Progress!

At almost 4 months into my "101 Goals in 1,001 Days", I am feeling pretty good about my progress...

Start Date: Friday, January 7, 2011.
Conclusion Date: Friday, October 4, 2013.

143 weeks

35 months

2 ¾ years

1. Travel to Africa (slated for February 2012)
2. Travel to Europe
3. Travel to Australia
4. Visit New York City again (with Wes, this time)
5. Visit California once - DONE!
6. Snorkel decently - DONE!  Snorkeled like crazy in Mexico and loved it!
7. Try 35 new Atlanta restaurants (25/35 - tried Local Three, Peter Chang's, Thumbs Up Diner, Corner Bakery Cafe, Full Cup, Holy Taco, Canton Cooks, Garrison's, Caffe Fortunato, Old Vinings Inn, Babs Midtown, La Pietra Cucina, Park's Edge, Spoon, Ceviche, Kevin Rathbun Steak, Fritti, Blue Grotto, La Tavola Trattatoria, Parish, Sublime Doughnuts, House of Lu II, Nuevo Laredo, Wisteria, Serpas)
8. Attend 5 concerts (1/5 - New Kids on the Block in June!  Considering seeing Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts.  Would love to see Adele or Florence and the Machine, or even Lady Gaga, but they're all sold out.)
9. Attend 5 musicals/plays (2/5 - Oklahoma, A Chorus Line - some other great ones coming up! Want to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Wicked!)
10. Visit 2 museums and actually look at things (0/2 - I feel like Atlanta's museum scene is sort of lame)
11. Get dental work done that I hate- DONE.  It was 6 hours in the chair, but I have a mouth of pearly whites that will last forever now - that's a good feeling.
12. Pay off 50% or more of student loans
13. Read 125 books (21/125 - 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, A Postcard from the Volcano, Winter's Bone, 1984, Mirage, Outliers, Blink, The Hobbit, Siddhartha, Ethan Frome, 54, 40 or Fight, Silk, Alas, Babylon, A Tale of Two Cities, A Fine Balance, We're Just Like You (Only Prettier), The Beautiful and Damned, As I Lay Dying, Brooklyn, The Paris Wife, Your Blue-Eyed Boy)
14. See 75 movies (30/75 - Blue Valentine, I Love You Phillip Morris, Winter's Bone, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, I Am Love, 127 Hours, Somewhere, The Witches of Eastwick, The Ghost Writer, Jane Eyre, The Last Lions, The Adjustment Bureau, Animal Kingdom, Silk, Woman on Top, North & South, Meet Me in St. Louis, Countdown to Zero, Life as a House, Little Miss Marker, Now and Forever, Return to Cranford, Arthur, Stand Up and Cheer, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Never Let Me Go, Water for Elephants, Thor, Mother and Child, The Princess of Montpensier)
15. Buy a new car for me
16. Workout an average of at least 3 times per week (gym, sports, other physical activity - with the combination of my Curves membership and The Biggest Loser Challenge on Wii, this is going better than expected - and with CurveSmart, it's even more motivating! I have lost a little weight, but was aiming for toning and inches, and have lost some inches, very nice!)
17. Paint a picture I like enough to hang on the wall
18. Buy a bike
19. Improve at tennis (played once and am not all that bad, more work to come)
20. Find one beer-type drink I like (tried three at the Sweetwater Brewery tour and was not a fan of any - blech)
21. Begin my MBA courses, possibly finish them (done - started them!)
22. Take a wine tasting class - done!
23. Take a random road trip
24. Take an overnight trip alone
25. Take a weekend trip with a girlfriend - planned for June, beachin' it up on Amelia Island with Ann
26. Volunteer at least 5 times (0/5 - working on this, why are so many organizations impossible to work with?)
27. Write at least 5 snail mail letters (0/5)
28. Eat all breakfasts and lunch IN for one week (prepare them myself)
29. Play three video games with Wes (2/3 - played Wii Sports while snowed in, now we're doing The Biggest Loser Challenge together)
30. Take Macy to 10 different places for her to run/walk/play (3/10 - tried Piedmont Park - she wanted to walk with us and had little interest in the dogs...then we tried Lewis Park near Marietta Square, which was OK until someone brought in a pit and it attacked another dog, that was horrible. Did walking around the loop in the heart of Vinings, which is really nice.)
31. Give 5 “I saw this and thought of you” gifts. (2/5 - one for Amanda, I saw a wristlet at Express that just seemed like her, then I saw a candle for Kate that would add a nice touch to her new place in California)
32. Bake really good cookies from scratch
33. Go to the symphony
34. Go roller skating/blading
35. Go bowling
36. Hit golf balls with Wes - DONE.  We'll be doing this more - it makes me sore, but I'll get better...
37. Make at least three healthy snacks (3/3 - DONE - pumpkin spice muffins were delish, applesauce oatmeal muffins were OK, but a little too healthy-tasting, but Wes ate them all, and the cheesecake-ish dessert I tried was yummy, but I would change the canned strawberries to fresh.)
38. Acquire a new piece of gold jewelry - DONE!  Got a perfect dainty chain that I can add to or wear alone, love it.
39. Play trivia at least 5 times (1/5 - @ Harry's w/Wes, Laura, Matt)
40. Host/go to a game night
41. Buy Wes a real grill
42. Buy new bedroom furniture
43. Buy some Waxing Poetic Jewelry
44. Move into a home I love and want to stay in for a few years - we've decided to go another direction, so I am changing this to finding a rental we really like for the next couple of years!
45. Take some vitamins that are good for me - DONE, but will continue (taking Biotin for hair/nails/skin, Saint John's Wort for falling asleep naturally, and C/Zinc/Lysine for immune system)
46. Clean out clothing and get rid of what I don’t wear (made some progress on this!)
47. Buy a filing cabinet and organize all our documents
48. Play three new board games (0/3)
49. Learn three new card games (0/3)
50. Ski once
51. Buy a bathing suit I feel really sexy in (got one - working on the feeling sexy in it part now!)
52. Go to an amusement park
53. Complete a puzzle
54. Pay off Wes's car - half way there!
55. Go to the beach - Mexico in April, AND Amelia Island in June, yay!
56. Make three new friends I really appreciate
57. Go dancing at least 4 times (0/4)
58. Plant something
59. Buy a lottery ticket
60. Do a pin-up photo session - working on this!
61. Go on a picnic
62. Rent a cabin and relax there
63. Go to the opera
64. Take a ballroom dancing lesson
65. Get a massage (done! I'll get more!)
66. Keep up with my blog
67. Go horseback riding
68. Play in the rain
69. Watch a sunrise and a sunset
70. Take myself on a date
71. Send someone flowers
72. Do karaoke
73. Spend a night in a local hotel just because
74. Spend a day in downtown Atlanta
75. Check out 5 new ares of the city (4/5 - explored the Marietta Square, realized I really like it and want to spend more time there.  Also did walking tours of Midtown and then Inman Park, and learned a good bit about both. And we've explored Vinings lots, and really like it!)
76. Check out 5 boutique clothing stores (2/5 - Festivity in Buckhead, like it a lot. Checked out Sand Piper in Vinings - nice stuff, little too pricey for what you get.)
77. Scan high school photos
78. Learn more about my ancestors
79. Try 75 new recipes (10/75 - Hearty Lasagna Soup, Bobby Lee's Chicken Pasta, Southwest Beef Stew, Turkey Chili w/corn and black beans, simple shrimp/butter/garlic pasta, Skillet white bean pasta with tomatoes and spinach, turkey sloppy joes, creamy pasta primavera, slow cooker healthy potato soup, taco soup)
80. Write 10 random thank you cards and send them (0/10)
81. Try 10 new mixed drink concoctions (2/10 - tried a homemade margarita that was just OK, decided I love capirinhas!)
82. Take a meditation class
83. Attend a Falcons game
84. Visit a winery
85. Become CPR certified - DONE!
86. Take a Zumba class - DONE!
87. Go to a black tie/formal event
88. Go back to Disney World
89. Go to the Harry Potter Theme Park
90. Re-read the last Harry Potter book
91. Turn off cell phone for an entire weekend
92. Turn 30 and love it
93. Adopt a second dog
94. Give up French Fries for a month
95. Truly enjoy one of my birthdays
96. Anonymously help someone in need
97. Have a deep talk with someone
98. Take a yoga class
99. Allow myself to spend more than $300 on a fabulous pair of shoes or a bag - I would love a pair of Manolos, or a Marc Jacobs or Cole Haan bag...choices.
100. Splurge on a pair of True Religion jeans
101. Make another list when this one is done!

New.

It's Easter Sunday, and I am thinking about being made new.  Renewal.  Risings.  Changing.  Being alive.

Most of my acquaintances and friends know that I am not religious at all, so Easter isn't a major holiday for me.  I do love candy, but I don't exactly believe in all of the religious attachments to the holiday.  After all, the very name "Easter" actually refers to a month named after the goddess Eostre, a pagan goddess connected to spring, hares and eggs (not kidding).  Studying the history of Easter shows how early Christians adapted the observation of the month to their own faith, to remember and signify major events influencing their beliefs.  The history can not be proved and is debated a great deal, but that's not really important to me, personally.


What I do love about Easter is the feeling of renewal and rebirth.  I DO believe in the power of the human spirit and its ability to be constantly revived.  I can recall specific times in my life when I felt broken, changed, and powerless.  But those times were short-lived.  I have always felt lucky that my spirit is strong.  It took some very hard times to teach me that I will always rise again, but now that I know, even in the midst of darkness, I know the light will be quick to arrive if I look for it.

This is probably why the simple (and only) words to one of my favorite songs are: "This time around, you can be anyone."  There is such power in realizing I can be exactly what I want or need to be, and that I can change, and that's a beautiful, powerful act.


I love stories of rebirth.  I love knowing that I can try anything on the planet, and if it doesn't work, I didn't fail.  I am always made better by the trying, by the experience.  I love knowing that I am me, and I am inherently good, but the me I know today will not be the same in ten years' time.  But that me will also be inherently good.


Today, Easter falls on a gorgeous day - the type of day that is so gorgeous you sort of want to burst.  My doors and windows are open.  Trees and flowers are in bloom.  Birds are singing.  The sun is shining, but it's soft.  It's the sort of day you can imagine being the perfect reminder that everything grows, everything changes, and life can be beautiful if you're open to beauty.  


I can not always ignore the darkness in the world.  I struggle to even watch the news - wars, murders, natural disasters - all create suffering, and I don't want to be blind to the struggle.  At the same time, I don't want to let the knowledge of that suffering snuff out the small amount of light I may be carrying.  

So I will keep being renewed and reborn within myself, within life, on a beautiful earth.  That is what feels right to me, and maybe some good will come to my corners of earth for it.  It seems to be the only thing that makes sense.  Strange that constant growth and change can bring peace and balance - but true, for me.

Happy Easter, and I hope you're all being exactly who you want to be.  And also having chocolate bunnies.

"So long as a person is capable of self-renewal, they are a living being."
Henri Frederic Amiel

Super Food #4: Garlic

It seems like every single recipe I use calls for minced garlic.  That's not a bad thing, because garlic is super good for you!

 Garlic...
1. Fights cancer (primarily colorectal, gastric, and prostate cancers)
2. Fights cardiovascular disease! (Lowers blood pressure, fights platelet aggregation, lowers triglycerides, and LDL - bad cholesterol)
3. Is an anti-inflammatory.
4. Is an anti-viral.

Garlic has to be crushed/minced/pressed to release the sulfur compound allicin, the amino acid in garlic that makes it so awesome.  In addition to allicin, garlic also offers Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, saponins, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, selenium, polyphenols, and arginine.

The most nutritious form of garlic is crushed/minced/pressed, but garlic powders and pills still carry some good nutrients, just not nearly as much.

Garlic is stinky, but delicious, and goes with just about anything.  
One good recipe is here: http://www.superfoodsrx.com/kitchen/garlic/garlic-and-black-pepper-10-minute-marinated-salmon.html

Random Saturday Ramblings...

My biometric screening revealed to me that I am super healthy inside (my cholesterol numbers, both good and bad, were "maybe the best I've ever seen" - doctor's words!), but my triglycerides were, while still normal, a little higher than I prefer them.  Darn my love of fatty treat foods!  As I say that, I am contemplating getting a milkshake while out today - UGH.  Have. To. Break. This. One. Habit.


And I know I'm going to have delicious mexican food and several margaritas tomorrow at Ann's birthday lunch.  Hey, no one's perfect.


Speaking of tomorrow, we are taking Macy to do her "temperament test" at Camp Woof while we're at lunch.  She has to hang out for a few hours so they can make sure she's good with other dogs so she can stay there while we're in Mexico - I am getting so excited about this trip!  Things have lined up so nicely.  I got a $20 deal on a Brazilian Wax (hey, not shaving while on vacation is nice), and a free chipless manicure/pedicure and brow wax (thanks to a thank-you gift card for The Posh Spot spa from a coworker), I have three new bathing suits (two piece, one piece/vintage, and a sports suit for snorkeling), and I think the trip will overall be a great break from the "real world" - *sigh of contentment*.


I always listen to smooth jazz while hanging out at home and cleaning, reading, cooking, blogging, etc.  Not sure when that happened, but I do.


At my monthly weigh/measure at the gym, I weighed the same, but lost some inches.  This means I am building muscle = a good thing, I was a weenie.  Now I can pack a punch.  Just saying.

I am going to Dalton today to hang out with my family (i.e. eat yummy things my parents cook and let the dog play).   


I am rarely in a bad mood lately.


I sort of want to see "Hop", "Your Highness", "Arthur", "Rango" and "Born to be Wild" - but can I bring myself to pay to see them?  Hm.  We might do "Born to be Wild" tomorrow in IMAX.  I love IMAX.  Yep.

Pumpin' Iron

Of course, I am not truly pumping iron, since free weights are not my thing, but I have been working out a lot lately.  Almost every day, in fact.  That's a big change for me, but it just gets addictive.  Even thirty minutes a day makes me feel different, and my body wants to keep it going.  I am not really worried about losing weight, because my weight and even my BMI are really healthy.  I just wanted to feel better, to tone up, to be stronger.  The working out makes me sleep better, my mood is elevated pretty consistently, I have more energy, and I don't crave junk foods as much.  Win/win situation, except now on days I don't get to work out, I feel like a total blob.  Weird.

At any rate, I have been proud of myself for being open to new things - the new exercise (and new strength that is really noticeable) has made me feel more adventurous with new foods (who knew I like eggplant?  I do, now.) and new activities (have been out to hit golf balls and to practice tennis lately, and both were enjoyable).  I am visiting one of the aquatic centers in Cobb tomorrow to practice swimming - I want to be able to snorkel in Mexico in three weeks!  I CAN swim, but I'm not great at it and have no form.  Wes will be helping me, and he's like Michael Phelps in a pool, so I should get better quickly.

Now, if I only had a tan....