33. Fill my Memory Card on my Camera in one day

On July 9th, we took a 3 mile hike through Garden of the Gods with my friend Erica - our first trip to our favorite place in the world since the Waldo Canyon Fire. With my camera in hand, we hiked (slowly) stopping to snap photos as we went.

I filled my 2 GB memory card during this hike! (I know, 2GB isn't huge, but it came out to 474 JPG images for me!) And I've decided to share with you a few of my favorites!  (Click the collage to view larger!) And a set of my absolute favorites is available to view on Flickr - Just click here!

 

57. Donate hair to Locks of Love

In May of 2012 I was getting really tired of my same old, LONG hairstyle and decided I needed a change! Luckily, the length I wanted chopped off was enough to donate! My fabulous hair stylist (who has been doing my hair since 1988 - seriously!) got me a cute new style, and a nice thick braid to donate!

5. Eat Tofu & 6. Eat an entire meal with Chopsticks

When I was growing up, every Friday night my family got dinner from a local Chinese restaurant, I remember being so fascinated watching people eat their meals with chopsticks. In high school, I tried myself a few times - ending up using them more as a spear and stabbing my meal.

I decided it was finally time to give it a try :)

We went to Noodles for lunch, and I'd ordered Pad Thai, and added Tofu to my plate. (Hey, I could kill two birds with one stone!)  The meal itself was delicious! I was worried about the tofu, but when they say it takes on the flavors of whatever it's cooked with? They aren't kidding! The texture was a little funky for me, but I got used to it.

And the chopsticks? Well, I stuck it out for the entire meal! After awhile, I sort of got the hang of eating with them, but it's definitely a learning process! I will have to try it again, soon!

79. Find a fabulous Spice Rack

My Dad has this spice rack that he's had my entire life, it fits right above the stove and it's huge. I love it. And I've been hunting for one like it since I moved out of the house ten years ago! Unfortunately, I've never found one I just love - at least not one that's within my price range.

I finally found one that will fit in my cupboard, it isn't pretty - but it's functional so that's all that matters!

It's an "As Seen on TV" brand, so it's double cheesy! But again? It works, it hides everything neatly in the cupboard and it's organized so I don't dread pulling out my spices!

64. Fly a Kite with Skyler

Kite Flying? A HUGE success!! In fact, the little $3 kite we bought at WalMart was not enough - we're going to have to hunt down a fun canvas kite so we can do it more often!! After nearly an hour of running with the kite Skyler was finally exhausted enough to head home!! But only after I assured her we'd go to the park again soon to fly them :)

14. Lose 15 Pounds

I lost my first 15 pounds on March 25, 2012!!

One thing that's helped me is cooking healthier options at home -  Cheeseburger Cupcakes, Baked French Fries, Strawberry Doughnuts, PB&J Doughnuts are a few that I'd found! (And I'm sure as I continue this journey I'll be posting more recipes here!)

As of today (4/10/12) I am down almost 22 pounds, so hopefully I'll be back soon to update #15 - lose an additional 15 lbs :)

3. Try 30 New Recipes :: Pizza Bites

I love pizza, but for some odd reason? My daughter does not! So I decided to try it a little differently - we made Pizza Bites, and they were absolutely delicious!! (And surprisingly not messy.)

They only take a few minutes to make, and bake and then they are a great little snack for a road trip, a picnic or just lunch at home!

Ingredients
13.8 oz can of refrigerated pizza dough
½ c pizza sauce
1  c shredded Mozzarella Cheese
17 Pepperoni (or your favorite pizza filling)
Oregano

Directions:
1.    Pre-heat the oven to 400. Line two baking sheets with Tin Foil.
2.    Unroll the pizza dough and flatten into a large rectangle. Spread the pizza sauce evenly across the surface of the dough and then spread the cheese over it. Sprinkle the Oregano over the pizza and follow with the pepperoni. 
3.    Starting with the long side, roll the dough, with the toppings inside, until you reach the other end. Pinch the seam to seal. Cut the roll into 20 even pieces.
4.    Place the pizza buns on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown and the cheese is melted. Let cool for 5 minutes. 

You can also stick Skewers into these while they cool and enjoy them on a stick! (All food is better on a stick, after all!)

The Original Recipe is from EmilyBites!