# 60 - Test Driving

So after the efforts of my car yesterday, I have decided its time to start looking for a new one, so today I spent my day test driving cars, which means I can now cross # 60 - Test drive a car off the list. 

This was the first time I have ever test driven a car, and I tell you what its a little nerve racking!  I mean, I am not the most confident drive at the best of times, but now I am in a brand new car, that doesn't belong to me with a guy I don't know in the passenger seat who wants to ask me all these questions while I am driving, its full on.  Thankfully I had Davo in the back to answer the questions so that I could concentrate. 

I did have the opportunity though to go without the sales guy at one of the show rooms, so before Dave and I headed out, we took this picture as proof that I had been test driving cars...Its not super flattering...sorry.   

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Australia Day - # 41

Just like my last blog, today’s is filled with a number of super Australian things I have done today, which I guess is appropriate given that it is in fact Australia Day. So Happy Australia Day to you all!

Here is my super Australian Australia Day…

10:30am – woke up in Inverloch after a beautiful sleep in to find a fantastic summer day!

11:00am – 1:00pm – Dave, Kat and I were joined by Brad and Mim and together we watched some tennis and cricket on the telly

1:00pm – Had a sausage sizzle for lunch

2:30-5:00pm Soaked up the sun and surf at the beach

8:00-9:30pm Enjoyed a Australia Day spectacular at the Blackburn Sound Shell, were I caught up with Mum, dad and Jake and then completed my day quite nicely with fireworks, allowing me to cross #41 – see some fireworks, off the list.

So there you go, what better way is there to spend Australia day than with friends, family, sausages, beach, Australian tunes and fireworks…it just doesn’t get better than that.

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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The Cool Change - # 96

I have resisted blogging about the temperature for two reasons:

1. everyone knows its friggin hot and they don't want to be reminded

2. no one cares - they are too hot! 

...that was until now!  Now that the cool change has hit its a whole new story, the cool change has brought with it relief but also some inspiration.  Over the last couple of days my house has become really really messy, I would like to put the full blame on the heat, but that would be a lie, however some of the blame does fall there.  The inspiration that came with the cool change was a fresh desire to clean my house, and clean it I did, I swept and vacuumed, in fact I did such amazing cleaning I even vacuumed upstairs which means I can now cross #96 - Vacuum the upstairs of my house, off the list.  I couldn't take a photo because it just didn't work, so you will just have to trust me on this...but it is clean and oh my is it nice to have the refreshing cool change and the refreshing feeling of a cool house.

Oh and in case you just didn't understand why this was so difficult...this is a picture of the 'upstairs' of my house...yes that little bit up the top of the ladder...and that's without the mattress I sleep on...  

I guess that's all part of the adventure!

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Flying through the list - # 58, # 62

Well I am flying through the list so far... Today, only 10 days in, I can cross to more things off my list...The first one was under sad circumstances though... let me explain...

This morning I was able to cross off #58 Attend Bendigo Corps, however it was to say farewell to Quentin and Susanne, who have been the officers there for the last 3years and are now heading to South Australia to an appointment there.  Over the past year I have been really grateful for Quentin and Susanne and the love and support they have given me.  When I moved away from home, mum reminded me that I was a salvo so I was going to have a family close enough and it is really true.  After a little bit of initial phone hockey, Susanne invited me to join a cell group at the corps and it has been one of the best things I have done up here.  It has given me some free meals, something to do every second week, but most of all some new friends that I will never forget, and even though I haven't been there on Sunday's it has given me a salvo family to belong to up here.  It has also allowed me to get to know both Quentin and Susanne and their lovely kids...which you may have noticed I have blogged about before.  And while I know the army world is small, and the magic of facebook is awesome, I will miss having them around and having a good laugh, but I know that they will be doing incredible things in SA and I have to let them go.  So thanks guys so much for everything that you have done and for helping settle in up here in the country, you will definitely be missed.  

The other thing I was able to cross off my list is a little less emotional...this afternoon I purchased a new set top box for my TV (#62).  Luckily for me Davo was up in Castlemaine for a visit so he set it all up for me and it is ready to go, with a lovely clear picture and lots more channels...although it does appear at this stage I am missing channel 9 in all shapes and forms but I am sure it will show up when its ready. 

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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The Princess and the Frog - # 80

Well, One day in and I can already knock something on off the list!  Today Disney's Princess and the Frog was released at cinemas, and being the Disney fan I am I was there straight away and I dragged Davo and Kitty with me!

I have been waiting for this movie to be released for a long time, so I am glad that its finally here.  The thing is this Disney film is no ordinary Disney film, in fact it is very special, why? I hear you ask, well let me tell you...

There are two things that make this Disney movie different, the first is this is the first Disney movie to have a black American as the princess, sure they have had white girls, an American Indian even an Asian, but until now, no black Americans, so it was just nice to see.  The second thing that makes this movie a little different is the fact that it goes back to the old style of Disney, just like the days Aladdin and the Little Mermaid.  Its not digital, or by Pixar, but traditionally animated...and its good.  Oh and it has a great sound track just like it should too!

So there you go number 80 is crossed off the list.

I guess that's all part of the adventure!

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The List...Take 2

Happy New Year!

A couple of years ago, all the way back in 2007 I had a list. It was a list that brought challenges, adventures, excitement, laughter and some silliness to my year and after not having one for two years I think its time the list made a come back.  Like 2007's list, 2010's list has all kids of things on it, some things to keep me entertained, somethings to keep me accountable, somethings to make me a better person and somethings just because I can.   I think the thing I like about the list is the fact that is gives me some hard evidence of the things I achieve no matter how petty or small they might be.  It means that this time next year I will be able to look back and have, hopefully, 100 things I have done this year, as well as the things that aren't on the list.

So, just like last time, if there is anything you would like to do with me, or could help me with, just let me know, that would be great. Hopefully as the year goes by I will be able to tick them off this not so little list and put up photo or at least a blog about it... Anyway, here is the new list...

1. Lose weight (goal of 15kgs)

2. Learn guitar, again - be able to play     at least 1 radio song

3. Go interstate

4. Be on time - or at the very least not late to everything

5. Do my devotions 5nights each week

6. Sing with Pa

7. Bake meringues

8. Exercise 3times each week

9. Take a dance lesson

10. Go without TV for a week

11. Play a game of netball

12. Visit an Australian county town I haven't been to before

13. Go to Inverloch with Pheebs & Kirsten

14. Try beef jerky

15. Try durian fruit

16. Do something different with my hair

17. Drink a bottle of water everyday

18. Have a piece of fruit everyday

19. Go to the zoo

20. Go to a theme park

21. Write 10 cards just because

22. Have 2 'diet coke free' days each week

23. Write a kids nutrition book

24. See a musical

25. Set up my salary packaging

26. Cook at least 1 home cooked meal each week

27. Go to the beach at least 4 times

28. Go to a river

29. Have 5 singing lessons

30. Go overseas

31. Run a 1/2 marathon

32. Try 2 new recipes a month

33. Keep my car free of rubbish

34. Once again try to not push the snooze button and just get up

35. Meet the rest of Dave's rellies

36. Scan my photos onto my computer

37. Use my IMAX voucher

38. Use my drive in voucher

39. Watch a sunset over the country hills

40. Stand out in the rain

41. See some fireworks

42. Read 6 books

43. Take Dexter to puppy school

44. Buy a new handbag

45. Have a massage

46. Play a board-game

47. Eat fairy bread

48. Paint a picture

49. Go camping

50. See a movie in gold class

51. Visit Pez in Kilmore

52. Catch up with my uni mates for dinner

53. Go to a school concert of Dave's

54. Keep my herb garden alive and use some of them in my cooking

55. Go to the DAA conference

56. Have a dinner party with a 3 course meal

57. Attend a service at Castlemaine corps

58. Attend a service at Bendigo corps

59. Attend a service at Leongatha corps

60. Test drive a car

61. Visit my great grandma

62. Get a set top box for my telly - or a new telly?

63. Make a fire ready pack for my car

64. Get my blog up to date and keep it that way

65. Go to a wedding

66. Have the TV off by 11pm on weeknights

67. Only buy lunch from work twice a week

68. Go to at least 4 exercise classes

69. Go on a road trip

70. Get a hands free kit for my car

71. Paint my toenails

72. Catch up with my high school friends for dinner

73. Don't crash my car or anyone elses

74. Fix up scrap books of bits and pieces

75. Wash my car or get my car washed at least 3 times

76. Win something

77. Finish watching McLeod's Daughters

78. Actively practice turning the telly off and just listening to music

79. Obey the speed limit

80. See Disney's Princess and the frog

81. Keep my desk at work and at home tidy

82. Fix up my super stuff

83. Go on a roller-coaster

84. Make a time capsule

85. Grow a plant from a seed

86. Get tadpoles

87. Investigate MobileMe

88. Learn a magic trick

89. Send a message in a bottle

90. Make a new friend

91. Make something in origami

92. Make up my own word

93. Invent a new game

94. Glue some coins to my floor

95. Bake some cookies

96. Vacuum the upstairs of my house

97. Spend a day with my brothers

98. Make my own jewelery for a special date

99. Learn to play the bongos

100. Go on a date day

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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