101 in 1,001: The debut!

It's here!  It's here!

Last month, I wrote about finally drumming up a 101 in 1,001 list to kick off 2012.  In case you forgot, here's the description, per the Day Zero Project home page - an excellent resource for tracking such a list of your own!

The Challenge: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1,001 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. 1,001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks.

I started working on my list by scribbling notes loosely organized into categories on a blank piece of paper. You definitely don't have to do categories - the Day Zero site doesn't - but it's an interesting exercise to see how your goals and projects branch off into different umbrellas and values.  My list items fall into big categories that will surprise no one (family and friends, health, community, etc.) but I like how they spread out between tasks designed to appreciate life's little things (a Miles and Laurel tradition) as well as stretch myself and take some risks. 

Along the way, I pulled a few of you into this thing with me, including my friend Nat.  She wrote on her blog that she was surprised about how excited she felt after making the list, and I feel the same way. I'll continue pulling you along, because I'm going to need your help to get this done.  I'll post monthly with progress updates, and I'll be asking lots of you for assistance on the various projects!  (Feel free, of course, to volunteer for what piques your curiosity.)

Start date: Jan. 1, 2012
End date: Sept. 28, 2014

Here we go!

Push
1) Set a PR
2) Run a trail race
3) Race an all-out mile
4) Do pushups 15 days in one month
5) Change a flat tire on a bike
6) Learn how to do a cartwheel
7) Go to 25 yoga classes (0/25)

Play
8) Try stand-up paddleboarding
9) Run a race in costume
10) Go camping
11) Go snowshoeing
12) Get a dog
13) Build a snowman
14) Climb a mountain
15) Pick strawberries
16) Go to a drive-in movie theater
17) Participate in an adventure race/scavenger hunt in the Twin Cities
18) Go to a planetarium
19) Go on a long bike ride

Tune Up
20) Eat five fruits and veggies every day for 10 days
21) Take a vitamin daily for a month
22) Take at least one walk per week for one year (0/52)
23) Visit the dentist four times (0/4)
24) Go in a sauna at least once per year (0/3)

See
25) Renew my passport
26) Use my passport
27) Visit a new-to-me park in Minnesota
28) Visit two new-to-me states (0/2)
29) Visit the North Shore
30) See the northern lights
31) See a meteor shower
32) See the Great Smoky Mountains
33) Go to a hot air balloon festival
34) Go without screens for one day (phone, internet, TV)
35) Run or bike on a new-to-me trail in the Twin Cities

Learn
36) Learn a hobby from a friend/have someone teach me something
37) Learn to edit video
38) Learn 10 phrases in a new language
39) Go to three new-to-me museums (0/3)
40) Take a Spanish class
41) Learn how to do a fishtail braid
42) Research three issues in current events (0/3)

Care and community
43) Give blood
44) Eat at 10 local new-to-me restaurants (0/10)
45) Shop at five (new to me) local businesses in St. Paul (0/10)
46) Eat or shop at five (new to me) local businesses in Minneapolis (0/10)
47) Volunteer at six races (0/6)
48) Write three letters complimenting excellent service (0/3)
49) Volunteer at three events (0/3)
50) Go to a festival in the summer
51) Pay the bill for the person behind me at a coffee shop/drive-through
52) Register to be a bone marrow donor
53) Put change in someone's expired parking meter
54) Increase charitable giving

Moola
55) Save incrementally for an item or trip
56) Document spending for a month
57) Learn the basics of car maintenance
58) Increase my retirement savings
59) Create a budget
60) Plan dinners for a week and go to the grocery store once in that week
61) Complete three financial literacy projects (0/3)

Family and friends
62) Send one card per week for three months (0/12)
63) See my out-of-state friends at least once a year (0/3)
64) Make a new friend
65) Do a new activity with my family
66) Make a list of important birthdays and send mail accordingly
67) Go to three cultural events with a friend (0/3)
68) Take my mom and dad out for dates, separately, at least twice a year (0/6)
69) Have a progressive dinner party

Creativity
70) Sew a quilt
71) Sew a dress
72) Decide how to decorate big wall in kitchen and do it
73) Take a photo of the same place every month for a year
74) Sew a gift for someone
75) Print out photos and make a photo album for 2011
76) Take one photo per day for a month
77) Create an inspiration board
78) Paint one room in my home
79) Complete a puzzle, jigsaw or crossword
80) Let an idea that I love come into my head - and then act on it

Kitchen
81) Cook with a friend
82) Cook one new recipe per month for 12 months (0/12)
83) Bake a birthday cake
84) Eat dinner by candlelight
85) Cook with a new spice
86) Make a huge batch of pesto in the summer and freeze it
87) Make jam
88) Participate in a soup exchange with friends
89) Take a cooking class
90) Try six new foods (0/6)
91) Make popovers

Language and stories
92) Read five classic books (0/5)
93) Read five autobiographies (0/5)
94) Read a book and see its film version
95) Submit a photo or essay for publication
96) Learn three poems by heart (0/3)
97) See five classic movies (0/5)
98) Read a story in Spanish
99) Keep a "My Day in Six Words" journal for three months
100) Read 30 minutes per day for two weeks

Last but not least
101) Donate $1 for each item not completed to a charity of my choice, then make a new 101 in 1,001 list!

I am so excited to get started!  Onward!