Things That Made Me Happy in October

Here are the things that made me happy in October:

• Getting to see my oldest brother again, whom I hadn't seen in quite some time
• Painting/carving a pumpkin for Halloween
• Getting to hand out candy on Halloween
• Receiving and trying out my first Foodstirs box (Monster Cupcakes)
• Receiving the leggings I ordered from a friend (who is an independent fashion consultant)
• Receiving an Irish Blessing charm that I ordered
• Getting the October Ipsy bag
• Ordering and receiving my first lip products from a LipSense consultant
• Receiving the paw print bracelet I ordered
• Receiving the second Foodstirs box I ordered (galaxy donuts)

This month was a pretty good month for me, and I am happy about that!! What made you happy this month?

My New Jersey Bucket List

• Adventure Aquarium
• Liberty State Park
• Grounds for Sculpture
• Steel Pier
• Storybrook Land
• Turtle Back Zoo
• Morey's Piers
• Cape May County Park & Zoo
• Absecon Lighthouse
• Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
• Thomas Edison National Historical Park
• Navesink Twin Lights
• Emlen Physick Estate
• Great Falls
• Van Saun County Park
• Harriman State Park
• The Cloisters
• George Washington Bridge
• Cathedral of Saint John the Divine
• Riverside Park
• Fort Tryon Park
• Wave Hill
• Riverbank State Park
• Paterson Great Falls
• Kingda Ka
• Cheesequake State Park
• General Grant National Memorial
• Jenkinson's Boardwalk
• Cape May's Lighthouse
• Cape May
• Princeton
• Deleware Water Gap
• Liberty State Park
• USS New Jersey
• High Point State Park
• Lucy the Elephant
• Newark Museum
• Space Farms Zoo and Museum
• Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal
• Hindenburg Crash Site
• Batsto Village
• Sybil's Cave
• Luna Parc
• The Gingerbread Castle
• Land of the Lost
• Cliff Dale Manor Ruins
• Monument to the War of the Worlds
• Jungle Habitat
• Tripod Rock
• Weehawken Dueling Grounds
• Amatol Ghost Town
• Jenny Jump State Forest
• Waterloo Village
• Women's Federation Monument
• Tear Drop Memorial
• Sometimes Train Tracks of Sunset Beach
• Cookie Jar House
• The Colgate Clock
• Hamburg Paper Mill Ruins
• Greek Temple Monument War Memorial
• Birthplace of Baseball Monument
• Hamilton Station Statues
• Victor Victori's Multiplism Statues
• Cathedral of the Air

My New Hampshire Bucket List

• Flume Gorge
• Santa's Village
• White Mountains
• Squam Lake
• Diana's Baths
• Cannon Mountain
• Polar Caves Park
• America's Stonehenge
• Morningside Flight Park
• Madame Sherri's Castle
• Purgatory Falls
• The Basin
• Thompson Falls
• Andres Institute of Art and Sculpture Garden
• Ice Castles
• Madison Boulder
• Robert Frost Farm
• Cat Alley
• Wentworth by the Sea
• Lake Winnipesaukee Mystery Stone
• Smuttynose Island
• The Swing Bridge
• Mount Monadnock
• Redstone Rocket
• Chicken Farmer Rock
• Frankenstein Cliff
• The Uncle Sam House
• Parrish Shoes Sign
• The Yankee Siege Catapult
• Smith Chapel
• See Lupines in full bloom
• Moose Alley
• Great Stone Face
• County Fair

My Favorite Meals and Treats

I love food, and I love different cuisines (which I got from my mom!).

Here are my fave meals and treats:

• Macaaroni and Cheese
• Cheesecake
• Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Beef or chicken tacos
• Chocolate ice cream
• Cheesecake ice cream
• Strawberry banana shakes/smoothies
• Pasta salad
• Tandoori chicken
• Jalapenos (topped on tacos or other foods)
• Pulled pork
• Top Ramen Salad
• Shrimp
• Pad Thai
• Pierogi
• Macaroni salad
• Lemonade
• French Silk Pie
• Pumpkin pie
• Brussels sprouts
• Chocolate chip muffins
• Banana bread
• Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
• 3 Musketeers (regular and mint)

**Thanks to Sarah Jo Burch for the idea for this post!!!

My Nevada Bucket List

Things I would like to do in Nevada:

• Las Vegas
• Hoover Dam
• Las Vegas Strip
• Lake Tahoe
• Red Rock Canyon
• Valley of Fire
• Lake Mead
• The Mirage
• High Roller
• Great Basin National Park
• Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay
• Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign
• Adventuredome
• DeathValley
• Maverick Helicopters
• Sand Harbor
• Fly Geyser
• The Bristlecone Pines of the Great Basin
• Seven Magic Mountains
• International Car Forest of the Last Church
• Valley of Fire
• Lehman Caves
• Lost City Museum
• Double Negative
• The Simpsons House
• U.S. Route 50
• Pyramid Lake
• Albert Szukalski's Last Supper
• Tikaboo Peak
• Sand Mountain
• Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park
• The Shoe Tree of Middlegate
• Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historical Park
• Toquima Cave
• The Big Edge
• Jarbridge Wilderness
• Lunar Crater
• Humboldt Museum
• Thunderr Mountain Monument
• Piper's Opera House
• Flamingo Habitat
• Boundary Peak
• Winged Figures of the Republic
• White King
• Middlegate Station
• Reno
• National Bowling Stadium
• Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens
• Eiffel Tower Paris Las Vegas
• Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition
• Stratosphere Tower
• Lion Habitat Ranch
• Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay
• Case de Shenandoah

My Nebraska Bucket List

Things I would like to do in Nebraska:

• Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
• Chimney Rock
• Omaha
• Lincoln
• Lincoln Children's Zoo
• Heartland of America Park
• Gerald R. Ford Birthsite and Gardens
• Joslyn Castle
• Riverside Discovery Center
• Eugene T. Mahoney State Park
• Platte River State Park
• Holy Family Shrine Catholic Church
• World's Largest Ball of Stamps
• Toadstool Geological Park
• Panorama Point
• Ruins of Prairie Peace Park
• Pioneers Park Pillars
• Nebraska State Capitol
• Laurtizen Gardens
• Great Platte River Road Archway Monument
• Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari
• Pioneer Courage Park
• St. Cecilia's Cathedral
• Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park
• Wessels Living History Farm
• Cody Park
• Fred G. Dale Planetarium
• Carhenge
• Lewis & Clark Trail
• Ponca State Park
• Sandhill Crane Migration
• Agate Fossil Beds
• Buffalo Bill's Wild West
• Berry Falls
• Fort Falls
• Smith Falls
• Indian Cave State Park
• See a Broadway show at the Orpheum Theater
• Scotts Bluff
• Arthur Bowring Sandhills State Historical Park

The Most Beautiful Things I've Ever Seen

The world is full of beauty, if only people would just take a moment to look around and find it.

The most beautiful things I have ever seen are:

• Rainbows
• People coming together and supporting each other, after a tragedy
• My older cat showing concern for my younger cat when she lost her balance and fell off the chair the both of them were sitting on. She even put a paw on her back to see if she was alright.
• Doves nesting on top of the lighting fixture on my back porch, on more than one occasion
• A hummingbird coming to drink from our hummingbird feeder, on many occasions
• People sticking up for those who are being put down
• People who help others in need, without expecting anything in return

**Thanks to Sarah Jo Burch for the idea for this post!!

My Montana Bucket List

Things I would like to do in Montana:

• Rocky Mountains
• Glacier National Park
• Yellowstone National Park
• Little Bighorn Battlefield
• Flathead Lake
• Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center
• Cathedral of Saint Helena
• Lake McDonald
• ZooMontana
• Grinnell Glacier
• Avalanche Lake
• Montana Vortex and House of Mystery
• Highline Trail
• Hungry Horse Dam
• Iceberg Lake
• Swiftcurrent Lake
• Two Medicine Lake
• Roosevelt Arch
• Wild Horse Island
• The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center
• St. Mary Falls
• Hidden Lake Overlook
• Butte
• The Berkeley Pit
• Garnet
• Ringing Rocks of Montana
• Garden of One Thousand Buddhas
• Bleu Horses
• Medicine Rocks State Park
• Shep Memorial
• Makoshika State Park
• Our Lady of the Rockies
• Ross Creek Giant Cedars Grove
• Elkhorn Ghost Town
• Koocanusa Bridge
• Charles M. Bair Family Museum
• Garden Wall in Glacier National Park
• Missouri Headwaters State Park
• Waterton Lakes National Park
• Montana Bale Trail
• Giant Springs Heritage State Park and Fish Hatchery
• Bighorn Canyon
• Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuge
• North American Indian Days
• Cut Bank's 27-foot-tall penguin
• Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site

My Missouri Bucket List

Things I would like to do in Missouri:

• Harry S. Truman National Historic Site
• George Washington Carver National Monument
• Lake of the Ozarks
• Branson
• Gateway Arch
• Elephant Rocks State Park
• Old Courthouse
• Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis
• St. Louis
• Missouri Botanical Garden
• Laumeier Sculpture Park
• Talking Rocks Cavern
• Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
• Grant's Farm
• St. Louis Zoo
• The Butterfly House
• Kansas City Zoo
• Meramec Caverns
• Titanic Museum
• Sea Life Kansas City
• Shaw Nature Reserve
• Onondaga Cave State Park
• The Butterfly Palace & Rainforest Adventure
• Ha Ha Tonka Castle Ruins
• Welch Spring Hospital Ruins
• Bonne Terre Mines
• Kansas City Workhouse
• Turtle Playground
• The Pinnacles
• Bothwell Lodge
• The Magic House
• The Holy Finger of Kansas City
• Kirksville Devil's Chair
• The Space Museum
• Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home & Museum
• World's Largest Fork
• St. Valentine's Relics in Missouri
• Maxie, The World's Largest Goodse
• Independence Temple
• St. Louis Abbey
• Charlie Parker Memorial
• Precious Moments Chapel and Gardens

My Top 20 Mood Boosting Songs

I am always listening to music, so I loved the idea for this post. Music helps me get through tough times, it helps me relax at the end of a work/school day, it helps me to get going at the start of each day...it's a part of each and every day for me.

My top 20 mood boosting songs are:

1. I Will Wait by Mumford & Sons
2. Oh My Soul by Casting Crowns
3. Whom Shall I Fear by Chris Tomlin
4. Hello, My Name Is by Matthew West
5. Bod Bless Us Everyone by Andrea Bocelli
6. Single by Natasha Bedingfield
7. Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield
8. Through Heaven's Eyes (From The Prince of Egypt movie) by Brian Stokes Mitchell
9. When You Believe (From The Prince of Egypt movie) by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston
10. Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle
11. Free to Be Me by Francesca Battistelli
12. Everything by Michael Buble
13. When a Child is Born by Andrea Bocelli
14. Go Where Love Goes by Andrea Bocelli
15. Because We Believe by  Andrea Bocelli
16. The Prayer
17. You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban
18. We Shall Be Free by Garth Brooks
19. Walkin on Sunshine
20. Happy by Bruno Mars

Thanks to Sarah Jo Burch for the idea for this post!!

My Mississippi Bucket List

Things I would like to do in Mississippi:

• Elvis Presley Birthplace & Museum
• Jefferson Davis Presidential Library
• Biloxi
• Jackson Zoo
• Tupelo Buffalo Park and Zoo
• Mississippi State Capitol
• Hattiesburg Zoo
• Tombigbee State Park
• Biloxi Light
• Lake Chicot State Park
• Windsor Ruins
• Birthplace of Kermit the Frog
• Longwood
• For Massachusetts on Ship Island
• Jackson
• Stanton Hall
• Mynelle Gardens Arboretum & Botanical Center

My Minnesota Bucket List

Things I would like to do in Minnesota:

• Mall of America
• St. Paul
• Como Park Zoo and Conservatory
• Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium
• Science Museum of Minnesota
• Minnehaha Park
• Duluth
• Minnesota Zoo
• Cathedral of St. Paul
• Minneapolis
• Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
• Great Lakes Aquarium
• Minnesota State Capitol
• Lake Superior Zoo
• American Swedish Institute
• Munsinger Gardens and Clemens Gardens
• Weisman Art Museum
• Forestville Mystery Cave State Park
• Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox
• Saint Anthony Falls
• Gooseberry Falls State Park
• Split Rock Lighthouse
• Pipestone National Monument
• Devil's Kettle
• Niagra Cave
• Elf Door at Demings Height Park
• Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum
• Marjorie McNeely Conservatory (Como Park)
• Spoonbridge and Cherry
• Birthplace of F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Sidewalk Harp
• Mary Tyler Moore Statue
• Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum and Pageant
• Stone Arch Bridge
• Old Man of the Dalles
• Franconia Sculpture Park
• Prospect Park Water Tower
• Our Lady of Lourdes Church
• Vision of Peace (Indian God of Peace)
• The Triangle House of St. Paul, Minnesota
• Washburn Park Water Tower
• Alpine Asphalt's Wall of Skis
• Big Ole
• St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral
• Giant Pipe of Pipestone

Operation Christmas Child 2017

Well, it is that time of year again...

Time for Operation Christmas Child!!!

Operation Christmas Child is an annual shoebox present collection, where people can fill a shoebox (or a box of similar size) with items for children, who may not otherwise get anything.

Here are some ideas of what you can put in your shoebox presents:

• Dolls
• Stuffed animal toys
• Jump ropes
• Embroidery floss
• Beads
• Wash cloths
• Bar soap
• Notebooks
• Pens
• Pencils
• Markers
• Crayons
• Colored pencils
• Pencil sharpeners
• Coloring books
• Matching games
• Paper
• Sports/bouncy balls
• Solar calculators
• Hats
• Gloves/mittens
• Scarves
• Play jewelry
• Cups
• Bowls
• Water bottles
• Yo-yos
• Drawstring bags
• Rulers
• Picture books (for the younger children)
• Dry erase boards with dry erase pens
• Mini chalkboards with chalk
• Toothbrushes
• Watercolor paint sets and paintbrushes
• Hair brushes or combs
• Toy cars
• Puzzles
• Stickers
• Checkers sets
• Socks
• Recorders
• Harmonicas
• Flashlights and batteries
• Clothes line and clothes pins (for older girls)
• Pillowcase dresses (you can find more about this HERE)
• Flip flops
• T-shirts
• Post-It Notes
• Backpacks
• Straws
• Hair ties
• Band-Aids
• Binoculars
• Fishing tools
• Handkerchiefs
• Watches
• Plastic magnifying glasses
• Small sewing kits
• Personal hygiene items for boys, girls (for older children)
• Purses (for older girls)
• Barrettes, hair clips
• Headbands
• A handwritten note (optional, but very special to the child who receives it)
• Pencil cases/pouches (or empty makeup bags that they can use for carrying whatever they want)
• Handmade items (toys, dolls, clothing, etc.)

They are in most need of boxes for boys ages 10-14, so if you can, please send at least one shoebox present for that age group (although, you can choose which age group and gender you would like to pack boxes for!).

You are NOT allowed to put in liquids, war related toys (soldiers, swords, etc.), out of date foods/candy, breakables, lotions, toothpaste, and anything else of this nature.

They have an annual collection week in November (you can find your closest drop-off location HERE), but you can drop of/ship presents all year round to:

Operation Christmas Child
801 Bamboo Road
Boone NC 28607

To find out more, you can check out the links to Operation Christmas Child and Samaritan's Purse. You can even order free materials HERE.