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101 in 1001

101 in 1001

I’m taking on the 101 Things in 1001 Days Challenge (also known as Project Zero).

The Challenge:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (i.e. 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. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips, study semesters, or outdoor activities.

Start date: 9 August 2016
End date: 7 May 2019

My list:

Travel

1. Visit Finland.
2. Visit Germany.
3. Visit Thailand.
4. Visit Iceland.
5. Take my mom to St. Maarten. (It’s her dream destination!).
6. See the Aurora Borealis.
7. Take a solo trip (the first time since I was 23?).
8. Visit Newfoundland.
9. Visit 5 states I haven’t been to before.
10. And Puerto Rico.
11. Visit Charleston, SC.
12. Visit the Gone With the Wind museums.
13. Start my own campfire.
14. Go camping in Autumn.
15. Have a campfire cookout with hotdogs and marshmallows.
16. Swim in Lake Ontario 5+ times in one summer.
17. Visit Bali.
18. Explore Florida more extensively. (Specifically Miami, the Keys and the Clearwater area).
19. Visit 3 Ontario provincial parks.
20. Visit 3 American national parks.
21. Celebrate Canada’s Sesquicentennial birthday.
22. Celebrate the 4th of July. With fireworks and BBQ.
23. See a seal or sea lion in the wild.
24. Take the train.
25. Visit Savannah, GA.
26. Visit Boston, MA
27. Visit New Orleans.
28. Visit Miami.
29. Visit Austin.
30. Visit Peggy’s Cove.
31. Go tailgating. (Go Buckeyes!)
32. Visit 3 museums I’ve never been to before.
33. Visit a beach in Toronto that I’ve never been to before.
34. Go to the ROM (Toronto, ON). I haven’t been since I was a kid!
35. Swim in the Atlantic ocean, Pacific ocean and Gulf of Mexico.
36. Visit Kitchener, ON to learn about my late paternal great grandfather and our German heritage.

Health // Spoonie Stuff

37. Get my weekly ropivacaine shots at least once without having a panic attack. (I have a phobia of needles and these needles are particularly huge and painful!).
38. Get the teeth that ME/CFS has damaged, fixed.
39. Help another spoonie pay for her medical treatment.
40. Recover all the files from my old computer.
41. Get a high quality wig or extensions.
42. Find the right treatment for my OCD. (In process).
43. Adopt a dog. (Registered Emotional Support/Service Animal?).

Business

44. Post at least weekly at The Spoon in the Road.
45. Be a guest blogger on someone else’s blog. “Fat and Happy” at Yes & Yes.
46. Go to the Selective Mutism annual conference with my mom/mental health coaching business partner.
47. Speak at an event or conference.
48. Host an event or class.
49. Get published in a (physical) newspaper or magazine.
50. Host a giveaway.
51. Create a masterpost about running businesses while living with chronic illnesses.
52. Update my writer site.
53. Invest in TSITR business cards

Experiences

54. Go to the ballet.
55. Go to the opera.
56. See a musical or play in Toronto.
57. See a show on Broadway.
58. Take singing lessons.
59. Watch 5 French language films.
60. Watch 5 documentaries. a) Hamildoc. b) To Joey, With Love. c)  A Sloth Called Velcro.
61. Stay at a Bed and Breakfast.
62. Dress up for Halloween.
63. See a burlesque show. (It’s been way too long!).
64. Meet up with 3+ friends I’ve met online, in person!
65. Take a class.
66. Ride a Ferris wheel.
67. Read biography or memoir of 5 people who inspire me. (Ones I haven’t read yet!). a) Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow.
68. Hike 3 km in one day. (Before I got ME/CFS, I was able to hike over 15 km in a day).
69. Get a tattoo (provided I’m healthy enough, of course).

Organization

70. Start bullet journalling (again).
71. Try Project Life.
72. Try Line a Day journaling.
73. Make a vision board (on poster board! Pinterest doesn’t count this time!).
74. Try the Pomodoro Technique.

DIY

75. Make my own bath bombs.
76. Make soft pretzels.
77. Make latkes from scratch.

Buy

78. Buy something at Courage My Love
79. Invest in another pair each of Rayban glasses and sunglasses.
80. Invest in Tieks shoes.
81. Get a new laptop.

Food

82. Try In-N-Out.
83. Try piirakka.
84. Try pistachio ice cream.
85. Try 5 (more) new foods.
86. Try 3 locally owned coffee shops in Toronto. Find a new favourite?
87. Treat myself to a Tiger Bowl at Fresh.

Learning

88. Take a language class. French? Finnish? Spanish? Yiddish?
89. Learn hand lettering.

Events

90. Go to a renaissance fair.
91. Go to a food festival.
92. Go to the cherry festival in Traverse City, MI.

Financial

93. Pay off my debt.
94. Make $13,000
95. Make $33,000
96. Make $113,000.
97. Get my opal ring resized.
98. Buy a condo with my mom.
99. Buy an airstream.
100. Put a dollar into my savings account for each goal accomplished.

101. Make another list as soon as I complete everything on this one!

As I accomplish goals on this list, I’ll update this post.

Have you tried the 101 in 1001 challenge?

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Best of the Midwest #3

A photo posted by Chicago (@choosechicago) on

 

Welcome to Best of the Midwest! In each edition, I gather some of the most exciting links from (arguably) the best region of the United States.

I definitely want to eat at Toast Bar next time I’m in Columbus. And some of these brunch places, too!

This Grandville, MI Santa Claus made a little boy’s Christmas.

9 Midwest inns share recipes to make the holiday season delicious.

This Minneapolis pizza place sounds awesome!

Troll hunting in a little town near Madison, WI sounds exciting!

These Midwest pride shirts would make great gifts.

Looking for more links? Check out past Best of the Midwest columns, and my Midwest Pinterest board. Have a link to share? Post it in the comments below!

8 Things I’m Going To Miss About Living In Ohio

Most people are desperate to get out of the Midwest. (Have you ever seen Glee? Or talked to someone from small town Ohio?) But here I am getting all sentimental about it. I’m thrilled about moving to Florida, but I’ll always love the Buckeye State! Here’s what I’ll miss the most:

1. Shouting ‘OH’ and instantly getting an ‘IO’ from a stranger across the street or behind you in the checkout line. You become part of the community in record time! Of course, many Ohioans are snow birds so I’ll still see lots of scarlet and grey in Florida, but it’s not the same.

2. Buckeyes, Buckeyes everywhere! I mean the nut, the candy and (fans of) the college football team. (Bob Evans restaurants down in Central Florida sometimes have the candy though!).

3. Tony Packo’s. I first heard of the restaurant as a kid, watching M*A*S*H. Corporal Klinger said, “If you’re ever in Toledo, Ohio, on the Hungarian side of town, Tony Packo’s got the greatest Hungarian hot dogs”. Years later, as a twenty-something living in Northwest Ohio, I finally got to taste the chili (sweet but spicy!), fried dill pickles and those famous Hungarian hot dogs. Totally lived up to the hype!

4. The ‘Little Place’. My family owned a duplex near University of Findlay. It was tiny, but cozy. We had just enough room to barbecue outside, and could watch the Oilers’ football practice from the parking lot across the road.

5. Midwestern accents. They’re adorable! Come on!

6. Seasons. From my year-long stint in Florida as a teenager, I know seasons in the Sunshine State are summer, summer, slightly cooler summer and almost summer. In Ohio, Mother Nature enjoys much more variety. I guess I won’t have to miss seasons too much since I’ll still be spending a lot of time in my Canadian home town of Toronto, but it’s not the same.

7. Sharing a state with LeBron James. Did you see him in Trainwreck? Amazing!! I love his ambition and his adoration for Ohio.

8. Pop. Sure, it tastes the same in the south as it does up north. And sure, I call it soda because I think soda sounds more bubbly and delicious. But I get the feeling that hearing “it’s called pop, not soda!” will make me nostalgic one day soon.

What do you love (or miss) most about your home state?

Best of the Midwest #2

Got my Michigan shirt today. #itspopnotsoda #mittenstate #michigan #tshirt

A photo posted by Art is Beauty (@arttisbeauty) on

Welcome to Best of the Midwest! In each edition, I gather some of the most exciting links from (arguably) the best region of the United States.

50 kid-friendly things to do in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, from Family Friendly Cincinnati.

These pictures of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in the fall are gorgeous! Time to plan a trip?!

-If you’re a fan of Wisconsin cheese, you’ll enjoy this blog: Cheese Underground.

-Another link for foodies: Great donut places to try in Chicago.

15 things you might not know about Ohio.

Looking for more links? Check out my Midwest Pinterest board or past editions of Best of the Midwest.

Have a link to share? Post it in the comments below!

Best of the Midwest #1

midwest is best

Welcome to Best of the Midwest! In each edition, I gather some of the most exciting links from (arguably) the best region of the United States.

How to make Buckeyes (those delicious chocolate peanut butter candies!), from Smitten Kitchen.

Best Midwest State Parks, from Midwest Living. We hiked. We swam. We even peeked in the bathrooms. All to bring you a state-by-state guide to 36 of the Midwest’s greatest natural treasures.

20 Words That Have a Different Meaning in the Midwest, from Buzzfeed.

– These Wisconsin fun pages from The Wisconsin Bucket List are super cute!

Top 25 Free Things To Do In Chicago, from Southern Savers. Have some affordable fun in the Windy City!

Nebraska is home to the world’s largest time capsule, says Roadside America.

Just 25 miles from Cincinnati rests a 110 year-old abandoned ghost ship!

Looking for more links? Check out my Midwest Pinterest board. Have a link to share? Post it in the comments below!

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