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’d love it if you’d comment below with the same!

(via flickr)

January 2010: 0/101 goals complete, 0/101 goals in progress

Hope to complete:
— No. 21
— No. 76
— No. 85
— No. 100

Hope to begin:
— No. 5
— No. 7
— No. 16
— No. 18
— No. 23
— No. 48
— No. 53
— No. 64
— No. 80
— No. 98

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

The time has come! I am very, very excited about this list I’ve compiled, and excited about the next 2.75 years if I accomplish even half of these goals. One of my favorite parts? I chose to group my tasks around identities I hope to cultivate in the next few years, meaning even the list organization contributes to the personal growth :)

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks/goals/challenges in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (i.e. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and represent “stretching.”

Why 1001 Days?
It’s all about a realistic deadline. 1001 days (about 2.75 years) allows you several seasons to complete tasks, which is better for organizing and timing things like overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Start Date: January 1, 2011
End Date: September 27, 2013
Goals Completed: 52/101
Goals Partially Completed: 18/101
Goals Partially or Totally Completed: 70/101

Crossed out marks a completed item
Italics marks a partially completed item

Kind :: to myself and others
1. Pay the bill for someone behind me in the drive-through line (April 2011, April 2012, December 2012)
2. Make a new friend (February 2011 — hi, Nancy!)
3. Send a care package to someone I don’t know (Baskets of Hope, March 2012)
4. Get a pedicure once every summer (2/3)
5. Either find a ministry I love and feel called to or start a new one.
6. Practice yoga three times a week for three months (0/36)
7. In 2012, follow through with my daily habit system for the entire year
8. Bring meals or something yummy to both FYA couples having a baby in 2013
9. Start going to a fun exercise class, like Pure Barre or Irish dance (started Pure Barre in October 2012 with a 20-class pack!)
10. Spend one on one time with my grandmother (January 2013)
11. Cultivate five habits to make our life more green/clean (switched to organic cleaning spray and cloths, opted out of junk mail through DMA Choice, switched to organic hand soap, started using reusable produce bags, switched to hormone-free dairy products)
12. Seek out five people I know who are getting married and offer my expertise (5/5 :: Joanne/Amanda, Caroline, Mike + Antonia, Amy’s friend, Marget)
13. Re-read “To Kill a Mockingbird” (my favorite book of all time)

Settled :: at home, wherever that may be
14. Reupholster a piece of furniture or have a piece professionally reupholstered (November 2011)
15. Get at least one room to a place where I feel it’s fully decorated
16. Make a fresh flower arrangement every month (see flickr set here)
17. Live somewhere with a window seat
18. Invest in IRA every year
19. Buy or install new shelving for books (October 2011 – post here)
20. Pickle something for John’s birthday
21. Transfer car insurance from parents (January 2011)
22. Acquire a KitchenAid mixer (generous wedding gift!!)
23. Acquire a new cookbook every year (too many to count!)
24. Buy that chair I really want at the flea market (bought on January 23, 2011!!)
25. Buy a car (May 2011)
26. Successfully transport vintage trunk from Island to apartment (July 2011)
27. Marry John! (married on September 15, 2012!)

Daring and Adventurous
28. Visit Canada (preferably Montreal, Quebec, or Prince Edward Island)
29. Attend an opera
30. Try an unusual type of milk (tried almond milk in May 2011!)
31. Go treehouse camping or glamping
32. Cheer at a Southern football game (went to a high school game in October 2011)
33. Eat vegetarian for three separate weeks (do not have to be consecutive) (1/3)
34. Camp at least once a year (2/3 – 2011, 2013)
35. Attend “The Nutcracker” every year (experiencing as many different versions as possible) (1/2)
36. Visit Chincoteague
37. Have a croissant at a French cafe
38. Stealth-plant tulips
39. Explore two more states/regions I’ve never been to (1/2 :: Charleston in August 2011)
40. Wear a large hat to the Kentucky Derby
41. Host an adventure dinner party like Jordan (August 2013)
42. Go to Europe
43. Attend the ballet (besides “The Nutcracker”)
44. Try ten new foods (hominy in 1/11, tempeh in 2/11, cod in 6/11, collard greens in 8/11, raw oysters in 12/11), fish & chips in 6/12, beef tendon in 7/12, farrow in 9/12, autumn olive in 9/12, maitake mushrooms in 9/12, wild boar in 12/12)

Faithful
45. Read the New Testament (began in June 2011, finished October 2012)
46. Go on a missions trip
47. Increase giving/tithing by at least 10% every year (2011 and 2012)
48. Invite someone to come to church with John and me
49. Go to church when traveling (to experience new pastors and ways of doing things — see flickr set here)
50. Do another service at the Island (2013)
51. Find a way to observe the Sabbath
52. Email Adam Hamilton sermons to three people who might be interested (to Mom and Dad in September 2011, and this one to Kim in November 2012)
53. Find a Bible study that meets regularly at FUMC (yay FYA!)
54. Add one piece to the Willow Tree nativity each year (1/2: In 2012 we added the star!)

Creative
55. Photograph and post 30 separate outfits for the world to see (1/30 — see all here)
56. Memorize another favorite poem
57. Acquire a sewing machine and make something with its assistance
58. Learn to tie the perfect bow
59. Put together a portfolio of projects I’ve worked on — both personal and professional
60. Make a quilt for picnics
61. Read biographies of five people I admire (3/5 :: Washington (“His Excellency” by Joseph Ellis in Feb. 2011), John Adams (“John Adams” by David McCullough in Feb. 2012), Julia Child (“My Life in France” in Jan. 2013))
62. Interview, shadow, or intern with three people who do things/have jobs I’d like to learn more about
63. Buy two new books of poetry every year (1/6 :: “Domestic Work” (2011))
64. Make another video commemorating a big trip or event (June 2011 — video here!)
65. Improve product photography skills (My 2012 Christmas cupcake flags were a huge improvement over past efforts!)
66. Improve product styling skills
67. Develop a product to collaborate on with Aunt Nan and open a dedicated Etsy store for it
68. Learn something from someone I admire (July 2012 – calligraphy from Melissa Esplin)
69. Consult with a calligrapher and then buy real calligraphy supplies (June 2011)
70. Get Peach & Pearl a spiffy new look (P&P is now Em for Marvelous!)
71. Grow blog to over 500 subscribers in Google Reader (47/500)
72. Get to 100 sales on Etsy (February 2013)
73. Institute Friends of Em system (January 2013)
74. Switch blog platform from Blogger to WordPress (December 2011)
75. Make or acquire a favicon (January 2011, then December 2011)
76. Design and print address labels for Em for Marvelous packaging (October 2012)

Warm and Welcoming
77. Start a book club like Brooke
78. Host an outdoor party when fruit trees are in bloom
79. Purchase six favorite books from my childhood — nice, hardcover copies (Gregory, the Terrible Eater (2011), Time of Wonder (2011), Make Way for Ducklings (2011), Frederick (2011), Where the Wild Things Are (2011), Burt Dow Deep-Waterman (2012))
80. Plan another backpacking adventure with as many friends as will come
81. Successfully dock a boat each summer at the Island
82. Host a series of collaborative dinners a la Sunday Suppers
83. Send news to “The Quarterly” at least once a year
84. Transfer Christmas card recipient list/log to Google Docs like Kate (January 2011)

Joyful
85. Buy cowboy boots (July 2012)
86. Learn a new form of dance every year (1/3 — foxtrot in 2012)
87. Send a fun unexpected package to a friend
88. Find a signature drink and learn how to mix it
89. Jump off the dock at the Island (August 2013)
90. Adopt a doggie
91. Learn how to French braid my hair
92. Learn how to French braid the hair of others
93. Master a reliable, versatile updo I can do on myself (the sock bun!)
94. Buy a classic Christmas book every year (2011 and 2012)
95. Buy new (vision) glasses (March 2012 – thank you, Warby Parker!)
96. Read my thesis every May
97. Publish our wedding announcement in our hometown newspaper (February 2013)
98. Read the entire Chronicles of Narnia series (finished in April 2012)
99. Begin a collection of Ostheimer wooden toys
100. Develop a classical playlist on Spotify
101. Begin a new 101 in 1001 list!

As promised, if any of you are also starting a 101 list, or have one in progress, I would love to check it out! Just leave a comment with the link below.

Here’s to a fabulous new year! Tell me: which goal do you like the best? Any you have a question about? Any you find intriguing? Let me know!

Hi, friends! TGIF! I am particularly excited that it’s Friday because I am going to see the Nutcracker tonight!! I think I might be the only person who danced in the Nutcracker for ten years and still LOVES everything about it, including the music. LOVE it.

(New York Times)

Also, just a reminder to any of you who are thinking about joining me in the 101 in 1001 challenge on January 1: be thinking about your list! I’ve got 87 challenges so far on mine. If you need some inspiration, consider checking out these lists:

Brooke from Claremont Road
John from John Takes a Hike (partial)
Ashley at Our Little Apartment
Melissa Jill
Danni from Oh, Hello Friend
Kerri from Your Wishcake

Happy weekend!

You’ve got the full recap, now it’s time to share a few of my favorites!

3. Read the entire Bible. Though I didn’t get through the whole thing, I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve read so far. I feel like I have a more complete understanding of my faith — and, as a bonus, I’m able to answer more questions on Jeopardy!

8. Pay the toll/bill/tip for someone behind me. J and I did this this past April, and it was so awesome! I was really nervous ahead of time, because I thought the Dunkin’ Donuts clerk was going to think I was crazy, but she was just almost as excited about it as we were, and didn’t bat an eyelash when we made the request! This is one you can (and should!) try at home, folks.

10. Send one handwritten letter a month for 6 months. What can I say? Now I have a new penpal, and a use for all my accumulated pretty paper things. Hi, Molly!

27. Read 12 classics I’ve never read before. I will admit, sometimes this one felt a bit like drudgery, but I’m so glad I persevered. Here are the books I read (and yes, I’m aware not all of them are “classics” as some would definite it!):

32. Read all of Emily Post’s Etiquette. Yes, I am a nerd. Yes, I am thrilled I can now say I’ve literally read the book on etiquette.

35. Take a cooking or cake decorating course. I learned to frost and decorate a cake at Sugarland for a photo shoot, and it was so fun! Here I am in action:

Nancy Ray Photography

72. Graduate in May 2009. Scary at the time, but I was definitely ready.

74. Eat ten dishes/foods I’ve never tried before. J likes to yap about how I have a very narrow palette (I beg to disagree), but it’s always good to, as my Dad would say, “broaden your horizons.”

82. Go riding at the farm with family. We used to ride all the time when I was younger, and I loved taking a trail ride again with my Dad, sister, and aunt. My legs did hurt the next day, though…

88. See the Martha Stewart Show live. Ahhhh!!! Martha geek freak-out! Anyone who knows me knows this is about the most exciting think that could have happened to me. A-list movie stars? No, thank you, I’ll take Martha any day. Here I am outside the studio (do I look excited?!):

89. Be a bridesmaid or maid of honor. Lucky me — I was a bridesmaid not once but twice! I have to say, this might have been my happiest goal to complete. I was thrilled to help both Katharine and Kate plan their weddings, and to stand beside each of them on their big day. Couldn’t have been more different; couldn’t have been more awesome. Here are my two lovely ladies and their studly men:

Jenna Cole

A Bryan Photo

92. Go to a hot air balloon festival or on a hot air balloon ride. Another photo shoot lead to an up close and personal encounter with a hot air balloon! It was amazing to watch it inflate and then float off the ground. Just beautiful.

Jose Villa

93. Adopt either a cat or dog. We were lucky enough to adopt two tuxedo kitties last November. They are adorable and we love love love them. Jack and Oliver, meet the blog:

Oops, looks like they’re sleeping! (Per usual.)

Which leads me to goal no. 101: begin another 101 in 1001 list. I couldn’t have been more happy with this experience, and I’m so excited to take what I’ve learned from this first go-round and apply it to my next adventures! I’ll be starting another 101 list on January 1, 2011. Here are a few of the goals I’ve dreamt up so far:

–Learn how to French braid my hair
–Reupholster a piece of furniture
–Read biographies of 5 people I admire
–Go tree house camping or glamping
–Buy a sewing machine
–Cheer at a Southern football game (I hear it’s big down here…)
–Wear a large hat to the Kentucky Derby

My older sister Kate has already decided she’ll be joining me on the first with her own list. Is anyone else interested in starting with us? If there are a few of you out there who are, I’d love to organize some way to encourage each other — for example, I’d be happy to post a link to everyone’s lists in my sidebar!

Let me know what you think in the comment section, and thank you so much for all of your encouragement throughout the last 1001 days! :)