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Sunday, January 31, 2010

#77 and then some

Well, we finally made it out the gun range, and it was very interesting. I was quite nervous, because I've never liked the idea of guns, but since we have one in our house, I knew I needed to learn the basics at least. Our gun is a .38 Special handgun that Mike's dad received upon graduating from the Police Academy in the 1970s. It was easy to shoot, but it doesn't have a safety, which makes me uncomfortable leaving it loaded in the house. Maybe we'll invest in a new gun with a safety for home protection purposes. I keep thinking of all those kids that accidentally shoot themselves or their siblings using their dad's gun.

After the experience, I'm still not in favor of guns, but I think I have a firm grasp of how to safely use one. We got to shoot our handgun, along with many other types of guns. It was a bit fun firing the automatic rifles at the close-range target.

I've been spending lots of time lately focusing on my garden. This year, I'm focusing on researching and learning more about organic techniques and the seeds and plants. I am really enjoying studying the information available, and I'm even considering studying horticulture in grad school (as opposed to information science). Maybe that's just a current passion, though - we'll see.

Hopefully, I'll have lots of great garden pictures and stories to post in a few weeks. I'm still working on the rest of my list, but time is ticking, and I'm very aware that much of it will not be accomplished. It was pretty crazy of me to include so many expensive things on there. I definitely haven't had the funds in this economy for many of my list items. I guess I still have a year and 5 months, so I shouldn't feel so defeated. I'll keep you posted on any further progress.

Posted by Karissa at 2:12 PM 1 comments  

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101 in 1,001

And here is my list...

For my relationship:

  1. Go to 15 live music events with Mike (15/15) Dark Star Orchestra (x2), Widespread Panic (x3), Railroad Earth, North Mississippi All-Stars, Wishbone, Toots & the Maytals, Ke$ha, Lady Gaga, Monte Montgomery, The Gourds, Charlie Mars, Bob Schneider
  2. Go to church with Mike at least ten times (10/10)
  3. Take Mike to NYC to see Conan O’Brien
  4. Cook a nice meal for Mike at least 250 times (250/250)
  5. Have Mike teach me 5 songs on the guitar (0/5)
  6. Take Mike back to Albuquerque
  7. Get a couple’s massage (completed 12/7/09)
  8. Take Mike skiing
  9. Take Mike to a Cowboys game (completed 12/20/08)
  10. Make him a fabulous breakfast in bed (completed 1/5/09)
  11. Take Mike to South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore and hike to the Devils Bathtub

For my health:

  1. Lose 10 lbs
  2. Complete the 100 push-ups program
  3. Run in 5 different 5 Ks (0/5)
  4. Post food and exercise on SparkPeople.com at least once a week (16/144)
  5. Go to the dentist (completed 9/21/09)
  6. Lift weights at least 400 times (400/400)
  7. Take a dance class
  8. Eat vegetarian for 1 week
  9. Complete the couch to 5K program
  10. Go for 1 month with only 4 alcoholic beverages
  11. Keep a food journal for 1 week (completed 2/9/10)

For my puppies:

  1. Take Conan & Rory out at to a park or lake at least 300 times (200/300)
  2. Teach Conan & Rory 5 new tricks (1/5) "high-five"
  3. Teach Rory not to pull on the leash
  4. Make them homemade treats on their birthday
  5. Give them a bath at least once a month (20/30)
  6. Hike with the dogs all the way around Lake Georgetown (28 miles is a LONG way!)
  7. Finish reading my dog psychology book

For my career:

  1. Complete Substitute Teacher Training (completed 9/9/08)
  2. Substitute teach in one 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade class (completed 11/6/08)
  3. Obtain my Teaching Certificate
  4. Obtain a full-time teaching position
  5. Study for and pass the GRE
  6. Enroll in my graduate program
  7. Become a volunteer at the Georgetown Public Library

For my stomach:

  1. Learn to make at least 5 different hummus recipes (5/5) (completed 8/31/09)
  2. Perfect my black bean burger recipe
  3. Use all of my Restaurant.com certificates
  4. Try 10 new restaurants in the Austin area (10/10) Flying Saucer, McCormick & Schmicks, Cisco's, Red Brick Pizza, Maria Maria, Jaspers, Flemmings, Peche, 360 Primo, Quatros, Mako (completed 10/19/09)
  5. Visit 3 local farmers’ markets (1/3) Georgetown
  6. Learn to make 5 types of sushi (0/5)
  7. Go to Walburg and eat a famous Walburger

For my house:

  1. Learn to clean the house at least twice a month or find someone inexpensive to do the job
  2. Finish decorating the dining room
  3. Redecorate the master bedroom (completed 6/30/09)
  4. Replace the siding on the house
  5. Replace the carpet in the master bedroom
  6. Decorate Mike’s music room (completed 5/1/09)

For my wallet:

  1. Replenish my savings back to $10,000
  2. Transfer my IRA into a better account (completed 4/16/10)
  3. Create a new budget
  4. Have 10 "NO SPEND DAYS" per month (330/330)
  5. Add $10 to my savings account for every item on the list completed (5/101)
  6. Go for three months on a $75 restaurant budget (3/3)

For my family & friends:

  1. Send birthday and holiday cards on time at least 20 times (21/20) (completed 10/29/09)
  2. Mail out 10 cards just to say “Hi” (0/10)
  3. Call Gamma at least once a month (30/30)
  4. Email colsta at least once a month (30/30) (Completed 2/17/10)
  5. Make a calendar book with all of mine and Mike's family members' birthdays
  6. Go on another vacation with Mom & Kelli (completed 3/19/10)
  7. Plan (and attend) another girls weekend
  8. Visit Terrie & Ryan in Florida

For my planet:

  1. Plant 2 more trees in our yard (2/2) (completed 6/4/09)
  2. Donate 101 material items to Goodwill (completed 10/17/08)
  3. Replant flower garden in the front yard using my own organic compost (completed 3/6/09)
  4. Take reusable bags to the grocery store at least 10 times (8/10)
  5. Put socket sealers into all of my electric sockets
  6. Buy 2 new Energy Star appliances (0/2)
  7. Buy solar panels for the house
  8. Grow 3 new kinds of vegetables in the garden each summer

Just because I need to:

  1. Buy a new car
  2. Get a new insurance policy (completed 2/6/09)
  3. Buy an external hard drive and back-up both computers (completed 9/14/08)
  4. Reorganize every closet in the house (2/6) linen closet, towel closet
  5. Buy a new mattress (completed 10/15/08)
  6. Learn how to use the handgun (completed 1/18/10)
  7. Clean my car inside and out 5 times (5/5)
  8. Clean the refrigerator and pantry every other month (10/15)

Just for fun:

  1. Get certified to Scuba dive
  2. Stay at a Bed & Breakfast
  3. Read at least 30 new books (20/30)
  4. Watch the Academy Awards Best Picture winners from the last 69 years (31/69)
  5. Go to the top 100 bars in Austin that I have not yet been to (1/35)
  6. Go back into Airman’s Cave and find the Sculpture Room
  7. Use my passport 5 times (5/5) Spain, Canada, Mexico, Italy, Gernmany
  8. Tie-dye something
  9. Go ice skating
  10. Read the Twilight book series (Completed 12/5/08)
  11. See a movie at a drive-in theater
  12. Go to a Georgetown High School football game
  13. Attend a performance at the Palace Theater (The Producers, completed 10/18/08)
  14. Visit the Austin Museum of Art
  15. Visit 5 of the USA’s top 41 wonders (3/5) Alaskan Cruise, Mount Rushmore, Las Vegas Strip
  16. Ride a train
  17. Apply for a game show
  18. Go camping at least 8 times (4/8) Inks Lake, Krause Springs, Colorado Bend State Park, Inks Lake,
  19. Visit 3 wineries in Texas (0/3)

For Celebration:

  1. Create a new list of 101 things to do when this list is completed
  2. Reward myself with a nice dinner out when my list is completed
  3. Use a portion of my list savings to buy something beautiful and timeless for myself