March 2014 - {101 in 1001 Update}

March 2014 -- 101 in 1001 Update

Just 6 months left until our 1001 days is up! We have completed almost 3/4's of our goals. How many will we finish by the end?!?

Our Goals

1. Add a member to our family.
2. Pay off all student loans. 

3. Visit NYC.  (Hope to achieve this in July when we visit PA, NJ, etc) 

4. Take a long road trip. 

5. Sell something on Etsy  

6. Have Dad's Crawfish in Louisiana.  

7. Take a trip to Louisiana at least once a year. (3/3)  

8. Host a holiday in our home. 

9. Go camping. (Really hoping to do this in the Spring/Summer)

10. Build a real fire.   

11. Rent or buy a house. 

12. Decorate the outside of a house for Christmas.   

13. Stay at or Visit the Biltmore. 

14. Serve in a soup kitchen. (Keep forgetting about this goal. AH! Life goes so quickly sometimes!)

15. Grow our own tomatoes.

16. ******* 

17. Give an item away each time we buy something new (clothing, housewares, etc).  

18. Go on dates at least every other week.   DONE! WE are doing so well with this; 

19. Complete a blog series together.

20. For one month, don't buy anything extra. 

21. Contact our family members/parents at least once a week.

22. Go to a shooting range. 

23. Go sailing.

24. Get involved in a community service group.

25. Go on a mission trip.

26. Read at least one book a month for a year. (12/12)

27. Start a small business.
28. Fast once a year.

29. Buy a new Christmas ornament each year. (2/3) 

30. Get a massage.  

31. Send a card to a friend or family member just for fun. 

32. Begin a photography business (big or small).  

33. Eat at a local/non-chain restaurant every time we travel. 

34. Visit a new place together once a year. (2/3)

35. Ride in a hot air balloon.  

36. Attend at least one festival a year in the state where we live. (2/3) (2012: Spring Fest, 2013: BBQ Fest)

37. Stay at a B&B. 

38. Floss more- at least once a week. 

39. Give a 100% tip. 

40. Go see a musical. 

41. Eat a new type of food. (Korean, African, etc)

42. Repurpose a piece of furniture. 

43. Watch a sunrise and photograph it. 

44. Explore secret paths. DONE 3/1/14

45. Do something nice for someone anonymously. 

46. Pick fruit at an orchard.  

47. Get a library card. 

48. Go to a garage sale together. 

49. Celebrate our Golden Birthdays in style!  

50. Make homemade ice cream. 

51. Learn a new hobby together.

Leslie's Goals

52. Lose my desired amount of weight.  

53. Continue to utilize this blog to document our lives especially once we start having children. 

54. Get a Skype account and use it. 

55. Paint something worth looking at (not just a wall)  

56. Add at least one cross to my cross collection. 

57. Learn to make the best sweet tea my husband has ever tasted. 

58. Make homemade marshmallows.  

59. Sell/Give away at least one cake or cupcakes that I've decorated for a party/gathering/birthday/etc.

60. Plan a scavenger hunt for Matt. 

61. Bake and decorate each of Matt's birthday cakes. (3/3)   DONE This year, Churro Cupcakes! 

62. Rake someone's leaves.

63. Meet up with at least one other blogger whose blog I read. 

64. Complete a blog series or post about our wedding, including the planning. Just for my own sake :) 

65. Continue mailing out birthday and anniversary cards to our friends and family. 

66. Invite someone to stay with us for a weekend or longer at least once a year. (2/3)

67. Complete a vlog.

68. Go fishing.

69. Make a point to call my closest friends as often as possible, not just texting. 

70. Take a continuing education class related to Autism or other childhood disorders.  

71. Find a yummy Low Country Boil recipe and cook it. 

72. Take at least one picture of Matt and I every time we travel.

73. When we take a long trip (5+ hours one way), drive so that Matt doesn't have to. 

74. Take a trip to visit a few special friends (we know who they are).   

75. Take a cake decorating class. 

76. Read a book, write a blog post about it, and link up with a book club blog.

Matt's Goals

77. Run a 5k. 

78. Take a photography class. 

79. Take Leslie to an air show. 

80. Make a picture frame out of an old or hand-made window frame.  

81. Go to a college football game.

82. Get a dog.  
83. Get a new camera lens.  

84. Make my wife cry in a good/romantic/sweet/you get the idea way. 

85. Give Leslie a love letter at least once a month for a year.  

86. Visit Chimney Rock, N.C. 

87. Wear a suit, and look good doing it. ;) 

88. Visit a new, to me, zoo. 

89. Watch the Flyers destroy the Hurricanes in Raleigh (hopefully with Leslie).  

90. Fix something for someone.  

91. Cook something new and exciting. 

92. Swim in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

93. Make something from scratch. 

94. Do something with Granddad. 

95. Journal more often.

96. Learn all the words to OR learn how to play one of Leslie's "high school days" favorite rap songs.

97. Teach something to someone.

98. Ride a horse.

99. Surprise Leslie with surprises.  

100. Spend an entire day, literally the entire day, in bed. Hopefully not while sick. 

101. Figure out how we will finish all 101 things on this list. 

Ours: 34/51 // Leslie: 18/25 // Matt: 19/25 // Total: 72/101

Restless {A Book Review}

I received this book for free from BookLook in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own. 

I have been hearing about Jennie Allen for a while. Several of the bloggers I follow either know her and have read her books, have participated in her studies, or have just read her books and recommended them. When I saw that her newest book, Restless, was up for review, I had to check it out. I must say, I loved it! 

In this book, Jennie uses testimonies and situations from her own life as well as from the lives of those women closest to her to help the reader to find "threads" in her life and figure out how to use those threads all together to the Glory of God. It's really quite fascinating. 

Jennie is well-written and I had no trouble following her reading at all. I loved her constant reference to scripture and her ability to be down to earth while helping the reader to dig deep in their lives to find their purpose. 

I also loved that within the pages of the book were journal pages that were designed to be written upon after each chapter was finished to help identify the mentioned threads. I didn't write in mine because I wanted to send the book to a friend after I read it and I want her to be able to write in it. 

Jennie writes to help the reader, typically women, to listen to God right where they are. Whether it is as a mother, wife, employee, etc, she really tries to point women to find what they are passionate about in everyday life and use that to glorify God. I loved that she brought this to the forefront because I think so often, we feel like we have to do more, add something to our "list" in order to honor God. Jennie really drives home the point that this simply isn't the case. 

I would recommend this book to anyone and I can't wait to send it to my friend! 

 

Date Night! {3/27/14}

Matt and I just started a "child swap" with another couple. This means that to avoid babysitting costs, we will keep their daughter while they go on a date and they will keep Mason while we go on a date. An additional upside to this is that Mason is making a new friend, Skylar and of course, her parents, too!  :-) We went on our first child swap date on Thursday and it was great. Aside from a little crying, Jenn said Mason did well! WHEW! 

We went for dinner at Grapevine in Boiling Springs and went to Goodwill to shop around. Then, we ended our evening with Master Sonic Blasts because they were BOGO that day! WOO! 

Mason: Week 21 {Photos}

Day 141: Being a trooper riding in the car! 

Day 142: Someone found a carrot. :)

Day 143: Sitting big! 

Day 144: Looking at the fish with Daddy. {Bass Pro Shops} 

Day 145: Sublime Donuts!! 

Day 146: Watching a baby sign language video

Day 147: Cool dude! 

Happy 28th Birthday, Matt!

Today is Matt's 28th birthday! Such a young buck! And yes, I'm 19 months older than him, it's true! 

I'm so glad that I met this guy almost 5 years ago. (April 19th, 2009)

 I'm so glad we started dating 4 years and 2 months ago. (January 10th, 2010)

I'm so glad we got engaged almost 4 years ago. (July 10th, 2010)

I'm so glad we got married 3 years and 3 months ago. (January 1st, 2011)

I'm so glad we had our first child, a son, almost 5 months ago (November 1, 2013)

Life has been a much better thing with him in it. I do believe that I'll keep him around as long as God allows. 

Love you, Matthew Robert Morgan!

Family Dance Party

These Morgans love a dance party before bed! Here's a few pics and a video from a recent one. Love my guys!

First Library Visit

I'm joining the Mom's Club (more on that later) and on St. Patrick's Day, they had their membership meeting at the library. We have an awesome library in Spartanburg but since Mason is still a baby, we haven't been yet. That all changed! Here is Mason on his first trip to the library!! He even got three books to read! 

This new play area opened and it is so nice. I can't wait for Mason to be able to play here!

Hanging out during the Mom's Club meeting!