I actually tried 2 different crab cakes during my weekend there   Neither was from a fancy restaurant. They were just both random joints that were very authentic, fast food style. The first was with Jenn at a deli in a food court of a mall. It was late & we were hungry. 

Verdict:  This crab cake definitely didn’t disappoint. It was not like anything we would get locally.  There was definitely more lump crab meat than I was expecting, and the taste was excellent.   If given the opportunity, I’d like to try a crabcake from a nicer restaurant in Baltimore to compare the two. Maybe next year!

I’d give it 4 stars:

Last weekend was our local Relay for Life. In case you are not familiar with it the American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At Relay, teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.

 This is my 5th year on our corporation’s relay team, and my 2nd year as a Team Captain. It is such a great event that gets better each year, and every year I am glad that I work my tail off to fundraise for our team.

The walk itself is so inspiring. After dark, we honor people who have been touched by cancer and remember loved ones lost to the disease during the Luminaria Ceremony. Candles are lit inside bags filled with sand, each one bearing the name of a person touched by cancer, and participants often walk a lap in silence. As people take time to remember, those who have walked alongside others battling cancer can grieve and find healing. This is a time that truly highlights the importance of defeating this disease. 

I had a 2 hour shift on Saturday morning and it was a fantastic way to start the day.

I even had a friend stop by to walk with, that passed the time by even quicker. It was fun to just stroll along and catch up. Sometimes life just gets too busy, I need more mornings like this one!

No matter why you take part in Relay, however, one thing is clear: with every step you take, you are helping the American Cancer Society save lives. With your help, we aren’t just fighting one type of cancer – we’re fighting for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. Each person who shares the Relay experience can take pride in knowing that they are working to create a world where this disease will no longer threaten the lives of our loved ones or claim another year of anyone’s life.

This was just the motivation I needed to keep at it for another year of fundraising!

The Gelati, is basically their frozen custard (chocolate was all they had), layered with Italian Ice. I asked the cashier which flavor Italian Ice she recommended with the chocolate since my first picks weren’t available. She suggested Vanilla.  I ordered a small and below is what was handed to me.

Verdict:  It was tasty. The combination of the icy italian ice with the creamy frozen custard was not like anything I’d ever had before. At first I really enjoyed the layers, but then I decided it was really the frozen custard I liked and ended up tossing the layers of italian ice to get to the good stuff

I’m glad I had the opportunity to try this, and would definitely try it again in others flavors if given the chance.

I’d give it 3 stars: 

I’m a fan of the Vitamin Water Zero’s. My favorite being the Recoup: Peach Mandarin flavor.

I’m semi-sensitive to overly sweet beverages from artificial sweeteners. I dislike the overly sweet taste and especially the aftertaste.

So, getting to the point, the other day while at the store they were out of my favorite Recoup flavor so I picked up a bottle of the Rhythm: Starfruit and Citrus.

Sounds tasty right…WRONG!  It was horrid. I’m quite frugal so I normally would not throw out something that I paid my hard earned cash for, but I couldn’t tolerate it.  Oh well, lesson learned. No Rhythm…which suits me because I really do have no rhythm

101 tasks to complete in 1001 days. My end date is February 20, 2014.

Green= Completed Blue= In Process; Black = Not Attempted

Lacey’s 101 in 1001

1. make cheese
2. quilt from old shirts
3. make something jelly
4. travel in 1st class
5. go on a trip with my mom
6. increase 401K contribution
7. save 3 months of expenses
8. plant something from seed – herb garden spring ’11
9. fly a kite
10. learn how to play craps
11. celebrate St. Paddys day
12. start a travel journal (online or paper)
13. visit national park new to me
14. visit 3 new states – MD, AZ
15. visit 1 new country
16. visit 1/2 of north america’s coolest cities (Portland OR; Austin TX; Nashville TN; Minneapolis MN; Las Vegas NV; Boston MA; Philadelphia PA; Vancouver BC; NY NY; Savannah GA; Denver CO; SantaFe NM; Chicago IL; New Orleans LA; WA DA
17. crochet a hat I’d actually wear
18. digital scrapbook
19. vacation solo
20. take a weekend girls trip – Coeur d’Alene ID Aug ’11
21. ride in a helicopter
22. get a massage
23. see grand canyon
24. see Sedona Arizona- July 2011
25. see Niagara Falls
26. Visit new Canadian Provence
27. make traditional Caesar dressing from scratch
28. see tulip festival
29. go to different state in Mexico
30. go to hot springs
31. wreck this journal
32. go to South America
33. get a hope chest of sorts
34. ride a horse
35. do a day in the life photo journal
36. go to a conference/retreat that interests me – Fitbloggin’11
37. collect all coins in tin (do something fun w/ $)
38. see fireflies
39. make/try sangria
40. utilize 1000 places to see before you die. Flag must sees and have dones
41. make yogurt
42. make frozen yogurt
43. ride in wheat or other combine
44. go to corn maze
45. go to midnight movie release or dress up for a movie release
46. visit Eastern OR painted hills
47. start folder of all 316 sightings
48. cook all recipes in a cookbook – Pioneer Woman Cooks
49. journal 1001 awesome things
50. celebrate random unheard of holiday
51. eat @ japanese shogun restaurant where they cook at table
52. attempt to surf/body/boogie board
53. see statue of liberty
54. create vision board
55. see 3D or 4D movie
56. see redwoods
57. walk across brooklyn bridge
58. visit San Fran, go on bridge
59. see ground zero
60. do yoga crow pose
61. do downward dog with flat feet
62. run a race you get a medal for finishing
63. make a perfect to me scone
64. start a birthday  journal- write letter to me annually
65. catch a salmon/steelhead
66. send a message in a bottle
67. eat at Tommys dutch lunch
68. eat at Backstage bistro
69. go to hot yoga
70. make an advent calendar
71. give blood again
72. go crabbing/clamming etc
73. infuse my own vodka
74. make/decorate gingerbread house
75. have prof photos taken
76. photo something that amazes me
77. make a poached egg traditionally
78. plan & execute a surprise vacation
79. make homemade nut butter
80. make/post a vlog
81. do a half marathon
82. create gratitude journal or bucket
83. see a financial/retirement planner
84. make pretzels/bagels
85. go snowshoeing
86. make something with polenta
87. get prof fitted for running shoes
88. hike to top of something
89. stomp grapes
90. go on a train ride
91. buy & wear a little black dress
92. go paddleboarding – August ’11 Lake Coeur d’Alene

Let’s do it Again!
101.  Make another 101 List (0/101)

Roni did an amazing job organizing sponsors and swag for Fitbloggin’!  Just check out this listing of all the sponsors.

Click here to see what Jump Sport will be doing at FitBloggin’11!

By the end of the weekend my swag bag was almost as tall as the bed!

Some of my favorites include an iBeanie

A new pair of New Balance shoes!

& great workout socks!

A great big thanks to all the sponsors and to Roni!

Photo courtesy of Carrie D

I am so glad that I faced my fears about going and put myself out there!  Prior to the trip I had many anxieties. They mostly revolved around me thinking that I wasn’t “enough”..ie.

• I’m not thin enough
• I’m not healthy enough
• I’m not a good enough blogger
• I’m not friendly or nice enough
• I’m not enough of a people person
• I’m not pretty enough
• I’m not outgoing enough

Well as soon as I got to Baltimore, all those fears went right out the window.  It didn’t matter to anyone else, and didn’t matter to me. Such a wonderful feeling!

My flights were smooth sailing

My roomies were awesome!  None of us had met before IRL, but that didn’t matter.  We had a lot of fun together.

Jenn, Christine, myself and Jaclyn

All of the sessions and panels were wonderful!  Rather than me try to recap, head on over to the Fitbloggin Website and read all of the Livebloggers recaps. I was a liveblogger and it was such a great opportunity, I was glad to help out at an event that was so professionally done. 

I met some other wondeful ladies too, and had an excellent dinner with Jenn, Sagan, and Lisa (not pictured).

We had a wonderful meal in Little Italy at a place called Gia’s.  The meal was excellent, but the company was better!

So, all in all, the biggest take away that I got from Fitbloggin is that I am enough!  It’s a mantra that I’ve used before in times of self doubt, and will continue to do so, but this weekend enforced that I really am enough, where I am right now.

Being the list-making nerd that I am, I’ve had lists going for months about things I needed to remember to take to Fitbloggin.  I’m usually an over-packer, and super prepared for anything that might arise. I decided to share with you some oddities that are currently residing in my suitcase ready for Fitbloggin’.

1)  Littlest Pet Shop Bandaids – you never know when you’ll need a bandaid and these are the only ones we have in the house. No, I don’t have kids. I’m sure Greg will be super happy next time he needs a bandaid and this is all he can find.

2) Powerstrip -

I’m thinking that 4 ladies in 1 room we’re going to run out of plugs for items…Hair dryers, flat irons, cell phones, laptops, ipods. When just Greg and I travel we hunt down open plugs like they are gold!

3) Travel snacks. I try to lead a  healthy lifestyle (sometimes I do better than others), and I am going to a healthy living conference…but I need snacks, and my go-to snacks for long flights are Goldfish crackers, and swedish fish.  They’re both fish shaped & portable. I swear I really am an adult :)

4) A luggage scale. To combat my overpacking. It’s hard enough to pay $20 to check a bag. No WAY am I gonna pay for an overweight bag!

5) The final odd thing that is in my suitcase is a Turbie Twist. Greg bought me a case of these a few years back, and I use them every day. So much easier to wrap my wet hair in this after a shower, or if I’m not washing my hair during the shower it keeps my straightened hair dry! It’s lightweight and easy to pack.

Less than 2 hours left of work! I leave bright and early for Baltimore, and arrive at BWI @ 8:20pm…See ya there!

I really enjoyed the project, and was surprised that I was able to stick with it for the entire length. Overall I completed 81 of the 101 tasks, and am proud of that. There were some items that I wished were completed, but that I just never had an opportunity (or made the opportunity) or dedicated myself entirely to, so they are unfinished.

No big deal though. The uncompleted tasks can be moved to my next 101 in 1001 list which will start very soon if they are that important.

If an item is no longer important to me, that’s fine too. I’ve grown a lot over the past few years, and I’m a better person for it.

Here’s the completed 101 listing with my updates throughout the last 1001 days.

My 101 in 1001 ended on May 19, 2011.  I completed 82 things on my list!

Green= Completed Blue= attempted/made progressBlack = Not Attempted

Lacey’s 101 in 1001

Learning

1. Learn how to tie a man’s tie
2. Learn the American Sign Language Alphabet – Completed 9/25/08
3. Learn 10 other ASL Signs (5/10) Please, Thank you, yes, No, I love you, Happy, Sad, Dog, Hello, Goodbye – Completed 11/18/08
4. Learn Phoenetic Alphabet – Completed 9/16/08
5. Learn calligraphy – got set for Christmas – never made a priority
6. Learn how to use Quicken better – Completed March 2011 – upgraded and figured out how to budget & graph
7. Learn how to use Photoshop – Took Class July 2010
8. Take a Photography class – Class at YMCA April – May 2011

For Others/Community

9. Send 20 Random Cards (20/20)
10. Give 5 just because gifts (5/5)
11. Pay for someone behind me in the drive thru line – 3/2/11
12. Donate blood – Completed 12/8/08
13. Put flowers on a gravesite-2/26/11
14. Finish Greg’s world map w/ push pins on visited locations – Completed 9/2/08
15. Purchase & Use reusable grocery bags – Completed 12/20/08
16. Pick up trash somewhere that doesn’t belong to me (campsite, road, etc)- Completed 11/2/08
17. Do something memorable for/with Brody’s kids separately or together – never made a priority

Health/Fitness

18. Take a Yoga Class
19. Ride my bike to work/back for a week straight – never made a priority
20. Make Weight Watchers Lifetime – Completed 12/04/08
21. Sustain Lifetime status – yes, and continue to do so
22. Get 75 lb award from Weight Watchers – never lost the add’l weight
23. Jog an entire 5K (no walking) – Completed 9/27/08 Pepperbridge Crush 5K
24. Take a spinning (cycling) class – Completed 1/12/11 loved it, now try to do it weekly!
25. Have a clean dental health checkup – Completed 3/25/10
26. Complete a 5 day cleanse/detox – Completed October 2010
27. Finish a bottle of vitamins – Completed 12/29/08
28. Do 1 unassisted pull up -never trained for it
29. Workout before work for 5 days straight – never had motivation
30. Hike to the top of something (mountain, hill, falls) – didn’t make it a priority, it never presented itself.
31. Participate in a Race for a Cure. – 9/19/10 Race for the Cure Portland & a PR of 34:55 to boot!

Travel

32. Visit 3 new states (3/3) Florida, Kansas, Tennessee
33. Visit 3 new countries  (2/3) Jamaica, Grand Caymen
34. Swim with a wild animal (dolphin, seal, stingray) Stingray Grand Cayman Jan ’09
35. Take a romantic weekend get-away just Greg and me -  Cancun Mar ’09
36. Go on a zip line tour – Completed 11/9/08 – Puerta Vallarta Mexico, Los Veranos Tour…AMAZING
37. Go on a picnic
38. Go to Seaworld – Orlando, July 2010
39. See a professional sporting event live – Bears vs Seahawks NFL Game 9/27/09
40. Go to Disney Land or World – Disney World July 2010
41. Go on a cruise – Jan ’09
42. Go on a train ride – opportunity never presented itself
43. Take a road trip – Completed Portland March 2011
44. Fly somewhere on air miles – Cancun Mar ’09
45. Go on at least a one night vacation by myself – March 2011

Self Betterment

46. Read 4 American Classic books (4/4)
47. Read 4 Pulitzer Prize winning books (0/4) – I bought the books, just never read them. I will though since they are sitting on my bookshelf.
48. Watch 10 movies off the AFI’s top 100 list (10/10)- I’ve seen way more than 10

49. Get my eyebrows professionally done – Figured out how to do nicely myself – Summer 2009, professional waxing 2/20/11
50. Figure out my career path at BB or other -Completed Dec 2008
51. Send a postcard to Post Secret – Completed October 2009
52. Participate in a 26 things activity
53. Dress up for Halloween – Completed 10/31/08 – Sexy Pirate
54. Ride on scary rides, challenge myself adrenaline wise – Zip Line, Roller Coaster, Snorkeling,
55. Wear a piece of jewelry that I made – Dec 2009
56. Learn how to do my eye makeup better – Completed 2/5/09, Sephora makeovers focusing on the eye, online tutorials & tons of money spent on eyemakeup. I have the tools to do it, I just need to take the extra time to do it.
57. Try Geocaching with Greg
58. Blow Glass – Lincoln City Summer 2009
59. Get engaged or move on
60. Complete a crossword puzzle entirely – no cheating – October 2010
61. Complete a medium sodoku completely – no cheating- January 2010
62. Go Skinny Dipping – Bonneville Resort 30th Birthday!
63. Get a new piercing – Completed 9/6/08 -Tragus
64. Sing karaoke in public (solo or group) – never had the nerve
65. Paticipate in a grape stomping – no opportunity
66. Send/receive a postcard from postcrossing.com – Postcard Sent 8/25/08 – Postcard Received -9/9/08
67. Take a dance class with Greg – Completed 12/30/08
68. Drive a motorcycle or scooter – Completed 8/30/08
69. Get a wax – eyebrows 2/20/11

Martha Stewart ish
70. Organize family recipes in album leaving room for additions – Completed 11/29/08
71.  Put my recipes in book, start what will be passed down as traditions – Completed 11/29/08
72. Get 10 new family recipes from family (10/10) Almond Roca, Greg’s Beef Dip, Louie’s Salad, Spaghetti Salad, Pickled Asparagus, Macaroni Salad, Lemon Lush, Rancy oyster crackers,Napa cabbage salad, Chinese chicken salad, Hashbrown casserole, Aunt Alices Cookies
73. Have a font made from my handwriting – Completed 8/25/08
74. Bake 10 new cookie recipes (10/10) – Butter Sugar cut outs, whoopie pies, molasses crinkles, lemon cookies, choc chip (new recipe), peanut butter, 4th of July Jam Stars, Halloween Bars, PB Kiss Cookies, granola
75. Color a whole coloring book – got coloring book. But instead of coloring the entire book myself I colored with kids. It was great to have the color book & crayons at home for when friends would bring their kids over. So this was a blessing.
76. Make Crème brule – Dinner Party March 2009
77. Try Indian food – Seattle January 2010
78. Try a new ethnic food (other than Indian above) – Brazilian
79. Eat fondu (make myself or eat out) – The Melting Pot 6/22/09
80. Check out 5 things from the library (5/5)
81. Make a photobook – Ordered from Ofoto 1/28/09 of Cruise Photos
82. Have a veggie garden one year – tried to grow cucumber summer 2011
83. Back up all photos, put in safe – Completed 1/30/11 100% archived through 2010!
84. Bake something with yeast (bread, rolls, etc.) – Easter 2009, Orange Rolls
85. Pickle something – Pickled Asparagus 5/2/09, take #2 6/7/09, went well!
86. Crochet 6 things (0/6) – started, but never finished.

87. Take a video – Cancun March 2009

88. Make a DVD of Russia pics to music with descriptions – completed Feb 2011

89. Take 1 picture a day for a month, put in album – March 2011

90.  Make A-Z list of things that make me happy and scrapbook them – Completed 5/15/09

91. Master Grandma Colleen’s fudge frosting, Greg is the judge – Completed 10/9/08 Greg and Doug agreed

92. Paint my own pottery – January 2010
Wealth

93. Pay off all debt except house & student loans – made great strides, but didn’t get all older debt paid off.
94. Go one week spending no money
95. Work on/plan to fund an emergency savings account – Completed 12/1/08, funding w/ every paycheck
96. Pay off my car -June 2010
97. Put stuff in safe deposit box – October 2009
98. 3 months with no online purchases – Started 12/3/08 – 3/3/09
99.  Increase 401K contribution – Increased by 2% 12/24/08
100. Get to a level 10 at work – not there, but happy with my work situation.

Let’s do it Again!
101.  Make another 101 List (91/101)