A Productive Four-Day Weekend

I had four glorious days off of work this past week.  I decided to take advantage of that time and accomplish a few items on my list.  

First up: a hike.  It has been years since I last enjoyed a hike so I was excited when one of my friends agreed to go hiking in Catalina State Park with me.  Since we are not experienced hikers, we decided to complete one of the shorter trails.  

Thankfully, the weather cooperated and it was an enjoyable hike.  Thanks for going with me, Rachel!

  

Next up: trying a new type of food.  After the hike, Rachel volunteered to cook lunch.  I am a picky eater; I stick primarily to Italian and Mexican cuisine and rarely try new foods.  Rachel prepared two new things for me to try: venison and asparagus.  

The venison and asparagus were pretty yummy, but I think I'll probably stick with chicken.  I am so grateful that my friend took time out of her day to cook for me.  You're the best, Rachel!  

Another item that I can cross off of my list: painting my nails a bright color.  I am a perfectionist and haven't mastered the art of painting my own nails, especially if I attempt to use a bright color.  Usually I settle on a clear polish or, if I'm feeling particularly daring, a light silver.  If I try anything brighter it usually turns out too thick and chips almost instantly.  Thanks to my friend Vicky I now have bright purple nails.  

The gel polish looks great; I've gotten several compliments on the color, too.  This is definitely something that I should have done a long time ago.

The highlight of my long weekend, though, involved a hot air balloon ride.  

When I'm out and about early in the morning I often see hot air balloons floating near the mountains.  I've always wanted to go up in one but I've been terrified to look into it.  Luckily Vicky also wanted to go.  She helped give me the final push I needed to sign up for a ride.  

I will admit, getting in the basket was the hardest part.  My legs were shaking as we prepared to take off.  I am usually okay with heights but the idea of standing in a wicker basket with a flame directly above my head was slightly unsettling.  Once we floated off, though, my fears were alleviated and I enjoyed the view.  

The only rough part of the ride was the landing.  With nine people in the basket we were not able to land upright.  After hitting the ground a few times we finally tipped onto our side.  I was unfortunate enough to be on the side that struck the ground.  Besides being a bit rattled, though, we were fine.  

After getting to know the rest of the passengers rather well, I climbed out and ended my adventure with a mimosa.  Now that I know what to expect I would definitely go again!

Total items completed: 8

I Built a Bear! Meet Andrew.

I know what you're thinking: this is something an 8-year-old does, not a 26-year-old.  Unfortunately, I did not know about this place until I was in high school.  I wanted to go and make my own bear then, but I never got around to it.  Today, I was finally able to get around to it.  Meet Andrew, my newest furry friend!

Creating Andrew was a bit different than I thought it would be.  I thought I would be able to skip some of the aspects of the process that excite and please the younger kids.

I was wrong.

To begin with, my friend Jessica (who kindly came with me to document this) and I were the only adults in the store actually buying a bear without a child.  The other people in line were all under five feet tall and were shrieking loudly as they created their stuffed animals.  I wasn't quite on their level.  The employees looked almost excited as I walked up because they could give their high-pitched voices a break.  After Andrew was stuffed, I had to go through the heart ceremony and rub a fabric heart various places and make a wish before Andrew was finally completed.

I had to register Andrew before I could leave the store.  The first step involved entering my birthday.  I'd be willing to bet that I was one of very few customers today that had to scroll back to the 1980s to complete this part.  Next, it asked for my parent's email address.  Luckily I'm old enough to have my own, so that wasn't a problem.  

Finally, I had to look through several clothing options for Andrew.  For an indecisive person like me, this was not an easy thing to do.  Who wants their bear to look under dressed and awkward?  Not me.  I finally decided on a formal look, that way he looks appropriate for every occasion.  He will soon have a Colts uniform to wear, though.  I saw it online and couldn't resist.    

Last but not least, I purchased Andrew, picked up his birth certificate, and can now cross this item off of my list!  I can guarantee you that I will not be playing with my new fuzzy pal online, though.  That was not part of this task.  

Items completed: three!  Taking this picture out in the mall could've been a task in itself.  I got a few stares, I'm not going to lie. Thanks again Jessica for coming with me and taking these awesome pictures!