So I was reminded by Karen’s post that I haven’t updated my 101 in 1001 in a while. Honestly, it’s because working 2 jobs and being in grad school is VERY time consuming, so I haven’t had a whole lot of time to work on it. I’m also a little sad, because there are several things on my list that I don’t think I’ll be able to do by September. I console myself with the fact that I made this in college with no idea of where I would be in two years, so I had no way of knowing that I would only see my parents for a weekend here or there every four months or so (so how can I possibly #8 “go to concerts with Daddy?”) or that once I left Wake I would lose a lot of my ties to the school (I need the library to #25 “make the Parables DVDs,” but I have to have a current student with me to do that, and most of the people I know have graduated).

All things to keep in mind when I make my new 101 in September (yes, even if I don’t finish this one, I still intend to make a new one, and you may see me revamp some of the current items for the next time). Just because I don’t get finished by the deadline doesn’t mean that a lot of these things aren’t still important to me. And honestly, many of these goals were stretch goals to begin with (see me rationalizing?).

Anyways, back the (very) few that I have completed now!

#34 (Get a pet)- I have two of the most adorable little kittens ever sitting on my bed snuggling with each other. This one is done

(Photo take 5 minutes ago.)

#62 (Switch all lightbulbs to CFLs)- I actually did this when I moved into my new apartment in July
#66 (No more plastic grocery bags - only canvas) - I started doing this last year and actually made a habit of it around New Year’s. Every once and a while I forget to bring my bags in, but not usually.
#91 (Organize recipes) - My recipes are very much more organized now, though I can tell this will be an ongoing effort for me . . .
#95 (Attend 5 year high school reunion) - I wanted to go to my 5 year high school reunion, but I couldn’t go back to FL because of school and work. This made me sad, cause I haven’t even spoken with a lot of my high school friends in YEARS. So . . . I guess I’ll try for the 10 year?

So now I’m more than halfway finished - woo hoo!!! I’ll be honest, I’ve done a lot more than I thought I would! Here’s hoping that I can achieve the rest!

Thirteen Things I Have Gained from Blogging

1. In honor of the retirement of the Thursday Thirteen, I figured this was an appropriate theme. And number one on my list is the confidence I have gained from the Thursday Thirteen! My blog wasn’t read by many before the T13, and when the first set of management changes happened, Leanne trusted me enough to be one of the new co-hostesses of the T13! This brought me new readers, thus boosting my confidence. My posts are VERY different now than they were pre-13, and so most of the things I have gained from blogging came out of the T13!!

2. Friendships! I have met so many amazing people through blogging, and that is soooo the stereotypical answer, but it is very true.

3. A new outlet for writing! I used to write creatively alllllll the time, but once I got into college I was writing so much for my classes that I didn’t want to write anymore. Blogging brought me a way to write and enjoy it again, and it’s even renewed my desire to write creatively!

4. My 101 in 1001 has given me a visible platform to write down goals that I’ve been wanting to achieve, and an audience to keep me accountable.

5. The Works-for-Me Wednesday meme has given me so many fantastic tips that I have used in my everyday life!

6. Through blogging I found FlyLady, which is a life altering event! ‘Nuff said!

7. Also through blogging I found Bookcrossing.com, which has revolutionized my thoughts on books and has jumpstarted my pleasure reading, which also stagnated with all my college reading!

8. As I have discussed before, I was very environmentally-conscious when I was younger. Blogging brought that back!

9. As someone who is committed to breast health awareness, blogging has been a great platform for sharing what I know and connecting with women on something that may save their lives!

10. An outlet, of course! When I get excited or worked up about something, online is on of the first places that I go!

11. Blogging has also led me into the world of personal finance management. It’s made me aware as I am leaving college on the importance of saving, budgeting, and investing, something that I will be thankful for for the rest of my life!

12. Blogging on my personal blog has led me to create another blog, Reading Red Letters, my faith blog. This has been a great way to connect with other Christians online, and has led me to many great online blogs and resources that have aided me in my walk.

13. And, in case there was any doubt . . . BLOGGING IS FUN!!!!!!!!!

Thanks so much for a great couple of years with the T13!!! I have so much enjoyed getting to know people, and I hope to stay in touch with you as we continue blogging!!!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Leave me a comment and I’ll give you a shout out!

As the past year has gone by, a lot of changes have occurred in my life. I graduated from college, started graduate school, left graduate school, and have basically moved out of my parent’s house. As a result, some of my interests and goals have changed. Now that I’m “in the real world,” I find that my time and interest for web design and participation in the online graphics community are not what they once were. As a result, four of my previous 101 in 1001 goals are no longer things I am interested in pursuing. I may still try to work on them some, but they are not things that I am vitally interested in completing anymore.

Also, in the past couple of months, I have a renewed sense of dedication for making our planet a better place. This happens to coincide with the time that An Inconvenient Truth came out, but that is not what got me started. I actually can’t remember the initial trigger, but the Internet has fueled this interest with its vast resources. About 10 years ago I was VERY committed to environmentalism - my weeks consisted of collecting the recycling in my school and my weekends were spent on beach clean up trips and letter writing campaigns. Then high school came, and I was more concerned with myself than the planet. Then college came and I didn’t have time to be concerned with the planet. I always figured I had gone through an “environmentalist phase,” so I was quite surprised to discover that little piece of me come back alive!

So, I have replaced these goals:

62. Create my own WordPress template.
66. Create new printables section for Doodlebug Designs.
69. Rework all of my websites so they use valid XHTML.
70. Rework all of my websites so that they use valid CSS.

with a new section in my 101:

Green Living
62. Change all the incandescent light bulbs in my apartment to compact fluorescent light bulbs.
66. Stop using plastic bags at the grocery store and switch to reusable canvas bags.
69. Switch a significant portion of my food and cooking supplies to organic. Healthier for me, healthier for the planet.
70. Search for organic and free trade coffee and tea that I like, and make the switch.

I imagine that when I create my next 101 in 1001 that this section will be larger, but for now I’m starting small.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programing.

Thirteen New Year’s Resolutions

Sorry for the late posting. I don’t really have many specific New Year’s resolutions because I am working on my 101 in 1001 - and I’m more than 40% through it! I’m right on track with the amount of time I have left, so that is very exciting! However, I do have a few clarifications about some of the goals in my 101 in 1001 . . .

1. #5 on my list is to officially join the Episcopal Church. So far I haven’t done this because I’m never home at the time that they’re offering the courses. I’m going to make a serious effort to see if I can somehow work that out this year.

2. #50 is to sponsor a child. This was actually one of the first things I completed. However, I would like to become more involved, so a resolution of mine is to try and maintain regular written correspondence with my child.

3. #47 is to stop biting my fingernails. This is one of the things that is the hardest on my list . . . I’ve been biting my fingernails for 22 years! I had stopped at one point my freshman year, but then I started to date a guy who bit HIS nails, and that got me started back again, and it’s only gotten worse since. However, Mama recently told me about something that she heard on the radio. One guy said that biting your fingernails is an addiction just as bad as smoking (which I think is probably true - no chemical dependency, but mentally . . . geez). The way that HE stopped was one finger at a time. He was allowed to bite the nails on 9 fingers, but not the tenth. Then 8 fingers. 7. All the way until he was down to only being allowed to bite one nail. And he said it took him a loooong time to get off that finger, but when he did it he had completely kicked the habit.

I’m starting with my right thumb. Here’s hoping.

4. Since I haven’t made much headway on reading the books for #76 and #87, I’m going to try and keep a list of the books I’m reading this year here on my blog. Hopefully that will make me a little more accountable!

5. To aid in my reading the Bible for #4 I have just purchased the The One Year Bible Companion: Questions and Answers to Help You Make the Most of Your Daily Bible Reading. It leads you through reading the Bible in a year - every day a little New Testament, a little Old Testament, and some Proverbs and Psalms. And this version of the book has questions and things. I like it ;-)!

6. To go with SEVERAL of my health 101’s I am going to continue further implementation of FlyLady’s principles. While her main thing is cleaning, decluttering, and organizing, everything is built on routines, something that I have found is leading me to healthier eating and (gasp!) daily exercise!! Through the FlyLady way and through her book Body Clutter: Love Your Body, Love Yourself I am going to work to have a healthier lifestyle. And if that gets in place, the weight will come off :-D!

7. #27 is to get a job. Now that I am no longer in grad school, this is priority numero uno for the new year!

8. As listed in #42, I want to begin creatively writing again. In the past month or so, I’ve actually felt like I think I can do this soon. I’m slowly working on ideas for a new book, and I’m excited that my little creative spark might be ready to go after a looong hiatus!

9. My books are out of control. I’ve got my closet cleaned, so it’s time for the next step! Not only will this help me declutter and make my room more pleasant, but it will help me through reading my books AND it will get me to the point where I can add them to a database (#56). Lots of goodies rolled into one.

10. I am revamping #61 a bit. Up until now it has said “Get Mama’s bead business online.” While I would still LOVE to do that, it appears as though my big resolution from last year is not going to be completed by the end of the year. However, I don’t consider this to be a complete failure. Mama isn’t ready to go online. However, I have helped her to figure out a system for keeping track of her records, which is just as valuable as getting the business online. I’m not sure when we’ll be able to get her online, but I can help her get completely organized . . . taking inventory of probably somewhere near a million beads. This is just as big a task as getting her online, and it’s something that I have more control over. I don’t want to push her into going online if she’s not ready just so I can complete my list. So, the new #61 is “Get Mama’s beads inventoried and make the inventory something she can easily work with daily.”

11. If I plan on writing 1001 blog posts on this blog and Reading Red Letters in time, I need to get busy or #75 won’t happen!

12. Now that I am getting a little control over my life and I am establishing routines, I am cooking a lot more, so I am really hoping to get my “In the Kitchen” goals completed this year.

13. And one resolution that isn’t addressed in my 101 in 1001. When I was younger I had a little bit of an environmentalist in me, and I pushed that aside when I turned 13 because it made me “uncool” - yeah, such is middle school. Then when I was in high school and college I was so super busy that I didn’t even consider making time for caring about the earth. But as I’ve been out of school and have slowly started to become “a grownup” (like that will ever happen), I’m realizing that this is something that is a part of me. I am going to work on green living this year, and try to conserve and reuse whenever possible. I’m researching cleaning products and clothing lines, as well as how we can make up for energy expenditures. I’ll be posting more about these things throughout the year, and hopefully I will have started some great new habits by the time we get to next year’s resolutions!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Leave me a comment and I’ll give you a shout out!