The List

Here, in no particular order, are my 101 goals: 

1. Read the whole Bible
2. Run a 10K (technically completed, just not in a race, May 2012)
3. Run a half-marathon (Bum hip, not going to happen.)
4. Be able to hold a conversation in French
5. Try the elliptical machine (I quit the gym. Don't need it. I have Jillian.) 
6. Go out to eat at a sit-down restaurant by myself (I don't see the point.)
7. Play a game of Risk (completed 12/2012 I think)
8. Go on a date to the zoo
9. Buy a bike (completed 7/3/14)
10. Climb a 14-er (completed July 2013)
11. Read 5 "classic" literature books (1/5)
12. Read 5 non-fiction books (2/5)
13. Paint a painting (completed 9/4/12)
14. Make sushi (completed, don't know when) 
15. Take a dance class (completed summer 2013, kind of)
16. Clean up my gmail (I don't care - google gives me so much space!)
17. Get a full time teaching job (completed 10/3/11)
18. Bake a loaf of bread (completed 3/26/11)
19. Make a pie from scratch (completed 4/23/11) 
20. Make a full Italian meal from scratch (completed 3/26/11) 
21. Make my own pad thai (Too unhealthy - works against other goals.) 
22. Host a grilled cheese party (Um, I don't want to.) 
23. Put my Morocco pictures in an album
24. Go to an art museum by myself
25. Travel to Europe
26. See a ballet (completed 3/6/11)
27. Drink only water for 1 week (I can still eat. Duh.) 
28. Eat vegan for 1 week
29. Attend a family reunion (completed 7/15/12) 
30. Watch 5 documentaries (3/5)
31. Hike in the Grand Canyon
32. Go on a road-trip without a pre-set destination (3/30/12)
33. Give a 100% tip
34. Travel to 3 states I've never been to (3/3)
35. Make cookies for my neighbors
36. Send 33 "just because" letters/cards (one/month) (completed) 
37. Make homemade hummus
38. Make homemade bagels
39. Fly a kite
40. Camp in the Olympic Peninsula (completed June 2013)
41. Host a murder mystery party (completed 10/6/12)
42. Make a wish at 11:11 on 11/11/11 (completed on 11/11/11)
43. Knit a Gryffindor scarf
44. Volunteer for a film festival
45. Go on a scavenger hunt (completed 7/18/11)
46. Plant and keep alive a vegetable plant (completed summer 2013)
47. Go to Disney World  (completed January 2013)
48. Go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (completed January 2013)
49. Volunteer at 3 new places (completed)
50. Get a hair cut that's out of my comfort zone (completed 3/14/11) 
51. Perfect one of Julia Child's recipes (I don't want to. Too unhealthy.)
52. Refinish a piece of old furniture
53. Participate in a flash mob (These are no longer a thing.)
54. Go cross-country skiing
55. Walk to the library by my house, get a library card, and check out a book (completed 3/5/11)
56. Donate blood
57. Print, frame, and hang pictures in my living room
58. Write a note in a book and donate it
59. Take a hot yoga class (5/21/12)
60. Go somewhere new and touristy within Colorado (ie Mesa Verde or 4 Corners) (3/31/12)
61. Pay off student loans (I added grad school to this, so it'll be awhile...)
62. Buy someone flowers for no reason
63. Sponsor a child (completed, ongoing)
64. Go tubing in Boulder Creek (completed August 2013)
65. Complete the 30 Day Shred with Jillian (for a straight 30 days)
66. Get a pet
67. Make a blog for this list and blog about all my goals
68. Build a snowman
69. Drink a cup of tea on my front porch (completed 9/3/12)
70. Make a reusable annual advent calendar
71. Send out Christmas cards (completed Christmas 2012)
72. Put all of my cds in my itunes
73. Pay for a stranger's drink (ie in line at Starbucks) (completed)
74. Go to Vegas with Jess again (completed 6/22/12)
75. Get a manicure (completed 7/11/11)
76. Listen to an audio book (completed 9/17/11)
77. Grow an avocado pit
78. See a live taping of a tv show (completed summer 2013)
79. Eat gluten-free for a week (completed August 2013)
80. Learn how to tie a tie (completed 12/26/11)
81. Help Tory achieve one of her goals (Is she still doing them?)
82. Help Ashley achieve a goal (She is not doing them.)
83. Help Jess achieve a goal (completed 3/28/11)
84. Buy something on Etsy (completed 8/7/11)
85. Make my bed when I wake up everyday for a week
86. Make and send a valentine to someone famous
87. See a Cirque du Soleil show
88. Correct grammar or punctuation on a sign
89. Keep my room clean for a month straight
90. Hand-make a gift for a baby (completed October 2012)
91. Be able to do a pull-up
92. Be able to do 5 REAL push-ups
93. Build a sand-castle
94. Whiten my teeth
95. Go Christmas caroling
96. Hike at Mount Rainier (completedish June 2014)
97. Keep a journal where I write one thing I'm thankful for every night for a month (completed on Facebook, November 2013)
98. Put googley eyes on the monster bush (completed 9/29/12)
99. Get started on my Master's degree (I'm in it!) 
100. 
     
101. 
     

The Big Idea

I have to say, first of all, that I never thought I'd have a blog. I mean, why would I? I don't have anything particularly interesting to say, nor am I an outstanding or witty writer. But most importantly, I don't live a very fascinating life. My life, actually, is quite boring. Not to say that I'm unhappy - I'm fairly content in what I have. It's just boring is all. I feel like I'm one of those people that's always waiting for my real life to begin. Like when I get a teaching job, when I have enough money, when I get married.... that's when I'll do all of those things I want to do. That's when I'll accomplish goals and become a well-rounded interesting person. But in the mean time I'll wait, and waste my time with inconsequential things. 


What I've decided, though, is to stop waiting. 


On Valentine's Day I went out to a lovely dinner with Stasia, Tory, and Ashley. Tory brought up that she was thinking about doing 101 goals in 1001 days. I don't know exactly where this idea originated, but it's something I've seen before. The goals can be anything you want them to be: some very big and important, and some small and fun. As soon as Tory brought it up, I thought, "That's something I should do." What an excellent way to stop being so boring and to start actually living my life.  


So, here's the plan: I have 1001 days to complete my 101 goals. That gives me until November 15, 2013. I've come up with most of my goals,  but I am leaving a few blanks to add more as I move forward in this. To be honest, it's all a little daunting. Some of these goals are pretty huge for me, and some will take a lot of long-term work and slow progress. But I'm also very excited to start living a fuller and more interesting life. 


I'm writing this blog as a way to keep track of my progress and accomplishments. Plus, I don't do well with self-motivation, and I need some sort of accountability, even if no one ever reads this. So... here we go! Day one!