101 Things

My friend Marcie has a terrific blog, and her most intriguing post features a list of 101 things she hopes to accomplish in 1001 days. The point is not so much to adhere to the deadline as it is to thoughtfully articulate goals both big and small, and commit to achieving those goals. What's more, Marcie encourages others to follow suit (don't mind if I do!)

Some of her goals are philanthropic (go on a mission trip); thoughtful (host a baby shower for someone); practical (pay off her car); adventurous (Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and do an African Safari); and lighthearted (go to a drive-in movie). Now, the only thing I plan to climb over the next 1001 days is a flight of stairs, but I think this list is a stroke of genius because it combines two of my interests: compulsive list-making and blogging. While my to-do lists aren't enumerated and published for all to see (until now), I do have a small legal pad, a spiral bound notebook, and a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet outlining various goals and action items. So yeah, I'm down with list-making. 

I'm going to view this as a less ambitious version of a bucket list. First of all, bucket lists are morbid and tend to be elaborate and involve a lot of world travel. With a baby on the way, it's highly doubtful I will be visiting the Eiffel Tower anytime soon. On the other hand, a new baby can easily make me an overwhelmed, one-track-mind mama in need of broadening her horizons. This could prove to be a very healthy exercise for me at this stage in life. In this post, I will list 101 goals and activities that I hope to complete within 1001 days. As I cross items off the list, I'll also blog about it. January 23, 2013 is 1001 days from today. Giddyup!

1. Pay off my car

2. Teach my dogs how to use a doggy door

3. Learn how to care for a newborn

4. Attend a book signing

5. Finish decorating the baby's nursery

6. Take a class: Spanish, photography, pole-dancing...

7. Have a baby

8. Paint my front door

9. Go to the opera

10. Regain my figure after having the baby
11. Babysit for somebody
12. Take a second honeymoon.
13. Sew something.
14. Watch an entire television series I've never seen before
15. Go back to New Orleans
16. Rip the carpet out of my house
17. Make sushi
18. Go to the rollerderby
19. Make a scrapbook
20. Learn a new recipe
21. Ride a bicycle
22. Float the river
23. Revisit Napa
24. Plant flowers in my front yard
25. Participate in a fitness bootcamp
26. Host a party
27. Attend an event out-of-state that's in someone else's honor
28. Go to a concert
29. Go to New York with Steve
30. Teach somebody something.
31. See a musical
32. See a stand-up comedian
33. Create a canvas painting
34. Participate in a charity walk
35. Play a practical joke
36. Visit a haunted house
37. Sky dive
38. Read a book a month for a year
39. Renew my wedding vows in Vegas (with Elvis, of course)
40. Sleep under the stars
41. Celebrate my 30th birthday
42. Mail a fan letter
43. Have cosmetic surgery
44. Vote
45. Go to Mardi Gras
46. Thoroughly rid my home of clutter, junk, and anything we don't use
47. Attend the Kentucky Derby
48. Celebrate the 10th anniversary of our 1st date
49. Eliminate the word "awesome" from my lexicon
50. Attend a wedding
51. Learn how to read a map (per Steve's request)
52. Ride a horse
53. See Citizen Kane in its entirety.
54. Don't ask Steve to take me to see any crappy romantic comedies.
55. Read A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
56. Send flowers
57. Celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary
58. Go to a Dallas Cowboys game
59. Go to a Dallas Mavericks game
60. Send gifts to the babies in our family
61. Help George lose weight
62. Learn how to grill
63. Attempt to donate blood
64. Watch the final season of The Hills
65. Spend the day at Six Flags Over Texas
66. Enroll Laney in Therapy Dogs
67. Sell something on eBay
68. Try a new cuisine
69. See an IMAX movie
70. Go to a Dallas Stars game
71. Go to the Texas State Fair
72. Play matchmaker
73. See all of the films that have won the Best Picture Oscar
74. Attend Steve's 20th high school reunion
75. Sing karaoke
76. Go to the horse races at Lonestar Park
77. Read a memoir
78. Visit the Dallas Farmer's Market
79. Go rollerskating
80. Go to a drag show
81. Tour a Texas vineyard
82. Go to the flea market
83. Tour the Sixth Floor Museum
84. Go to the Fort Worth Zoo
85. View the Dallas skyline from Reunion Tower
86. Be present at a birth
87. Go to a drive-in movie
88. Attend a parade
89. Tie a necktie
90. Learn how to throw a football
91. Learn how to play poker
92. Make wine
93. Get a massage
94. Re-paint my bathroom
95. Watch the local news, in its entirety, every day for a week
96. Take a surfing lesson
97. Dance with Steve
98. Go to a Texas Rangers game
99. Build a snowman
100. Read another Chuck Klosterman book
101. Celebrate Robinson's 1st birthday