101 in 1,001

The Mission:Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

I learned of this mission from a favorite blogger of mine who recently posted her 101 in 1,001 list. I thought that completing this list and posting it would be a great way to kick off my new blog (and coincidentally allowed my check an item off the list!). Reading a post on this prompted me to make my own, so I can track my goals and hold myself accountable for them. Some of her ideas sounded like so much fun so I decided to add them to my list too- may have even gotten a few from her friends that created lists. So thanks for the inspiration! Here goes...

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).
Why 1001 Days? Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Start Date: Saturday, February 7, 2009
End Date: November 3, 2011
Yellow - Completed Item

DO SOMETHING FUN/CULTURAL:
1. Attend the Christmas Carol at Playhouse Square
2. Go wine tasting at an Ohio Winery
3. Go snowtubing
4. Visit a botanical garden
5. Go on a haunted tour
6. Visit a country that I’ve never been to before- Bahamas!
7. Visit 3 states that I’ve never been to before (0/3)
8. Try 10 new restaurants (10/10) - Henry's at the Barn (5/15), The Greenhouse Tavern (5/28), Fratelli la Bufala (6/5), Moxie (6/8), Mi Pueblo (6/11), Sweet Basil's (6/12), Westside Market Cafe (8/8), Cafe Matisse in Nassau (10/24), Chinato (2/14), Don's Lighthouse (3/28)
9. Take a beach vacation to a beach I've never visited- Bahamas- Cococay Island (Berry Islands)
10. Go to a drive-in movie
11. See a movie at the Cedar- Lee Theater- Catfish
12. Go to three concerts (3/3)- Dave Matthews Band (6/20), Dave Matthews Band at Cococay (10/25), Michael Buble (4/10) 
13. Learn how to play poker

DO SOMETHING SOCIAL:
14. Get three other people to create goal lists (0/3)
15. Have friends over for dinner 3 times (0/3)
16. Have a girl’s night 4 times (4/4)
17. Make plans with a new friend

DO SOMETHING TECHY:
18. Sign up for Twitter19. Start a personal blog
20. Sign up for an online money manager (Quickbooks or something similar)
21. Learn how to make minor modifications to blog template
22. Learn how to use the macro setting on my camera
23. Create a backup storage system for media
24. Clean up my flash drives from the wedding

DO SOMETHING PROFESSIONAL:
25. Start up and get my own business off the ground
26. Buy a new Mac laptop for my business
27. Start a website and/or blog for my own business
28. Purchase gorgeous letterpress stationery or business cards for my own business
29. Buy a new, higher quality camera
30. Join one networking group
31. Quit my current job

DO SOMETHING TO BOOST THE ECONOMY (aka Shop):
32. Buy new furniture for the family room 
33. Save up and buy some gorgeous heels (Louboutins, Manolos, etc.)
34. Buy an awesome pair of jeans (post weight loss)
35. Buy a home
36. Buy an iPhone
37. Buy a car

DO SOMETHING HEALTHY:
38. Take the stairs instead of the elevator for one week.
39. Take a walk with my husband
40. Start a running program and stick with it for 4 weeks
41. Work out 3x week for 4 weeks (0/12)
42. Drink 8 glasses or 64 oz. of water every day for a week
43. Go a whole day making an effort to only focus on good things
44. Take my vitamins every day for a month
45. Go one month without drinking a caramel macchiato
46. Incorporate a natural aluminum-free deodorant to use
47. Stop drinking coffee for one week
48. Lose 15 pounds (3/15)
49. Eat something green and leafy every day for a week (0/7)
50. Floss 1x day for a month (0/30)
51. Buy a Clarisonic face brush
52. Attend a yoga class once a week for a month (0/4)

DO SOMETHING DOMESTIC:
53. Make a scrapbook of home interior ideas
54. Bake a pie from scratch
55. Bake some bread from scratch
56. Bake at least 3 different kinds of cupcakes from scratch (0/3)
57. Make a delicious molten lava chocolate cake
58. Make crepes at home
59. Cook and host a meal at home
60. Make 3 new kinds of muffins (1/3)
61. Try 30 new recipes (3/30)- Pasta with Bolognese and Broccoli Rabe, Butternut Squash Lasagna, High protein butternut squash dip
62. Get new bedding for our master bedroom
63. Take a cake decorating class
64. Have fresh flowers at home for 4 weeks (3/4)

DO SOMETHING CRAFTY:
65. Print pictures to display in frames around the house
66. Create wedding album
67. Create parent albums for mom and dad and in-laws
68. Make a cute fabric covered box for my buttons
69. Create wedding and honeymoon scrapbook

DO SOMETHING INTELLECTUAL:
70. Play "Brain Age" every day for a month to exercise my brain.
71. Go to a coffee shop and enjoy the afternoon by myself
72. Join a book club
73. Read 25 books including 5 non-fiction and starting with ones I already own but have not yet read. (9/25, 3/5)- Starbucked, Eat Pray Love, The Kite Runner, Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Christmas Carol, Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy
74. Watch 5 documentaries on things I don’t know enough about (1/5) - War of the Worlds, 5/25
75. Visit 3 Museums (2/3)- Smithsonian-National Museum of American History, 6/5, Smithsonian National Zoological Park (7/24)
76. Watch all of AFI's top 100 movies (25/100)

DO SOMETHING SPIRITUAL:
77. Find a church that J and I like and join it

DO SOMETHING GREEN:
78. Use reusable shopping bags when grocery shopping 20 times (17/20)
79. Recycle all of my old magazines (tons from the wedding!)
80. Get rid of old cleansers and replace with safe/natural home products- Basic H and Basic G

DO SOMETHING ORGANIZED/NECESSARY:
81. Clean up/organize makeup and get rid of old stuff
82. Sell unwanted wedding stuff- donated the rest
83. Organize jewelry and get rid of old/broken pieces
84. Clean the kitchen every night for 2 weeks (14/14)
85. Draft a living will
86. Renew my passport w/ my married name
87. Sign up for a book swap and get rid of unwanted books - ended up selling them!

DO SOMETHING PHILANTHROPIC:
88. Purge and donate old clothes from closets
89. Buy a Christmas gift for a needy child
90. Pay for the person behind me in a drive through- Starbucks on 12/19!
91. Donate household items we no longer need before move

DO SOMETHING FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE:
92. Increase my 401(k) contribution
93. Pay off all credit card debt
94. Only buy Starbucks one morning per week for four weeks
95. Put $5 in savings for each completed task and $5 for every uncompleted one (0/101)
96. Create and implement a financial plan with the hubby
97. Put away $50/month into Savings 12 times (12/12)
98. Put away $50/month into an IRA 12 times (0/12)

DO SOMETHING FAMILY ORIENTED:
99. Become a mommy (Baby on the way in August, 2011!)
100. Host a girl’s weekend with my mom and sister
101. Take a family vacation with all of my siblings, parents, niece and nephew