Finishing up and starting anew ...

Today, I sent out the last of my charity donations for the items that I did not complete on my first round.  Since I decided to split the money ($760 is a lot for me to donate in one chunk) between organizations, it took me a little longer to make choices on who was going to get how much.  (And phasing it over multiple paychecks helped my budget too).  Along the way, I made a cool discovery ... my old high school has a giving program where you can give a general gift to their foundation as a "gratitude" for a teacher/staff member; they will send that person a thank you (anonymously if preferred) for making a difference in your life.  What a great way to make giving a little more special!

Now that I feel like I've fulfilled my obligations under the first list I made, I am working on another DayZero goal list!  I am hoping to post it and start on my second 1,001 days this Saturday.  I am having a hard time in cutting the list down to 101 items; there are so many things that I want to do!  Plus, I want to either repeat some successful goals or take another shot at most of the uncompleted ones from the first list.  And, I am trying to take into consideration some time commitments that I can potentially see on my horizon for work ... I really lost momentum last time when there were changes in this area of my life.  But I also want to really have to work to achieve the goals; it's hard to find a balancing point of the easily achievable vs. the big stretch goals.

So, a new list in the next post ...

And, since the old side list will be replaced, here's the record of where I ended on the first list:

1. Make a will and get it notarized
2. Make a living will and get it notarized - completed 4/23/13
3. Lose xx pounds (you don't need to know the actual number)
4. Practice my harp at least once a week for a year - completed 7/29/12
5. Finish the online Latin course that I started
6. Solo trip to England - completed 10/13/10 (the day I got there)
7. Solo trip in the US
8. Visit Canada (more than just past the border)
9. Visit Mexico (more than just past the border) - completed 2/14/12
10. Visit a European country I haven't seen before
11. Solo kayak - no one following, at least around one island from Nina & Peter's, no help getting in or out of the kayak - to help get over my fear of water (onshore cheering is allowed) - completed 8/19/10
12. Visit all my grandparents' graves - completed 11/9/11
13. Redecorate the bathroom - completed 8/17/11
14. Put tile in under the woodstove - completed 11/12/10
15. Do something nice - without being asked - for someone each day for a month - completed 12/12/10
16. Revisit 23 things on a stick and finish the second round
17. Make and mail care packages to each of my nephews and nieces - completed 3/20/13
18. Try out for a community theater part (on stage, not behind the scenes) - completed 8/29/11
19. Finish reading the "essential" section of Proulx's "Books for a Well Educated Adult" list
20. Spend an afternoon writing "why you're fabulous" notes for 10 people that I'm close to and then give them out - completed 1/9/11
21. Actually celebrate my 40th birthday rather than pretending it doesn't exist - 5/17/11
22. Make a new recipe (not baked goods) each month for a year - completed 4/28/13
23. Finish my Christmas stocking that was supposed to be done several years ago
24. Visit each of my siblings and invite them to visit me
25. Learn to make fortune cookies and have a party where they are part of the menu
26. Host a wine tasting party
27. Listen to ALL of the songs I own at least once - completed 1/15/12
28. Beat all the levels on Zoo Tycoon - completed with an alternate game 7/12/12
29. Finish my Dewey classification reading goal
30. Read 10 popular authors (new to me) that I normally wouldn't to keep up with trends - completed 11/3/11
31. Make myself three new costumes for fun
32. Cook an ethnic meal from each continent (excluding Antartica)
33. Use each herb in my garden in a different dish over the course of a summer
34. Learn to make 15 different cocktails from memory - completed 4/13/11
35. Go to a vineyard and taste - buy a bottle of my favorite - completed 9/7/11
36. Start writing poetry again - at least 20 new poems
37. Memorize 10 more poems to add to my "library in my head"
38. Read a daily newspaper every day for 3 months (can be online subscription) - completed 8/19/12
39. Make 1000 paper cranes and a wish - completed 2/27/11
40. Attempt to become better at drawing by completely filling the pages of a sketchbook with my own efforts
41. Take a community education or college continuing education course
42. Learn how to do video editing
43. Write to 3 people who've changed my life to thank them
44. Break out the jingles and belly dance at least once a week for 4 months
45. Host a "make music" night for all my talented friends
46. Donate to a different charity each month for a year - completed 7/21/11
47. Start a blueberry patch in the backyard - completed 5/31/11
48. Take Mom and Dad on a vacation
49. Spend an entire weekend in my pajamas - completed 1/2/11
50. Try growing lettuce inside in the winter - completed 3/2/12
51. Take a First Aid/CPR refresher course
52. Actually write down a life bucket list of at least 10 items - completed (added item #10) 9/23/10
53. Try geocaching - completed 9/19/10
54. Include a vegetable side dish at supper every night for 2 months - to get back in the habit of eating more veggies - completed 2/24/11
55. Donate blood - completed 2/15/11
56. Take one of the Duluth train trips - completed 7/22/12
57. Repaint the porch trim and garage
58. Send at least 15 Operation Baking Gals boxes - completed 12/6/12
59. Go berry picking at least 5 times
60. Read at least 15 of my "reserve" books to get the stack size down - completed 7/15/11
61. Invite friends over for 10 game nights - completed 3/10/12
62. Try canning a new type of preserves - completed 9/4/10
63. See Wicked - completed 10/15/10
64. Meet savings goal #1 - completed 9/2/11
65. Meet savings goal #2 - completed 3/18/11
66. Meet savings goal #3
67. Complete perennial bed along east fence in back yard - completed 6/20/11
68. Read at least 200 books per calendar year (should be at or past #80 by ending date for 2013) - completed 4/28/13
69. Restart blogging as a way to document doing this list (this goal can be considered complete after 20 posts) - completed 11/7/10
70. Take 10 frame-worthy photos to display in my home - completed 3/18/12
71. Pack a work lunch every day for a month - completed 1/14/12
72. Visit 5 new places in Minnesota
73. See 10 live theater productions - completed 3/13/11
74. Reduce my morning walk time to 35 minutes without losing distance
75. Plant a boulevard tree in front of my house - completed 5/13/12
76. Find out my blood type - completed 3/31/11
77. Don't complain about anything for a week - completed 11/6/10
78. Send a secret to PostSecret - completed 7/20/11
79. Watch 10 movies from my "someday" list - completed 12/8/12
80. Ride in a taxi
81. Learn how to make bagels - completed 5/5/13
82. Finally do the Australia photo party
83. Find a spot in a different room to put some of the kitchen stuff I rarely use (canning equipment, roaster, etc), so I have more room to work - completed 9/16/10
84. Throw a murder mystery dinner party - completed 5/17/11
85. Throw a menu mystery dinner party - completed 10/29/11
86. Try absinthe - completed 10/18/10
87. Get a slide to digital photo machine and use it on Mom & Dad's slides
88. See an opera - completed 7/8/11
89. Rewire my reading lamp that Dad made - completed 8/17/10
90. Learn to identify 5 new constellations
91. Say no to 5 requests that I really don't want to do - completed 5/6/11
92. Make a list of 25 things that I do well - completed 10/10/10
93. Go to 10 different museums
94. Memorize what all the icons on my digital camera stand for - completed 3/16/13
95. Make 5 new jewelry pieces - completed 3/30/13
96. Play my keyboard at least 30 times
97. Participate in PostCrossing.com - completed 8/4/11
98. Send 3 people who aren't related to me a surprise ... just because - completed 9/19/12
99. Take a lunch break at work every day for two weeks straight
100. Attend 5 local performing arts events that I'm tempted to skip because I'm tired - dessert theater in the light booth is allowed - 10/15/12
101. Donate $20 to charity for each item that I don't accomplish by the last day - May 13th, 2013