for me to enjoy because it felt as if I was reading a psychology text book; however, once I got to about midway, the book read fairly easy and became more interesting.

Blink is about first impressions. It is about how the unconcious mind works within the first few seconds a person comes in contact with something using their senses...sight, sound, smell. Gladwell's examples that support the theories he presents are fantastic. [I even performed the new Pepsi challenge on all of my friends! Unlike Gladwells acquaintances, all of my friends seemed to guess correctly, but I'm pretty sure that they are cheaters. Ha!]

This book falls under the non-fiction category, which is not a genre that I usually prefer [and it was nothing like Outliers, which still hails as my number one pick for this year], but I would recommend it to someone who likes this kind of read.

I am now one-third of the way through my Bucket List goal of 30 books before my 30th birthday [or 30 books in a year]. I have been so busy--and reading hasn't been a top priority for me lately--that I am worried I won't hit this mark...and that fact is quite sad to me...but I will only have to try harder, eh? Yeah...

10/30

Book Club: Then We Came to the End

So...I've been a bad blogger. Two months since my last post [but in my defense, October is the busiest month of the year in my life...and November I was just super lazy]. Here is a post I've had in my queue for awhile...I'm not changing any of it...so deal with it! Ha ha!

The reason I am posting all of my books, etc. on here is because I need to keep track for my 30 Bucket List [which I'm not doing so well on!] Bear with me! ...and Family? I will have our happenings up soon...I hope!



September 2009 has wrapped up and with it, another book club accomplishment. Our read was Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris. This novel takes place in an office environment filled with employees of various personalities. You have the crazy guy, the unstable girl, the bitch, the prankster, the serious guy, the gossip, the know-it-all, the misunderstood. Every character has his or her own story within a Marketing Company that is on a downhill slide, each patiently awaits 'walking Spanish down the hall' [getting fired]. Much of this book was laugh-out-loud funny and most of it I could relate to as an employee who does the weekday 8-5 grind. I found myself picturing numerous people at my firm in place of the quirky characters in the book. It was a fun, fast read and comes highly recommended by me! Woot!

9/30

Book Review: Outliers

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell is a non-fiction story of Success. Gladwell's theories on why certain people are successful--due to opportunity, wealth, intelligence or even being born in the 'right' year--are incredible and I could hardly put the book down. I am not usually into this genre of book [non-fiction leaning more towards educational], but Gladwell has a knack for smooth writing, incorporating stories that captivate the reader. [To be honest, if this book was not given to me by a family member, I never would have glanced twice in its direction.] I am definitely going to pick up his other two books, Tipping Point and Blink, which are supposed to be very similar to this read, just on different topics.

8/30

Book Review: Deep Dish

Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews is another chick-lit book that I read to pass the time between novels. This book, about a 30 year old woman chef who competes with a hunky male chef for a national television show, was a fun, carefree read and didn't require much effort to get in and out of the story. The content was simple, as most chick-lit books are geared towards people who read seldomly, and, of course, the characters fall in love--so it was also a feel good book. Sometimes a girl needs a feel good book, right?

The curious thing about this choice is that I am not a fan of Mary Kay Andrews and yet, I continue to pick her up at the book store. I have read four of her books and none of them have impressed me; however, the cover art of her books scream *Girlie*, enticing me from the bookshelf and I just can't resist. I think: Maybe this book will be a great one… Always disappointed.

So, if nothing else, it is another book towards my ultimate goal of thirty and for that, a pat on my back!

7/30

Race for the Cure [Tulsa, OK] - September 19, 2009

[Above is a picture of my race shirt. I am an avid Oklahoma State fan...and yes...I was wearing the shirt as the picture was taken!]

As you can see from my 'Operation Dumbo Drop' sidebar on the right, I haven't been running [or doing much activity at all] for about a month, so I was really nervous about Saturday morning's 5K. I honestly thought I would be walking most of it, but was pleasantly surprised that I didn't take my first stop until after 18:00 minutes had passed! After that, though, I stopped pretty frequently.

Saturday morning was BEAUTIFUL--perfect weather with the right amount of sunshine and breeze--in Tulsa, Oklahoma where my brother-in-law Daniel and I ran for Team Bubbies! he beat me...but not by much!!! I was very shocked that I was able to finish the race in 34:10 after not having run for so long. It isn't a great time, but I'm very happy about it [although I am super sore today!]

I hope that Saturday's race is the kick start that I need to get back into a regular exercise regimen--especially with the Oklahoma City race in a couple of weeks.

Here is a pic of my watch--which was started and stopped as soon as my foot hit the mat. Turns out, it was pretty accurate, as my official time read exactly the same!


3/10

Book Review: Wilt on High

Wilt on High is the third of four books of 'Henry Wilt' by English author, Tom Sharpe. Since I mistakenly read the last book first, this was my final piece in the series.

The Wilt books are laugh out loud funny. They all revolve around a little, squirmy Englishman named Henry Wilt who gets himself into pickles without doing anything at all, but rather being at the wrong place at the wrong time. He is a professor at a Technical College and everything he says--and all of the explanations that he gives for situations--are very literal and rely heavily on technicalities, which does not help any of the messes that he finds himself in. In Wilt on High, there is a murder at the tech, drug trafficking and Russian spying--all of which Wilt is the prime suspect for and none of which he has done.

Henry Wilt is also blessed with an idiotic wife, Eva and four terrible quad-daughters. What a mess!

I highly recommend this series to anyone that would like a light, funny read--and doesn't mind crass references and isn't afraid of a potty mouth.

Book 6/30

Book Club: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

August's pick for Book Club was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. This book, which takes place the year after WWII ended, is written as a series of fictional letters to and from many different characters. The main character, Juliet Ashton, is a successful writer that wrote humorous columns during the war and begins to focus on more serious material, in search of the perfect subject for her next book. As fate would have it, a man on Guernsey Island happens upon her information and blooming correspondences, budding relationships and a new life for Ms. Ashton quickly follows suit. There is so much more to this story from the perils of war time [famine, restrictions, German soldiers] to a strong, quick minded girl named Elizabeth and her precocious daughter, Kit. We get background stories on so many different characters: men, women, children, writers, editors…this is by no means solely a book for women!

Due to the format of this book, I was able to get through the entire read in two days. [I read very slowly!]. The letters, some short and some long, gives easy stopping and start up points for the reader and, although they are fictitious, I felt as if I was reading the private correspondence of people who lived long ago and have since passed. Before this book, I had never heard of Guernsey Island, so the research I was able to do after finishing created an even stronger home for the characters in my mind.

Jennifer made a delicious Potato Peel Pie for book club and it. was. awesome!


I enjoyed reading this book.

Book 5/30

Book Review: Peony in Love

Peony in Love by Lisa See is an exquisitely written novel based in 17th Century China. The story, told in the first person, revolves around a young woman named Peony who becomes engulfed in lovesickness, becomes obsessed with a play that revolves around love called The Peony Pavillion and dies of her 'illness'. Peony then becomes a ghost and describes the circumstances she experiences in the afterworld as well as her feelings and what she needs to do to make things right in order to move on. She interferes with the mortal world, makes mistakes, learns how to grow from a young lady to an adult and watches over the family of the love of her life. Peony also learns the history of her family through the words of her deceased grandmother and then her mother and is able to continue on her journey with their help. Love is stronger than death.

This book toys with a reader's emotions. It sent me spinning in a cycle of happiness, sadness, anger and elation. I will never be able to wrap my head around the pain and suffering that a woman had to endure in China. Women were expendable, a piece of property that had no worth and were confined to stay within the walls of a family compound. Women were not able to choose the man that they spent the rest of their life with, but rather forced into a loveless marriage for wealth or family gain. Don't even get me started on the footbinding nonsense...

Reading literature such as Peony in Love definitely makes me realize how good my life has been and how much of my freedoms that I take for granted on a daily basis.

Book 4/30

Book Club: The Eyre Affair

Our Book Club chose The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde to be our July book. This novel revolves around a Special Operations Agent [for books] named Thursday Next and her adventures through cities, time/space and books to catch the villan in this book, Acheron Hades. Yes, I said books--as in leaping through the pages of classic novels and poems.

I am not a fan of science fiction or fantasy novels. Twilight was an exception because who is to say that vampires are not real? Certanily not me! I am not a Harry Potter fan either [put your guns down!].

[Okay, I did love the Time Traveler's Wife, too…so maybe I am just selective,.]

Either which way you look at it…I was not a fan of this book. It was brought up as a choice for a couple of months, so we decided to just go with it…errr…they did. I wanted no part of this book before, during or even now--but it wasn't a terrible book. At all.

In fact, if I was a fan of this genre, I would have loved this book and devoured the entire series.

I think that if you enjoy reading…and you enjoy this genre, then pick up the series. You will like it. It had some entertaining parts, such as the villan being named after a mythological hell…and Tuesday's boss being named Braxton Hicks.

There was just too much "unreal" for me to enjoy it.

Book 3/30

Book Review: Twenty's Girl

I have been reading such serious and/or uninteresting novels lately that it was time for a light, airy book. Twenty's Girl, by Sophie Kinsella [my fav. chic-lit/British author] definitely hit the mark. This story focuses around a girl in her late twenties [Lara] who is being visited by her dead great-aunt [Sadie]--yes a ghost. Unknown family history and scandel is unraveled and a strong friendship between two unlikely characters is born. This book comes highly recommended by moi [to females].

Although some people brand chic-lit as 'lame' and 'brainless' literature, I feel as if the books are a break away from reality and everyone has a happy ending. I especially like these light books when they are set in different countries and this particular book has only strengthened my desire to visit London.

...I certainly want to know what a 'dough ball' is… sounds simply delectable!


Book 2/30

Midnight Streak - July 25, 2009

Last night at 11:00 p.m., I ran my second out of ten 5K's for my Bucket List. I participated in the Midnight Streak [no we didn't run naked] and it felt GREAT...plus I beat my previous run time by a little over 2 minutes--I ran 3.1 miles in 31:09!!! So. Excited. About. This!!!

I followed up my run with a late night IHOP meal. Nothing better than eggs and greasy bacon after a nice run, right???

Here's a picture of my watch. I don't know how I'm ever going to time something else and be forced to delete this...b/c I highly doubt I will ever be able to beat this time!!!



2/10

Bucket List: Granny Bowling

Another mark off the 'ol Bucket List for me. I bowled an entire game granny style last night--sober! It was a lot of fun [the company was even better!] and I bowled a 44, which was only 32 points below the 'real' game I played right before it. So I'm not a pro-bowler…whatev's!

As you can probably imagine, I debated putting this picture up. In the end [pun intended], it was the right thing to do. Do NOT judge the Lopez--or no soup for you!



Three down, Twenty Seven more items to go! Chuggin' right along...