Today, I am officially twenty-five. Smack dab in my mid-twenties. Honestly, I never thought it would happen to me. Allow me to be dramatic for a sec.
When I was in high school, 25 seemed lightyears away. I imagined that I would be a rockstar moviestar big Hollywood writer by now with millions and mansions to spare. Ha! In my lesser fantasies, I was at least as glamorous as the Friends cast, with a nice NYC apartment that apparently paid for itself and a gaggle of friends who could pop by at any second to make life interesting. Um…no.
Instead, I’m married and I have a very, very good life. It’s not super glamorous like I pictured it would be, but I’m happy, and completely head-over-heels in love with my husband. We are embarking on a crazy-awesome journey together this year and I couldn’t be more excited to grow and challenge myself in a new country with Mike by my side.
I’ve gone through quite a lot of changes over the last couple of years, but especially within the last year. Marriage has made me stop and really focus on what I want my future to look like. I have a more realistic grasp on how this real-world thing works by now, so I put together a 101 in 1001 list. For those of you who may not be familiar with it, it is a list of 101 little and big goals that you would like to achieve in 1001 days.
Hopefully this list will make me a stronger & more knowledgable person. Hopefully the adventures will bring me closer to my husband. Hopefully you guys will get a kick out of the posts that result from my experiences, trials, failures and successes.
101 in 1001
- Buy something thrifted or used for our home
- Tour a beekeeping farm
- Speak with a farmer about their life & how they feel about the food industry
- Learn better gardening techniques
- Use a rain barrel
- Donate/recycle the books we have laying around
- Plant peonies
- Plant hydrangeas
- Start composting
- Buy a hybrid vehicle
- Go to a flea market
- Tour an organic farm
- Plan a green vacation
- Renovate a piece of furniture
- Sell something I write
- Write a book
- Sew something I can actually wear or use
- Create a piece of art we display
- Stop using the “auto” setting on my camera
- Write and produce a short film
- Actually frame & hang the posters/prints I’ve bought
- Create a living space that makes me happy every time I enter it
- Come up with 5 solid fiction storylines
- Complete a DIY project I’m inspired by on Pinterest
- Learn another hairstyle that isn’t just up or down
- Contribute to a travel, food or wine publication/site
- Cook & filet a whole fish
- Eat in a Michelin Star restaurant
- Take a cooking class from a restaurant chef I respect
- Don’t drink pop for a month
- Host new friends for dinner
- Eat something that grosses me out (tripe, sweetbreads, eyeball, etc)
- Create Mike’s craziest dinner requests to the letter 5 times (0/5)
- Don’t throw out any food for a month (0/30)
- Make my own cheese
- Eat lunch/dinner with Michael McCaulley of Tria
- Work/Volunteer in the wine industry
- Kill something, prepare it & eat it
- Drink wine worth over $150
- Make macarons
- Submit a recipe to foodgawker and get accepted
- Eat uni (sea urchin) directly from the sea
- Eat at a 3-star Michelin restaurant
- Make my own sandwich bread
- Make pasta
- Live in another country
- Learn another language (or two)
- See another National Park
- Let Mike take me fishing
- Visit Africa
- Truly appreciate a Roman landmark
- Take Mike to shoot a gun for the first time
- Visit 7 different countries (0/7)
- Go on an olive oil tour/tasting
- Fly first class
- Meet up with the local wine exporter from the Philly region while in Spain
- Visit Denver/Boulder, determine if we want to live there
- Stay at a Bed & Breakfast
- Go snorkeling
- Go canoeing with Mike
- Be a healthy, happy weight that I’m proud of
- Donate $1000 to charity(ies) of choice
- Fix something broken in the house by myself
- Bike 50 miles (in one trip)
- Establish a workout routine
- Learn to drive a manual transmission vehicle
- Create a unique/creative version of my resume in photoshop
- Teach a skill I possess to someone
- Get more involved in/learn more about our investments
- Roll over my 401Ks to a private IRA
- Get surgery for my hands
- Write wills
- Learn how to paint my nails like a pro
- Establish/Decide on my last name
- Get eyeglasses
- Get 10,000 visitors one month on my blog
- Pay for an awesome blog redesign
- Have a celebrity to respond to a tweet of mine
- Blog every day for a month
- Have a sponsored giveaway on the blog
- Tweet all of the members of *Nsync (0/5)
- Devote a whole day to the dogs’ entertainment
- Groom the dogs myself when they get too fluffy
- Teach dogs Spanish commands
- Play tug-of-war with Wrigley until he gives up
- See Declan O’Rourke in concert again
- Watch History of the World part I
- Watch The Godfather part I and II
- See a musician I like in an intimate setting (less than 200 people)
- Read Michael Pollan’s books available for Nook (0/6)
- Start collecting pretty hardcover classic novels to display
- Have another professional photography session with Mike
- Buy an epically fantastic dress that will last for years
- Buy myself a piece of nice jewelry (or pick a piece for Mike to buy me)
- Buy and learn a new board game
- Buy a new house
- Buy 3 pieces of art I love (0/3)
- Buy 3 pieces of art Mike loves (0/3)
- Buy and use a french press coffee maker
- Obtain a sewing machine
- Buy myself another piece of our china
The list is also in my top navigation bar, now! Link to your own 101 in 1001 list in the comments if you have one!
Good luck reaching all of your goals…and now I’m going to think about what I would put on a list if I ever decide to make one. You have some awesome goals!
Mandy Reply:
August 25th, 2011 at 5:35 pm
Haha I will DEFINITELY have a post about nsync…I’ll probably try to tackle it soon, but for some reason, I’m so intimidated and have no idea what to say! Stay tuned for it…
[Reply]