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

This project was taken from Triplux.

I completed my first 101 in 1001 on September 15, 2008!

The things that I say I want to MAINTAIN will be counted as completed if they are maintained for at least two months. I figure that if I maintain something for at least that long, then it’ll be habit.

Tasks I have completed will be struck through and a completion date will be listed that is linked to a post about the completion of that task. Tasks that I have begun will be italicized and a beginning date will be listed.

Started: September 15, 2008
Due Date: June 13, 2011
Tasks Completed: 48
Tasks Remaining: 53

1. Make this list of 101 things to do in 1001 days. If anything was left incomplete from my previous 101 in 1001, then figure out why I didn’t do it, and see if I can rework the goal. If so, it has to be on this list (these items have a ** in front of them). Completed 9/15/08

Religious
2. Join a small group/women’s Bible study.
3. Start writing again at Reading Red Letters and MAINTAIN it. Completed 12/26/09
4. Find a church home wherever I move to after school. Completed 12/26/09
5. Read at least 10 books by C. S. Lewis.
6. MAINTAIN regular daily prayer time. Begun 12/15/09
7. **Plan a religious fast and complete said fast (probably 3 days, but that’s flexible).
8. **Read the Bible from beginning to end.

Family/Friends

9. Send Christmas cards in a timely fashion in 2008. Completed 12/30/08
10. Send Christmas cards in a timely fashion in 2009. Completed 12/26/09
11. Send Christmas cards in a timely fashion in 2010. Completed 12/15/10
12. **Go to a concert with Daddy. Completed 8/15/09

Health
13. Get serious about meal planning and menus
14. Start and MAINTAIN drinking 8 glasses of water a day.
15. Get professionally fitted for a bra at a store that sells bras in my size. Completed 8/28/09
16. Learn to eat at least 3 new fruits and vegetables (doing this one again).
17. **Start and MAINTAIN regular exercise.
18. **Reach my weightloss goal and MAINTAIN it.
19. **Start and MAINTAIN regular flossing. Completed 10/28/09
20. **Get my stomach into fit enough condition so that a pierced bellybutton won’t look ridiculous (and if I keep my courage, actually pierce the bellybutton – but even if I don’t go through with it, the option is nice to have).
21. **MAINTAIN taking vitamins regularly.
22. **MAINTAIN monthly breast self exams.

School
23. Find an internship. Completed 3/23/09
24. Complete my graduate thesis. Completed 5/5/10
25. Graduate from UNCSA. Completed 5/29/10

Career

26. Find a job upon graduating. Completed 7/19/10
27. File paperwork for LLC for virtual assistant business and become OFFICIAL. Completed 8/28/09
28. Have at least 6 clients for Tizzy Consulting.
29. Find a new format for my resume and rework it. Completed 11/8/08

Financial

30. Become financially independent from my parents.
31. Save $5 a day and deposit into my savings account (doing this one again).
32. Contribute every month to saving for a house down payment.
33. Fully fund Roth IRA in 2008. Completed 12/31/08
34. Fully fund Roth IRA in 2010.
35. Create a budget which allows me to give 10% to church and charity.
36. MAINTAIN using coupons as I grocery shop when able (many organic products do not get coupons).

Travel

37. Get a new car – and I’m the one paying for it. Completed 4/11/09
38. Visit Alaska.
39. Take another cruise.
40. See New York City when it’s decorated for Christmas. Completed 12/8/08
41. Travel to a different country.
42. Go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter once it opens.
43. **Take a vacation to Atlanta with Mama – go shopping and see an exhibit at the High Museum. Completed 1/26/09
44. **Travel to Washington, D.C. At least see major monuments, the White House, and the Smithsonian. Completed 7/10/10
45. **Mount all my hat pins somehow (this replaces the previous “buy nice map and put a push-pin in every place I’ve been”)

Personal Betterment
46. Perform 10 random acts of kindness to complete strangers (0/10).
47. Have more involved communication with my sponsored child.
48. Get up the minute that the alarm goes off every day for a month.
49. Give blood if eligible (attempting to do this one again). Completed 9/10/09
50. Write a personal mission statement.
51. Wear makeup every day for a month. Completed 5/1/09
52. Write “to be read” letters to selected people (letters to be read upon my death by the people who mean the most to me). Completed 10/15/10
53. Pay for the person behind me at a fast food drive thru (doing this one again). Completed 12/1/10
54. Write a book.
55. **Stop biting fingernails.
56. **Update my journal and MAINTAIN it.

Organize/Purge

57. Organize, file, and store all my notes/keepsakes from my graduate classes. Completed 10/1/10
58. Move a large portion of my items stored at my parents’ house to my place. Completed 8/15/09
59. Sell, donate, give, or throw away 101 items (doing this one again). Completed 3/27/09
60. Create a filing system for all paperwork and MAINTAIN it. Completed 1/1/11
61. Sort through all clothing three times. Completed 10/7/10
62. Sort through all of my books and BookCross or give away a LARGE amount (at least 50). Completed 3/27/09
63. Rearrange books so that they truly are according to the Library of Congress system. Completed 6/30/09
64. **Finish entering all my books into a database. Completed 5/25/09
65. FLY. Begun 3/22/09

Technology
66. Write 500 blog posts (more attainable than 1001). (163/500) Begun 9/15/08
67. Participate in Blogathon 2009 Completed 7/26/09
68. Participate in Blogathon 2010 Completed 7/16/10
69. Participate in Blog Action Day 2008 Completed 10/15/08
70. Participate in Blog Action Day 2009 Completed 10/15/09
71. Participate in Blog Action Day 2010 Completed 10/15/10
72. Participate in NaNoWriMo Completed 12/1/10
73. Build up a decent audio/visual system. Completed 6/17/10
74. Start a system for regularly backing up my computer(s) and MAINTAIN it. Completed 5/1/10
75. Complete an email purge of all unnecessary old emails. Completed 5/12/10

Entertainment

76. Read through my A-Z Challenge.
77. Join local library. Completed 8/28/09
78. Decrease my LibraryThing TBR tags by at least 71 books (to less than 262 books, which was 50% of my books when I moved to Atlanta).
79. Re-read all the Harry Potter books.
80. Re-read all the Star Wars books.
81. Read at least 150 books (40/150).
82. Reach a Gamerscore of at least 3,000 on XBox360 (currently at 2,160).
83. Go see a famous jazz musician/group in concert. Completed 2/22/11
84. See a Cirque du Soleil show I haven’t seen (doing this one again). Completed 11/21/10
85. Go see a movie at the movie theater alone. Completed 8/30/09
86. See an opera. Completed 4/16/10
87. **Complete The Sims 2 Legacy Challenge. Completed 9/15/09
88. **Finish clearing my previous Netflix queue. (344/494) Begun 12/19/05
89. **Read 75% of the list of books that my friends have sent me. (24/85) Begun 12/19/05
90. **Watch 90% of the Greatest Films in 101 Things to Do Before You Die. (102/119) Begun 12/19/05
91. **See 100% of AFI top 100 movies. (81/100) Begun 12/19/05
92. **See 75% of Entertainment Weekly’s top 100 movies. (58/75) Begun 12/19/05

In the Kitchen
93. Rework my chocolate chip cookies recipe so that it is healthier.
94. **Learn to use cast iron skillets without messing up the seasoning.
95. **Find and make a good cheese fondue recipe (may require several tries).

Just for Fun
96. Find some attractive skirts that I can wear daily (not just on special occasions) and wear them! Completed 10/28/09
97. Complete a New York Times crossword (any day of the week)
98. Be super silly – take Oprah’s product recommendation. Completed 5/2/09
99. **Learn to drive a stick shift.
100. **Win something (anything) from a lottery ticket.

101. On June 13, 2011, publish a new 101 in 1001.

• 12/18/2005 -- 101 in 1001 – 67.33% Complete
• 7/19/2006 -- About
• 7/27/2008 -- Longest Meme Ever (Day of Blogs ’08 #32)

A simple little tip that I have found makes my life SOOOOO much easier! If you have a laptop computer and are anything like me, you take your laptop EVERYWHERE . . . to your bedroom, to your living room, on vacation, to a friend’s house – it’s all fair game. However, you probably have a desk (or desk area) that is the “home” of the laptop, where all your stuff plugs into it. And the most important thing that plugs in is the power cord.

However, it’s reeeeeeeeeally annoying to have to crawl under your desk in the unflattering and uncomfortable effort to unplug that power cord so that you can take it with you. But you have to have the power cord when you’re on the go!

Here’s my solution, and it’s so simple it sounds stupid. Buy a second power cord. They’re usually not that expensive, and the time and effort it saves you is immeasurable! Have one that is permanently located at the laptop’s “home” and one that you leave bundled up in your computer bag. Any time you go somewhere, take the one that is bundled up. When you come back home, your other cord is still plugged in and you’re ready to go.

Saving some time and still being addicted to my laptop (LOL)? Works for me!

• 6/15/2006 -- Thursday Thirteen #45
• 12/1/2007 -- Storage Solutions
• 10/3/2007 -- Tipping Etiquette

Also, I now have a job !!! As of Monday I begin working for Starbucks (yes Baxley, I sold my soul to the devil). I’m super excited because I LOOOVE Starbucks, so this will be great ! I’ll keep you updated as I start working! And cross off #27 on my 101 in 1001!

• 9/15/2008 -- 101 in 1001 #2 – 47.52% Complete
• 12/18/2005 -- 101 in 1001 – 67.33% Complete
• 12/1/2007 -- My Christmas Present from Mama and Daddy!

As I looked back on my previous WFMW posts, I realized that I had not posted one of my absolutely favorite things on the internet – Bookcrossing.com!

Bookcrossing is a wonderful site, especially for book lovers like me (and many of my blog readers )! I’ll try to explain it as best I can, but you really should pop on over to the site and check it out yourself.

Let’s say I have a book (haha, understatement). I finished reading this book, and I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t completely earth-shattering, so I don’t necessarily want to keep it here on my bookshelf taking up precious real estate. I register the book on Bookcrossing.com. In doing this, the book is assigned a number (which I either write into the cover, or use a sticker to put it in – this seems more effective), and I write up my opinion of the book on the website, rating it with 1-10 stars. This book is now added to my virtual bookshelf. I can do several things with it. If I give it to a friend, then they can go online, see what I wrote, and make their own review. Now it’s on their bookshelf. Or, I could take the book and place it strategically on a table in Starbucks. By doing this, I’ve released the book into the wild, and whoever happens to pick it up becomes the new owner. Or I could go to an online trading site like PaperBackSwap.com and trade my book for another book, thereby passing my journaled book on to a new owner. There are tons of possibilities!

Why do this? Why not! You’re recycling books, and it’s really interesting to see where your books have gone. Some of my books are floating around in other countries, and I’m seeing lots of people with different opinions of the books that I read. I released a lot of books when we were on vacation in Europe, so that was really cool.

Bookcrossing also has a big community online. There are forums, groups, all sorts of ways to participate and communicate with other book lovers. There are lots of books that I have read that I never would have read had it not been for Bookcrossing, and I’ve found some great new authors!

I’m more than happy to answer any questions – I joined about a year before I actually started participating because it seemed like too much work, but once I got going, it has snowballed into something I have enjoyed so much.

Bookcrossing.com? Works for me!

• 9/5/2007 -- Works for Me: Brand Loyal Edition
• 7/19/2006 -- About
• 12/18/2005 -- 101 in 1001 – 67.33% Complete

I LOVED these books. I was a member of the fan club, so I got three new books every month, and a newsletter, and all sorts of cool BSC fan-stuff . . . stickers, keychains, the works. I eventually owned all the books, and I had the movie (which I remember being disappointed in – my first book-to-movie disappointment!). I got Red Cross certified to be a baby-sitter, and I even tried to start up my own baby-sitters club (which failed miserably due to a lack of fellow baby-sitters).

Man, I was obsessed for YEARS. Those books came with us on vacation, out to dinner, to school – I remember my teachers telling my parents that I was reading them in class when I was supposed to be working (even though I’d finished my work). My parents had to put me on a “book diet,” monitoring how much I read. Now, keep in mind, I read LOTS of books, so this wasn’t BSC specific, but having over a hundred of these babies sure didn’t help.

I still remember when we donated my entire set of books once I was in high school. It still makes me sad to think that they’re gone, and even though I know that now others can enjoy them, a little piece of me still wants them for my own.

Did you read Baby-Sitters Club books? Or any others? The Boxcar Children and Little House on the Prairie books were also favorites !

• 12/18/2005 -- 101 in 1001 – 67.33% Complete
• 9/15/2008 -- 101 in 1001 #2 – 47.52% Complete
• 7/27/2008 -- Books in the Workplace (Day of Blogs ’08 #44)

Hehehe, see the typo? So appropriate though!

And check out this link: priceless!

• 9/25/2007 -- Works for Me: Laptop Shortcut
• 1/23/2007 -- Works for Me: Bookcrossing.com
• 6/15/2006 -- Thursday Thirteen #45

Thirteen Things about LINDSEY

1. My days are getting all mixed up, LOL! I think it was last Thursday that we went to Ephesus. The cruise ship docked in Kusadasi, Turkey, and then we took a bus out to Ancient Ephesus. These ruins weren’t in as good condition as the ruins at Pompeii, but it was still really cool, especially when the guide pointed out the huge amphitheatre where Paul preached. Then we drove back into Kusadasi and looked at really nice Turkish carpets, haha! It was fun.

2. On Friday we went to Athens. The first stop was the Acropolis – it was HUGE! I had no idea how big those buildings were. We saw temples and things, and we also saw the Theatre of Dionysus (which was really cool because I’ve studied it for so long in theatre classes). Then we took a bus to Corinth where we traveled on a boat through the Corinth Canal (which is reeeeeeally narrow). It was a nice change from the boiling hot ruins.

3. The next day was a day at sea, which I promptly spent all day in my pajamas reading. Yay relaxation!

4. The next day was the last stop – Venice. I have decided that I am moving to Venice. I was sooooo in love, and I’m not even really sure why. I just had a feeling about it. I’m not even joking – when I get home I’m going to research living in Venice and the opportunities MagicMouth might have there.

5. In Venice we went to a neat house that has been converted into a museum, then St. Mark’s church (which we didn’t spend nearly enough time in), and finally the Doge’s Palace, which was huge. It was really neat. And of course, that night, we had a gondola ride. Cheesy, yes. But you can’t go to Venice and not go on a gondola ride, LOL!

6. The next morning we had to leave the ship at 4:30AM in order to get to the airport in time! We were in Paris by lunchtime. How’s that for fast travel? LOL!

7. We spent the day in Paris going on a driving tour through the city, just so we could get our bearings. Then that evening we went to the Arc de Triomphe and walked along the Champs Elysees (stopping at both Haagen Daas and Louis Vuitton, of course ).

8. The next day we went out the palace at Versailles, which was massive. Then we met up with a friend at Notre Dame (a co-pilot for Air France who lives in Paris), which was nice. Then we headed back to the hotel, changed clothes, and went to a show at the Moulin Rouge! That was fun, though it was nothing like what it looked like in the movie, haha.

9. On Wednesday (yesterday) we went to the Lourve first thing in the morning and spent the morning there. It was soooo huge, but I saw a lot more than I thought I would. I felt very productive, haha. Then we walked along the Seine River down to the Eiffel Tower, but we didn’t go up. The line was long, and we were tired of walking, haha. Then we went back to the hotel.

10. Yesterday night was the France vs. Portugal game for futbol, and since France won, we had a hard time falling asleep because of all the cars honking all night long, haha. But it was really cool to be there for that game.

11. This morning we woke up at the crack of dawn AGAIN to go to the airport . . . and right now I’m sitting in the Atlanta airport waiting for our connecting flight to Jacksonville. It will be good to sleep in my own bed tonight, hahaha! Thus ends the European vacation . . . pictures to follow at some point this weekend.

12. Heard from Ben – things are good with his mother. Thank you for your prayers.

13. And of course, a quiz:

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!

• 7/27/2008 -- Longest Meme Ever (Day of Blogs ’08 #32)
• 1/12/2006 -- Thursday Thirteen #21
• 7/13/2006 -- Thursday Thirteen #49

Thirteen Things about LINDSEY

1. Moved into the new apartment this week! It is freakin’ huge – it’s awesome. It almost feels live a small house instead of an apartment. Matt and Ben haven’t moved in yet (well, most of Matt’s stuff has, but that’s because it was at my apartment since he’s in Europe right now), so I’m trying to get all the kitchen stuff put away and the living room in order so that when they are ready to move in, it will be ready to go!

2. On Monday we leave for our European cruise! We are all sooooooo crazy excited!

3. Since I will not be in the country on a Thursday until mid-July, this may be my last Thursday Thirteen for a while. I will probably still be able to blog (there is wireless on the ship), but I doubt that I will have enough computer time to make up my TT, and it’s even less likely that that time will be on a Thurday. So . . . we’ll see. Don’t think I’ve abandoned you !

4. I’ve been trying to get more active in Bookcrossing.com. I always thought that it was a neat concept, but I never really got into it because I didn’t want to get rid of my books. I’m a bookophile (is that a word?), and the thought of leaving my books places was just terrifying. Then I sorted through a ton of my books and found some that I was going to give away anyway, so I released them. I think I may be addicted now – it is soooo rewarding.

5. In my process of rediscovering Bookcrossing.com, I learned that there is a huge community within Bookcrossing.com of people who trade books back and forth. What better way to get rid of one of your old books than to ship it to someone who has a book you want! You get a book that’s on your wishlist, and all it costs is the shipping price of your old book! One site dedicated solely to this is BookRelay. You must be a member of Bookcrossing.com to join, but I’ve already traded 3 books on this site – sooo cool.

6. As a part of getting the new place set-up, I finally got . . . my new computer. Yes, I still have, and primarily use, my laptop, but now I have a pretty shiny new Dell XPS 200 desktop PC! This completes #65 on my 101 in 1001. The PC is the center hub for all our networking in the apartment – not only is our wireless and networking for the 3 laptops run off of here, but it will also network our printers, the TiVo . . . it’s awesome. And, while it is definitely my computer (and Sims 2 and Star Wars KOTOR II will be installed soon), it is also the unofficial MagicMouth computer, so that we have a central place for all of THAT stuff! I’m excited !

7. Also as a part of the move, I’m sorting through all the papers, notes, and textbooks from my undergraduate classes. This completes #52 on my 101 in 1001.

8. I finally got my email all sorted out and organized. I did this a few months ago, but I’ve kept with it, so now I can cross off #63 on my 101 in 1001.

9. My mom bought us a table and set of chairs for the apartment . . . I mean, a really nice one. Pottery Barn. They are soooo gorgeous, I am in love. Look at them in the mahogany stain!

10. Ben has a pet ferret. His name is Bocephus (which also happens to be my little brother’s childhood nickname, how coincedental is that?). Bocephus is coming to live with us. Any suggestions on keeping my sanity? I’m very concerned about the smell . . .

11. I think I may have to try and convince my family to go to P.F. Chang’s once I get home tomorrow. We had it the day before I left home a couple of weeks ago, but the craving is strong already . . .

12. Does anyone know of any good websites to get rid of old textbooks? I know that you can do it on Amazon and Half.com, but I was wondering if there is some secret place that is good that I don’t know about. I have many that I really want to get rid of . . .

13. Today I will be spending the rest of the day sorting/organizing/cleaning the kitchen. If I’m not too exhausted by the end, perhaps I will work on my room some more. Wish me luck !

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!

• 12/18/2005 -- 101 in 1001 – 67.33% Complete
• 9/15/2008 -- 101 in 1001 #2 – 47.52% Complete
• 12/29/2006 -- Thursday Thirteen #35

Wednesday is my 22nd birthday!!! Driving to New Jersey to Six Flags, then taking a train into New York City for the night.

Thursday – wandering around the city, and seeing the Cirque du Soleil show Corteo that night!

Friday – wandering around the city more, seeing the Museum of Modern Art that afternoon. Train back out to New Jersey that night.

Saturday – graduation party in New Jersey

Sunday – driving back to Winston-Salem

Monday – MOVING TO THE NEW APARTMENT!

In short . . . I will try to post this week if I can, but I make no promises . . . have a great week!

• 6/9/2006 -- Thursday Thirteen #44
• 12/18/2005 -- 101 in 1001 – 67.33% Complete
• 9/15/2008 -- 101 in 1001 #2 – 47.52% Complete

Thirteen Things about LINDSEY!

1. After all the craziness of my life, I am back – woo hoo! I am back to blogging, and that makes me happy. For details, see a couple of posts below .

2. Spring break starts tomorrow, and that makes me really really happy! After all that’s gone on with the show, we all need a break, and we’re all going to my condo in Florida to enjoy a vacation.

3. I didn’t post about this before, but I finally got all my work turned in from being out with mono! Woot!!!!! This completes #20 on my 101 in 1001!

4. I am currently researching all things possible that we could do on this cruise that I posted about last night. If you have been to any of these places and know of any “must sees” – LET ME KNOW! I am super pumped!!!

5. Now that things have calmed down a bit, I can get back to tackling my 101 in 1001, which means more movies! Woo hoo!

6. I was supposed to have a ton of papers and midterms at the end of this week, and then I had 2 papers and a midterm that were post-poned until after spring break. Happy day!

7. I’ve just noticed that I’m using entirely too many exclaimation points in this post. But you know what? I DON’T CARE!!!!!

8. The weather is FINALLY not freezing here in NC! Now, because I’ve said that, it’s going to get cold again. But for now, the warmth is definitely appreciated!

9. Today I’m going to try to make my way through the Thursday Thirteen blogroll . . . don’t know if I can do it, but I’m sure gonna try!

10. The Sims 2 Open for Business Expansion Pack came out yesterday. I’ve played around with it briefly, and I can tell that there’s a bit of a learning curve here. So far I have yet to have a business make it to Rank 1. However, the challenge only makes me want to play more . . .

11. If everyone could be saying a prayer for my father, he has a biopsy next week . . . they don’t think it’s cancer, but he’s had cancer before (prostate), so we’re all nervous . . .

12. I may or may not be updating next week (depends on my wireless connections in Florida – they’re spotty at best), but I will try!!!

13. I’m already preparing next week’s Thursday Thirteen, so be prepared . . . (kind of like in the Lion King song . . . “Be prepared!”)

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
(leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

1. Nicole

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

• 6/15/2006 -- Thursday Thirteen #45
• 9/7/2006 -- Thursday Thirteen #26
• 1/26/2006 -- Thursday Thirteen #23