3 crossed off- what a week!

2 more crossed off my list:
#25. Attend 5 friends' weddings (1/5)
#34. Hike to a waterfall


Jessica and Perry's wedding was yesterday and it was a beautiful day downtown Charleston! Jackie's wedding was an hour before Jessica's and I knew I wouldn't be able to pull a "27 dresses" and go to both :( It was great having another mini high-school reunion though and I'm glad Stephen got to meet all my friends from back home.


As promised to Erin, I present the epic story of "The Hike to Horsethief Falls- Hilarity does not ensue."

The morning was already getting off to a rocky start when my youngest cousin, Mackenzie, ran back into the house in tears minutes before our departure. I assumed one of her sisters said something rude to her to make her cry, because that's kind of expected from them. Not from your own father.

Already ticked with dad, mom gave him a hard time during our hour drive to the falls. Once we got to the base of the mountain/trail, the view was INCREDIBLE! We started our mile incline hike at 9,200 ft above sea level and mom was already winded in the first 5 minutes. I was trying to keep up with my cousins to not be permanently labeled "the out of shape one" so I stayed in the leading half of our 7 person group. We got to a point in our hike where the trail split. According to the shitty map their website provided, we were supposed to cross a creek to get to the falls. Well, we saw a creek off to the left and decided to jump across and continue on.

An hour and a half later, we accepted the fact that we were lost, and far away from any sound of rushing water. At this point, Christian and Morgan just wanted to walk back to the car but my father insisted we go back to the creek and continue going straight to find the waterfall! Thus created the great schism in our 7 person group as hatred and resentment took over....it's not a family vacation until everyone wants to kill each other!

We made our way back to the creek and proceeded up the mountain. Not only were we back to our treacherous incline, but we were now doing it through about a foot of ice/snow that fell the week before. Improperly dressed in sneakers, shorts and t-shirts at that. At one point when my foot sunk knee deep in snow, I was so close to walking back to the creek where there was no snow, and waiting for my family's descent. But as this 99 list has proved as a motivational tool, I kept going knowing I would be able to cross one more goal off my list. We FINALLY made it to the waterfall, I snapped one picture, and I made it back down the mountain in record time. Only to find the car had been left unlocked for the past 3 hours!

Just as I thought peace was approaching our 7 person group, we all decided to make a scene in Taco Bell. We ordered about 20 tacos, there was some confusion on dad's part whether or not he got the right thing (he did...i told him that, and so did christian) but he insisted on arguing with the cashier. We counted and recounted the tacos for him before he finally believed he was not being jipped by this poor 17 year old kid behind the counter. Christian was mad. I got mad. Morgan was mad. Mom yelled at dad. Dad was mad and called us all assholes.

All in all, it was a fun trip up the mountain! Christian and I both agreed we'd like to hike some more waterfalls in the near future....but next time it's best we leave the family at home!

#37. Learn how to drive a stick shift

My family and I arrived in Colorado yesterday afternoon after a layover in Texas. Visit a new state is on my list, but according to Stephen, a layover in a new state does not count haha. We were only there for about 45 minutes, so to clarify that goal- i need to actually EXPERIENCE the state, step outdoors at the least!

I was successful in crossing off another goal this morning though! Morgan's jeep is a stick shift and I got a quick lesson from her and drove around the neighborhood. I only stalled 4 times HAH! Driving a stick takes alot of focus, i had to think about clutch, break, if the knob was in 1 or "the middle" (as I call it, I'm sure there's another name), blinkers, clutch + gas, clutch + break. I almost did not have enough mental energy left to look out for other cars at 4 way stops! I never did go into reverse, nor did I go up a steep hill, scary thought.


I'll be possibly crossing another goal off my list on Thursday- stay tuned!

#48 and #51

I've started 2 more of goals yesterday:
#48. Complete 5 works of art(1/5)
#51. Make the dean's list every semester (1/5)

I finished my housewarming gift to myself this morning, a recreation of the painting I did for a friend during football season. It's a silhouette of the gamecock with a realistic gamecock in the foreground on a 24x36 canvas. It's my largest undertaking to date, and I actually think it turned out better than the cooler I painted last year! I promise one of these days I'll create a page where my pictures of these goals will go, but until then, you'll just have to see it on my facebook! I think it looks pretty good and I can't WAIT to hang it in my new house. This is only the second time I've really tried painting anything worth displaying, and I am highly considering selling them...I know they'd be a big hit especially here in Columbia :)



I also saw that my grades were finally posted yesterday. I did better than dean's list, I had a 4.0 semester!!! My first one since the 6th grade....my parents are so proud!

#12. Don't watch tv for an entire week

I was just going to wait til I went to Colorado to complete this goal, but not having a TV in my room during the final weeks of school helps too! I have gone about 2 months without watching very much tv, and true, I've caught up with my guilty pleasure (The Amazing Race) watching it on hulu, but i haven't actually parked my rear in front of the tube for hours on end like I did when i had over 1,000 channels and a DVR haha. I have no idea what's going on on American Idol, so my ears have been saved, and I haven't been watching Extreme home makeover, so my tears are saved. I've come to the conclusion that TV is bad for my overall health so once I move into my new place, I don't know if I'll be so quick to get cable now that I know I CAN survive without Oprah!

#20. Go kayaking or canoeing

I FINALLY got to put a canoe in the river! I've wanted to do this for as long as I've lived in Columbia, and not really sure why it took me this long to do it. A friend of mine is a river guide for Adventure Carolina, one of the places that sells/rents kayaks and canoes and does guided tours of the Broad, Saluda, and Congaree river. We went up Broad river in a spot that's relatively calm compared to Saluda, and we paddled out to where it meets up with the Congaree. It was a short way, so hopefully I can go again soon and stay out there a little longer. Glad summer is finally here!


Also, my number of semesters in grad school is about to increase exponentially because I just got an interview for med school! It's the rehabilitation counseling program, and the two classes I took this past semester are actually a part of this program not social work, so they will be able to count towards this degree. Not sure if I'm still going to pursue my drug and addictions certificate, I more than likely will, as it's only 12 more hours. The semester is technically over, but I still have work I'm doing for one of my classes....welcome to grad school!