1. July 1: Checked out a book at the Smiley Library - it's gorgeous in there!

2. July 2: Ate at Gabbiano's Italian Restaurant in Yucaipa (After having received numerous recommendations). After our visit, I can't say we'd recommend it ourselves. Our meals weren't very good.

3. July 3: Went to the Redlands Historical Glass Museum. That was actually really fun! They have some cool stuff - admission was free - I even bought some neat etched sherry glasses in the little gift shop. If you're local, and bored on a Sat or Sun you should check it out. 

4. July 4: Pom juice. It wasn't all that tasty...

5. July 5: Brussel Sprouts. They were pretty good. It was all in the recipie - Sweet and Sour Brussel Sprouts. Stinky to cook, but the marinade made it yummy. If anyone wants the recipe, I'm happy to share.

6. July 6: Swimming Lesson at the YMCA. I'm actually doing this to learn to swim for exercise. Right now, I've really only ever learned to swim for survival. These lessons will be key to pulling off my actual challenge!

7. July 7: Tattoo accomplished! Not as bad as I thought it would be. Aaron did an amazing job working with a sketch I took him from the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas (Along the Silk Route in China). The place is super cool, too.

8. July 8: Visited the Getty - beautiful! The garden was my favorite part. We had a nice picnic lunch.

9. July 9: Benihana (sort of) - so we finally went to Benihana - got seated, looked at the menu - nothing vegetarian. Seriously, nothing. A Japanese restaurant with nothing vegetarian? That's a first for me too! So, we left. We decided to go to Guadalaharry's instead (I'd never been there either) - and that was really yummy!

10. July 10: Kimberly Crest Mansion tour. What a beautiful place! I'd been on the amazing grounds, but never in the house. The 7,000 sq. ft. French chateau was built in 1897, in 6 months, for $12,000. Yeah, practically pocket change for today. Unreal. 

11. July 11: E-Bay. I registered for e-bay, and pay pal, and I bought myself a necklace! I'd explored e-bay on previous occasions, but I had never registered, bid, or purchased anything. There is so much stuff on the site - it's unreal!

12. July 12: San Manuel Indian Casino. The Tukut lounge is pretty cool, but it's still a big smoky place with tons of slot machines. The bingo room was insane - thousands of people totally mesmerized by bingo! Creepy.

13. July 13: San Bernardino County Museum - a sad little museum full of dead stuff.

14. July 14: Didn't manage anything exciting, so we tried another new restaurant - La Tortilla. OK for a new strip mall - everyone was very happy.

15. July 15: Saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Grauman Chinese Theater - the theater is so beautiful and ornate. It was fun imagining what is must have been like back in the day with the classic movie stars attending fancy movie premieres there. The movie was great - Depp is a genius at creating kooky characters and completely selling them. Loved the squirrels (heard through Ralph - KROQ - that Burton had actual squirrels trained to open the walnuts for the film. Awesome!). 

16. July 15: In a LA double-header on new things, we went to Leno. Got to the studio at 7 am to find a substantial line (some had slept over!) waiting for the ticket office to open at 8. We got tickets, but no guarantee of getting in. Tickets said to return and be lined up by 2:30 for taping - we got there at 1 and found 70 people in line already. We were very well attended to by pages in line - good information, allowed in the studio to use restrooms. About 2:30, 100 VIP types were brought in front of us and let in first. We weren't sure we'd get in. Once in, however, we were miraculously escorted to seats in the corner of the front row! We actually got to be part of the group that shakes Jay's hand when he first comes out. What a neat B-Day challenge bonus - I shook Leno's hand! Leno seems like he's extremely cool. He actually warms up the audience himself, explaining the process of the taping, and taking photos with some of the audience members. Far different from our Letterman experience.

17. July 16: Well, last night was very hot, so we went out in the back yard naked. This was a suggestion from a friend, who had done this on her 30th - and it was pretty fun. Our yard is pretty bright at night, so we hope our neighbors weren't watching...

18. July 17: Lincoln Shrine. Said to be the largest collection of Lincoln memorabilia this side of the Mississippi, it was interesting. Free admission, lots of civil war stuff (muskets are HUGE), and an actual Norman Rockwell, "The Long Shadow of Lincoln". Much like the Glass Museum, I'd recommend it if you're in town and bored on the weekend. (www.lincolnshrine.org)

19. July 18: Ate a disgusting pickle with lunch. Ick! I'd purchased "sweet" ones thinking that may be the best way to go - I guess not!

20. July 20: Painting on canvas. Started my painting last night and have a neat background. It was really fun and would be a nice relaxing hobby, if it weren't quite so expensive.

21. July 21: Buddhist Temple. Went in to Little Tokyo in LA and got to see two really neat temples. We got a tour of one, too. Then we had a great lunch at a sake bar. Fun!

22. July 21: Dinner at Elephant Bar. Tried another new restaurant in town (this is clearly the easiest way to log in New Things, but I have promised myself not to use a restaurant again). Accompanied by John, and our friends, Reed and Amber, we enjoyed the safari ambiance, but the meals were nothing special.

23. July 22: Annette's wine tasting. I've been to tastings at actual vinyards, but never to a place that allowed you to taste from different continents and compare. John and I enjoyed the sampling with friends, Dave and Denise. Some were good, some were poured out - "I'm not drinking any Merlot!"

24. July 23: Ride the same distance as the Tour de France Stage of the day. Today was Stage 20, 55.5K time trial. With the help of my hubby, John, and friends, Jen and Mike, and Mike and Ann, we rode the same distance - in more than 2X the time the Tour riders did....if only the roads would have been cleared of traffic for us, I'm sure we could have been way more competitive - ha! At least none of us pulled a "Rassmussen" and fell off our bikes. King of the mountains goes to Mike Redpath for blazing the way up Wabash. Sprinter points to John for sheer speed. Overall, they let me take the lead at the end - thanks guys!
25. July 24: - Bungee jump! What an exhausting, but exhilarating day! Accompanied by John and four brave/adventurous friends, Jen and Mike, and Dave and Denise, we set out to bungee off the Bridge to Nowhere in the Angeles National Forest. After lots of standing around a parking lot where we met the organizers and signed 8 pages of waivers, we headed to the trailhead along with over 50 other people. The 5 mi. hike out to the bridge was BRUTAL! Rocks, sand, cliff sides, river crossings, all at a pretty blazing pace (the organizer clearly didn't care if he left anyone behind). At least I wasn't thinking about the jump the entire way to the bridge! We were just trying to keep up. Once at the bridge, things looked scary - the old concrete bridge is tilted to one side, and the raging, rocky river below is anything but comforting when you realize you are about to throw yourself, voluntarily, towards it! After lots of what to do/not to do instruction, I quickly volunteered to be first - still not sure what came over me. So they hooked me up, and without even having checked to make sure the other end of the bungee was actually attached to the bridge, I jumped! I had been all cool about it, and then when my feet left the platform, and my body didn't have anything but air, it was terrifying! Your brain anticipates a landing, and it doesn't get one -until suddenly you feel the harness pull you, and you realize you will live!

The snap back up to the underside of the bridge was the next fear, but your motion slows before you hit it. Quickly you are bouncing up and down in the coolest swing ever. John and Dave also bravely took the jump. After wed had our turns, we decided to leave the group at the bridge and hike back on our own, and a nice pace, and enjoy the sights and sounds wed missed as we sprinted out behind the guide. It was a fun trip back down the trail, with breaks to snack and enjoy the cold river crossings. One drawback, though, was stumbling upon a small swarm of bees, and Mike and I both getting stung in the ankles... another first for me! Thanks for sharing in that first Mike! All in all, Id really recommend this trip for anyone who wants an adventurous bungee experience. It was totally worth it, and Id do it again. www.bungeeamerica.com

26. July 26: Went to a play at Prospect Park: John and I saw As You Like It. The play was cute, and the acting was pretty good for local theater. The crowd, however, was rude, and loud, talking during the performance and reminding us that we were in a sad little small town on a week night. I felt terrible for the actor, who were no more than a few feet from the crowd, and had to be able to hear the audience. I think Ill restrict my live theater to NY, LA, and Chicago.... where patrons know how to act.

27. July 27: Rode on a Harley: A friend of Johns from cycling has a beautiful light blue and white Harley, all chrome details, and he was kind enough to agree to take me for a ride. We hit some curves and hills up on Sunset, and then head into the canyon where I got to experience some speed. I even had to tighten my helmet because it felt like it was going to fly off! It was really fun - maybe I could be a Harley chick after all....

28. July 29: Made Granny's Fudge recipe. After years of watching her, I finally decided to try it for myself, and it actually turned out better than I expected. Yummy.

29 and 30. July 29: Had a drink at Taylors and sang karaoke. Its kind of a redneck, dive bar on the outskirts of town. Accompanied by John, Jen, Mike, Dave, Denise (my B-Day challenge crew!) and Robin (visiting from Santa Barbara for the weekend), we had a few drinks and lots of fun. Thankfully, the girls agreed to sing with me, as my singing voice is terrible! Our first number, Girls Just Want To Have Fun, was described by my husband as embarrassing. After a few drinks, we went up for a second number, I Touch Myself, and it was much better! I took the spoken word solo, and it was super fun. Thanks ladies!

31. July 30: Waxing. I went to a local spa and got a leg and bikini wax. Robin joined me for moral support, and an eyebrow touch-up. The legs were no sweat, and are nice and smooth now. The bikini line.... OUCH! The best part was the lady telling us a story about a guy who was having his back waxed for a new girlfriend, and he cried. Poor guy. Beauty is painful.

32. July 31: Made a necklace. Inspired by my sister-in-law, who makes beautiful necklaces that get me lots of compliments, I decided to try it for myself. I made a classy, simple, silver and black necklace. I really like it. I can see how it would be a fun hobby.

33. August 1: Try a climbing wall. Made it to the top of the five ten climbing wall two times. Dave outfitted me with some nice (tight) shoes, and it was easier than I thought, and really fun. Climbing back down is much harder.

34. August 3: Tried to read an entire novel in a day. Map of Bones, by James Rollins, seemed interesting, so I started early and gave it a try. I probably only got 1/3 of the way. Turns out, I'm a slow reader, and I'm very easily distracted (AADD). It was a fun relaxing day, though.

Next up is the Big Finale!

The Big Day

August 4, My 35th.

After 5 days of fighting a nasty summer head cold, I wasn't terribly optimistic about my performance. Yesterday I went to the doctor to rule our walking pneumonia, or a respiratory infection. When anything nasty was ruled out I asked her: How about exercise? Will it set me back? Her reply, You'll just be more tired, but a little exercise is fine. I took that as the permission I needed to proceed.

Having accidentally set my alarm for PM instead of AM, I awoke with a start at 4:44 am, and decided to go for it. After taking in some sudafed and soda, I was off on run #1 by 5:00 am. Feeling a little old and winded, but enjoying the lack of sun, I completed the run no problem. A brief break, and 35 fitness ball crunches later, I was off on run #2. Thankfully, the sun was still not up, and I made #2 in decent time, too. Another break, with 35 crunches, and I was off on run #3. The sun was up, and the heat was kicking in (104 was the forecasted high). Still, I made it. No walking, but a fair share of coughing, and feeling a little old. My hubby, John, rode his bike in support on all 3 runs, and he had everything I needed at hand - Gu, water, kleenex!

35 more crunches, and I was off on the bike. With the help of John, and Jen (teachers are the only ones freely available on a Thursday in August), giving a few pushes, and letting me draft the whole way, the bike was over more quickly than I had expected. At that point (just before 11:00am) it was quite hot. I was glad that swimming was next. My support crew (John and Jen) and I had just enough time to get a smoothie before the lap swim began at the pool at noon. I wasnt sure what to expect from myself as far as energy level. Id trained hard the 6 weeks before my challenge, having done each of my events on their own day, but never putting them together. By sheer determination, I finished my 35 laps in just over an hour! It was all down hill from there. Yippee!

We went out for a nice lunch, then headed for the local Animal Shelter to donate some food, and pass out treats. The pooches in residence seemed thrilled to have the bones. One even took his roommates bone when he wasnt looking. Thankfully, there werent 35 dogs there to pass out all of the treats, so we donated the rest for future use.

Getting home, it was time for some quiet meditation time. During my 35 minutes, I could feel my muscles tightening and complaining, and I knew Id pushed them to their limit. The meditation time was refreshing, though.

At this point, it was baking outside, but the next part of the challenge was the 35 minute walk with my dogs. We hosed them down with water, and headed out. About 1/2 way through the walk, John found a $50 bill on the sidewalk! Bonus! Dinner was on us. Standing between me and dinner, though, were 35 free throws. I had played High School ball, but haven't shot regularly since. I did buy a ball a month ago, planning to practice, but this heat wave wave had out here had kept me off the playground. I was worried that making 35 could take hours! Apologizing to my crew, which now included Jens hubby Michael, I took my first shot - Nothing buy net! Woo hoo! Shot #2, same! I rock! Uh, well, almost.... I ended up shooting 35 of 93. Fatigue set in after the first 20 or so shots, and my average took a dive. All in all, though, it was a blast! My entire challenge was more fun and rewarding than I expected and I am very pleased with myself for my accomplishment.

After 4 years of night school to change my career (getting my teaching credential, and a Masters in Social Sciences), I wasn't in the kind of shape I wanted to be. I worked my butt off, starting in the end of June, passing on any sleeping in, and being up before the sun to train. Proudly, I accomplished my goal! Thanks to those who have challenged before me, and inspired me to challenge myself.