101 in 1,001

Last year I created a list of 22 thing to accomplish before my 23rd birthday. And while that list went fairly well, I wanted to try something new. So instead of half-hearted New Year’s resolutions or an annual birthday list, I decided to try something new this year: 101 things to accomplish over the next 1,001 days.

Some are big, some are small. Some are weirdly specific. And some are things I’ve barely admitted to myself that I want to do. But—unlike some of the other lists similar to this one that I’ve found online—I refuse to make this a list of chores or random to-do’s. “Eat a churro,” “buy new ballet flats” or “get a wedding ring tan line” were some of the less inventive one entries I saw in my Internet perusing. Instead I’ve come up with adventures, aspirations and goals I’d like to accomplish over the next two or three years.

I’m still finishing up my list, but here’s what I’ve come up with so far.

End date: October 13, 2016

1. Finish list of 101 things
2. Go one month without eating out
3. Read 50 books
4. Run another half marathon
5. Create an organizational system for important documents
6. Send 30 handwritten letters to 30 different people
7. Go skinny dipping
8. Take a trip & stay in an apartment listed on AirBnB
9. Buy coffee for a stranger
10. Throw a murder mystery dinner party
11. Go camping
12. Make pasta from scratch
13. Take a road trip with my Mom
14. See 10 movies in theaters
15. Buy an original piece of art
16. Join or create a book club
17. Learn how to change a tire
18. Volunteer five times
19. Go apple picking
20. Travel internationally
21. Sing karaoke
22. Learn how to make a latte at home
23. Update personal website & portfolio
24. See a movie at the drive-in
25. Go to 10 concerts
26. Learn how to poach an egg
27. Freelance for a publication I admire
28. Find a mentor
29. Learn how to make macaroons
30. Start a 401K
31. Ride at least one day of RAGBRAI
32. Attend the National Balloon Classic in Indianola, IA
33. Learn how to code
34. Visit three new cities
35. Consistently write One Line a Day
36. Attend SXSW
37. Learn more about using my DSLR
38. Adopt a pet
39. Make cheese from scratch
40. Attend a baseball game
41. Find more ways to utilize my Spanish
42. Host a wine tasting party
43. Try three new foods
44. Copy & learn my favorite family recipes
45. Get one car wash a month (You’re welcome, Dad)
46. Knit a pair of mittens
47. Tour the Iowa Capitol building
48. Visit New Orleans
49. Learn how to make a .gif
50. Spend a weekend completely unplugged
51. Bake an apple pie (crust included) from scratch
52. Stomp grapes for the fall harvest at Summset Winery
53. Beat The Simpsons arcade game
54. Learn how to make three cocktails (more than two ingredients required)
55. Finish a New York Times crossword puzzle
56. See the Northern Lights
57. Tour Terrace Hill
58. Start roadside attraction website with Kristen
59. Visit Seattle
60. Take a letterpress class
61. Host a dinner party
62. Go to Eataly
63. Set up a well-stocked bar cart
64. Visit Glass Beach in northern California
65. Surpass 1,000 Twitter followers
66. Get more involved with the Des Moines Art Center and/or Des Moines Social Club
67. Learn how to make & can my mom’s pasta sauce
68. Attend Jeffrey’s high school graduation
69. Create a custom stamp
70. Host a clothing swap with friends
71. Have a movie marathon (Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, the possibilities are endless)
72. Join a CSA—at least for a few months
73. Make creme brulee at home
74. Finally hang curtains in my apartment
75. Create a scrapbook to document my 101 things
76. Write a letter to myself to open on my 30th birthday
77. Put $10 in savings for each goal completed

*You can follow my 101 in 1,001 progress under the “Lists” tab on Olio in Iowa.