Make me a Pioneer Woman!

The cookbook has been chosen and the cooking has begun! I am cooking the the Pioneer Woman cookbook, she has a great blog you should check it out Here if you haven't. I cooked the first recipe yesterday!  I choose the stir-fry!  It was excellent if I do say so myself.  Great easy recipe!  The great company made the dinner more enjoyable. Thanks friends, looking forward to the next dinner already.

My version almost looks like the picture!  YAY

Grand Canyon 2012!!!

I love spontaneous road trips! There is something so very exciting about not having a plan and just hitting the road, and seeing what happens along the way.  Now, we did have a plan kinda… we had iphones.  We had directions to the south rim of the Grand Canyon and had a trunk full of food, backpacks and camping gear.  We were off.

It’s a lovely journey through the California desert; the landscape unchanging…boring.  There are a few highlights like the little town of Boron and Barstow, where we spent our first night.  When you don’t plan, you have to take what you can get. So, we took a room at the Travelodge (chosen because of it’s price and it’s proximity to a Starbucks) and, we also had to deal with the cockroaches in the bathroom…. Ahhh, wine coolers helped with that!  Oh, let me also mention that Timmy from hotels.com was very helpful in us finding the Travelodge.  I am not sure of any of you out there have connections to people in Tennessee, but Timmy is hoping to move there from the Philippines to find a wife.  He was curious to know if there are any single women in the United States. We told them they are mostly in Tennessee, so he picked a good state to move to ;) Good Luck Timmy!

After leaving later on Saturday afternoon and spending the night in Barstow we where on our way to the Grand Canyon early Sunday morning, after a caffeine drive through at Starbucks.  We arrived at the park mid-afternoon with high hopes to get a camping spot at a first come first serve campground.  The park ranger at the entrance was quick to point out with the roll of his eyes that camping sites usually are reserved months in advance and we would probably have to camp outside the park.   We drove on to the campground just make sure there where no cancellations, and we were in luck! We got the last site, YAY! So, we quickly set up camp and got on our way to the visitors center.

This is the exciting part… the actual canyon!  To be honest I didn’t realize we were that close to the canyon while at the Visitors Center.  I was expecting to bum around the campsite and information centers planning our hike in the canyon the following day.  I was wrong, we got see amazing views for the rest of the day while we hiked and took buses to different view points along the rim.  It is definitely a site worth seeing. I feel like the word breathtaking is over used in describing it but it is so true people!  It is so huge, vast and natural.  We later enjoyed a hike down in the canyon and enjoyed the different vantage points.  After the hike we relaxed by the campsite for the rest of the day.  The second night of sleeping on rocks in the a sleeping bag was enough for me, so morning came and we were ready to hit the road again; back to Visalia.

It was just a really great trip!

Happenings

Here is the list in it's entirety.  There are some happenings on the list to note. I don't want anyone to be worried that I am not keeping up with my list.  In all reality I could have a VERY busy May next year.  I am doing my best to spread the fun out.

One the cooking front, (#17) I have purchased a cookbook to cook through and have been eying the great recipes to try! I think I am going to try to cook from it every Tuesday!  The cookbook I chose is the Pioneer Woman Cookbook! I am excited to get started!! I am taking reservations for dinner guests :)

 I have also been plugging away at #14, reading the Bible in a year, thanks to a One Year Bible... though, there have been some distractions :) The odds are not always in my favor.

And the most exciting happening is my plan to see the GRAND CANYON( #3) this weekend. I'll keep you posted on the amazing adventure to ensue!

Until next time.

1. Do a tough mudder/ 5K

2. Snow ski and water ski in the same day

3. See the Grand Canyon (on a donkey)

4. NOSing

5. Go to a concert ( I am not picky)

6. Do a Bike race

7. Sing Karaoke

8. Go the Kentucky Derby ( ok, any horse race will do)

9. Learn how to bake boterkoek!

10. Go Camping

11. Learn to Salsa

12. Apply to a reality TV show

13. Figure out this blogging thing

14. Read the entire Bible

15. Visit Stars Hollow

16. Ride a Horse

17. Cook through an entire Cookbook

18. Put $100 on a hand of Black Jack

19. WILD CARD Friend's Choice

20. Leave the Country

21. Learn Spanish

22. Breakfast on the Beach

23. Do A Random Acts of Kindness

24. Paint

25. Crash a Wedding

26. Eat Authentic Spicy Indian Food

27. Shoot a gun

28. Volunteer a Day

29. Ride the Fastest Roller Coaster in CA ( 2nd fastest may be ok too)

30. Vegas

Locked and Loaded

I think I have finally settled on a list of 30. Though, I would like to reserve the right to change the list at anytime:) I am really excited about these experiences ahead of me!

25. Crash a Wedding
26. Eat Authentic Spicy Indian Food
27. Shoot a gun
28. Volunteer a Day
29. Ride the Fastest Roller Coaster in CA ( 2nd fastest may be ok too)
30. Vegas


HERE WE GO!!!

Getting Closer 14- 25

After a few days of great suggestions, and laughs at the idea of doing some of these things, I have come a little closer to locking up the list.

14. Read the entire Bible
15. Reindeer Mounting
16. Ride a Horse
17. Cook through an entire Cookbook
18. Put $100 on a hand of Black Jack
19. WILD CARD Friend's Choice
20. Leave the Country
21. Learn Spanish
22. Breakfast on the Beach
23. Do A Random Acts of Kindness
24. Paint
25.


Just six more, then the fun part begins!!