Complete: 23. Host a Rummikub tournament

It wasn't integral, but I was really hoping I could get this one done before we left. All my Rummikub homies live here! My mom, especially, is the biggest Rummikub fan I know. She was so jazzed about the tournament - she's still talking about how much fun it was.

1st place (top) to 7th place (bottom)
Hubster and I are the Alpha and Omega of Rummikub

Macey's ran a great sale on Red Button that perfectly coincided with the tournament, so I bought 7 of them, and we sampled as we played.

With that, I just need to have Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake (limited fall flavor, so I'll have to visit) and the elusive Lime Rickey Sherbet, which was no where to be found. Hopefully we can track it down before we go. 

I keep calling the Draper aquarium so I can experience their penguins, but nobody wants to talk to me. I hope I can get that scheduled soon. 

I'd feel pretty fake going to a Utah Old Time Fiddlers meeting when I'm completely out of practice musically, and we're probably not going to be able to squeeze in a trip to New Mexico with everything going on, too. We did get a picture in Florida, so maybe I'll allow one sub state. I'm all about making things achievable.

Complete: 11. Ride the Heber Valley Railroad

So it's official, we're moving to Washington. Time to squeeze in that Utah list!

Hubster and I decided to ride the Monday night train at the Heber Valley Railroad, and boy, was it delightful!

It was beautiful weather.

The train started in Heber, and went out to Decker Bay. When we got to there, they took the locomotive off the front and moved it to the back of the train to take us back.

It was about 90 minutes for the whole ride, which I think was a good length. They have 3 hour rides, as well, and that might have been a little too long. They had on-train entertainment - fiddlers and dance parties, which we successfully avoided, haha.

Overall, we super enjoyed it. And I got a bonus smashed penny!

Hooray!

Complete: 58. Have yearly family portraits taken + 67. Build a fancy cake for someone

30 items done!!! Just in time for my 30th birthday, and I didn't even plan it that way. I should have - that would have been a good goal!

We got family pictures taken twice and then we just had family take our picture at GRADUATION!!! I figured our family hasn't changed enough to justify paying someone again, haha.

And then I made a great cake, also for GRADUATION!!!

Hubster's family literally applauded when I cut into into it and pulled out blue cake. It was great.

We're so excited to be done with this chapter of our lives. Time to have real lives and no more homework!!!

Utah List Items

We might be leaving Utah, and it's really setting in. Nothing final yet, but I've made a list of 101 List things that will need to be completed before we go:

11. Ride the Heber Valley Railroad

65. Add pictures to our map for all western states (New Mexico!)

85. Go to the Penguin Encounter at the Living Planet Aquarium

90. Attend a Utah Old Time Fiddlers Association meeting

93. Try every available flavor of Red Button ice cream

There are a few more that would be easier to do here, but these are the only ones we couldn't do if we moved. I'm glad I've done a lot of the Utah-centric ones already. 

We'll have lots to do besides this (eating at all my favorite restaurants, seeing all my favorite friends like everyday before we go, Grassroots Shakespeare's summer tour), so we've gotta get working. Hopefully we'll get an official job offer soon and we can officially decide what we're gonna do!

Complete: 62. Follow an elimination diet to see if I have food intolerances

We did it! It took us much longer than 30 days, but the Whole30 is complete. We reintroduced gluten on Sunday to no ill effects beside being super sleepy.

I was really hoping for a magic cure-all, but I should have known better. At least we know that we're not allergic to anything!

Overall, we did feel better eating clean, but I think that is to be expected - it's not a food intolerance, it's just that bods don't like eating junk. We are definitely motivated to have veg and real stuff in our diet. We do want to eat less meat. That's one thing we felt bad about on Whole30 - having meat for almost every meal.

I was really hoping this would help my digestive issues, but I still had a few. My next thing to try will be a low/no FODMAP diet. FODMAPs are some carbohydrates that don't get absorbed easily. That's for another time, though, so for now, I'm done with another goal! Wooooo!

Complete: 98. Listen to 100+ episodes of This American Life

I finally finished another one, wooooo!!

I love This American Life so much, and I've learned so much from listening to so many new episodes!

I love their takes on current events - they put human faces on things that are happening. Their stories are funny and meaningful and sometimes sad, but always so so good.

I am especially grateful to them for helping me navigate the presidential election. I didn't vote for 45, but they helped me develop empathy for those who did.

I should have kept better track of the episodes I liked and the ones I didn't, but I didn't - I liked most of them to be honest. And if I didn't particularly care for the subject, I still learned something.

Their website has a bunch of recommended episodes, so check it out if you want to start listening!

Happy Easter!

We visited my family in California, and were able to see The Oh Hellos while we were there - one of hubster's favorite bands. 

We did do some stereotypical Easter things. I bought myself some new dresses (#64):

My sister-in-law is closing her Lularoe business so I got these for wholesale prices. They were still fairly expensive, but so cute (and have pockets!!)! I might try DI or sale racks for the other 3 dresses.

We also bought candy on sale after Easter - peeps for #99 (gotta plan that diorama!) and Reese's eggs for when we're done with this diet, hahaha. I forgot to warn my family that we're eating crazy and I think they were adequately appalled. My stepmom's cooking is full of delicious things like butter and cream, and she had trays of sweet rolls that we couldn't eat either. I'm so ready to be done! We're really close, though. Just soy and gluten and we're done. Good food awaits!