101 in 1001. Yes, ME.

I’m the kind of girl who scoffs at New Year’s Resolutions: “Psh. I’m not weak. If I want to change, I’ll do it, not wait for January 1st to change.”

Then, I came across this fantastic post from one of my favorite bloggers, Angela.

And it was like a smack in the face (a wonderful smack in the face from a wonderful friend, of course!). Duh. I say I’ll change if I want to, but I never do.

I am twenty-four. I must choose how my life will play out, instead of merely being and letting whatever happens happens. A great deal of simply being is important, but if I want to live my ideal life – I make it happen. Me.

And I never really set goals or resolutions. So, I decided to set some goals. Big ones, little ones. Lots of them. 101, in fact.

Here is my list of 101 things to do in the next 1001 days. The end date? October 14, 2011. My 27th birthday, coincidentally.

::Blogging::

Get a favicon.
Buy a domain.
Redesign my website.
Go to a BlogHer conference.
Blog about as many as these as possible
Tell three real-life friends about my website. (3/3)
Meet at least two blogging BFFs in person. (12/2)

::Designing::

Learn Flash.
Learn vector.
Build a website. (April 2010)
Make a portfolio. (April 2010)
Sell invitations that I design. (May 2009)
Design and print business cards. (May 2009)
Get a certificate in Graphic Design. (We moved away from the community college.)
Win 5 Alchemy bids on Etsy. (1/5) (Alchemy no longer exists!)
Take a class on InDesign.
Take a class on Illustrator.
Take a class on Photoshop.

::Creating::

Sew a skirt.
Get a DSLR (purchased 7/9/09)
Sew an apron.
Do a craft show.
Learn how to emboss.
Get paid for my writing.
Learn how to make soap.
Take a photography course.
Get paid for my photography.
Enter a writing or photography contest.

::Cooking::

Make baked Alaska.
Bake granola (from scratch.) (2/7/09)
Make yogurt (from scratch.) (2/12/09)
Bake croissants (from scratch.)
Learn how to make a mean latte.
Make soymilk or almond milk (from scratch.)

::Organizing::

Save $10,000.
Review my resume.
Clean out the closets. (1/25/09)
Organize my photos.
Pay off student loans.
Clear out my email inbox. (6/8/09)
Create a business/life plan.
Donate the rotting car in our garage. (6/29/09)
Clean out and organize my Google Reader.
Get rid of one thing a day for three months (0/31, 0/3)

::Living::

Go sledding.
Go see a play. (3/17/09, Bye Bye Birdie – El Paso, Texas)
Drink espresso. (November 2010)
Chop my hair off.
Get my nose pierced. (7/2/09)
Read 50 books (22/50- My (So Called) Freelance Life, Plain Truth, My Sister’s Keeper, The Boss of You, Tenth Circle, Still Alice, Keeping Faith, Salem Falls, The Birth Book, Birthing from Within, June Bug, Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way, No Cry Sleep Solution, Happiest Baby on the Block, The Help, The Joy of Less, The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay, Love in a Time of Homeschooling, The Happiness Project, Love the One You’re With )
Go to a drive-in movie.
Be vegan for a month. (Lent 2010)
Visit Seattle or Portland.
Get a new passport. Use it. (3/17/09)
Get a therapeutic massage. (July 2010)
Go on at least one road trip.
Watch a movie with subtitles. (Amelie, July 2010)
Go on a trip with my sister(s).
Try ten new restaurants. (10/10- Moosewood, ABC Cafe, Dewitt Cafe, Inn on Coventry, Blue Nile, NorthStar Cafe, Tejas Cafe, Percolator, Burritos, Mint Cafe)
Go to museums five times. (5/5 – Cornell’s Art Museum, Chicago Art Institute, Toledo Art Museum, Akron Art Museum x 2)
Stop working full-time in an office. (November 2010)
Go backpacking. And don’t complain.
Go on a three vacations with Mike. (6/3)
Write a “if anything happens to me” letter.
Encourage one person to try vegetarianism.(Lent 2009)
Go to a church/religious service of another religion/denomination. (6/6/09)
Go for three months without shaving my legs. (Girl power! Or laziness.) (1/16-4/12/09)

::Bettering::

Run a 5K.
Run a 10K.
Be able to do a split.
Teach Sunday school.
Donate $200 to charity. (70/200)
Make a list of 100 things I like to do.
Do five random acts of kindness. (0/5)
Find a devotional I like and complete it.
Don’t complain for seven straight days.
Bring flowers to my grandmother’s grave.
Write a list of 16 things I love about winter. (1.21.09)
Go one whole week without internet (voluntarily). (July 2011)
Write down five good things a day for a month. (2/28/09)
Go for three months without watching television (1/3)
Don’t complain about the weather for a whole two weeks in winter. (2/25-3/10/09)

::Relationships::

Make a new friend.
Host a dinner party.
Make a dear friend.
Send Christmas cards. (1/4/09)
Write ten letters. (0/10)
Bake a cake for someone. (8/29/11)
Send college sister a care package. (12/14/09)
Plan three surprise dates for Mike. (1/3)
Smile at every single person I see for 6 days.
Take Emmie out for an entire day with just me.
Visit all my grandparents (without my parents!). (1/2)
Call someone once a week for a month just to catch up. (1/4)
Invite people over to dinner once a month for six months. (4/6)

::Tree-hugging::

Grow vegetables. (July 2010)
Do “Buy Nothing Month” for three months. (2/3)
Only buy thrifted clothing for four months straight. (4/4)
Don’t buy anything with plastic for an entire month.
Find two natural beauty products that I love and that WORK. (2/2-Organics mascara & coconut oil)
Recycle all my old electronics lying around. (7/6/09)

Here goes. Eeep? What if I fail? And I just told the Internet I’ll do these things!?