101 goals in 1001 days, pt 2

so. i just realized thanks to reading Tonya's blog, that my 1001 goals in 101 days is up. Here i was thinking I had until October! woops....

i completed 60 in total, and 8 in partial, so for the goal of putting 2 dollars toward charity for each that isnt finished, thats.. (counting on fingers...) around 75 bucks for charity. So I'd like everyone to help me think of a good one to donate to, and email or message me and let me know.

I had already started working on my new list the other day. I'm going to recycle some of the old goals that I did complete bc they made me feel good, and am also going to re-add some of the ones I didnt yet do bc they are important. I calculated the new finish day and it is April 28, 2014. that seems like forever from now. but then, this date seemed like it would never come either and so much has happened in my life since i began the project. who knows what can happen in the next 1001 days?

at any rate. my new list:

1. Sponsor soldiers. Male or female or a group. Doesn't matter.

2. Pick a charity a month to donate to, even if it is just five dollars.

3. Lose 20 lbs.

4. Travel out West and see an amazing sunset.

5. Run (not walk) a 5K for charity

6. Crochet six more lap blankets for the nursing home

7. Visit six historical landmarks.

8. Donate $3 for each incomplete goal.

9. Get married. I know this one seems silly and out of character. but I want it to happen only if it is supposed to be.

10. Learn a new craft/hobby

11. Take a fitness class (zumba, yoga,spin, dancing, whatever)

12. Go on an Alaskian cruise.

13. Learn more about my family history.

14. Find a church that I like and go at least semi-regularly

15. Read three books about the Civil War.

16. Complete three random acts of kindness.

17. Take someone I love to Topsail Island

18. Make four new friends

19. Send birthday cards to at least 20 people.

20. Attend a play (local, broadway, whatever.)

21. See a movie at a drive-in theatre.

22. Pay for a stranger's meal.

23. Grow my own veggies (in a container garden if necessary)

24. Attend a music festival

25. Write 30 things I am thankful for.

26. Scan old family photos and post them online.

27. Do four photo-booth photos.

28. Write a letter to myself to be open in five years.

29. Participate in a Christmas gift giving program (Salvation Army, United Way, etc.)

30. Collect pressed pennies from places I visit.

31. Go camping with friends

32. Learn to do a cartwheel.

33. Buy a car.

34. Learn to drive stick-shift.

35. Clean out my closets seasonally and donate what I dont wear/need to charity.

36. Try six new foods.

37. Try to make gifts (bday, holiday, etc.) instead of buying store bought items.

38. Go geo-caching.

39. Get my passport.

40. Get my tattoo.

41. Make a birthday cake for someone special.

42. Attend a hockey game.

43. Visit one of those tourist traps, like the dino's in the PeeWee Herman movie, or worlds largest ball of twine.

44. Create a new list when this time period is complete (and remember the correct end-date!)

45. Live someplace with a real yard.

46. Once acquiring a place with a yard, adopt a friend for Calypso.

47. Stop being a weener and go get bloodwork and the full deal done so as to make sure I really am healthy.

48. Assist in a mentoring or tutoring program.

49. Go to Savannah, GA and visit the graveyard from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

50. Go to Disney and ride the "It's a Small World" ride since it was closed when I was there in 4th grade.

51. Stop biting my nails.

52. Write down 30 things I am thankful for.

53. Ride on a train somewhere. A real one, with sleeper-cars and everything.

54. Take an academic course, even if it doesnt lead to another degree.

55. Own a really nice piece of antique jewelry.

56. become a godmother (no pressure Shainna...) so I can spoil a godchild

57. Be nice and not catty to every person at my 10 year high school reunion.

58. Travel overseas

59. Buy a drawer file thing for important documents. Locate said documents first.

60. Learn to snorkel

61. Host a dinner party

62. Introduce a child to the wonders of the solar system. Maybe take them to see a meteor shower like I did when I was little (i.e. lay in the back yard in sleeping bags.)

63. Create some sort of inspiration board of positive images and words to keep me going when I get down.

64. Get a professional deep-clean facial

65. Go skeet shooting.

66. Be able to do 50 push-ups (in one go)

67. Attend a Christmas Eve midnight mass. I'm not Catholic, but I have this feeling that it would just be a beautiful experience.

68. Have mom teach/help me make a quilt.

69. Write/post 100 things about me. anything things.

70. Make a scrapbook of special family/personal moments.

71. Frame my bib number from my first 5K with a photo of me and the girls and the dogs.

72. Pay off my credit card debt.

73. Volunteer at nursing home, children's hospital, or the like for at least 15 hours.

74. Try being vegetarian for one week.

75. Go on a picnic (with a basket and red checkered cloth and the whole cheesy works)

76. Develop all of my film that is laying around

77. Find a really good pillow that I like that I can actually sleep on.

78. Donate books to that prison library organization.

79. Build a closer relationship with my parents.

80. Go to the farmers market (when open) at least once a month instead of buying fruit/veg at the grocery store.

81. Buy indoor plants and actually keep them alive for a year. A WHOLE YEAR.

82. Have a good photo taken of me for Mammaw to put on the wall since she still has the one from 11th grade on the shelf.

83. Participate in a shopping cart joust.

84. Pack my breakfast/lunch for work for two solid weeks (with the plan of continuing)

85. Go on a road trip. This means at going far enough where I have to spend the night somewhere.

86. Seriously consider adopting a teacup pig.

87. Go berry picking.

88. Learn more about Henry Darger and his works.

89. Go to a park or some open space and fly a kite.

90. Watch ten old black and white films

91. Post a note on facebook and make an art/craft for the first five people who respond.

92. Write my will. for real this time.

93. Save all of my change during this period and cash it in at the end of 1001 days.

94. Write a 'postsecret' and leave it in a PostSecret book in a bookstore.

95. Read 101 books (this will be easy, but I like the idea of having to write them down.)

96. Learn the basics of ASL. I know the alphabet, but learn the important words like 'help' and 'thank you' and 'bathroom' and 'fire.'

97. Drink the correct amount of water for my body for a month.

98. Tell people that I love that i love them. Don't hide that shit. People need to know.

99. Write thank-you notes.

100. Stop buying bottled water and only use water bottles filled from the tap.

101. Make a positive difference in someone's life.



So there we go. And so I have a record of them, here are my goals from the last 1001 days. I'm really proud of where I've come.

End date: July 24, 2011

FINISHED, In Progress



1.Sponsor a woman soldier overseas



2. Send someone flowers just for fun 11/6/08



3. Buy an angel tree Christmas gift each Christmas of the project 12/06/08, (Salvation Army Child) 12/02/09, 12/4/10



4. Sing karaoke, with a group counts. Leah's Bachelorette Party



5. Start a real blog, not on myspace Complete 10/27/2008



6. Start taking a daily photo Complete 10/29/2008



7. Write one letter a month to someone important 11/08, 12/08, 01/09, 2/09, 3/09, 4/09



8.Start recycling and keep up with it for a minimum of one month with plan of continuing the good habit.



9.Use the Wii to work out at least 4 times a week for a period of one month with plan of continuing the good habit (i did not continue the good habit)



10.Hang up the photos on the red wall 1/03/09



11. Drink half my body weight in ounces of water for 30 straight days



12. Take vitamins everyday for a period of one month with plan of continuing the good habit



13. Take zumba once at week for three months.



14. Budget 10% of each paycheck to put into savings



15. Pay off credit cards



16. Take a new art/craft class at Michaels, Zen Clay, etc.- pottery at ZenClay



17. Go geo-caching



18. Write a will



19. Send out real Christmas Cards with real stamps with a hilarious picture of Calypso or something similar Complete 12/06/08, 12/18/09, 12/12/10



20. Travel out West to Colorado or similar just to see the mountains or desert, depending on which state I hit.



21. Reorganize my closet so that my work clothes are on the closer side while the t-shirts that I love but don't get to wear as often now that I have a job are on the farther side. 11/11/08



22. Tell someone how much I appreciate them each day for a month, following the alphabet (someone with name beginning with A, B, etc). We shall dub it The Andrea's Alphabetical Appreciation month, until we can come up with a better name. started and scrapped july 09 for internet creepiness factor.



23. Make a pie from scratch.



24. Brave the Beltway to visit Chris Short and go to at least 3 of the Smithsonian museums: Air&Space, Holocaust, WWII (it's not a museum, but it's still amazing to me, and i believe it counts)



25. Take photo-booth photos on seven separate occasions.



26. See ten foreign films: Amelie, Night Watch, Day Watch,Man Eats Dog, Happenstance, Priceless, La Vie en Rose, Human Centipede



27. Learn to snowboard



28. Visit the Andy Warhol museum 1/29/10



29. Take someone important to me to Topsail Island



30. Get at least 3 other people to come with me to the Mystery Hole 4/30/11 laura, ben, aunt beth, pat mcp



31. Send a message in a bottle



32. Send 5 postcards through www.postcrossing.com
This has been deleted as postcrossing is crap and nothing ever happened.


33. submit 2 secrets to PostSecret



34. Do the dishes every day for a straight month with the plan of continuing the good habit



35. Learn to play chess 04/14/09



36. Meet my brother's (now ex)girlfriend and NOT make fun of Michael in front of her during that first initial meeting. 5/9/09



37. Get a passport



38. See all of AFI's top 100 movies



39. Participate at least one time in http://gimmeyourstuff.blogspot.com/ this too is crap and just a scam, so was deleted.



40.Read ten books that have been on the Banned Books list that I have not previously read- Call of the Wild by Jack London, Eve's Diary by Mark Twain



41. Clean out my office which no longer looks like an office but more like an explosion. 4/11/10 (Only happened bc I'm moving, but still counts.)



42. Get my tattoo



43.Walk/run in a marathon that raises money for a good cause 8/23 (cuttin it close!) Canine Classic 5K for Animal Friends of Mon County



44. Go to a planetarium 1/2/10 Smithsonian Air&Space Planetarium



45. Carry change with me to give to the Salvation Army Santa Claus people when I'm shopping at Wal-mart.



46.Donate 2 dollars to charity for every task I don't complete on this list



47. Try soymilk 11/18/08



48. Have Dave or someone similar take my picture with the dog in a semi-professional manner that I could give to my grandmother so she can finally replace the photo she has hanging up of me from 11th grade.



49. Make/decorate a birthday cake for someone



50.If I meet someone special, go watch airplanes/people at the airport with them. 9/1/10 Morgantown Airport, WWII B-17 display



51. Learn to play poker I can play, but very VERY badly



52.Make 3 people soundtracks of songs that make me think of them. LL, BLM, ZH



53. Put up outside Christmas lights 11/23/08



54.take 3 new people to Coopers Rock 4/7/10-ZH, CH, JK



55. buy a dress that I actually feel pretty in and can wear on a casual everyday type basis 01/17/09



56.Write down one nice thing about myself every day for a month



57. put all the bags of sea glass I have floating around into one decorative jar 01/03/09



58. get rid of all my socks that are missing a mate 8/10



59.cook a real dinner that isn't just something that can be microwavable at minimum of two nights a week for a period of one month with the plan of continuing the good habit 5/11- 6/11/09. baked spaghetti is awesome!



60. keep my car clean for a period of one month with the plan of continuing the good habit. (kept it clean, good habit continuing did not...)



61. help mom put up the Christmas tree and keep my damn mouth shut when I think she's put too many lights on it. 11/30/08



62. continue to look online at least once a week for that magical dream job that I still have no idea what it is. I count this done, bc I absolutely love the job I have now, and it was not the one I had when I started this list.



63. spend one day where I don't plan to do anything that involves getting out of bed (other than necessary functions) but rather enjoy being lazy and watching tv or reading for pleasure. This day can only occur on a day where I am feeling happy, and not depressed because the stay in bed when I'm depressed days never turn out good and usually lead to stay in bed bc I'm depressed weeks. 1/1/11



64. if I like someone, and I mean in that kinda way like someone, actually tell them and not wait around hoping they get the point. (hey that was easier than i thought.)



65. for the period of one month write down something everyday that I am thankful for.



66. learn to play the Star Wars theme on a guitar and prove that I've done so to at least 3 witnesses its on video on the blog. sadly, i'm sure you watched it.



67. go on a trip with mom. I don't care what kind of trip as long as it is an activity or in a place that is not ordinary to us. beach trip 9/09



68. write a letter to my grandmother telling her how much I appreciate her for being a big factor in my life 9/5/10



69.make vegetable soup in my crock-pot 11/11/08



70. talk to my dad on the phone for more than 5 minutes once a week for a period of one month with the idea of maybe hopefully continuing it thereafter



71. attend a hockey game



72. taste three new varieties of cheese Babybel (edam),caerphilly,goat (i don't remember the brand or the particular name of said goat. but she was delicious), brie



73. buy a telescope



74.clean out my bedroom at home so that it doesn't look like a high schooler still lives there



75. get the oil changed in my car at the exact mile that it is supposed to. (will check car to find this number and post it) 3/07/09, 9/09



76. visit Savannah, Georgia



77. steam clean (is that what that cleaner thing is?) my carpets 01/03/09



78. try a new fruit or vegetable (this includes ones I swore I did not like as a child and haven't touched since) once a month. Oct 08-edamame, Nov 08-cauliflower Dec 08-snow peas, Jan 09- sweet potato, Feb 09-star fruit, March 09-cooked spinnach (still gross), April 09-rambutan, May 09- artichoke (super gross), June 09-regular peas (ok with butter),



79. learn to knit and make something more difficult than a scarf. Preferably a shrug or a handbag



80. make a self representative piece of art to hang on my wall 12/13/09 Tree on white canvas



81. paint my unfinished shelves that I have sitting in the office black and use them as end tables in the living room. 4/11/10



82. buy a small filing cabinet and put all those important documents that I always lose in it, like my birth certificate and job information and bills that I have paid



83. take a group of friends and go play bingo somewhere like the VFW once went with Lish and Amanda to the fire dept!



84. do an activity where I actively spend time with my brother, even if it is just drinking on Christmas Eve while watching A Christmas Story after mom and dad go to bed like we did last year.



85. write a positive blog for every negative blog for a 30 day period (not 30 days of blog, just whenever I blog in that period) in hopes of continuing the good habit of positive thinking.



86. get rid of all my shoes that I haven't worn in the past 6 months. 4/11/10



87. knit/crochet 6 shaws/lap blankets to give to people in the nursing home. 3 finished for Christmas '09, 2 finished for Christmas '10, 1 nearly finished as of 8/25 and so therefore am counting it.



88. put change in someone's parking meter when its run out so that they don't get a ticket.



89. volunteer with some type of youth organization. e.g. Big Brother Big Sister, Kaleidoscope, etc.



90. take a course or have someone good with cameras teach me to take quality photos. both z and my friend michael take amazing photos of different kinds (z prefers digital, michael does old school lomo, etc) and both have taught me worlds about how to take better photos.



91. bake cupcakes and take them to work for no particular reason



92. go through facebook/instant messenger/phonebook and delete the people I don't talk to anymore but just keep around to read about what they are doing. Complete 10/29/2008



93. actually mow my yard during the summer months (completed 4/10 as moving to place that doesnt require mowing)



94. keep a plant alive for 5 months with hopes of keeping it alive long after 08/08-01/09



95. get a Christmas present for my lonely neighbor kid friend. 2010- since i no longer have a lonely neighbor, i gave some to lonely co-workers



96. sell five items on ebay without purchasing anything in return.



97. have a yard sale



98. clean out my fridge and freezer



99. read three non-fiction texts on WW2 "My Mother's Lover"



100. chat up one person I think is cute, whether in a grocery store, at the bar, giving me a speeding ticket, etc . October 31, 2008. Thank you Halloween. :)



101. create a new list at the end of the 1001 days to complete.

i hate seeing people i love hurting. i can deal with my own hurt, but not that of others. mine i can bury and talk vaguely about and dye my hair (burgundy, as of the middle of the night friday. or rather saturday i guess.) but seeing others hurt and me not being able to do anything about it leaves me flailing. i just want everyone to be happy.

i havent left the house today. i havent even showered. so far i've read one and one half books. it was actually nice on the porch this morning and i was able to sit out there without feeling like i was drowning and roasting at the same time. i want to go swimming, but i dont want to leave a burgundy dye trail in the pool. i really dont think ahead sometimes.

i slept in my living room floor last night because at the time it seemed like a good idea. now i'm laying on the heating pad. i never hurt like this before i got rear-ended so i'm sure i probably did screw something up in there, but thats what ibuprofin was made for. the bursitis in my knee is getting a little better. we have to do the testing at the gym again on tuesday to see how we are coming along. i dont think that half a pizza i ate today will be very helpful. but i was able to run again yesterday at the gym, which i havent been able to really do in a long time. sure it wasnt very long periods of time, but i did it and i didnt throw up. i'm still overweight and still unhealthy, but dammit. i'm trying. i'm really really trying. i signed up for another walk thing. i cant remember if i said that already. (i think i'm losing my mind, but thats a whole other mess of fish) it's 4 miles through the nice part of South Park next sunday evening. i tell myself these things are for good causes and it'd be mean of me not to participate. this one is for the special olympics.

i went to little washington yesterday, just to get out of the house, out of town (its motorcycle weekend and they were saying over70k bikers were around), and out of my head for a few hours. it's so interesting to people watch. and to also get donuts, which is something else that didnt really help my diet.

i have that feeling like something is going to happen.i mean, i know things are happening, are always happening. but i still feel it. or maybe i just want something to happen bc i feel like i'm about to jump out of my skin again.

i feel bad that i wish it would start storming so that i didnt feel bad that i'm staying inside.

I hate not being able to sleep bc I can't stop worrying about things out of my control.

I'm tired of being tired.




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I've been thinking a lot these last few days, about Amy winehouse and her death. I always loved her music, her first album even more than the popular second one. And I was always fascinated by the tabloid cult following of her downfall. But she was one of those famous people that you actually rooted for. That you wanted to get better and continue to make crazy amazing music. And I legitimately was sad to hear of her death, even though from all the reports everyone seemed to know it was coming.

I cannot imagine the amount of feelings, not necessarily pain, but intense gut wrenching feelings one must have to turn to those vices. Did the feelings make the music and the music fuel the addiction? Or was it s circular sort of thing. Sober or not, any photo I've ever seen of her she had sad eyes. And it made ne want to take care if her or St least someone like her. To look at photos she was so incredibly beautiful before. It makes me sad to see people hurt themselves.

I don't know what the point of this post is. I keep listening to "Valerie" and hoping that maybe this happening will make a lot of people, famous or otherwise, realize what they have to lose. Everyone has a talent they were put on this earth to share. And it's
Sad when that talent is wasted.

That was a strange rambling post.


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Today I am thankful that I'm getting healthier and was able to complete a 5k. With friends and our dogs. It was really great and I honestly can't wait to do it again.



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Today I am thankful for home sweet home




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Hello Blog, it's me Margaret.

I swear I haven't abandoned you. I just have zero desire to be on a computer any longer than necessary lately.

What have I been doing?

1) Going to the gym and getting my ass kicked. Last night I ran the longest I ever have. And then I had to lay in the middle of the gym floor so I wouldnt revisit my lunch. Which wasn't that good the first time around, frankly.

While I may not look it yet, I feel better. I want to get to the point that I can run a 5K, which is on my next 101 goals list. I even got tested and fitted for the proper shoes so I don't hurt myself.

I Also took a yoga class which is awesome and I think I am going to sign up. Watching how those instructors can bend is mind boggling.


Here is my semi-annual reminder to wear sunscreen. Do it people. Or Else.

I'm walking a 5K next weekend with the dog. That has disaster written all over it. I'm sure there will be highlights to tell you.

Otherwise, my life is dull. I sometimes go to the pool in the evenings. Watch crappy teen drama on Netflix. I've become a big ball of boring.

Love and sunshine.


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