30 Things to do before you turn 30

On the radio the other day, I heard someone talking about the 30 things you should be able to do before you turn 30. Seeing as how that's in 9 WEEKS (!!!), I thought I should see what I can and can't do!

30 must-have life skills every capable adult should perfect before turning 30.

1. wrap a present -- I love wrapping presents! My preference -- don't put tape on the actual present and folding symmetrical corners.
2. start a successful fire in a fireplace, at a campsite, and in a barbecue -- I haven't done this in a long time, but I actually can. Please don't make me practice.
3. finish a piece of furniture -- I recovered my dining room chairs a few years ago, plus, I'm helping my grandfather build toyboxes that I'm giving away as Christmas presents this year.
4. get a raise -- Thank You Jesus.
5. order wine at a restaurant without getting stiffed -- I'm not exactly sure what this means, but a) I don't like wine, and b) I've never ordered it. On THE WORST DATE EVER, I went to a wine tasting and discovered that Me + Wine = massive unforgivable headache.
6. parallel park in three breathtakingly beautiful movements -- HAHA Not in this lifetime.
7. dance a “slow dance” without looking like an idiot -- Umm... Only in the 8th grade. His name was Matthew and it was a pity dance, but still good. :)
8. use a full place setting properly, including chopsticks and Asian soup spoons -- I can do all but the chopsticks. Unless chopsticks are properly used as skewers in which case, I'm good.
9. clean your place in under 45 minutes, when friends, relatives, or prospective lovers are coming by unexpectedly, and soon -- My aunt and uncle were in G'Burg a few years ago and called me to tell me they were stopping by. I managed to clean up (and vacuum) in 30 minutes. Oh, but there were some dishes in the microwave. Fortunately, this wasn't a white glove inspection!
10. hold your liquor -- I've never been drunk... in my entire life. If I never accomplish this one, I'm okay with that.
11. cure a hangover -- I know the magic potion though! Thanks to the WORST DATE EVER.
12. do the Heimlich Maneuver -- Can do -- BLS training a few years back.
13. use a compass -- Done.
14. change a flat -- I can, but please don't ask me to. I get sweaty and gross. Eww.
15. jump start a car -- Strangely enough, I had to jump a car just a few months ago. Scary but achievable.
16. open a champagne bottle -- Champagne is nasty to me, but I can open the bottle.
17. send a drink to someone’s table -- He was so handsome! I'll save that story for later!!
18. cook one “signature meal” -- Chicken Parm. I make a MEAN chicken parm.
19. whistle with your fingers -- I can't do this. I don't think I'll ever be able too.
20. take good pictures -- Yes!
21. fold a fitted sheet -- I love love love folding warm sheets. My Mom taught me how to fold a fitted with perfect corners. She's brilliant!
22. remove common stains -- Yep! Baking soda is a miracle!
23. sew a button -- Can do.
24. carve turkey, lasagna, and birthday cake -- Can do... and can make all three!
25. hold a baby -- Can I just say that I love the way babies smell! And yes!
26. change a diaper -- Not my favorite thing to do (clearly), but definitely can do!
27. keep a plant alive for more than a year -- This one makes me laugh because after six years, I accidentally killed an aloe plant. For the record, it takes ALOT to kill an aloe plant!
28. make dogs and cats love you -- I'm not worried about them loving me, I'm not crazy about them! I do really love my roommate's dog! And Harley will love anyone with treats!
29. help someone (an older or ill person, a guy you’re trying to impress, your grandmother) out of a car -- More than once
30. write superior thank you notes -- With my mad love for stationary and finding "The Perfect Card", I think I do this pretty well!

Bloglines, ugh.

My bloglines has been acting wacky for a few weeks... is anybody having this problem? I use Bloglines and Google Reader to track the many blogs I read (insert: you know you're a geek when you have more than one blog reading service), but Bloglines is still not working correctly!

So... is anybody else having this problem? Is there a fix?

HELP HELP?!?

"Friends are Friends Forever" should totally be playing as background music.

(There's a reason for the song. Oh YES there is.)

I had the most wonderful weekend!!! As I mentioned in this post, I was so blessed in college to have a core group of friends! It is truly amazing to see how deep our bond was and is as friends. We watched hilarious videos (filmed 8 years ago), visited the Biltmore (B-E-A-U-tiful), went to the movies, ribbed each other alot, ate together, took 200+ pictures, and laughed. It makes me wish we all lived closer!!! It's probably a good thing we don't though... I think the distance makes us appreciate each other more. I would love to, at this point, blog and tell you how wonderful my friends are individually, but out of respect (and frankly because I want you to be uber-jealous you weren't there), I'm not going too. You just need to know they're mad cool. And they love Jesus. They are dynamic, incredible, hilarious extroverts who blew into my life life a tornado. Fortunately, we poured "friendship concrete" that has endured our very different lives. Two of the people left out of the original picture from the fountain are two of the wives -- Ashlee and Jessica. These women... I seriously do not have enough adjectives to tell you how wonderful they are. Both are full of beauty and personality, and exude a grace that is truly divine. They are truly incredible, and after this weekend, it feels like they've been a part of my life all these years. I say, with certainty, that Adam and Matt married "UP". :)

Here are a few more pictures of our weekend!

(The Biltmore)
(View from the rooftop -- out of the Observatory)
(Throwing leaves.)
(I'm lovin' the angle/light & shadow/comp of this picture.)
(All dressed up (and coordinated) for church.)

This is just a peek of why these people are my FAVORITES.

Clearly my medication is messing with me.

I just discovered the Samuel L. Jackson grew up in Chattanooga.

What?

There's a local blog here trying to fill the Chatt version of Gothamist, and they posted a rather funny blog er article er post about it here.

This weekend!!

I was so blessed during college to have a core group of friends. There were 8 of us, and in spite of all the changes we all went through, we have over the course of now 9 years remained friends, able to catch up in one another's life (or continue to be truly active) at a moment's notice.

This weekend, we're having a mini-reunion, with 5 of the 8. The remaining three (one's wife is preggers with twins, one has two girls, and the other has a scheduling conflict of sorts) aren't able to attend, but will be there in spirit.

The first picture was what I asked for as my graduation present. The 8 of us, looking half-decent (okay, some look better than others!), gathered around the eternal fountain at the seminary. Words cannot express how much these people mean to me. They are incredible, extraordinary individuals who helped shape my life in more ways than they will ever know, than I can ever articulate. As it also turns out, this was one of the worst fights we had as a group -- it was ugly the night we took this picture. But... relationships that are built on more than sand can endure the test of any good fight, and ours has.

This weekend, we'll be staying with Matt and his wife who live in Asheville, and we'll be visiting The Biltmore. Michele and I were on the phone the other day, and I reminded her that, even if there is torrential downpour, we're going to have a good time!

It's amazing to look back at seasons of your life and realize HOW in control God really was. Just too cool.

Love,
Jenn

(Michele, Adam, Kristen, Brock, Matt, Carrie, Mike, Me)

Weekend wrap.

My weekend involved me slightly morphing into a redneck (I didn't even listen to country music until I was out of high school!), and included me running through corn mazes, being in close proximity of animals, and shooting corn.

I was a pair of Carhartts away from owning a gun.

:)