Monday, January 30, 2012

101 in 1001

Thanks to Bee Girl over at Sky Minded and Ever Growing, I decided to take on this challenge. The details can be found here, but basically, I am going to complete the following 101 tasks in 1001 days. It’s not like a bunch of resolutions for the new-year; these are goals that generally need planning and mindful attention to complete. (Well, I guess if I were doing resolutions correctly, I would be planning and paying attention to them, right? Duh….) As I complete each goal, I will note it here by crossing it off. As I make progress on the goals, I will update here with notes. I started this on January 1, 2012, and I should finish on September 28, 2014.

TRY
1. Take a ballroom dance lesson (or two or three).
2. Attend the Greek festival in downtown SLC.
3. Bake challah bread from scratch and recognize the significance in the Jewish Sabbath meal (since we are not at all religious).
a. Done - 4/2013. Tastes great. And, for the significance, go here!
4. Take a fly-fishing lesson (or two or three).
5. Taste ten fruits/veggies that I’ve never eaten before.
a. Persimmon, 1/2013 - Meatball and I loved it! I can't believe I've never tried it before. Unfortunately, they are really expensive here...
b. Pluot, 8/2013 - I tried one during the Ruby Mountain Relay - one of the exchange volunteers had brought some for the runners to eat. YUM!!!
6. Ascend a rock-climbing wall (totally assisted and harnessed, of course).
7. Mix and drink a traditional martini.
8. Drive a snow mobile.
9. Take a five-mile snowshoe hike.

MASTER
10. Appropriately position my body in the half moon yoga pose (after that, every other pose should be a piece of cake!).
a) 3/18/12 update: I got closer last week. I felt like I was actually able to turn my hips just the slightest amount in the direction of "opening up," but boy - do I have a ways to go!
b) 8/2/12 update: better....
11. Pace myself in one marathon/year to achieve 4:45 in 2012, 4:30 in 2013, and 4:15 in 2014.
a) 2012 marathon is out of the budget, but I will still train as if I am running one. I can run an unofficial 'thon and try to meet my time goal.
b) Well, 2012: fail.
12. Complete the 100 push-up challenge.
13. Complete the 200 sit-up challenge.
14. Complete the 200 squats challenge.
15. Complete the 150 dip challenge.
16. Change my diet and exercise regimen to bring my body to a healthy weight (140).
17. Train successfully to complete a ½ Iron Man Triathlon.
18. Make the BEST tiramisu, ever!
19. Make healthy and hearty bread from scratch that is not as flat nor as heavy as a rock.
a. 2/25/12 update: I made an AWESOME loaf of bread. Now, I just need to reproduce it a few times.
b. 8/27/13 update: I made a rye French bread. Not necessarily healthy since the flour was white, but it was yummy!
20. Learn to really swim.
21. Improve my posture.
22. Knit or crochet well enough to create some special gifts.

GROW
23. Better utilize my compost.
a. My compost pile is not all that great because I'm not as committed to it as some people are. However, I did dig up the middle/bottom layer this year and spread it in my garden. I don't know if it helped or not, but I could tell that the soil was amended.
24. Expand my berry plants to double my current space.
a. As of January 2012, I have three black berry patches and one raspberry plant.
b. As of June 2012, I have killed three black berry transplants. I blame the hot weather, but the fact that I forget to water them probably has something to do with it.
25. Create a Dutch oven fire pit in the back yard.
26. Double the amount of 2011 home canned food yearly total by 2014.
a. As of October 2011, I had 84 quarts and 103 pints/half-pints in the pantry.
b. I made this goal without checking the actual 2011 totals.
c. I think I need to buy more jars.
d. It's not even the end of May 2012, and we're already out of salsa, bottled tomatoes, peaches, and almost applesauce!
27. Start my own bee hive.
28. Make my own healthy pasta.
a. Jan 2012 - I made some whole wheat ravioli. Holy heavy and thick. I'm sure that it was healthy, but it wasn't good.
29. Re-landscape the front lawn.
30. Plant three different herb gardens (medicinal, savory, fragrant).
31. Add four new houseplants each year.
a. 5/1/12 update: a few weeks ago, I grabbed something that was on clearance - requires moist soil and low light. We're northern facing, so low light I can do. We've even done a decent job of keeping it moist!
b. 12/31/12 update: I've only kept this one plant alive, but at least it's alive!
c. 4/15/13 update: I've purchased another low-sun plant. I need to re-pot it this weekend. It looks very healthy so far.
32. Re-shingle the tool sheds.
33. Plant a new tree.
34. Be a vegan for a month.
a. The plan is for March, 2012.
b. Done! It was interesting.
35. Make limoncello.
36. Make syrup.

LOVE
37. Take Bub to the Sundance film festival.
38. Become legally married in SOME state that allows it.
a. OH MY GOD! UTAH! 12/23/2013. NO JOKE!!!
39. Take Bub and the boys to a professional football game.
40. Unplug one week in 2012, two weeks in 2013, and three weeks in 2014.
a. 2012 start: November 28 - no computer/iPhone/text during family time (evenings and weekends)
b. 2013 5 days over the 4th of July holiday. Nobody missed the phone. Nobody (Bub) noticed, either.
41. Go on one grown-up date per month.
a. This is NOT working out. $$$$ is sooooo tight.
42. Walk away from arguments first.
a. 2/27/12 update: This is going OK - not great, but an improvement from where I was.
b. 8/27/13 update: I am trying to go 40 days without yelling or raising my voice. Eight days into it, and the whole family has calmed down. Am I that toxic to people around me?
43. Talk to a family member one time per week.
a. As of 1/30/2012, I am sucking at this.
44. Leave a random love note for Bub one time per week.
45. Create the boys scrapbooks from birth to now.
46. Throw an awesome 50th birthday bash for Bub.
a. The big day is mid-August, 2012.
b. The restaurant that I was going to use has closed its doors.
c. This was great.. I wish I could have done more, but she was happy.
47. Talk/write to a long-distance friend one time per week.
a. As of 1/30/2012, I am failing at this, also.
48. Go to the drive in.
a. Done. For Halloween, the boys' school does trunk-n-treat at the local drive-in and watches a movie afterwards. $5 goes to the school as a fundraiser, and it's a safe place! We saw Ice Age 4.
49. Send a poem to Bub.
50. Take each boy (individually) on a “fancy” date three times per year.
a. 2012: fail. Money was so tight, but that's a poor excuse. They don't care about "fancy." They would have just liked a date. I will make up for this in 2013.
51. Serve Bub and the boys breakfast in bed.
a. breakfast in bed for Bub on her 50th birthday
52. Make the family Christmas socks.
53. Eat dinner by candlelight (some champagne wouldn’t hurt).
54. Feel beautiful at least one time per week.
a. 5/1/12 update: Not going well. Mostly, I feel fat and angry (at myself).
55. Take the boys to the Nutcracker.
56. Attend a concert (the boys’ first).
a. 12/31/12: no concert yet, but two U of U basketball games and (finally!) a hockey game!!

ACHIEVE
57. Run 1200 miles in 2012, 1300 miles in 2013, 1400 miles in 2014.
a. 2012: fail. :(
b. 2013: foot surgery at the beginning of the year has put me dramatically behind schedule
c. 2013: fail.
58. Become involved in and learn about P42 (newest technology at work).
a. 3/5/12 update: I got sucked in to help with some training materials. I'm going to see if I can keep at least one foot in the doorway to keep it open after the training stuff is done.
b. As of 4/1, I'm officially a member of the team! Product Manager for some of the most interesting applications.
c. 2/2013: Still on the team, but change of responsibilities. I'm not loving it right now.
d. This turned out to be a huge mistake.
59. Serve on the council for the Tooele Arts Festival.
a. Feb 2012: Done! Not only am I on the board, but I'm the DIRECTOR of the whole event!
b. June 2012: The festival was an awesome hit! I can't wait for next year!
c. June 2013: Another successful year!
60. Complete NaNoWriMo in 2012, 2013, and 2014.
a. 2012: fail.
b. 2013: fail. I have characters, but not a riveting plot.
61. Obtain promotion.
a. Fail. Utterly.
62. Have an article published in the local paper.

SAVE
63. Pay off one credit card per year in 2012, 2013, and 2014.
a. March 2012 - goodbye to one of the Citi cards! YEAH!
b. December 2012 - thanks to a generous bonus, I paid off two B of A cards! Only one more (the biggest) to go!
64. See the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in person.
65. Open an Etsy shop.
66. Pay all bills on time.
a. 5/1/12 update: Mostly doing OK on this.
b. 11/30/12 update: Suffered a fall set-back, but we'll get back on track.
c. 12/31/12 update: All bills are back up to date except for my student loans.
67. Buy a road bike for commute (and triathlon) purposes.
68. Take a trip by train.
69. Avoid eating out for an entire month.
70. Learn to change my own oil.

CALM
71. Meditate daily for 30 days.
72. Read at least one book per month.
a. One Second After by William Forstchen, completed 1/2012
b. Five Fortunes by Beth Gutcheon, completed 1/2012
c. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink, completed 1/2012
d. Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow, completed 2/2012
e. The Girls Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson, completed 3/2012
f. Getting to Yes; Negotiatin Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William Ury, completed 3/2012
g. The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz, completed 5/2012
h. No Place, Louisiana by Martin Pousson, completed 5/2012
i. Mountain of Crumbs by Elena Gorokhova, completed 6/2012
j. The Bourne Deception by Eric Van Lustbader, completed 6/2012
k. The Calling of Katie Makanya by Margaret McCord, completed 7/2012
l. Chalktown by Melinda Haynes, completed 8/2012
m. Mother Of Pearl by Melinda Haynes, completed 9/2012
n. Elephant Walk by Robert Standish, completed 10/2012
o. Identity by Milan Kundera, completed 11/2012
p. Rise of the Guardians, based on the movie, completd 12/2012 (OK - this is a stretch, but I'm in the middle of a boring book for work, and I just can't read two books at once, so I'm counting the first chapter book that I just read to the boys)
q. Lean Start Up by Eric Reis, completed 1/2013
r. Life of Pi by Yann Martel, completed 2/2013
s. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, completed 4/2013 (intended to complete in March, but couldn't do it)
t. Oogy by Larry Levin, completed 4/2013
u. Ironweed by William Kennedy, completed 6/2013 (I didn't complete a book in May.)
v. River Cross My Heart by Breena Clark, completed 7/2013
w. Wild Horses by Brian Hodge, completed 8/2013
x. The Help by Kathryn Stockett, completed 8/2013
y. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, completed 10/2013
z. Bloodline by James Rollins, completed 11/2013
aa. Great Work by David Sturt, completed 12/2013
bb. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Neffinegger, completed 12/2013
cc. Hanna's Daughters by Marianne Fredrickssen, completed 1/2014
dd. The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum, completed 2/2014
73. Find inner strength.
74. Perform with the Tooele community orchestra.
75. Visit five caves.
a. Lehman Caves - Baker, NV - 4/2013
76. Visit a beach in three different states.
a. 8/2013: New Smyrna Beach - FL
77. Visit nine museums.
a. 12/2012: Utah Museum of Natural History
78. Get my first mani/pedi.
79. Arrange for a couple’s massage and spa day.
80. See the Grand Canyon.
81. Refinish the piano.

GIVE
82. Pay somebody else’s bus fare.
a. DONE 12/2013
83. Donate blood or plasma at least six times per year.
a. January 31, 2012
b. April 30, 2012
c. July 10, 2012
d. October 23, 2012
e. February 8, 2013
f. April 11, 2013
g. July 17, 2013
84. Involve the boys in some form of volunteer work six times per year.
a. 2/2012 update: We went through our bathroom and donated un-opened soaps, hotel shampoos, extra toothpastes, and etc. It was an interesting conversation about why we were doing it, to say the least.
b. 6/2012 update: the boys "helped" spraypaint the grids for the arts festival booths.
c. 9/2012 update: the boys picked some books to donate to the local thrift store
d. 12/2012 update: the boys each picked a toy to donate to the local thrift store
e. 5/2013 update: a classmate of the boys has been diagnosed with very aggressive cancer - we're collecting cans and pennies
f. 6/2013 update: the boys helped with the arts festival again this year - this time, they helped me carry "heavy" loads and make sure that everyone was happy
85. Donate a quilt.
86. Be an active member of the parent-teacher organization at the boys’ school.
a. They don't start school until fall, 2012.
b. Their charter does things differently than I thought, but in the end, I did not get the vote for the FSO for the 2012-2013 year.
87. Help coach the boys’ sports team (sport to be decided – soccer is definitely not it).
88. Organize the Jensen family holiday party.
89. Raise money for the Huntsman Hometown Hero program.
a. 2/3/12 - answered phones during the annual Huntsman/K-BULL radio-thon where the Huntsman Cancer Foundation raised $160,000!
90. Host a blogger giveaway.
a. In process!
91. Organize the first Christensen family reunion/BBQ in HOW MANY years?!?!?
92. Pay somebody’s expired parking meter before they are ticketed.
93. Send girl scout cookies to a service member overseas.

ODDS AND ENDS
94. Stand at the four corners.
95. Run three (or more) miles in ten new Utah towns per year.
a. Feb 4, 2012 - Sandy
b. 2012: fail!
c. July 4, 2013 - Henefer
d. July 13, 2013 - Springville
e. September, 2013 - Stansbury Park
96. Watch 26 new movies with titles ranging in sequence from A to Z.
a. Amelia - story of Amelia Earhart - I really liked it.
b. Blessed is the Match - WW2 documentary - I highly recommend it
c. Cry of the Owl - suspense/thriller - I'm still a bit confused
d. Doubt - suspense/thinker - I liked it even though the ending was ambiguous
e. Extraordinary Measures - loved it - parents who stop at nothing for their kids
f. I forget what I watched!
g. Get Low - billed somewhat as a comedy, I found it more sad than anything - but, self forgiveness... whoa
h. Horrible Bosses - funny, but I don't like Jennifer Aniston in crude roles
i. In Love and War - had I known that this was based on the true story of Ernest Hemingway, I would have rented it sooner
j. The Job - I'm still scratching my head
k. Kung Fu Kid - I love Will Smith. Watching his son was awesome. Completely predictable movie? Yes. So what.
l. The Losers. Loser of a movie.
m. Men Who Stare At Goats - I was laughing the engire time.
n. Now Is Good - it was OK
o. The Other Boleyn Girl - I had no idea. I should know more history.
p. I forget what I watched.
q. Quartet - cute show
r. Rabbit Hole - very depressing
s. I forget what I watched.
t. Taking of Pelham 123 - Denzel Washington and John Travolta? Very exciting
u. Unknown - I've liked Liam Nissam since "Taken."
v. Vietnam War, Utah Stories - I watched the first in a 3-part documentary
w. The Way - I like it a lot.
97. Create a “map” project for the boys to learn the 50 states.
a. We mapped our route to Baker, NV, to visit Lehman's caves in April, 2013.
b. When we see a license plate from a different state, we find out something about that state. This was really fun on our 2013 trip to Florida.
98. Learn to tie flies.
99. Participate in a 365 day photo challenge and blog the results.
a. 2013 is the year!
b. 2013 (July) update: I'm so tired of looking at myself.
c. Gawd. It was awful. A person can only take so much of themselves.
100. Try 50 new/unique beers.
a. Full Suspension Pal Ale from Squatters, Feb 2013
b. Dubhe from Uintah Brewing, May 2013
c. Leffe Blonde, Hard Rock Cafe, FL August 2013
d. Yuengling Lager, Dolphin View Restaurant, FL August 2013
e. 211 High Gravity Lager, Dollar General Market, NSB FL August 2013 (8.1%, 16oz, $0.79 each!)
101. Solve a Sudoku puzzle.

2 comments:

Bee Girl said...

Ha! I love your list! I'm so glad you've jumped on this challenge! Good luck! I look forward to reading about how it goes!

Tom Stewart said...

"HOLLY CRAP, BATMAN"! Think the list is long enough? (Told you I would be back!).
I love a challenge, But this one seem so daunting! Do I really have that many things I want to do, try, or accomplish! I will have to sit down and make a list and see if I can come up with 101.
Check out the "Hand Made it Forward 2012 Challenge" that some of us are doing right now. Want to get in on it, read my post about it! It might knock a couple things off you list!
Tom