Number 38

This is what was in our living room for a whole week.

We decided to keep the TV turned off for a week last month to fulfill this goal, and we were both surprised at how much we enjoyed life without it.  Ben was able to see the Reds play the Cardinals at Busch Stadium for 3 of the nights that we were without the tv, so that made it easier for him to live without it :)  We were both able to get a lot done around our apartment, and enjoyed the quiet.

Don't get me wrong - the TV has been back on almost every day since the week ended... but it is nice to know how it feels to have it off for a while!!

Number 19

Ben and I don't usually read much for fun, and Ben has had so much to read for school that it was difficult for us to begin this goal.

We had heard for quite a while that the Hunger Games trilogy was a must read. Ben began reading the first book of the series on a train ride from St. Louis to Chicago, and finished it within a week. When he finished the first book and began the second, he transferred the first book to my iPad. Ben really wanted me to read the first book while the first movie was still in the theaters so that we could see the movie...

I got to the end of the first book shortly after Ben had finished reading the second book. I told him when I finished the first book that I had no interest in reading more of the series because of the level of violence and straight up gore in the first book. Well, Ben convinced me to continue reading.

I read the second book, and we both finished the third book the day after we saw the first movie in the theater. I have told several people that I wish I had seen the movie and not read the books, because (again) I had a really hard time with the goriness of the books.

I think that we're the only ones that feel this way, but the third book was our favorite. If you want to know why, or discuss any other aspects of the trilogy or movie, just let us know!!

Number 24

This was one of the most fun goals that we have accomplished so far.








We took quite a while to decide what we wanted for our tattoos, but once we decided we were excited to go for it. My tattoo is a dove. The design is a necklace charm that my sister bought for me for my birthday a few years ago. Ben's is the cross that was engraved on the lid of his grandma's casket. The monks that made her casket sent a replica of the cross to Ben's uncle who sent it to Ben.

The week before Ben and I got our tattoos Abby was here and decided to get two small stars on her foot. We went to Trader Bob's based on the recommendation of the Stowers. Andy, the artist who did Abby's tattoo, was wonderful. Ben and I went back to Trader Bob's and requested that Andy do both of ours too.

I'm not sure if he was nervous, but Ben told me that I had to get my tattoo first. My tattoo is small and only an outline, so it took about a minute and a half. Ben's tattoo is obviously much larger than mine, and it is filled with woodgrain detail. Ben's tattoo took about 30 minutes.

Ben and I were both surprised by the feeling of getting tattooed. People have asked us, "did it hurt?" Of course it hurt, but we both expected it to be much worse than it actually was. It was more of an uncomfortable burning feeling than intense pain. Ben said that his felt like a sunburn for a few days after we got them, but mine is so small that I didn't have any lingering pain.

We now understand why people say that tattoos are addictive :)

Number 42

In order to accomplish this goal, we had to first decide what restaurants qualified as "fast food." There are obvious restaurants that would qualify, but then there are some that are a little bit more difficult to distinguish. We decided that any restaurant that has a drive-thru window or serves food at a counter is a fast food restaurant.

This cut out some of our favorite "go-to" places, like Qdoba and Jimmy John's, but we realized that there were still plenty of places that we could eat out :)

Number 32

This goal was much more difficult for Ben than it was for me. For those of you who don't know, Ben loooves diet soda. He would rather drink diet soda than any other beverage, and he hates to drink water. This goal was great for both of us, though, because it helped us to realize how much water we should be drinking through the week. We both felt the benefits of being well hydrated, and we've been trying to drink more water since completing our week without other beverages :)

Number 58

Ben and I "read" all seven of the Harry Potter books by listening to the Jim Dale audio version of the books. We did most of our listening on long car rides - a great way to pass the time :)

We loved all seven of the books, and would highly recommend them. If you're going to go for the audiobooks, make sure that you get the Jim Dale version. He is an excellent reader, and had great voices for each of the characters.

Number 61

Our friend Lindsey just began taking fiddle lessons last week.  Luckily for us, her first lesson was right before our community group meeting, so she came home and told us about the lesson and how her teacher had invited her to attend a barn dance that she would be playing at on Sunday night.  Ben and I instantly perked up, and told Lindsey and John (her husband) that we wanted would go to the dance with them!!

Erin, John, and Lindsey before dancing began :)

We showed up in time for the "lesson" before the dance began.  It was a good thing that we had a lesson, because the dances were choreographed and somewhat complicated...  The "experienced" dancers were glad to help us figure out what we were doing, though.

Erin with the "caller" during the lesson

We had a great time!!  It was so fun to learn some of the dances and to talk with the people that do this every week.  We may not become regulars at the barn dances, but it was really fun!!