Getting There!

In Progress - 12. Read and review 50 books.
P.S. I Love You
This book took far longer than I would have liked to read. I kept getting too busy to read, so it was set aside far too many times. It was *so* good though.

I saw the movie before I read the book, which I hate doing. Although I feel both of them were good, I think I liked the ending of the book better. ;) The book was a tearjerker, I managed to keep my emotions under control for most of it, but I know I shed a couple tears in reading Holly's journey. I would definitely recommend it to anyone, although I'm sure most guys wouldn't even give it a chance. . .

The Notebook
When I went to my cousin's wedding last weekend, John drove and when I ride, I have to do something or I will sleep. So, I chose to read. In fact, I read the entire book "The Notebook" before we made it to Dundee.

Once again, I saw the movie before reading the book. (Ugh.) I definitely liked the book more. It focused more on their reunion and life "now" than on their summer romance. It was harder than hell to make it through that book without shedding a tear. Once again, I would recommend it. . . .but I think it's time for Stephen King and I to reunite. ;)

In Progress - 14. Watch 101 New Movies.
Saints and Soldiers.
Miracle at Santa Anna.
Get Smart.

I LOVED the first two, and honestly, missed the last 1/4 of the movie because I fell asleep. But I am still listing it because I WILL watch it sometime in the next week or so. :)

In Progress - 19. Complete a cross-stitch project.
It's bought and started!! I am going to cross-stitch and apron for myself. And I also bought John's stocking for next year, felt applique. I'm also hoping to get mine done by Christmas, but won't be buying it until I finish his. Now, with the wedding to plan, wedding crafts to do and all that fun stuff, I'm not so sure that I will be getting the stockings done this year. . . .we'll see.

In Progress - 34. Eat 5 things I have never tried before.
When we went down to the wedding, we ate at Olive Garden. Now, I love Olive Garden and ate there quite a bit when I was in Kalamazoo. But John ordered some seafood thing and it had mussels in it. I've never had mussels, nor had any desire to try them. He wanted me to though. . .

So I did.

I don't recommend them.

I would eat them if they were served to me, but I would never order them.

In Progress - 40. Try 101 new recipes.
We had dinner at Jason and Shawnia's and I was told to bring dessert. So, I tried two new recipes.

Kiss Pies.
These were very easy to make, very cute, and very yummy. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of them. Oh well, next time.

I made them with the Mint Truffle Kisses and the Chocolate Meltaway Kisses. My favorite were the mint truffle ones but I *LOVE* mint chocolate. (John's not a fan.)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip.
My whole family loves chocolate chip cookie dough. So when I found a recipe for a DIP, I had to try it. It was delicious. I used Nila wafers to dip in it and they were perfect. Warning though: the dip is very sweet and very addictive. (I left the batch at Jason and Shawnia's to save my waistline. :) )

In Progress - 42. Try 10 New Restaurants.
Denny's.
When we went down for Dan's wedding, we got there on Thursday night and ate with Dan, Leah and Rachel at Denny's. Believe it or not, I had never been to a Denny's. Bob Evans, yes. Denny's, no. And we ended up eating there with Mom and Dad for breakfast on Sunday too!

El Ranchero
Last Sunday, when I got out of work, Tierney, Mom and I went dress shopping. After dress shopping, we were all starving, so we went to El Ranchero for dinner. As you can probably assume it's a mexican restaurant. The food was pretty good, and the fried ice cream was amazing!! :D

Completed - 44. Become an organ donor.
A couple weeks ago I got my enhanced driver's licence so I can go to Canada, or Mexico, or the Caribbean. When I got my new license, I also signed up to become an organ donor.

In Progress - 52. Send or give 101 cards.
I've been slacking here! But I have given three more.
One was to John, just because.
Another was for Dan and Leah for their wedding gift.
And the last was for Tierney, asking her to be a bridesmaid. (I failed to take a picture. . . my bad, I was in a hurry, she was walking in the door as I was finishing it!)

Completed - 82. Have a Successful New Year's Celebration.
Our New Year's celebration was nothing "special." We didn't go out. We didn't do anything special. But it was special to me. I have a horrible track record with New Year's. For some reason it always ends up in a fight over something ridiculous or one of the people involved being mad. So successful just meant happy to me. And I don't think I could have been happier.

We stayed in, watched TV and cuddled. Then after the ball dropped we went to bed. I had to be lame because I had to work at 7 am the next day.

Completed - 95. Go fishing.
Ice fishing counts, right? John has been asking me to go fishing with him for weeks, no months, now. I've always been working, or busy, or it's too cold, or. . . .or. . . . or. . .

Well on Wednesday, it was GORGEOUS out. So when John texted me and asked me if I wanted to go ice fishing, I said yes. Now, he didn't believe me at first. . . but I was serious. So, he got stuff together and when I got home I changed my clothes and put warm clothes on then we headed out.

I thought it was great! (And even caught a fish, even though it wasn't big enough to keep. . .) That is, until the sun went down and we all instantly froze. But I think I'll go again!! :)
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Sorry it took so long to update. . . my life has been so crazy in the past month or so (see other blogs for those stories!).

♥ Sara

Gingerbread.

Completed - 2. Build a gingerbread house.
Now, when I wrote this list, I wasn't exactly planning on building a gingerbread house with a three year old. So, I'm happy I didn't specify that it had to look a certain way or be a difficult-to-build gingerbread house. And, honestly, making it with John and his son was much more fun than building it on my own anyhow. So, here are a couple pictures of our gingerbread house. . . John is currently in the process of plotting its destruction.

5. Complete a coloring book, cover to cover.

Well, I finally found one I liked, so I bought it! But because of the holidays I haven't had a chance to color at all. I can't wait until my life calms back down.

20. Complete a fill-it-in book without dad taking it over.

I love fill-it-in books, as does my daddio. I have bought many over the years that dad somehow ends up filling most of them. (Not that I mind.) So, the whole "without dad taking it over" was written to get a laugh out of him. It's a little bit more difficult for him to steal them now that I no longer live there and don't even stay the night when I visit.

Well, for Christmas dad bought me my own fill it in and wrote a note on the front of it to remind himself and everyone else that it is all mine. :) One of my favorite gifts this year.

40. Try 101 new recipes.

Thanks to Christmas I had the opportunity to try eleven new recipes! I only had one repeat cookie and one repeat candy this year. And most of my family complained because they didn't get any "normal" cookies. Well guess what, maybe they should have baked them! (Not that we needed another cookie in the house, but I don't particularly enjoy it when my family complains about stuff that I make when I don't ever see them doing it!) When I get home I'll find the websites that I got my recipes from and include them as well. :)

Blackberry Ribbons

They were supposed to be raspberry but I made them blackberry for John. And they looked much nicer once i took them off of the paper that I spilled so much icing on.

Cowboy Chip Cookies

I replaced the nuts with butterscotch chips.

Chippy Cookies (the ones in the back. . . the ones in the front weren't new.)

Chocolate Covered Caramel Cookies

Candy Cane Chocolate Fudge

Snowballs

Oreo Truffles

Peanut Butter Balls

Cookie Dough Truffles

Sugar Free Eclairs

Well, that's all the progress I have made this week on the 101 project.

Merry Christmas!!

♥ Sara

Two Movies. One Postcard. And Long Hair?

Welp, I've been working on a couple of my 101 in 1001 tasks.

16. Watch 101 new movies.
I've watched two this week! I was wrapping gifts and working on stuffing my Christmas cards so I decided to take advantage of my Netflix on demand and watched The Bounty Hunter and Nothing Like the Holidays. Two very different movies. . .

I liked the Bounty Hunter just because it wasn't as predictable as I expected. Plus I like both Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler. I knew nothing about Nothing Like the Holidays but it was the only Christmas type movie that I could find on there. It has a lot going on in it and a star-packed cast for being an indie film. I really enjoyed that one as well, although I did have to rewind it a couple times when I got distracted and missed parts.

63. Grow my hair with trims for 1001 days. Donate it when I cut it.
Surprisingly, I'm not having much trouble with this yet. I still have days where I want to chop it all off, but I'm beginning to like the long hair. . .We'll see how long that lasts though!

84. Join postcrossing.com. Send and receive 10 postcards.
I sent my first postcard to a girl (woman?) in the Netherlands this week! :)

Here's a picture of the postcard:

I'm hoping to get my gingerbread house built this week sometime. And there are some of the tasks (such as not eating fast food, or wearing my hair down every day) that I have completed or partially completed but as far as I am concerned it doesn't count unless I am intentionally (not) doing it for the project. :)
♥ Sara

Smoke Stories, Grown-Ups and Christmas.

Ok, you're gonna get a few posts in a row here. . . First and foremost I need to update my situation with the 101 in 1001 challenge.

12. Read and review 50 books.
Well, I finished my first one. (And am close to finishing the second one.) I read Smoke Stories by Mike Davis.

Remember the quilter's retreat we had at the Best Western Dockside a month or so ago? Well Mike's wife, June, was in charge of this retreat. They had a vending area in the garden room and June was selling Mike's book there.

One of the quilter ladies was also a firefighter and we had struck up conversation about it. She told me about the book and I said I'd have to check it out. One of the other quilters ended up buying it for me as a thank you. So, I had to read it.

My review of the book: I would give it 2 out of 5 Stars. I didn't think it was well written *at all.* There was no flow to it. It skipped around a lot, was very vague and just didn't go together well. Luckily, it wasn't very long and therefore didn't take much time for me to read. It did have a couple funny stories, but wasn't worth my time and made me very happy that I didn't pay for the thing.

The Book.

16. Watch 101 new movies.

I've watched two new ones! The first was Grown-Ups with John. It was pretty good. While it was funny, I felt it should have been funnier with the cast, but oh well. It wasn't bad and it's nice to cuddle up on the couch and watch a movie with him now and then.

The second was A Charlie Brown Christmas. For some reason, I had never seen this. I know, there's something wrong with me. But it's John's son's new favorite movie, so I've actually seen it a few times and there's a good chance I could quote a few parts of it.

20. Complete a fill-it-in book without Dad taking it over.

I've started it! I finished the first two puzzles. . . it'll help me keep my sanity when I'm at work and it's dead. :)

---------------------------------

That's all I have made any head way on. My life has been fairly busy lately and I haven't spent much time thinking about it or working on it. I'm sure it will get done though!

♥ Sara

"The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from
it."
-James Bryce

50 Questions to Free My Mind.

[Note: these questions were not all answered the same day. They were answered (not in order either) between November 25, 2010 and December 3, 2010. If I was satisfied with an answer I marked it and left it alone. Some of the answers have been edited repeatedly and some of the answers took a long time and a lot of thinking to come up with. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed answering them. Feel free to leave your comments or message me, as always.
♥ Sara]

These questions have no right or wrong answers. Because sometimes asking the right questions is the answer.

1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

90. (It's a joke, John always makes fun of me and says I'm turning 90 soon because I knit, I like going to bed early, and in general act like a grandma.)
I don't feel like I can answer that question. I have only experienced being 23 and younger and I think that if I was to place a number on how old I feel and/or act, it would be older than that.

2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?

Never trying, for sure. I would rather know I tried something and for whatever reason it didn't work out than never trying it and always wondering if I should have.

3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?

Money, followed by time. Or at least that's my reasoning.

The main thing I spend my time doing that I don't like is my job. Yes, I love it at times. But honestly, if I never had to worry about money, I would never sit behind the desk of a hotel for a minimum of 40 hours a week.

And a lot of the things I don't do that I would like to is simply because I don't have the money and/or the time. If I didn't have to work that would be a minimum of 40 hours I could spend doing something I would actually like to do. I have cut out some things that I feel "waste my time." For example, that's the main reason I don't have a TV. It's not because I don't *like* watching TV, it's because I feel there are much better things I can be doing with my time.

4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

Hm, that's a tough one. I think I will have said more than I have done.

But I do believe that when all is said and done I will be proud of what I have done and not ashamed in the least of what I said.

5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?

People and the way they treat others.

6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?

Currently. . . helping others. If I could get paid a decent wage for the volunteer work I'd like to do, or get a job in my field I would be very content in my employment/financial situation.

Eventually. . . being a wife and mother. Anyone who knows me well knows that's what I long for (there's a reason that I have been called "Mom" by numerous people)! I'm not willing to settle for someone I don't want to be with to get there though. And no, I don't want to get married to be dependent on someone else to provide for me and take care of me. It's quite the opposite actually. I am very independent (although I do like it when someone puts forth the effort to show they care) and love taking care of others. Being and a wife and mother would be the ultimate "take care" position. :)

7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?

I have to say a little bit of both.

My job is certainly settling for what I'm doing. I am *not* doing what I believe in at the hotels, but I am supporting myself.

In my spare time, I try to do what I believe in. . .
There's a reason I'm a firefighter.
There's a reason I'm trying to get back into the pregnancy center.
There's a reason my major was what it was.
That is what I believe in.

8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?

I'd worry less about the future and live more in the now.
I wouldn't worry about saving money.
I wouldn't worry about ever buying a house (hell, I'd die before it was paid off at the length of time most mortgages are).
I would live paycheck to paycheck, traveling when I could, donating what I didn't need and just loving what time I have.

Then again, if the average human life span was 40 years, I wouldn't even exist. My parents were 39 and 40 when I was born. That would be the equivalent of a 70+ year old having a kid. Not very likely.

9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?

I can't say that I've had 100% control over the course my life has taken. But I have had control over the decisions that I have made that controlled the course my life took. Make sense? Didn't think so. . .

See, there are lots of things that I wish would have went differently, but the decisions I made (large or small) determined the course of my life. And honestly at this point, I'm glad they did. I always say if I could change one thing, it would be that I had a job in my field, but as I sit here writing this. . . I'm glad I don't.

Let me explain one senario. . . had I gotten a job in my field, it likely wouldn't have been in Mackinaw. I likely would have never come to Mackinaw. Had I never come to Mackinaw the likelihood of John and I ever hanging out would have been slim to none. And well, you know how I feel about that. So, in the long run. I'm happy with where my life is. I could have lived without a few hard times, without a few heartbreaks, without losing friends, without losing family members. But then would I be here? I don't think so. . .



I'll take the pain of the past for the happiness of the future.

10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?

Ooh! This is a tough one. I am going to have to say I'm more worried about doing the right things.

Doing things right gives me immediate gratification, but even if I have to make mistakes to do the right things, it will be more satisfying in the long run of my life. As far as I am concerned, the long run is really what matters.

11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do?

I would defend my friend. I would tell them why their criticism is unjustified. If they don't respect me for doing so, then they are not the kind of people I want to respect or admire. If I had a friend in the same situation I would hope they would do the same thing for me.

12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?

Live your life. Savor every moment. Take notes. Take pictures. Never forget what's important. Always be yourself, even when you don't know who you are yet.

Yes, I'm aware that's technically more than one piece of advice, but I could have made it a run on sentence to make it only one. And since I chose to make it more than one thing I'll explain them all.

Live your life: Don't let anyone else control you. That will never make you happy.
Savor every moment: I can think of many times that I was too busy waiting for the future to get here to enjoy the present.
Take notes: Journal. Blog. Keep a diary. Keep a planner. Do something to remind you of even the simplest times. I can't tell you how many times I have used my planner or my blog or one of my journals from when I was younger to distinctly remember something. Or how many times I have randomly read one of the three and stumbled on something awesome that I had forgotten.
Take pictures: You can never have enough pictures of your life. You won't always remember every detail, unfortunately. (And I need to get better about this again.)
Never forget what's important: Always remember your loved ones. Focus on the present, future and the big picture, don't look at life under a microscope.

13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?

Yes. Absolutely. No doubt in my mind.

14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?

That's my entire life.

I don't even feel the need to explain it further than that.

15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people?

Ha. Where should I begin?

My closet and drawers are color coded and organized by type of clothes.
I eat pizza (and most other foods) differently than most anyone I know. Unless I'm uncomfortable, then I will eat like others to avoid anyone noticing.
I have a certain routine when I'm getting ready and if for some reason things get out of order I'll forget something or get really frustrated.
I read and study differently than most people.
I do math weird.
I am easily annoyed by lots of things, but have learned to cope with most of them.
I could go on and on. . . I'm an odd duck and I know it.

16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?

No one else is exactly like me. If everyone was the same life would be rather boring.
And there are some things that make me happy that I just wouldn't be willing to share with someone else. :)

17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?

I can think of so many things. . . all because of either a) money or b) it just hasn't happened.

If I had to choose one thing it would be traveling. My parents aren't big into traveling, so I didn't do it much as a kid or in my teen years, but I've always had the desire to do so. Now, I don't do it because I don't feel I have the money to spend and I don't want to take time off to do so because I don't want to lose my wages for those days.

18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?

For the most part, no, I think I'm pretty good at letting things go.

But I'm also good at dragging them out of my memories at the most inconvenient times. Unfortunately, this can do awful things to my self esteem, my thoughts on myself, my view on the world, my trust in others, my relationships, my friendships, everything.

I think there are some things that you can't completely let go of, sadly. So, the best way to deal with it, at least for me, is to do just that. Deal with it. Make my loved ones aware. Don't be afraid to share my feelings (that's how shit gets destroyed). Don't be afraid to share my pain. Don't be afraid to share my fears. Don't be afraid to cry.

As I say that I also need to include that this is a huge step for me. I am much better at dealing with shit on my own. Bottling up my feelings. Holding in my pain. Pretending I have no fears. And, until recently, I didn't even want to let myself see me cry. I'm working on it.

19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?

I honestly have no idea, simply because I haven't been many places.

I think I would choose somewhere similar to here. I would need snow. I would prefer to live in the country with a city nearby for convenience, but I could easily go without that. Also I would want to be near loved ones. I love having people I care about close to me.

20. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?

Never. It annoys me.

21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?

I'm going to have to go with a joyful simpleton. I have spent years of my life worrying about one thing or another. I have serious anxiety issues, that I typically deal with in my own ways and most people don't even know about. I would love to not have to worry about shit. Even if that meant losing some of my intelligence.

Plus, I'm not very high maintenance and simpleton just sounds nice to me right now.

22. Why are you, you?

I am me because of the way I was raised, the experiences I have had, the lessons I have learned, the things I was taught, the decisions I have made and the people who have impacted my life.

As you know, I subscribe to the belief that everything, good or bad, happens for reason. I can think of some awful things that I wish would have never happened. But if I take that one incident out of my life, it wouldn't have ended up like this, or maybe it would have, but the chain of incidents that led me to here would be broken and I wouldn't want to take the risk that this isn't where I ended up or who I was in the end. Even the hardest times were blocks in building the me I am today.

23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?

Yes, I have been, at least to my true friends.
I don't get easily angry at my friends.
I am willing to forgive my true friends for just about anything.
I am always there if they need anything.
I try not to complain about things too much.
I always try to listen more than I talk (maybe that's why I write so much. . .).
I am always honest, even if it's something they don't really want to hear.

I wish I was better at keeping in touch with people though. . . something else to work on.

24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?

When a good friend moves away (or moving away from a good friend).
It's always easier to regain touch with someone who is nearby than it is to keep touch with a friend who is far away. I discovered that when I permanently left Kalamazoo. . .

25. What are you most grateful for?

Life and the people in it! I am most grateful for my family and friends (including the boyfriend). My life wouldn't be what it is without those people.

26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?

Lose all my old ones.

I have some awful old memories. And I want to be able to remember my happiness now and the happiness I anticipate in the future. In my mind "lose all my old memories" means that they wouldn't be in my head, but doesn't mean I would lose all my writing or pictures. Most of my happy times are recorded in one or both ways and I could always imagine them.

I would hate to know that no matter what I did I wouldn't be able to remember today. It would definitely change the way I live, and it wouldn't be in a good way.

27. Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first?

Yes, it is. It's called faith.

28. Has your greatest fear ever come true?

Not yet, and I hope it never does.

29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?

Yes, I can. I'm not going to explain the situation, because it's a long story that no one really needs to know. No, it doesn't really matter now. The main reason? The people who upset me are no longer in my life, will never be in my life again, and I don't miss them in the least.

30. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?

I can't choose just one. . . it's impossible I've decided. But I can list a few.
Every family reunion since I can remember.
Riding with Jason to school.
Father-daughter retreats with Dad.
Parts of mother-daughter retreats with Mom.
Walking to the big rock with Oliver.
Charlie pulling me on the sled.
Swimming.
Bon-fires.
Playing with the neighbor boys.
. . .
I could go on and on. The main factor that makes them so special is family. All of my best memories are times with my family, even doing simple things.

31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?

Starting this project. Pretty much in the past month and half or so I have felt very passionate and alive. I am happy. Truly happy. I think that has a lot to do with it. There hasn't been any time that I can think of that I have felt this passionate about my life. Things are finally falling into place for me.

32. If not now, then when?

Never.

There are no guarantees for the future.
There may not be the opportunity tomorrow.
There may not be a tomorrow.
I'm trying to remember this and live every day to it's full potential.

I'm not trying to sound pessimistic. I'm far from pessimistic. Just realistic.

33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?

The opportunity to achieve it.

34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?

When I'm with the right person (or sometimes people) it's like that often.

I feel (and have felt since the beginning) that way with John. We could drive in silence, just listening to the radio, no physical contact, and I would feel so relaxed and just generally satisfied after those times. And no matter how tired I was, I was never ready to go back to the apartment. It's the same way now.

35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?

It's not the religions that cause the wars.

It's the people.

Unfortunately, people don't always adhere to the beliefs of their religion and are often judgmental and intolerant of other religions.

36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?

Not in this world, I don't believe it is. I mean there are some things that are obvious, but there are also a lot of things that are very hard/impossible for humans to classify as either good or evil.

37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?

You better believe it!!! Or at least I wouldn't work the shifts I don't want to work.

I would certainly start spending more time doing things I love, things I am passionate about, things that make me feel alive, things that make a difference in this world. I would technically be working, but maybe not working for a wage.

38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?

More work that I actually enjoy doing. I don't mind working, as long as I enjoy it. And there's a reason I will take time to volunteer completely free of charge. I enjoy doing it. I know I am making a difference, even if it isn't something that I can see the results of immediately.

39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?

Considering that I am working 12 hours today. I have lived this day, but worse a hundred times before. I am so ready for a job that I feel like I am accomplishing more than getting a paycheck and keeping my life afloat.

40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?

I honestly don't know. When I think of this, I think of taking a big risk, alone, without a clue, to do something I believe in. And I don't know when the last time I did that was, if ever.

Anything I could think of I wasn't alone, or I wasn't clueless.

41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?

And I was going to live?!? What the hell kind of question is this?
My family, as many of them as I could possibly see.
John.
My best friends.
Wow. I hate that question.
Seriously.
I better be allowed to teleport because I don't want to waste my time driving places.

42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?

No way.
I don't care that much about my looks to lose 10 years of my life.
And I have never had a desire to be famous, I wouldn't give up 10 days of my life to be famous.

43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living?

Everyone who is breathing is alive.
Not everyone who is breathing is truly living.

Truly living involves doing something with your life.
Being alive involves breathing.
Truly living involves being passionate about your life.
Being alive involves a routine that keeps your body functioning.

44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?

Now.
For all we know, there may be no tomorrow.
And if there is a tomorrow, the opportunity may not be there.
This question is being answered at a very ironic time for me. . . ya'll will understand later. . . but not now.

45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?

Obviously from my perspective. . .
I hate being wrong.
I hate the feeling that I did something wrong.
I hate the sadness that some mistakes brings.
I hate having other people feel bad because of my mistakes.
I hate it when other people point out my mistakes.
I hate the realization that I shouldn't have done or said what I did.

So, even though I learn from my mistakes, I'd rather not have to make them. I can learn from other people's mistakes. I can learn what works when it works. :)

46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?

I'm not sure that there is anything that I would do differently.
I tend to live for myself and myself alone (obviously with consideration for other people's feelings).
I tend to not care what people think about me.
I tend to let people say what they want.
I tend to live as though no one is judging me.
There are very few people in this world who I care what they think. And frankly, I believe their thoughts (or judgments, if you will) tend to keep my head on straight. There's a reason that there is a very short list of people that I ask opinions of before I do something major (not that I always do what they say, but I always listen to what they have to say and consider it).

47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?

Maybe the last time I ran and was out of breath.

I know this is weird but I *hate* hearing breathing. . . it annoys me to no end. My breathing doesn't make a sound (except maybe when I'm sleeping and breathing hard). The only exception is sleeping breathing. I don't mind the sound of other people breathing when they are sleeping, but there's something about hearing people breathing in general that drives me crazy.

I know, I have issues.

48. What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?

My life.
I think so, I think that the people I love know that I love them.
I am learning to do the things I love more often.
I do my best to express my love to people every opportunity I have.

49. In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?

I will. And if I don't, I have a handy dandy blog, planner, or mystery notebook to look at to tell me what I did. I have found that blogging my life is one of the best ideas I have ever had and am regretting that I fell away from it this summer. Be ready to be overwhelmed with blogs!! :D

50. Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?

Haha! If you know me well, you know I *hate* making some decisions. And I think I'm getting worse instead of better with it. Hell, last night John told me he was going to Arby's and offered to pick up dinner for me. I made *him* decide what *I* was eating.


As far as the important decisions in my life, I make them for myself. I had a hard time doing that for a while. I am always so scared of hurting other people and I knew whatever decisions I made, someone was going to suffer. Also, I was refraining from making decisions until I was certain of what I wanted and serious about it. I didn't want to unnecessarily hurt anyone, nor did I want to jump into something and end up hurt myself or hurting someone else.


I am now 100% content in the decisions I am making.

Number 73 Completed. Updates on WIP.

Completed: 73. Write a letter to myself to open at the end of 1001 days.

Believe it or not, I was surprised to find this task to be rather difficult. I mean, what do I say to myself that I would want to read in 2.75 years? What will make sense? What will make me happy to hear? What will upset me? I have no idea. . .

But, I wrote it. I tried. And it's 3 pages long. I'll let you know on August 14, 2013 whether it was what I wanted to hear or not. Maybe I'll even share what it says then. :)

The Letter, Signed, Sealed and Delivered.

Just waiting for the end.

___________________________________

Works In Progress:
12: Read 50 books.
I've started two. Hoping to have at least one done by the end of the week, at which point I will write a review and post a picture of the book for you. :)

52: Send or give 101 cards, not including Christmas cards.
Before I left Friday, I dropped off a card at John's house for him to get when he got home. He has been so good to me and I just wanted him to know that I *really* do appreciate it. (See Happiness post for the entire story about John.)

The Card I Gave John.

63. Grow my hair (with trims) for the next 1001 days. Donate hair when I finally cut it.
This might be one of the hardest (or one of the easiest) tasks on my list, depending on the day. I'm beginning to really love my hair longer (and will take a "before" picture soon here, probably tomorrow or Tuesday), but growing it for almost three more years. . .that could be a chore. And then donating it at the end could be rather difficult as well. Then again, by then it will be so long that I could cut off a bunch and it would *still* be long! We'll see!!

69. Save $10 for each task I complete.
I transferred $10 into my savings account. But I'm debating whether I want it there or in a jar somewhere. What will I do with it in the end? Well, that is TBD. I still don't know where I'll be, what I'll be doing or what I'll need in 2.75 years!

84. Join postcrossing.com. . . .
Well I got that much done! And I received my first address. Tomorrow I'll mail out my first postcard (along with my bills, ew!). . . I'll keep updating on that one.
______________________________________________

Just a note: the list is subject to change, especially if I find the tasks easy to complete. :)
♥ Sara

"We should all be concerned about the future because we will have to spend the
rest of our lives there."
-Charles F. Kettering

101 in 1001.

Well. . . here's the new challenge, as promised. The goal: complete 101 things in 1001 days. Now, I feel the need to tell you that I had to delete like 50 things from my original list. So if this goes well there will be Part 2. :)


Start Date: November 17, 2010
Finish Date: August 14, 2013

Taken from The Day Zero website
The Challenge:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple challenges such as New Year's resolutions or a 'Bucket List'. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips, study semesters, or outdoor activities.

So, without further adieu. . . my list. Some are blank because the task has to be a secret in order for it to work, but will be filled in once completed. The tasks I am currently working on will be in italics and blue. The completed tasks will be struckout and purple.
____________________________________________

Back to Childhood

1. Build a blanket fort.
2. Build a gingerbread house. (bought, but not started)
[12.23.10]
3. Build a snowman.
4. Carve a pumpkin.
5. Complete a coloring book, cover to cover.
6. Dress in a costume I put together ahead of time for Halloween.
7. Dye Easter Eggs.
8. Fly a kite.
9. Get my picture taken with Santa.
10. Jump in a pile of leaves.
11. Make a snow angel.

Books/Movies

12. Read and review 50 books, including 10 recommendations from friends. (3/50)

[Smoke Stories, P.S. I Love You, The Notebook]
13. Read the Bible. (0/66)
14. Read the entire Chronicles of Narnia. (0/7)
15. Watch 10 documentaries. (0/10)
16. Watch 101 new movies. (7/101)

[Grown-Ups, A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Bounty Hunter, Nothing Like the Holidays, Saints and Soldiers, Miracle at Santa Anna, Get Smart]

Creativity

17. Complete the 100 snapshots challenge. (0/100)
18. Complete a 26 things scavenger hunt. (0/26)
19. Complete a cross stitch project.
20. Complete a fill-it-in book (without dad taking it over!). (3/104)
21. Complete a painting on a canvas.
22. Decorate a cake (after learning how of course!).
23. Find a personally inspirational quote and work it into a piece of art/home décor.
24. Get a sewing machine and learn to use it.
25. Learn calligraphy.
26. Learn how to fold origami.
27. Learn to crochet.
28. Make an encouraging banner.

Food/Exercise/Health

29. Complete the 200 sit ups challenge.
30. Don’t drink alcohol for 101 days. (0/101)
31. Don’t eat fast food for one month. (0/30)
32. Drink two bottles of water each day for a month. (0/30)
33. Eat 5 things I’ve never tried before. (0/5)
34. Get a new bike and use it.
35. Go vegetarian for 2 weeks. (0/14)
36. Go without any pop for 2 weeks. (0/14)
37. Learn how to roll sushi.
38. Make someone breakfast in bed.
39. Run a 5K.
40. Try 101 new recipes. (12/101)
[Chocolate Covered Caramel Cookies, Chippy Cookies, Cowboy Chip Cookies, Blackberry Ribbon, Cookie Dough Truffles, Chocolate Balls, Oreo Truffles, Candy Cane Fudge, Snowballs, Sugar Free Eclairs, Kiss Pies, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip]
41. Try 5 new subway sandwiches. (0/5)
42. Try 10 new restaurants. (3/10)
43. Work out at least 5 days a week for a month straight. (0/30)

Giving Back

44. Become an organ donor.
[01.18.11]
45. Buy a stranger dinner.
46. Collect all my change for 101 days – spend it on something that would make someone else happy. (0/101)
47. Donate blood.
48. Donate to toys for tots.
49. Get the CCFFA’s website up and running.
50. Send anonymous flowers.
51. Leave 5 inspirational notes for other people. (0/5)
52. Send or give 101 cards (other than Christmas). (Including . . .) (4/101)
[11.19.10, January 2011, 01.15.11, 01.19.11]
53. . . .
54. . . .
55. . . .
56. Volunteer 101 hours (fire department doesn’t count unless it’s actual volunteer time). (0/101)

Just for Me

57. Answer the 50 questions that will free your mind. (50/50)
[12.03.10]
58. Buy myself flowers.
59. Don’t swear for a week.(0/7)
60. Find a better job.
61. Get a manicure.
62. Get a massage.
63. Grow my hair (with trims) for the next 1001 days. Donate hair when I finally cut it. (82/1001)
64. Identify 101 things that make me happy and identify 101 things that make me angry. (0/202)
65. Keep a diary for a year. (needing to start over. . . )
66. Make a list of 50 things I like about myself. (0/50)
67. Make a video (or a series of videos) of my everyday life.
68. Make and lock a time capsule.
69. Save $10 for each task I complete / Donate for those I don’t. (3/101)
70. Send a secret to post secret.
71. Spend the entire day in my pajamas with no homework or housework.
72. Wear my hair down for a week. (And not just straight everyday.) (0/7)
73. Write a letter to myself to open at the end of 1001 days.
[11.21.10]
74. Write down all my bad memories/pain. Burn them.

Random New Experiences

75. Go an entire month without buying anything that isn’t a necessity (keep all receipts to prove it). (0/30)
76. Go a week without wearing black. (0/7)
77. Go camping alone.
78. Go ziplining somewhere other than Barakel with dad.
79. Go on a roadtrip.
80. Go to a haunted house.
81. Have a candlelit dinner.
82. Have a successful New Year’s celebration.
[01.01.11]
83. Have my annual Christmas Cards out by December 1.
84. Join postcrossing.com. Send and receive 10 post cards. (1/20)
[12.18.10]
85. Kiss under a mistletoe .
86. Learn to drive a manual transmission. . . well.
87. Ride on a train.
88. Tie a note to a balloon and let it go.
89. Visit a state I’ve never been to.

Miscellaneous

90. Buy a magic 8 ball and base my decisions on it for one day.
91. Buy a pair of cowboy boots.
92. Buy something from etsy.
93. Buy a lottery ticket.
94. Go back to church (at least once).
95. Go fishing.
[02.02.11]
96. Go to a zoo.
97. Go to the Island.
98. Go ice skating.
99. Have a picnic.
100.Have a sleepover with just the kids and I.
101.Watch the fireworks on the 4th of July.
_________________________________________

I will be taking a picture of the completion of each task, and possibly the progression. And I will obviously be blogging about it. When I wrote the blog, I will also be explaining why the task made the list. In order to keep track of this (and any other project I've done here), I will be using tags. The tag for this one is going to be 101 in 10001 and each completion will also be tagged with the category. I also intend on bookmarking this post on the left hand side column, if I can figure out how! ;)

I know, you're wondering. . . why this, Sara? Well, if you read it all you know that these are tasks that can be completed without much finances, and with just a little effort. Whereas, my bucket list has mostly go big or go home tasks on it (and I have a few to add to it, so look for those here in the future). And you know that my life consists of me challenging myself repeatedly, this is just another challenge. :)

I hope you enjoy this journey as much as I am planning on enjoying it!

my newest necklace.

the other side.

♥ Sara

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
– Theodore Roosevelt