Day 34- Butter is better!

Growing up in the Midwest, I always ate sandwiches with butter on it. It didn't matter if it was turkey, ham, or salami, it had to have butter on the bread. That was the way I was raised. I remember eating at my friend, Nicole's house. She didn't have any lunch meat so we just had cheese and butter sandwiches. It was delicious.

Then I moved out west where they do things a little different. I remember when Dan and I moved in together. I wanted to be the good little girlfriend so I made him lunch for work the next day. I was so proud of myself. When Dan came home the next day, he didn't say much about his lunch. I asked him if he would like me to make his lunch again for the next day. He politely told me no. Finally, he confessed that the sandwich I made him was gross. What? Why? What was wrong with it? He then informed me that he has never had a sandwich with butter on the bread. Most people use mayonnaise. I thought he must be joking. It was no joke. That is when I found out most people around here are not like me. It is also when my hatred of mayonnaise grew deeper.

Here I am a decade later, deciding that my first today will be to try mayonnaise. I told Dan that I was going to put mayo on bread and eat it. "You can't do that!" I wanted to know why I couldn't. He told me it had to be on a sandwich, not just plain on bread. I argued that you could do that with butter, so butter must be better. After a few minutes of debating this, we agreed to disagree.

So now I had to make a sandwich with mayo. Dan informed me that usually people put other things on it also like mustard, lettuce, or tomato. Let's not get carried away here! I only eat plain sandwiches so I was not willing to go overboard with all kinds of crazy things added to my sandwich. I looked in the fridge. All we had was salami. I love salami and butter sandwiches so let me try it with mayo. Dan did not think this was a good representation of mayo.

I made my sandwich very carefully as to not get any mayo on my fingers or I might just flip out. I know I was about to eat it but I couldn't get it on my fingers. That's just gross. I bit into the sandwich. Not bad. I took a few more bites. Still didn't hate it. Who would have ever guessed that I would possible like mayo? Certainly not me.

Of course, I still prefer butter on my sandwiches.

Day 33- Danger and little people! This should be fun.

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I have an obsession of thrill rides and little people. That's why I knew tonight would be the best night ever.

I was heading out with a group of friends to see midget wrestling. I couldn't wait. For most people, this would be a first. Not me. My friend, Amanda, and I have already experienced this. We were now hooked on it.

I had decided to talk my friends, Amanda and Ada, into going on the Ultimate Swing which is located outside of the midget wrestling event. The Ultimate Swing is a swing that 3 people can go on together. You lay on your stomach, they harness you in, then lift you backwards until you are up 160 feet in the air. You pull the lever and the swing releases letting you soar down head first. It sounds terrifying and I couldn't wait to do it. I knew my friends would be screaming and I would be laughing the whole time. I love this kind of thing.

We decided to get there early so we would have time to do the swing, have a drink, and still make it to the wrestling. Dan and I were entering the parking lot when I received a text from Amanda. She told me they were closing and wouldn't wait for me to get there. Noooo!!! We rushed there but it was too late. I jumped out of the car and began to shout like a truck driver. The bad words just exploded out of me. My friends laughed knowing I was upset but would get over it. Plus, now they didn't have to go on it with me.

We went in to have drinks and wait for the wrestling to begin. I told everyone that the Swing was going to be my first. Now what? Everyone was going to keep their eyes open for an opportunity.

The midget wrestlers were awesome! I had a great time. Almost our whole group enjoyed it. Then it was over and I only had an hour left of the day to try something new. We walked out of the event. There in front of us was a huge group of people line dancing. There was my opportunity. I have never lined danced before in my life. The band announced this was their last song. I grabbed Amanda and we ran to join in the dancing.

Everyone was dressed in jeans, boots, and hats. We stood out immediately. Not only were we not dressed like everyone else but we had no idea what steps to do. At this point, it didn't matter. We jumped in and literally after a second, Amanda jumped out laughing hysterically from the sidelines. Everyone started dancing around in a circle. Why are we in a circle? I thought we should be in a line. This is called line dancing. I was so confused already. I bumped into the couple in front of me. Sorry, I don't know what I'm doing. After a minute, I finally picked up the steps. It's not that hard, really. I danced around while Amanda tried to take pictures of me. I was having fun but it probably would be more fun if I actually had friends dancing with me.

Tonight, I had a plan, it went wrong, and I still found an opportunity to try something new. It was close but I pulled it off. I'll try line dancing again possibly. Maybe next time I'll get to dance in an actual line.

Day 32- It doesn't matter if it's cold outside

Dan and I love camping! We couldn't wait for our girls to be just a little older so we could go as a family. We decided this spring will be our first camping trip. For Christmas, the girls and I bought Dan a new tent big enough for our whole family. When he opened it, he loved it but quickly shoved it in a corner since it wouldn't be used anytime soon. The girls and I another plan.

We thought it would be great fun to set up the tent in our front room and camp inside for the night. We were so excited! Dan was not.

The first problem was that the tent we bought is huge! It is over 6 feet high and 8 feet long. We had to move so much furniture just to fit it in the room. This was already becoming a lot of work but I just knew it would be worth it.

The second problem was setting up the inside for sleeping. Remember the girls have never camped before so when I told them to go upstairs to get their things for sleeping, that was a mistake. They brought down everything. We ended up with 8 pillows, 6 blankets, multiple stuffed animals, and 2 dream-lites. That was just for them. I think my girls might be a bit high maintenance. Dan blew up an air mattress for me and gave me 2 tiny blankets. I kept thinking remember this will be worth it.

Dan told the girls goodnight and headed off to bed. He had to work early in the morning so it was just the girls and I. It was 8 o'clock. I had never been to bed this early. Then I realized I had a bigger problem. The girls were so excited to sleep in a tent that they couldn't go to sleep. They kept giggling. I told them to be quiet. Then they would touch each other's faces and giggle some more. I told them to be quiet. This went on for about an hour. Finally, they settled down. My two year kept touching the tent since she has never been in a tent before. I put her on the air mattress with me hoping she would fall asleep. Instead she threw a fit and yelled that she wanted to sleep on the ground. Fine. Sleep on the ground. Then my four year old wanted to sleep on the air mattress with me. Why not? At this rate, I'm never getting to sleep anyway. By the time both girls were asleep it was 10:30, 3 hours past their bedtime.

I fell asleep but kept getting woken up throughout the night by children snoring, kicking, and flinging arms in their sleep. It was one of the worse nights' sleep I have ever had. I'm not sure about taking them camping now. Maybe Dan will take them and I can stay home and sleep alone in a big, comfy bed.

Day 31- Finally, something I like!

Tonight the family went out to dinner at Moxie's. This will be my 3rd "first" at Moxie's this month. I had my first martini there. Definitely not my thing. I ate lunch alone for the first time there. That was hard with no one to talk to. So tonight I was praying that it would be something I like.

We sat down and I told my husband to get something that I have never had but that he likes to eat. I wanted to make sure someone ate it. He choose an artichoke. Now I have never had it for two reasons. Reason one is that I don't really eat green things. Reason two is I have no idea how you are suppose to eat it. It looks like it will stab me with its' pointy leaves.


The artichoke arrived and the girls and I looked at each other. Dan dug in immediatley. He stated that he loved this year of firsts since he gets all these foods finally that I would never order, cook, or eat. My four year old and I grabbed a piece and he taught us how to eat it. We dipped it in butter, I think, and tried it. Not bad. I had another. Still not bad. This is something I could actually eat with friends and family again. I couldn't believe it. I actually didn't hate it. My two year old, who is brave and eats anything, refused to try it tonight. I thought I finally ate something my two year won't eat. Yay, me!

Then Dan informed us that the best part is the heart and we would be trying that next. Sure, I can handle that. When I bit into that, it was not my favorite. I think it was the texture. It was okay but I really didn't want to eat anymore of it like I did when with the outside part. At least I liked part of it.

Tonight was a successful first for me. Now I have another green food I like. That brings me up to six!

Day 30- Why can't I figure this out!

If you read Day 20, you know I have no idea what Twitter is all about so some friends of mine had another suggestion for me. Since I love taking pictures they suggested Instagram. I felt like I was 80 since I had no idea what it was and how to use it. But as you can tell, lately I'm willing to try anything at least once.

So I googled Instagram. It said you can get it in the app store. I got out my new cell phone which I still don't know how to really work. Where's the app store? I opened everything in my phone and still couldn't find it. my husband was out so I couldn't ask him. Ugh! This is frustrating.

Then my brilliant idea was to use my iPad. I know where the app store is on that. That's where I buy games. Eureka! I found it. I downloaded it and took a picture of the girls. I tweaked it a little but is that all I do? Shouldn't it be cooler than this? I must not understand this Instagram thing fully. Oh well, I did it. Now to share it. I found how to share it on facebook. Perfect!

I went to my facebook page to check it out and prove to myself that I'm smart and can figure anything out. But when I got to my page it wasn't there. What!? Where is it? Then I thought about how my husband has an iPhone and it is connected to our iPad. I quickly went to his facebook page and there it was. It said that he uses intagram and posted a pic on his page. No, it was me! I did it, not him. As frustrating as this was, I began to laugh thinking of him and the confused look on his face when he opened his facebook page up.

So after about an hour and a half, a cell phone, an iPad, and an accidental facebook hack I used Instagram for the first time. Possible the last time also.

Day 29- The kids and I tried a new green thing.

Tonight Dan went to the grocery store and I couldn't believe what I was about to text him. I needed him to pick me up something so I could try it tonight for a first. I think he was shocked when he received the text so his response back was 'okay.'

At dinner, he asked if I was ready to try it. The girls wanted to know what it was. He opened the fridge and pulled out a jar of pickles. Just the sight of them made my stomach turned. I don't even know what pickles are! Are they considered a vegetable? How do they grow? Why are they so gross smelling and slimy? These questions had to wait as I was about to try it no matter what.

The girls wanted to try it to. Dan told our four year old that she has already tried them. What? When? I would never have given her a pickle. He must have made her try one when I wasn't around. Of course, she argued with him that she has never had one and she wanted to try one now. Dan handed out 3 pickles to all of us girls at the table.

 I made my two year old try it first. I know that is horrible as a mom to make my kid go first but she is brave. I figured if she could do it then I would have to do it next. She bit into it and chomped away like it was a delicious apple. One kid down and another to go.

 
My four year old picked her pickle up and bit into it. Her facial expression was straight from my book. I could tell that she didn't like it and I would be looking like that in a minute also. She shook her head and spit it out. She looked at her dad and told him, "I told you I didn't like pickles!" He would never win with her.

I picked up my pickle and tried not to smell it as that is what always gets me with these new foods. I joked around with it trying to psych myself up. I closed my eyes and bit into it. The texture is what got me grossed out before the taste even hit my tongue. I shook my head and spit it into my napkin acting just like my four year old. Dan wasn't surprised that his picky eating wife didn't like pickles. He was happy that I tried it and now he has a whole jar of pickles to himself. Unless our four year decides to try it again for the first time. He doesn't have to worry about me though.

Day 28- A new place for my birthday.

A busy weekend packed with friends, adventures, and excitement has taken a toll on my body. I'm tired, sore, and just need to relax. Dan and I dropped the kids off at school and decided we would have a nice, relaxing day.

We went to lunch and then headed out to the historic Steamboat Hot Springs. I have heard about it but neither Dan nor I have ever been. This would be great! We were looking forward to going and seeing what it was all about.

We drove out there and there it was. A group of small buildings off of the road with the main one looking like a mission. It was so neat. I felt like I going back in time. We pulled in and the staff welcomed us. They were so friendly and gave us a ton of interesting information. This place is a historical site and was a healing spa in the 1920's but the spring waters have been used by natives as far back as the early 1800's.

We were given a tour as our private tub room was being prepared for us. They had a steam room and outdoor tub for us that we could use. If we wanted any treatments, there were rooms for that also. I had no idea until I arrived but we could have gotten a couple's massage! I guess we will have to go back for that.

We were led into our room where there was a shower and a huge, deep, tile tub that fits 2 people comfortably. The water was flowing in. The woman warned us that the volcanic mineral water was extremely hot. When the water reaches the surface it is about 220 degrees Fahrenheit. They have to pump it into a cooling tank. This allows the water to cool off a bit and let the mineral, healing waters come out both the cold and hot faucets when filling the tub. She told us if we refill the tub to always start with cold since the hot alone could scald us.

We jumped in the tub and began to relax. It was very peaceful. I wanted to try the outdoor tub also so I talked Dan into it. It was about 25 degrees outside when we walked out in our bathing suits to jump in the tub. As we sat in the tub, a group of ducks flew into the yard next to us. They quacked at us like we were crazy to come outside but it was invigorating being in a hot tub in the cold air looking at the surrounding mountains. It was so completely relaxing.

After an hour it was time for us to leave. When we arrived home, my body was so relaxed I felt like a noodle. Dan told me he was too relaxed. How can someone be too relaxed? There is no such thing! Even though Dan is not a tub person nor does he enjoy the spa like I do, we had a wonderful time. I couldn't have asked for a nicer birthday.

www.steamboatsprings.org

This is out front of the spa. You can see the steam rising as the water runs down in a creek by the road.

Day 27- Why would I want to drink a vegetable?

Right after winning at the roulette table Saturday night, we headed to the Little Nugget for Awful Awfuls. For those of you who don't know, it is a giant hamburger with a pound of fries. The place is always packed late at night with everyone eating Awful Awfuls hoping to help ease their future hangover.

It was getting close to one in the morning and our group was finishing up eating our greasy, delicious food. When our friend, Chill, walked in and joined us. He ordered food, left to get a drink at the bar, and returned holding a Bloody Mary. I was planning on having a Bloody Mary at some point this year for the first time. Maybe I should do it now. It was a new day and I heard Bloody Marys help with hangovers. I had been drinking all night. Maybe I should try it.

I asked Chill if I could try his Bloody Mary for my first for the day. He was excited for me to try it. He handed it over and grabbed my camera ready to capture the moment. I took a big sip. Disgusting! I couldn't believe people would want to drink this when they are hungover. I would think it would make you feel more sick, not make you feel better.

"I don't like tomatoes," I stated. Why would I ever think that I would like a Bloody Mary?

Next time, I'll stick to good, old, safe tasting water.

Day 26- Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Every local knows you never win at gambling, unless you are my friend Amanda. She will take that risk and it pays off usually. I have never been that brave. If I gamble, it is usually when I'm drunk, and I will only play the nickel slot machines with a minimum bet. You never win that way but it is fun on occasion.

Tonight we went out to celebrate my birthday. We headed to downtown Reno to a bar to drink with a group of friends. It was there I announced my first for the night. I was planning on putting down one single bet of $100 on the roulette table. I couldn't believe I even said it let alone planned on doing it. I needed some liquid courage. 3 Irish Car Bombs and a Jager later, a group of us headed to the casino.

It was almost midnight, so we hurried along the streets. The Cal Neva Casino was the first one we came upon. We were running out of time so this one had to do. I walked in, felt weird, and walked right back out. The energy wasn't right there. We ran across the street to Harrah's Casino. I had just enough time. Everyone was telling me to bet on black so with 3 minutes left of the night I placed a $100 bill on red. "Red! I thought you would bet on black," my friends exclaimed. Amber sat down next to me and put $20 on black. Oh, we were betting against each other. It's on! The dealer spun the wheel and let the ball fly. Come on, red, come on. The ball fell onto a spot but I couldn't see which one. "Red!" yelled the dealer. I won! I couldn't believe it. The dealer paid out $200 to me. I took the money and left. Everyone knows that if you get lucky and win once, it won't happen again. My friends couldn't believe that I did it and won. It was so exciting!

Now I could go home and pay the babysitter.

Day 25- Let's hope we don't get lost!

For the beginning of my birthday weekend celebration, my friend, Amber, was flying in from San Diego and I had a first that she would be doing with me as soon as she landed.

I picked Amber up at the airport, took her to my house, and told her to change and dress in very warm clothes as it will be cold in the mountains. My friends, Ada, Amanda, and Ginean, were already at the house waiting for us. It was almost a full moon so we decided to go snowshoeing at night up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Sounds fun and adventurous. My husband thought it sounded like trouble. He could see the headlines now. Women lost in the woods at night! We laughed at him. We won't get lost and we'll stay out of the woods, we promise.

We piled in my car with all our gear and a bottle of red wine, of course. We drove up in the mountains to the Tahoe Meadows. It was snowing and the full moon was covered by clouds. Uh oh! Maybe this isn't a good idea. I convinced everyone it would be fine and that we had to do it. It was 9pm and I had to do a first today. I promised we wouldn't go far. Plus there was another car there parked so there were other people out there already. Amber was all for it. Being from San Diego, she has never snowshoed and especially at night in the beautiful falling snow. Ginean was a little hesitant but I could talk her into anything especially with Amanda's help. We were all going to do this no matter. We drank the bottle of wine in the car, finished getting dressed, and headed out into the wilderness.



The fog quickly rolled in as we were heading out. We giggled as we all crunched loudly on the snow in our big snowshoes. We looked around for wild animals and found animal tracks. Big ones! We started to freak ourselves out but we kept going. When we finally turned around we could no longer see the road. The visibility was horrible. This is how people get turned around out here and lost. We didn't want that to happen to us. I could just hear our husbands' saying, "We told you so." We had to get back. We started to walk blindly back in hopes that soon we would end up running into the road.



We made it safely back. Then we noticed the car parked by us had a note on it. We decided to read it. The note stated there were 4 people snowshoeing in the woods and they would be back by 10. Why would they go in the woods? They're going to get lost! It's past 10 already. What should we do? We did what we would want someone to do for us. We called search and rescue. They asked us to wait until help arrived. Ginean started yelling into the fog, "Hello! Can you hear me?"

Eventually, we heard and then saw the people. They were snowshoeing back. Ginean advised them that they need to be more punctual. They told us they heard her voice and kept stopping to listen because they thought we were lost. We called off search and rescue. The group thanked us for watching out for them. We jumped in our car and made our way slowly down the mountain to a bar where we drank a bottle of wine to celebrate our adventure.

Day 24- Do whatever you want, I trust you.

Cutting my own hair on Day 3 was liberating but impulsive which resulted in slightly crooked, very blunt hair. I decided I needed to call Jessica at Eye Candy Salon to see what she could do to fix it. Then the idea hit me. I would let her do whatever she wanted to do to my hair. That would be a first! I've always wanted one of those ambush makeovers on the Today show, where woman just let them do anything and everything to beautify them. It always turns out great. So I made an appointment immediately.

When I showed up, Jessica was excited and wanted to know what we were going to do for the first time. I explained that I don't get any input in this and that she could do anything she wanted with my hair. She looked at me like I had lost my mind then realized she had full control. Her creative juices started flowing. She turned me around so I couldn't see in the mirror.

I was so nervous but I trust Jessica and knew she would do something cool. I figured I wouldn't walk out of there with a bad perm or hair that made me look old. She would give me hair with an attitude! I had complete faith in her.

The first thing she did was paint a small streak on my left side. Oh no! What is she doing? I had to remind myself it would be okay. Then she started to cut. A lot! I kept thinking, "Have faith. She will make your hair look great."

Finally I was able to see what she did. She cut my hair asymmetrical with the left side a tad bit longer. She added a small red streak to the left side to bring attention to it. She also layered my hair. It was different. I loved it! It had the right amount of sass for my personality. She showed me how it would look if I just rolled out of bed in the morning. Full of body, messy, and cute! Then she flat ironed it. I love it that way best. Sleek, sassy, and the red streak showing. It was a perfect first!

After the hair appointment, I went to get my oil changed in my car. The young guy at the counter, at least 10 years younger than I, kept chatting me up. When I was ready to leave, he asked me what I was doing tonight. I told him hanging out my kids. "Oh, sorry, " he replied. Coincidence or the hair? I would have to say it was the hair. Thank you, Jessica!
www.eyecandysalonreno.com

Day 23- My kid is trying to show me up on this "first" project!

Last night, my four year old tried to talk me into buying her chocolate pudding. She said that she thought it would be a great first for her. I told her that she has already had chocolate pudding so it couldn't be a first. She tried her best to convince me that she couldn't remember eating it or anything so she thought she should try it again. As her first. It was not happening. So then she announced that she could try Moo Shu Pork for her first.  Hmmm. I think that is a great idea.

We ordered Chinese food and the Moo Shu Pork arrived. My four year old was excited to try it. I served her some and just looking at it, I decided I would not eat it. I swear I saw something that looked like a worm. I knew it wasn't but my mind could not be convinced to eat it. My four year old could eat it all if she wanted. She tried a huge bite, shook her head no furiously, and spit it into her napkin. At least, she tried. That was more than I could say for myself.

So today, day 23, my kids wanted leftover Chinese food for lunch. "No Moo Shu Pork! " Of course, my kid didn't want to try it again but I could redeem myself. I decided I would try Moo Shu Pork for the first time. My four year old was thrilled. She wanted to take the picture of me eating it. I wrapped it up in the tortilla and bit into it. What was that slimy, long thing I bit into. No, I can't do this blind. I opened the tortilla up so I could see exactly what I was eating. That was much better. I ate it with a fork and it was good. Plus I could make sure I wasn't eating anything that looked like a worm.

Day 22- Quiet doesn't mean it is better.

Constant noise while the kids are running around is a typical day for a stay at home mom. The mom has to make lunch and never has a chance to sit down and eat with them as the children request one thing after another. It is like being a waitress minus the pay and tip. I remember loving lunch time at work even if some days I had less than a half hour and worked while I ate. At least it was quiet.

I thought today's first will be great.

Day 22- Today is the first time I have eaten a meal alone at a restaurant. I went to Moxie's and sat down, immediately feeling uneasy. The busboy came over and asked me how many. "Just me." He must think I'm a loser with no friends. Then I noticed others eating by themselves and felt better. The only difference was that I was sitting alone at a table and the rest of the singles were at the bar eating and gambling.

The overworked, very busy waitress came over and took my order as quick as could be. No time to chat. This would be a long lunch. I ordered a glass of red wine to help me get over this fear of being alone. It didn't help. I was antsy and felt awkward. Thank goodness my food arrived quickly. It was delicious! I devoured it in no time since my mouth had no one to talk to. The waitress finally checked on me and I told her what I was doing. She laughed and took a picture of me sadly eating by myself.

As I was waiting for my bill, two of my friends walked in and came directly to my table to talk. I yelled at them, "I'm having a first! Eating alone." They didn't want to blow my first for me so they sat down at another table. As I was leaving, I stopped to talk to them and realized I have never been so happy to see people I knew.

The food was delicious. The wine hit the spot. The quiet was slowly killing me. I would much rather be eating with my kids having a loud, silly conversation. Even if I'm their waitress.

Day 21- The Katniss within

If you ever have read or seen The Hunger Games, you know what a bad ass Katniss is with her bow and arrow. Today I channeled my inner Katniss.

Day 21- For the first time I shot a bow and arrow. It was so much fun!

Ada and I went to Wasting Arrows, an indoor archery range. One of the owners, Deana, helped us get started on our "first." She was super friendly and helpful. Ada and I shared a lane and took turns trying to hit the target. It was hard at first and it seemed that we hit everything but the target. Deana brought us a different type of arrows that she thought might be easier for us to use. She was right! We actually started hitting the target like everyone else.

We tried to aim but couldn't figure it out. Everytime we tried to line it up we ended up hitting the floor, the curtain above, or the plastic border around the targets. It was amusing at least to see how bad we were at this. Pretty soon we stopped aiming and just went with instinct. Our instincts must be good because both of us almost hit a bullseye. We stayed for an hour which was perfect for us beginners.

I definitely want to go back and try again. I had fun even if my inner Katniss is not quite a bad ass.

www.wastingarrows.com

Day 20- What do I do here?

I have always felt that I'm not that old. I'm about to be 37 yet I still feel really young, that was until today's first.

Day 20- Today was the first time I went on Twitter and tweeted something. So many people are talking about Twitter, even the pope was tweeting in Latin. The pope! I mean really, if the pope can figure out Twitter so can I.

I signed up and it took forever because every name is already taken. How can that be?

Then it took me a while to figure out how to tweet since I didn't want to just start pushing buttons. Everytime I do something horrible happens like the screen turning upside down or the black screen of death. Well, I had to start pushing buttons or I would never figure it out. It ended up being the quill and ink button which I found funny since no one writes letters by hand anymore.

Finally I began to write and realize you can write only a certain amount of characters. I started to feel more and more frustrated and out of the loop. I'm sure it is how my parents feel when I tell them to go on the internet to buy something or to check out my facebook page.

So I got on Twitter, tweeted, had no idea what I was doing, and completed today's frustrating, first. Today might be my last day on Twitter also.

Day 19- I could breathe fire!

I wanted to try a drink that was grown-up and sophisticated. I ended up feeling like a dragon that could breathe fire.

Day 19- Today was the first time I had a real martini. I once had an apple martini but that doesn't really count as it was so fruity and sweet. I wanted a real one like they drink in the movies. I could just picture it. Me sitting at the bar looking all classy with a nice dress and my hair looking beautiful while sipping on a martini in a tall glass. It would be perfect.

Reality was me sitting at a table with my friend, Ada, after a long day with the kids. I had on jeans and an old sweatshirt, my hair pulled back in a ponytail messily while wearing no make-up. Not exactly how I pictured the situation.

The waitress came over and of course, I had to tell her all about my "first" project. She thought it was a cool idea. She was excited for me to try my first martini. Then I found out there are variables to martinis. Who knew? Not I. I had the choice of vodka or gin. I asked, "What do most people have?" she told me it was about equal. Well that didn't help. I ended up picking gin for the mere reason that I like the card game, Gin Rummy. Then she asked, "Do you want it on the rocks or up?" My reply was, "Up? Up like in a tall glass?" So I ordered a classic gin martini up. When it arrived it had 2 gigantic olives in it or as I called it 'olive balls.' Yes, I've never had olives either so tonight I was going to experience 2 new firsts.

Ada was laughing ready to take a picture as I sipped my first martini. I wanted to make sure she got it so I took a huge swig. Wow! That is all alcohol. I breathed imaginary fire at Ada sounding like a hoarse dragon. That stuff could catch on fire. I have no idea how people can drink it and look normal like they are not in pain. Then came the olives. I bit into one and the juices exploded into my mouth. I had enough! No thank you. We ordered a bottle of Pinot and drank the whole thing. It was just what this tired mom in jeans needed.

Day 18- I can't answer. Leave a message.

For someone like me, today was extremely hard.

Day 18- Today is the first day I did not talk on the phone. Dan said that's not really true if I think back to being a kid. But I cannot think of a day I have not talked on the phone at least once since I was 11 or 12. I love talking on the phone almost as much as I love talking in general.

Today was hard since the kids had a play date today and I was just hoping it was still on. It was, thank God! Otherwise we would have been sitting at the library twiddling our thumbs waiting for the play date to arrive.

The real problem today was that I scheduled a few of my 2 year old's friends to come to the house tomorrow for a play date. I had heard back from all but one. I just knew that the mom was going to call today to let me know if they were coming. I thought of letting my four year old answer the phone but you never know what she is going to say. Sometimes she talks, other times she giggles, and a few times she has just hung up on people. I couldn't let this happen. This is a mom I don't know very well and we have never had a play date. What was I going to do if she called?

Dan arrived home and I told him my first. He thought I was absolutley crazy and that I should have told him. He brought up the point of what if he called from work and I never answered. He would be really worried. I would have let Aisling answer that call.

All of a sudden the phone rang and it was the mom. I told Dan to answer it and talk to her. He refused. I just stood there looking at the phone not knowing what to do. It stopped ringing. How was I suppose to know if they were coming? She doesn't even know my address. This was becoming a mess. The phone rang again. It was her! I begged Dan to answer the phone and talk to her. He reluctunly answered. The first thing I heard him say to her, "She can't talk. She's doing this year of firsts and her crazy idea today is to not talk on the phone." Great! Now she thinks I'm a nut case. She probably will never let her daughter play with my daughter. He finished the awkward conversation and shook his head at me. The play date was cancelled and the mom will talk to me later when I can talk.

I never realized how much I relied on talking on the phone. Or how much I love it. I will be calling someone at 12:01am. Sorry if you are the one I wake but it is an emergency.

Day 17- A Disgusting Tasting First

My children torture me while they dip their little, fingers in it then wave them at me smiling knowing I'm freaked out that they might touch me. They proceed to suck every ounce of it off of their fingers then ask for more. I can't stand it! My four year old begs me to try it. "No!" She replies, "It can be your first." She's got me on that and knows it as she smiles smugly.

Day 17- Today is the first time I have tried Ranch. I know most of the United States puts ranch on either their salad, pizza crust, or veggies. I've never done any of that. I think it looks disgusting so why would I try it. Of course, this year is different and I must try new things. So ranch was on the menu. My children dip anything and everything into it so I figured it can't be that bad. I'm not as adventurous as them though. I wasn't going to dip my green beans, apples, meat, or anything else they would suggest in it. I thought I would stick with carrots. I've seen lots of people do it so I made the decision to join the majority.

Dan had the camera ready to capture the big moment. I had a tiny amount of ranch and two petite carrots. The first problem was that I dipped the carrot in and then smelled it. Why did I do that? I should have just thrown it in my mouth but no, I had to smell it first. I was losing my courage. Dan egged me on. "Just eat it!" I ate it. I have to say that of all the new foods that I have tried, this was the worst. I grabbed a napkin and tried to scrape the taste off of my tongue with no such luck. I stated, "That's disgusting!" Dan responded with, "You're right. It's disgusting. Millions of people force themselves to eat ranch everyday." Okay, Dan! I get it. I can be dramatic at times but I feel this time was justified. Next time, I will avoid smelling it. Or maybe I'll just avoid it all together.

Day 16- What the hell do I do with this?

This whole project is about broadening my horizons, trying something outside of my comfort zone, and learning from these new experiences. Check, check, and check!

Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I'm not a fish person. I like looking at fish and having them for pets but not to eat. The only fish I have ever liked is the fried fish at the Peotone Fish Fry. As a kid, I loved going to the fish fry! We would eat some fish then go play with the other kids on the cannon out front. It was awesome every time and is still one of my favorite memories of growing up in Peotone.

As an adult, I have not found a fish that I love to eat but I have tried some that aren't so bad. My poor husband never gets to have fish for dinner at home. Who would eat it with him? Not I. Since I have been cooking the dinners lately, he has absolutely no chance at all of a fish being on his plate.

Day 16- Today I cooked fish for the first time! I found a recipe for oven baked salmon with a marinade that sounded easy. All the reviews were glowing and said it was perfect for beginners. I'm a beginner. This must be for me. I decided to forge ahead and try it.

I took the girls to the store and went to the fish counter for the first time. It must have been obvious to the fish guy. I told him I had never cooked fish before and it looked like I had slapped him across the face with one. I stated I had a recipe but didn't know what I was doing. That was clear. I told him I needed 2 six ounce fillets of salmon. He told me that it might be hard to find that exact amount. I responded, "But that's what the recipe says to get." He chuckled and dug through all the fish until he found me 2 fillets that met my weight requirement. He was nice to humor me. Then I saw it. It still had the skin on the bottom side. I asked him about it and he told me I could cut it off. What!? I have to do that? This was more than I bargained for. I took the fish and left.

When I got home, I attempted to take the skin off. It was hard the first time but by the second fillet it was one easy slice. I made a marinade, covered the fish in it, and stuck it in the fridge. When Dan arrived home, the girls distracted him so I could wrap the fish in foil and stick it in the oven. He tried to guess what I was making but fish would never cross his mind. We finally told him and he was shocked!



When the fish came out of the oven, he was right there tasting and tasting and tasting. It was a success! I did it and I did it well. The girls were crying out, "Don't eat all the fish. I want fish, too!" Everyone ate it and loved it. Everyone but me. I ate a little but the thought of me handling it raw, and taking the skin off made it a little less appetizing. Dan had seconds and so did I. Mine just happened to be potatoes.