101/1001

Kayla from Ramblings of a Small Town Girl has inspired me to participate in a project called Day Zero. This project encourages you to make a list of 101 specific things that you want to do in 1001 days (approximately 2.75 years). Many people have bucket lists or 25 things to do before you turn 25, but this list give you a reasonable amount of time to complete such tasks. 


It was much harder to come up with 101 things than I thought it would be. When I initially sat down to start writing my list I thought I was going to have to cut things from my list but instead it took me a few days to come up with 101 things I thought were important enough to be put on such a substantial list. 


After I looked at my list, I debated if I really wanted to commit myself to this project, so I took a look at the website and decided that maybe this is really what I need to get out of the funk I seem to be in lately. So I signed up, created a profile, and added a list. 


Starting tomorrow, Friday July 30th, 2010 - I have until April 13th, 2013 to complete the following list:


Indulge
1. Fall in love
2. Buy myself a nice piece of jewelery
3. Buy something from Etsy
4. Buy a piece of Art from an Art Auction
5. Eat ice cream Sundae's with homemade ice cream
6. Spend and entire weekend watching movies
7. Shop at a farmers marker
8. Spend an afternoon reading in the sun
9. Get a tattoo
10. Dye my hair brown
11. Spend and entire afternoon in an antique store
12. Buy myself a new camera
13. Have a candlelight dinner
14. Spend an afternoon reading in the park
15. Buy a real vintage dress
16. Dance in the rain


Explore

17. Visit Europe

18. Visit two new states

19. See New York

20.  Stay overnight in a new town (within my province)

21. Visit Cape Cod

22. Take a family vacation

23. Hike Gros Morne Mountain

24. Take a week long camping trip

25. Eat at 10 new restaurants

Education

26. Graduate with a BSc in psychology

27. Get accepted into one of my top 5 grad schools

28. Get all A’s as final grades for a semester

29. Become a member of the CPA

30. Take a course I wouldn’t normally register for

Expand

31. Visit the Museum of Natural History

32. Learn conversational French

33.Try every red wine from Portugal

34. See a Broadway production

35. Perfect an Indian dish

36. Watch and understand the Rugby World Cup

37. Learn to make an authentic dish from three different countries

38. Join a book club

39. Get a job as a bartender

40. Make 5 new desserts

41. Learn to drive a standard

42. Make curry from scratch

43. Make a soufflé

44. See a play 

Caring

45. Sponsor a child for 1001 days  (at least)

46. Donate blood 5 times

47. Volunteer once a month within my community

48. Go through my closet and donate all clothes that doesn’t fit or I no longer wear

49. Make a $100 donation to a charity every year

50. Plant a tree

51. Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years

52. Grow a plant

53. Bake cupcakes for a friend for no particular reason

54. Pick 5 people who have changed my life/inspired me and write them letters

Healthy Choices
55. Join a gym and go three times a week
56.  Give up all soft drinks for a month
57. Give up coffee for a month
58. Give up fast food for  a month
59. Go swimming once a month
60. Join an outdoor club or group
61. Learn to snowboard
62. Successfully complete P90X
63. Go zip lining
64. Run a half marathon
65. Be able to do 100 push ups


Money Wise
66. Put away $20 for every goal I complete
67. Start a travel fund
68. Put $25 of every cheque into the travel fund
69. Put $100 extra into the travel fund each year
70. Get a grant/scholarship for grad school
71. Have all my Christmas shopping finished by November 30^th, 2010
72. DIY all my own Christmas wrapping paper and cards


Misc.
73. Go on a picnic
74. Fly a kite
75. Knit a scarf
76. DIY a custom picture/bulletin board76. Make a custom recipe book
77. Make a custom recipe book
78. Make a list of 101 things I am grateful for
79. Watch all of IMDB 250 top movies
80. Read 5 biographies
81. Watch every episode of The Simpson’s
82. Read 2 Jane Austen novels
83. Watch The Godfather
84. Have (and maintain) an old-fashioned pen pal for 1001 days
85. S uccessfully complete a 30 for 30 challenge
86. Have 101 followers on my blog at the end of the 1001 days
87. Document as many of the 101 items as possible
88. Read 101 non-romance novels
89. Spend an afternoon with my Nan learning to make bread
90. Take my parents out to supper
91. Make 5 skirts (and wear them!)
92. Ask 10 friends to recommend a book and read them all
93. Host a dinner party
94. Make my own wine
95. Give a creative gift rather than buying one
96. Learn to curl my hair
97. Spend an afternoon with my mom
98. Watch a sun rise and set in the same day
99. Make pizza from scratch
100. Write a letter to myself  to open at the end of the 1001 days
101. Write another 101 list at the end of the 1oo1 days


I know that some of these are going to cost more than the others but I hope that I enjoy each and everyone of these items and that by April 13th, 2013 I have completed everything on this list. When I hit publish post I am going to pour myself a nice glass of red wine and toast to the next 1001 days. 

weekend soundtrack.

I am off for the weekend and I am heading to CB (which is about half an hour away) for the weekend to spend some time with my boyfriend and his family. Until tomorrow when I get in the car I just plan on relaxing in my room, maybe surfing the internet, and taking a much needed nap.

The plan for tomorrow is to get in the car and hit shuffle on my ipod and see what the day brings me. Therefore for this weekend's soundtrack I'm going to do the same...

1. Love Song for No One - John Mayer

2. Caravan Holiday - Stereophonics

3. Intuition - Feist

4. Forgiveness - Collective Soul

5. So Long Sweet Misery - Brett Dennen 

John Mayer is the perfect mellow song to start my weekend, especially since I had to stay an extra half hour at work today. I am also tending bar tonight at my community's annual festival. I'm interesting to see how working until 2am is going to sit with someone (myself) who is usually in bed before 12 every night. 

Guilty Pleasure: Hershey Kisses

For me, there is no such things as eating only one Hershey Kiss. I can sit down and eat a whole bag of them without blinking. My favorite are just your plain old regular milk chocolate Hershey Kisses, none of this caramel or candy cane non-sense. Just plain, delicious chocolate. 

I think I'm gonna go grab a heaping handful of those chocolate treats right now!

Day Off Closet Adventures

Instead of relaxing or baking cupcakes in the afternoon, or even cozying up with a good book, I convinced my mom to clean out her gift/Christmas closet. 


Background: When I was in high school I moved into a room in the basement for more 'privacy' but once I went to college and was old enough not to care about privacy I moved back upstairs into my old room. My parents had been using the upstairs room as storage while I did my stint in the basement and I was only allowed to move back upstairs if I allowed my mom to keep half of the closet. Which was no problem because the closet is the entire length of the room and is kind of already divided into two closets anyways. The problem because that while I was away at univsersity my parents decided to use my room as storage temporarily and mom's Christmas/gift closet exploded into my room, and as someone who likes to be neat and organized ( I literally make lists for everything) have Christmas propaganda mixed with my clothes and make up wasn't ideal.


So today I took a monumental step to convince and supervise the cleaning of the dreaded closet. I also taught my mom the rules of the yardsale: if you haven't used it in three years and aren't planning to use it in the next two months... you don't need it. We're still working on it. But at least my room is now 98% mine. Dad is still storing his homemade wine - waiting to be bottled - on top of my dresser. But he promises that will be gone next week ( he's been saying that every weekend since May) but at least I don't have far to go if I want a glass of wine!

Rainy Days & Lazy Ways

Every day I have off it seems to rain, so last night I was planning my day expecting rain and hoping for sunshine. Since it's already 9 am and I've been on my exercise bike, made my bed, and am about to start my first cup of coffee, I feel this day is going to be very productive. Although, I only have to do some cleaning and maybe some grad school research. Which means that the rest of the day I can do whatever I want. It's a really nice feeling. 

I'm thinking that I might do some baking, it's been a while since I just sat down and looked at recipes, I've been craving cupcakes for a few days now. I also recently found a recipe called double chocolate-chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes (doesn't that sound yummy!). And cupcakes always make everyone's day a little brighter! I think it might be the perfect cure to the rainy day blues! 

Or maybe I'll read a book, there's something special about curling up in the rain with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate or maybe some french vanilla coffee. Listening to the rain beat on the window. Or in my case listening to it hit the objects outside my window. It's it already 20 degrees at 9am, therefore my fan is on.. my window is open and there will be no jeans worn in this house today. 

[Pictures from Audrey Hepburn Complex]

Edit: Guilty Pleasure

I would just like to add the romance novels are best read with a bubble bath and a huge glass of red wine. Yes, cheesy, cliche and all BUT there is something relaxing about the aroma of a bubble bath, a smooth red wine, and an epic romance story you wish you could tell your grandchildren. 

The only thing that could make it better would be adding a little Matthew McConaughey...

Look! He even comes with his own glass of wine, what a gentleman.. now I won't have to share mine!

Guilty Pleasure: Romance Novels

I am the typical girl who believes in happily-ever-after and big masculine men who know how to treat a girl. I have an addiction to a love story in which the leading couple overcome obstacles to be together. I am a sap. There is no other way to put it. And, let me tell you, there is no romance novel better than those of Nora Roberts. Now, I'm sure I sound like even more of a sucker than most, but there is something edgy about mystery, murder, lust and love all tangled up into one neat little package for me, just waiting for me to turn the page and explore a world I could never dream of living in. 

Le Chateau Love

I just can't believe that it's Friday already! Normally I wouldn't be complaining about it being Friday, but I have to work all weekend, and actually just had Wednesday and Thursday off. Not only am I working this weekend, but I'm working two 10 hour shifts. I have a feeling it's going to be a long weekend. 


This week was working for Monday and Tuesday, then I headed to CB after work that evening to spend a couple of days with the boyfriend before he went to visit his family for a week. Which turned into him being sick and us doing nothing but cleaning and organizing for his trip. Although I did get a little bit of shopping done, nothing wrong with that.. except I went with my friends Jess and Jillian. Jillian is the more sensible I guess, because she was like 'Do you really want to spend that much?'; and Jess is always encouraging with the 'Oh! It looks great! You have to get that!'; and since I'm such a shopaholic Jess usually wins this argument. I really need to stop shopping with her! But the shirt I bought I've been eying since February.. and it was on sale.. and well Le Chateau's sale can't really be considered sales, but I caved and had to have it. It was a nice splurge before I have to start budgeting once school starts again. 

Friends, Food, & Flying.

I keep telling myself that I'll work on posting more frequently but life, and well work always seem to interrupt that idea. The last week has been work, work, work, and a 24 hour trip across the island to a Board of Regents meeting in St. Johns. That trip has sequentially messed up my usual routine and has caused a wave of laziness after a 24 hour non-stop trip.


I woke up at 6 on Thursday, was at the airport by 7:30. Made it into St. Johns by 9:30 when Tiff (one of my best friends from high school that I barely get to see because we live on opposite sides of the island) picked me up and escorted me back to her place. We then proceeded to catch up on all the juicy gossip of our busy lives. Followed by lunch at 12:30, a meeting with the President of my University at 1:30 and then a 2 and a half hour long Board of Regents meeting. Followed by dinner with old friends, shopping, watching Tiff's boyfriends softball game and then heading downtown to meet my friend Joshua for a few beer. 


We headed to the little pub/brewery called Yellowbelly and had the most delicious french fries and some beer. It was kind of wonderful and interesting to blend my high school friends with my friends from University. But the great thing about my relationship with Tiff is that no matter how much time passes between seeing or talking to each other we always slip back into our normal routine, but instead of talking to graduating we talk about how scary it is that we are almost finished university and both have steady, committed relationships. Tiff and her boyfriend cut out a little early and left Joshua and I to catch up, which was exactly what I needed after a long and rushed day. We meandered our way out of the pub and Joshua gave me a little tour of his area of St. John's before dropping me off at Tiff's so I could crash into a blissful beer induced sleep at 2am. Unfortunately I was sleeping on a couch with new kittens who liked to climb all over me, but well worth getting to spend time with Tiff. 


This lead to a 5:30 wakeup call, a shower, quick drive to the airport. I landed in Deer Lake at 8:05 and went to work at 9:30 with roughly three hours of sleep. Well worth getting to spend time with Joshua and Tiff but I am still paying for it with the constant tiredness and my unwillingness to take long naps. But I can sleep in a little tomorrow because I finally have an afternoon shift. 


The only regret I have about my trip to SJ is not having taken my camera. But there's always next time. Life lesson of this trip: NEVER get three hours of sleep, hop on a plane and then head to work. It's not a good idea. 


Oh, did I  mention that there are 4 things I hate about flying? They would include: taking off, not being able to see the ground, turbulence, and landing.  Thank god there was no turbulence, 3/4 was more than enough! 

Music Monday!

Happy Monday!
I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! This Monday I'd like to introduce you all to Carolina Liar, a rock band based out of Los Angeles that makes me swoon. 

Their album Coming to Terms is full of tracks that will make you happy, sad, and tracks that will calm you down; which you can listen to here! 

I first heard this band on 90210 and then later again on One Tree Hill (yes, I'm well aware that I am too old to be watching such shows!)

Oh, did I mention that they also have a blog? 

Cupcakes, family time and good food!

This weekend we celebrated my pop's 75th birthday with a huge backyard party. The final attendance count was greater than my grandfathers age, which I think means the party was a great success. My dad's entire family was home (minus one cousin, which equals roughly 45 people) and it was so nice to get a change to spend some time with family that I hardly get to see. There was so much food it took up three tables, plus a special dessert table (which included this lovely cupcake tree my mother made).