New Year, New Goals 2011

Many, many years ago (in 1997)... I was in a philosophy class in college and my inspiring professor told us each to write a list of 100 things we wanted to do during our lifetime. I went right home, and did it.

Last year, I was cleaning out some boxes from college, and came across my list. It's amazing how many things I've done!

So this is my new New Year's Day activity, every year I'll re-write my list and update it. The items in bold are done, the ones in italics are new (replacing things that are no longer goals of mine). Let's see how I've done this year...

1. Sky-dive. (I've gone twice! The first time in Oct. 1998.)
2. Go to Italy.
3. Learn to play the guitar.
4. Visit Alaska. (I visited the Bilchuk's in August of 2010.)
5. Road trip across the USA.
6. Read the entire Bible. (2000)
7. Visit the Chicago Institute of Art. (The first time in April 1997)
8. See the Statue of Liberty. (I've flown over it a few times... Still haven't been to it, though.)
9. Get my own dog. (A wedding present from the hubby. Bailey joined our little family in Feb. 2004)
10. Go ice-skating. (Feb. 1998 - totally not worth it. I still spent more time on my butt than skating!)
11. Make a dream catcher.
12. Make a birdhouse.
13. Have an editorial printed.
14. Own a nice camera. (I have a decent one now, thanks to the hubby! )
15. Do another portrait. (Like my Santa Claus.)
16. Bake a loaf of bread from scratch. (Jan. 2001)
17. Start weight-training. (The first time - Sept. 1998)
18. Lose 20 pounds. (March 2009)
19. Go rock-climbing. (July 1998)
20. Take Kayla trick-or-treating. (My little sister. When I wrote this, I was away at college and missing most Halloweens at home. I finally went with her when I moved back to Minnesota in 2004 - the hubby and I dressed up as nerds and escorted her and her friends through the neighborhood. Very fun.)
21. Go cross-country skiing. (Funny story. Haven't been since. Feb. 2001)
22. Plant a tree.
23. Get a "Chia Pet." (A Christmas present for my dorm room! Dec. 1998)
24. Write a children's book. (It won't be published by a real publisher - but I put together a book for my niece and god-daughter for Christmas this year! Dec. 2009)
25. Hold a baby gorilla.
26. "Save a Child." (I supported a Compassion International boy for 4 years, ending in 2003)
27. Learn to make homemade pie crusts.
28. Go up in a hot air balloon.
29. Go sledding. (Dec. 2009)
30. Solve a crossword without cheating. (The first time - July 1997)
31. Throw a surprise party.  (I helped the hubby throw a party for his mom's 70th birthday this year.)
32. Donate to a medical charity. (I've been donating to cancer research for many years.)
33. Learn to make kringla. (My family's favorite cookie that my grandma made. I've been making it for 4 years now - still learning, but trying!)
34. Go for a sleigh-ride.
35. Get married. (That lovely dream came true Nov. 2003!)
36. Go to Boston.
37. Go to New York City. (My first time was with my sister, Emily. Summer 2004.)
38. Go caroling. (First time - Dec. 1997)
39. Sing in the "Allelulia Chorus." (College choir performance, Dec. 1997)
40. See "Casablanca." (June 1998)
41. Go to a planetarium. (Nov. 1998)
42. Ride an elephant. (Renaissance Festival, Sept. 1997)
43. Swim with a dolphin.
44. Go para-sailing.
45. Go on a missions trip. (After high school - Chicago, 1997; Detroit, 2001; Mississippi, 2006; Rosebud, 2010)
46. Attend a movie premiere.
47. Make someone else happy. (I've got a good marriage!)
48. Visit Yellowstone National Park.
49. Go to Montana.
50. Lead a Bible Study. (Led my first one in the summer of 1998)
51. Win a game of chess. (Against Jake P., Nov. 1997)
52. Cook a full meal all by myself. (Salad, pesto bread, apple dessert - Feb. 1998)
53. Ride a subway. (On my trip to New York with Emily, Summer 2004)
54. Smoke a cigar. (First time - Jan. 1999)
55. Shoot a gun (at a range, of course).
56. Pay off school loans. (Woo-hoo! Summer 2009)
57. Get a good paying job. (Pays the bills and allows a little fun. Aug. 2004)
58. Get an apartment. (First one - July 1999, Wautoma, WI)
59. Try escargot. (In Paris, March 2010)
60. Read "The Hobbit." (Summer 1998)
61. Have my palm read.
62. Establish a consistent quiet time. (Jan. 2009)
63. Visit Andrea in New York.
64. Get a massage. (A birthday gift from my friend, Sam - March 1999)
65. Fly a kite. (April 1997)
66. Visit a tide pool.
67. Read all of the books I own.
68. Take a long hot bubble bath. (This was written when I lived in the dorms! I started taking bubble baths as soon as I moved into my first apartment - July 1999!)
69. Donate my belongings to charity. (First time - Oct. 2000)
70. Put together a jigsaw puzzle. (With my friend, Sam - Feb. 1998)
71. Make a blanket fort. (Summer 1999)
72. Learn 5 constellations. (Nov. 1997)
73. Visit Israel.
74. Go to a drive-in movie.
75. Visit the Badlands.  (On SD Mission Trip, July 2010)
76. Visit Newark, Ohio. (Where I lived as a kid, July 2004)
77. Keep a notebook of my favorite quotes. (Jan. 1998)
78. Visit Montrose Cemetary in Chicago. (Relatives on my dad's side are buried there. The first visit - April 1997)
79. Work in a bookstore or library.
80. Wax my legs. (First time - Nov. 2003)
81. Make a quilt.
82. Look at a harvest moon from between my legs. (It's an optical illusion! Feb. 1997)
83. Throw a New Year's Eve Party.
84. Go to a zoo. (First time after writing this list - Aug. 1997)
85. Learn to cook. (Since getting married, getting good equipment, and moving into a nice house with a good kitchen - I think I do pretty good in the kitchen! Started in 2004)
86. Lay on the ground and watch the candlelight dance to the music. (A challenge from my Psych professor... I do this a lot.)
87. Visit every one of the 50 states.
88. Go to a basketball game.
89. Go to the Boundary Waters again. (June 1997)
90. Make a snow angel. (Jan. 1998)
91. Visit New Orleans. (March 1998 with Dad)
92. Buy a house. (Nov. 2005)
93. Own a Bed and Breakfast.
94. Visit Ireland. (March 2009)
95. Own a piece of original art. (Summer 2009)
96. See the Northern Lights, again.
97. Grow our own garden.
98. Go to the Austin City Limits Music Festival with my hubby.
99. Learn to make Amaretto Chocolate Truffles.
100. Take a yoga class.

4 more crossed off this year...  Not bad! 

What are your goals for the New Year?


Things I am thankful for today:

1.  Goals.
2.  Silly accomplishments.
3.  Sleeping in.
4.  Breakfast at Hell's Kitchen.  (I especially liked the wait-staff in their jammies.)
5.  Mimosas.
6.  A cozy, snowy day at home.
7.  Beef drip sandwiches.
8.  Hubby being able to watch the Rosebowl on the computer.  (Saved the day!)
9.  Catching up on my blog.
10.  Time for a little reading...  A very nice way to start the year!