At the beginning of every month, I plan to write a short post covering what I accomplished in the previous month and what I hope to accomplish in the next one. I’ll also introduce you to one of my 101 in 1001 buddies (see them all in the sidebar!). Here we go!

July 1, 2011: 11/101 goals complete, 24/101 goals in progress

Did I begin…
— No. 45: Read the New Testament? YES! We’re on Mark right now.
— No. 82: Successfully dock a boat each summer at the Island? YES!
— No. 84: Send news to The Quarterly at least once a year? YES! Engagement made that easy!
— No. 89: Jump off the dock at the Island once a year? Um, no… totally chickened out.

Did I continue…
— No. 98: Read the entire Chronicles of Narnia series? Yep, read “Prince Caspian.”

Sadly, I was NOT able to keep up with all of my monthly commitments (nos. 5, 7, 16, and 48) — we were again not able to make it to the animal shelter.

August 1, 2011: 12/101 goals complete, 28/101 goals in progress

Plan to begin:
No. 13: Read To Kill a Mockingbird every August (0/3)

Plan to continue:
No. 11: Cultivate five habits to make my life more green
No. 44: Try ten new foods
No. 45: Read the New Testament
No. 50: Go to church when traveling

August Spotlight: Jennifer of Just Lovely

You can catch up with Jennifer’s progress on her goals here! I think she did a great job assembling her list, but my five favorites she’s undertaking are:

— Volunteer art and design services to a charitable cause
— Visit five artist’s studios (this would be so interesting!)
— Plan a baby shower
— Eat at 10 different independent restaurants

In the meantime, you can see the details on all of my goals right here. Here’s to a great month!

Both photos by Lucia and Mapp

At the beginning of every month, I plan to write a short post covering what I accomplished in the previous month and what I hope to accomplish in the next one. I’ll also introduce you to one of my 101 in 1001 buddies (see them all in the sidebar!). Here we go!

June 1, 2011: 7/101 goals complete, 25/101 goals in progress

Did I complete…
— No. 20: Can or pickle some sort of vegetable? Nope, not yet.
— No. 30: Try an unusual type of milk? YES! We tried almond milk. It was good, but because it’s not as neutral a taste as regular cow milk, it’s not so good with dinner. But it is fairly good with dessert and Cheerios at breakfast.
— No. 70: Consult with a calligrapher and then buy real calligraphy supplies? YES! Although I fully admit to not knowing how to use them yet — it is NOT as easy as you might guess!

Did I begin…
— No. 53. Email an Adam Hamilton sermon to someone who might be interested? Nope, not yet.

Sadly, I was NOT able to keep up with all of my monthly commitments (nos. 5, 7, 16, and 48) — I just wasn’t able to make it to the animal shelter :(

Jose Villa

July 1, 2011: 11/101 goals complete, 24/101 goals in progress

Plan to begin:
— No. 45: Read the New Testament
— No. 82: Successfully dock a boat each summer at the Island
— No. 84: Send news to The Quarterly at least once a year
— No. 89: Jump off the dock at the Island once a year (Brrr!! It’s going to be so coooold!)

Plan to continue:
— No. 98: Read the entire Chronicles of Narnia series

Jose Villa

July Spotlight: Jenna of That Wife and Jenna Cole

You can catch up with Jenna’s progress on her goals here! I think she did a fabulous job assembling her list, but my five favorites she’s undertaking are:

— Grow and use three varieties of herbs (YES! Everyone should have an herb garden — so easy, and can save you a LOT of money!)
— Join a fresh flowers CSA (This sounds like a dream!)
— Sew a skirt
— Build up a collection of Dr. Seuss books (May I suggest The Butter Battle Book?)
— Buy red lipstick

In the meantime, you can see the details on all of my goals right here. Here’s to a great month!

At the beginning of every month, I plan to write a short post covering what I accomplished in the previous month and what I hope to accomplish in the next one. I’ll also introduce you to one of my 101 in 1001 buddies (see them all in the sidebar!). Here we go!

May 2011: 6/101 goals complete, 22/101 goals in progress

Did I complete…
— No. 57: Memorize another favorite poem? Almost there! Just a few lines left to go…

Did I begin…
— No. 39: Explore two more states/regions I’ve never been to? YES! I visited Charleston for about two and a half days. It was humid!
— No. 87: Learn a new form of dance every year? Very sadly, no. John didn’t get out of work in time to make it to the shagging class :(
— No. 96: Read my thesis? Yep!

Did I continue…
— No. 98: Read the entire Chronicles of Narnia series? Nope, didn’t get to this one, but I did read Little Bee by Chris Cleave and Catching Fire by Susan Collins, and I’m currently reading The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obrecht. All great!

I was able to keep up with all of my monthly commitments (nos. 5, 7, 16, and 48). I should also note that I completed goal no. 25, which was to buy a car! Does that mean I’m a real grownup now?!

Photo by Tim Walker via Matchbook Mag’s Tumblr

June 1, 2011: 7/101 goals complete, 25/101 goals in progress

I am looking at a very busy month, so I’m going to keep it simple for June.

Plan to complete:
— No. 20: Can or pickle some sort of vegetable
— No. 30: Try an unusual type of milk (raw, almond, soy, or otherwise)
— No. 70: Consult with a calligrapher and then buy real calligraphy supplies

Plan to begin:
— No. 53. Email an Adam Hamilton sermon to someone who might be interested

June Spotlight: Ellie of Yankee Born, Southern Bred and A Wink and a Smile

You can catch up with Ellie’s progress on her goals here! My five favorites she’s undertaking…

— No. 1: Say “yes” on five occasions I would otherwise say “no.” (So far, she’s allowed herself to be set up on a date and rode on a motorcycle!)
— No. 2: Throw a surprise party.
— No. 3: Sew a dress. (A recent goal of mine, too, having just come across this post.)
— No. 4: Eliminate all clothing that hasn’t been worn in six months.
— No. 5: Find and buy the elusive navy blue prep blazer.

In the meantime, you can see the details on all of my goals right here. Here’s to a great month!

At the beginning of every month, I plan to write a short post covering what I accomplished in the previous month and what I hope to accomplish in the next one. I’ll also introduce you to one of my 101 in 1001 buddies (see them all in the sidebar!). Here we go!

April 2011: 5/101 goals complete, 21/101 goals in progress

Did I complete…
— No. 1 (Pay the bill for someone behind me in the drive-through line)? YES!
— No. 56 (Photograph my outfits every day for one month)? Not exactly, but it’s okay. I decided to switch this goal up a bit, and make the goal to photograph and post 30 outfits over the 1001 days instead of 30 outfits in one month. Much more manageable :) I’ve already photographed about five, and have plans to post them soon!

Did I begin…
— No. 71 (Get Peach & Pearl a spiffy new look)? YES! I’ve spoken with two designers so far, and think I have some very exciting plans in the works…

I was able to keep up with all of my monthly commitments (nos. 5, 7, 16, and 48).

Tomo Kohsaka

May 2011: 6/101 goals complete, 22/101 goals in progress

Plan to complete:
— No. 57: Memorize another favorite poem

Plan to begin:
— No. 39: Explore two more states/regions I’ve never been to (I’m headed to Charleston this month!)
— No. 87: Learn a new form of dance every year (Our friends are teaching a shagging class as a fundraiser, and I’m trying to use that angle to guilt John into going with me! :)
— No. 96: Read my thesis every May (If I’m feeling brave, maybe I’ll share a little bit with y’all…)

Plan to continue:
— No. 98: Read the entire Chronicles of Narnia series (I’m on book two)

Peta Mazey

May Spotlight: Elizabeth of BE KITCHENS

I love that Elizabeth’s overall goal for her 101 in 1001 list is to be a “happier, more productive person. To stop talking, and start doing.” She also just wrote a lovely post about completing no. 51 on her list, and it made me tear up a little. Five of my favorite goals she’s set for herself:

— No. 45: Shoot film every day (1 roll/week) for a full 12-month period.
— No. 60: Learn how to convert a car to run on grease — share how.
— No. 70: Go surfing — at least once!
— No. 75: Give an unexpected gift at an unexpected time.
— No. 100: Make a budget (Yes, I am a huge nerd. But budgets are super important!)

In other news, I’m wondering if any of you might be interested in a small series of posts on personal finance. So many of my 101 in 1001 buddies have financial goals on their lists, but some might not know the best way to go about checking them off. Topics might include:

— The difference between a 401k and an IRA
— The difference between a traditional and a Roth IRA, and which one you should choose
— The definition of an ETF and why it might be a great investment option for you
— Basic stock market investing tips
— Making a household or personal budget… and following it

John and I are pretty passionate about financial literacy, and would love to share some basic tips if y’all might be interested. If not, that’s okay, too! I promise we’d keep the posts short, easy to understand, and interesting :) Let me know what you think!

In the meantime, you can see the details on all of my goals right here. Here’s to a great month!