Real Resolutions for 2015

That's right, ladies

I rarely make New Year's Resolutions - mostly because there is a strong propensity to go really hard at something for two weeks and then drop off, thereby failing at something in the first month of the year. I prefer to make goals that require steps and progress and have concrete accomplishments, hence my 101 in 1001 list (which I'm making quite a bit of progress on, actually).

But I came across this article on Huffington Post this morning and thought it would be a nice read for Friday and since my brain is still not quite functioning from being on vacation (I was in Belize for a week and it was beautiful), this is an easy but thoughtful post to fill your weekend reading.

The article discusses not making the normal resolutions of "lose weight" or "fall in love" which are all fine resolutions but we should always be striving for self-improvement; not just at the beginning of the year because it's customary.

Which is why I have tangible resolutions for 2015 - I have gone through my 101 in 1001 list and picked out a few specific goals that are steps to leading a better overall quality of life - I've also added some goals that aren't on my 101 list but contribute to the overarching theme.

Approaching my health as a whole, not just my physical health
   - This includes working out 3x/week to stay fit but also realizing when I need a break to recuperate
   - Sticking to my "read one book per month" goal. Reading keeps me sane, relaxes me, sharpens my intellect and gives me great ideas of my own for writing.
   - Don't eat dessert every day. Drink less than five sodas per week. Know when to say "no."

Improving the FroBuzz marriage*
   - Say "I love you" every day. Mean it.
   - Praying with my husband
   - Slow down. Talk about one non-work related topic every day.
*This does not mean I have a bad marriage; it means I want to keep strengthening it every day)

Get 'er done*
   - Write three book chapters in 2015
   - Join a civic club in Manhattan
   - Pay off credit card
   - Take piano lessons
*Yes, I went there.

So? What do you think? Would love your thoughts, ideas and input.

I think 2015 will be the best year yet - don't you?!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Turning Over a New Leaf -- 101 in 1001 Update

Hey there - ho there! I am trying to do a better job of periodic updates on my 101 in 1001 list so I'm doing just that today.

You'll recall this list started on January 30, 2014 so I'm about 6.5 months into this current challenge and I'm already very pleased with the goals I've reached; not necessarily because there have been so many of them but because there have been some major lifestyle changes!

Without further ado, here are 12 of the 15 goals I have completed thus far:

Workout 3x/week for 3 months

Workout 3x/week for 6 months

Give up soda for a month

Try 5 new foods (reindeer, elk, red snapper, edamame, okra) - the first three were good, the fourth was ok and the last one sucked.

Make homemade bread without a bread maker - it was SO GOOD!

Go whitewater rafting

Go rock climbing, hiking etc - Did a whole heap of this while in Alaska (which was the trip of a lifetime, btw) 

Hiking up a mountain to climb a glacier - such a cool experience!

Get a RT/mention from someone famous on Twitter- Peta doesn't count

Do you see that BOB FREAKIN' SEGER mentioned me?!

 

Meet 5 social media friends IRL - Troy and Stacy Hadrick, Chuck Jolley, Janeal Yancey, Danielle (Beard) Hayden, Daniel Hayden, Stacy Bettinghouse

Check off some more concerts on my old soul music bucket list

Speak on behalf of agriculture 3x (1 - Women Managing the Farm Conference; 2 - Sigma Alpha at KSU; 3 - Agriculture Communicators of Tomorrow at KSU)

Prepare one new recipe per week for 8 weeks (chicken stir-fry, beer drenched pork chops, crockpot potato soup, lasagna soup, new flank steak marinade, stuffed burgers, fruit pizza, fiesta goulash)

• Most of those eight recipes are available on the recipe page - my favorite of those listed is a tie between the lasagna soup and the flank steak marinade (which both include beef)!

That was some DELISH flank steak!

You'll notice that a lot of those goals are about living a more active, healthy lifestyle and trying new things, building relationships and growing as a person. Think I'm kidding? Look at some of these goals that I have started but not yet finished:

• Run 10 short distance races -- 5 and 10Ks (1 - Manhattan St Patrick's Day 10K; 2 - Color Run 5/31/14; 3 - The Amazing Grace 5K 7/5/14;
• Run 3 - half marathons (yes, you read that correctly) (1 - Glass City Half Marathon 4/27/14;
• Read the Bible from front to back (Old and New Testament) - Sharita showed me this great guide
• Triple the amount of $$ in my 401(k)
• Have zero credit card debt
• Cut my student loan debt in 1/2
• Make a 'Recipes' section on the blog and post 50 recipes
• Blog at least once per week for an entire year
• Fill a journal
• Read one book per month - revise and update book list to reflect what I've read
• Add 10 more books to our library (an actual printed copy) (1 - Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die by Willie Nelson; 2 - Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer; 3 - Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism by Temple Grandin; 4 - Animals Make Us Human by Temple Grandin;

Yes, I am apparently a "runner" again, although I really don't like calling myself that. I haven't used that phrase to describe myself since I graduated high school and stopped running cross country and track. But man, do I like being able to fit into jeans from my junior college years! I've also really enjoyed getting back into reading, something I haven't been able to do "for fun" for about six years.

I'd like to do another update in three months or so, but if I haven't accomplished more than a handful of goals by then, I may push it back. I really love lists and goals - this challenge keeps me accountable and gets me to try new things, step outside my comfort zone and do some exciting things!

So how are your lists coming? Have you achieved some of your goals? Weigh in below!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

The Next 101 in 1001

So, earlier this week we examined my inability to do simple math calculations like figuring out the end date for 1001 days. Today, I start the next chapter and get to work on my next 101 in 101. This list will be permanently hosted by the 101 in 1001 tab but I wanted to share it here first. Give it a read - what do you think?

Start date: January 30, 2014
End date: October 26, 2016

Healthy Living
Complete 30-day shred
Workout 3x/week for 3 months
Workout 3x/week for 6 months
Run 10 - 5Ks

Ten more 10Ks - no problem, right?

Run 3 - half marathons (yes, you read that correctly)
Go to the damn dentist
Get Lasik surgery
Give up soda for a month

Spiritual Growth/Paying it Forward and Marriage (because, clearly, these go hand-in-hand)
Tithe 10% of every paycheck for 6 months
Read the Bible from front to back (Old and New Testament) - Sharita showed me this great guide
Attend church regularly for a year (2x per month is regular for us since we're gone so much)
Pray out loud
Pray for strangers
Give until it hurts
Give a homeless person all the cash in my pocket (*note to self: start carrying cash)
Pay for next person's meal
Donate hair to Locks of Love
Read a marriage strengthening book with the Ninja
Finish our engagement, wedding and honeymoon scrapbook
Volunteer in my community 5 times
Donate to the foodbank

Learning New Skills and Trying New Things
Learn the basic of fitting a steer
Learn to change the oil in my truck
Take piano lessons
Teach myself one nice hair up-do for weddings and special occasions
Try 5 new foods
Take an online history course

Nurturing Relationships
Visit 5 [more] friends who don't live in Kansas
Engage in 3 father/daughter activities
Plan 3 mother/daughter things
Attend 5 more of little sister's events
Go out on 10 girl's nights
Go to a concert with little brother
Plan a tailgate
Host a dinner party
Write 20 thank you notes (handwritten)
Friendship photoshoot - rock the dress, KSU pride
Send Christmas cards at least one year

Domestication and DYI
Try one new recipe per week for 8 weeks
Complete two separate full-day sessions of cooking to fill the freezer
Make a perfect omelet (not a scromlet)
Make homemade bread without a bread maker
Learn basic sewing machine skills
Make a set of curtains using the sewing machine
Make some decorative pillows
Refurbish a dresser (or two)
Learn to make Grandma Buzzard's divinity candy, chicken n' noodles and other select recipes
Make and freeze/store my own salsa and red sauce
Plant a garden every year (if location permits)
Create a really cool DYI/craft project from scratch
Make/create 3 Christmas/birthday gifts
Make a cheesecake and an angel food cake from scratch

Financial Improvement
Save 10% of every paycheck for 6 months
Triple the amount of $$ in my 401(k)
Have zero credit card debt
Cut my student loan debt in 1/2
Take the Dave Ramsey finance course with the Ninja
Create a family budget and stick to it - evaluate and adjust after 3 months
Once every six months (for entirety of the 1001 days), complete a no-shopping month

Organized and Decorated Home
Frame and hang B.S. and M.S. degrees (as soon as my M.S. diploma arrives...)
The next time we move, organize and purge unneeded items
Organize and clean office so that it's functional for two people
Buy and hang wedding photos and select Kansas photography for the walls
Hang either a photo collage or cross collage on one of the walls

Adventures
Go whitewater rafting
Go rock climbing, hiking etc
Travel internationally
Go camping
Visit 5 states I've never been to before
Take a yearly family vacation
Meet someone famous
Go to an amusement park
Go pheasant hunting

Motivatated Thinking, Career and Writing/Blogging/Social Media
Write six chapters for my book
Have an article or blog post picked up by Huffington Post or similar outlet
Get a RT from someone famous - Peta doesn't count (been there, done that)
Make a 'Recipes' section on the blog and post 50 recipes
Blog at least once per week for an entire year
Fill a journal

Thanks for the nifty journal, Target. Oh, and of course what's a journal without a purple K-State pen?

Meet 5 social media friends IRL
Get 1,000 likes on Buzzard's Beat Facebook page
Speak on behalf of agriculture 3x
Get Twitter verified

I want that little checkmark

Stuff Just For Me
Read one book per month - revise and update book list to reflect what I've read
Add 10 more books to our library (an actual printed copy)
Buy myself a designer handbag
Create a coffee-table book out of my travel photos
Go to another K-State football bowl game
Check off some more concerts on my old soul music bucket list
Attend the KSU basketball game when they retire Jacob Pullen's jersey
Write myself a letter to open in 5 years
Go vegetarian for two weeks - blog about the exhaustion
Buy a barrel saddle
Finish Friday on the barrels - exhibition and enter at a rodeo

Friday, the soon-to-be barrel horse

Start another young horse on barrels
Get inked
Buy a new [to me] Chevy
Eat mind-blowing steak at 3 premier steakhouses
Beat the Ninja at Scrabble 3 times (this will be a miracle)
Go to an away KSU or Chiefs football game, or away KSU b-ball game or away KSU baseball game
Make a new list when this one expires

 

Do we have any common goals? Am I crazy?

 

Until next time,

~ Buzzard ~

The End of 101 in 1001

I usually am very organized and pride myself on having a fantastic memory, which is why I was really surprised when I checked my 101 in 1001 list and realized that I had run out of time. Crap. This is like a replay of this day.

So anyway, here are my 101 goals in 1001 - I've highlighted in purple the ones that were completed in time and the ones in green were in progress. There are comments on some that were in progress for your entertainment.

Start date: April 11, 2011
End date: January 6, 2014 (although I fudged it to the end of January so it's more like 1022 days)

Healthy Living
1. Run/workout 3x a week for 1 month
2. Run/workout 3x a week for 2 months
3. Run/workout 3x a week for 3 months
4. Run 5- 5K’s for Beef or Breast Cancer - I ran three and am already registered for the fourth.
5. Go to bed before midnight every weeknight for two weeks
6. Drink 64 oz of water every day for one month

Marriage
7. Have a date night with Hyatt each week for two months
8. Scrapbook our engagement, wedding and honeymoon
9. Celebrate one of life's little achievements once/month for 12 months
10. Complete name change on social media sites, social security card, financial accounts, passport, driver's license etc – this SUCKED: read moreabout that process here.
11. Celebrate our 1 and 2 year wedding anniversaries in a unique way
12. Watch 5 movies that Hyatt loves that don't interest me - (Apocalypse Now, Papillon, X-Men, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Anchorman 2)
13. Have Hyatt write a letter to me to open in 5 years
14. Write a letter to Hyatt to open in 5 years
15. Make a list of 101 reasons I love Hyatt
16. Pick out two dogs for the FroBuzz home upon returning from Australia

Aren't they adorable? By now I'm sure you've seen lots of media about Rooster the rodeo dog and Cricket, shy but feisty border collie. (@brandibuzzard on Instagram)

Goals That Might Pain Me To Complete
17. Do a vegetarian challenge for one week
18. Watch Food Inc. - infuriating

19. Watch An Inconvenient Truth

20. Eat a salad - a vegetable one: this too, sucked. Here’s a picture to prove it

21. Wear heels every day for 1 week
22. Replaced with the last goal in "Keeping in Touch" - 102. Have mother/daughter weekend @ lake
23. Don’t chew on fingernails for 1 whole month - May -- July 2011
24. Refrain from purchasing any item of clothing, accessory or footwear for 1 month
25. Eat 5 exotic/uncommon foods  - (Thai seafood 4/12/2011, Tofu Steak 5/2011, Kangaroo 6/2011, Crocodile 7/2011, Octopus 7/2011)

Keeping in Touch
26. Coordinate a tailgate for one of the following teams: KSU, KC Royals, Ohio State Buckeyes or the KC Chiefs - ended up doing this for KSU homecoming in 2012 and also in 2012 for KC Royals game.

Some great gals at a great game - that lady on the bottom right is getting married this weekend. Wahoo!

27. Call /visit my grandparents once/month for 12 months
28. Organize and go on a mother/daughter day with Diana & Madie
29. Attend 6 of Kristy’s sporting events/school events/4-H stuff - (Bourbon Co. hog show, Bourbon Co. beef show, biddy ball game, Allen County steer and hog show, KJLS)

Can't believe she's all grown up and showing cattle! Seems like just yesterday I was watching her learn to walk *Sniffle*
(@brandibuzzard on Instagram)

30. Visit 5 friends who have moved away – Sharita, Washington; Becca, North Dakota; Mandy, Iowa; Jessie, Texas; Kelly, Minnesota.

This is the famous Seattle gum wall - people keep saying 'gross!'
 Yes, it is gross but it's not like we were licking it or anything!
(@brandibuzzard on Instagram)

31. Visit Brice in A-town
32. Go fishing with my dad
102. Have a mother/daughter weekend at the lake

Professional Development
33. Defend my thesis by May 2012 – I defended in June of 2012. Dammit.
34. Publish an agriculture article in HPJ, KLA or publication/newspaper of similar demographic - May 2011 (Grass and Grain, Farm Talk)
35. Promote agriculture at community meeting or conference 3x
36. Develop a personal mission statement
37. Join learnersdictionary.com Word of the Day to broaden my vocabulary - June 2011
38. Consolidate/forward all email accounts down to 2
39. Post 3x/week for 1 month on Buzzard’s Beat - April and May 2011

Financial Conquistador-ism
40. Save $5 for each item on this list completed
41. Save 10% of every paycheck for 6 months
42. Learn to do my own taxes
43. Take Dave Ramsey finance course with Hyatt
44. Balance checkbook every month for 12 months
45. Create a family budget w/ Hyatt and stick to it for 3 months
46. Discover my credit score 47. Track Hyatt and I's spending for 3 months; evaluate and make changes
48. Complete a no-spend month
49. Pay off my small credit cards - Maurices, Victoria's Secret

Because I Want To
50. Purchase a new truck
51. Muster the courage to play blackjack in a casino - preferably win
52. Fly first class (even if it's only from KC to Dallas)
53. Go rock climbing
54. Acquire new square toed boots (preferably exotics)

Love these beauties that the Ninja gifted me with for my birthday last year!
(@brandibuzzard on Instagram)

55. Face 3 fears - (claustrophobia 7/2011, heights 8/2011, [third fear is a secret but was conquered in 2012)
56. NOT have a baby before I'm 2757. Scuba dive somewhere exotic - Great Barrier Reef 7/2011
58. Create a wardrobe I love. (This is defined as a closet full of clothes I am equally happy to wear)
59. Find the perfect cocktail dress - color insignificant – (but it’s purple, fyi)
60. Become a lifetime member of the K-State Alumni Association

Becoming Cultured, Crafty, Organized and Design-y
61. Print off and organize all photos
62. Organize Buzzard family photos
63. Compose/make/compile Buzzard family tree
64. Design and print my own custom thank you notes
65. Frame and hang my Bachelor's and (eventually) Master's degrees – this would be a lot easier to complete if KSU would send me my damn diploma.
66. Design and print our Christmas cards for 2011
67. Make a coffee table book out of my travel photography
68. Purge and donate old clothes from closets at least three times
69. Watch the sunrise and sunset in the SAME DAY - Lamington National Park - 6/2011
70. Attend an opera, symphony or musical - Love Never Dies 9/2011

Learning New Things
71. Learn to play piano
72. Learn how to make Grandma’s fried chicken, chicken n’ noodles and divinity candy
73. Learn how to fit a steer
74. Learn to drive the boat – I’ve driven the boat but still need more work.
75. Learn to change the oil in my truck
76. Learn to shoot a compound bow

Personal Development and Paying It Forward
77. Volunteer once/month at a breadbasket, food pantry or other comm. service 6 times – got this done 3 times
78. Spend under $10 on a meal & give a $10 tip
79. Donate 25,000 grains of free rice through Freerice.com (7270)
80. Write a letter to myself to open in 5 years
81. Donate hair to Locks of Love (again)
82. Start/keep journal for 12 months (1/12) – this is moving to my next list.
83. Earn someone's respect
84. Forgive someone (but never forget)
85. Say 'I love you' EVERY day for entirety of 1001 days
86. Read one book of the Bible every month for 12 months
87. Memorize a verse from the Bible every week for ten weeks
88. Attend church once/month for 12 months (3/12)
89. Tithe 10% of every paycheck for 6 months
90. Read the books from this list – fail. I only got about five read but am reworking the list and adding to next list.

Miscellaneous/Fun Stuff
91. Cook dinner every night for a week straight (M-F). Every night must be a new recipe.
92. Go see a sporting event that I've never watched before - Easter 2011, Footy game
93. Make a cheesecake and pumpkin pie....from scratch
94. Send a secret (or 2) into Post Secret
95. Attend the K-State basketball game where they retire Jacob Pullen's jersey – this was hard to do since they haven’t retired it yet but we have season tickets so I’m on the right track.
96. Drastically change my hair
97. Watch a movie based on a Nicholas Sparks book and DON'T fight back tears
98. Post every day for 1 month on From Oz to Aus
99. Play golf 3x in the 1001 days
100. Bake and decorate a birthday cake for a loved one or friend
101. Start a new 101 in 1001 when this one is complete

So, to summarize I completed 51 goals, while another 10 are in progress and if I had until April (like I had originally thought) I would have completed another seven goals. Now that I have done this I know how to write better goals for the list (which is completed and will be posted later this week). For example - #91 Cook dinner every night for a week straight using a new recipe is pretty unlikely since the Ninja is never home for a week straight so a better goal for the next list is Make a new recipe every week for six weeks.

That's just one example of improving my goals, there are many more.

Has anyone else made a 101 in 1001? I'd love to see them and would certainly link to it!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch Changing

Here - listen to this while you read. It will be stuck in your head all day.


I've had a few changes in the past week or month or so. I've lost count of the time.

First -- see that badge over there --->  I'm on Facebook now. If you've got a hankering, head on over and g"Like". If nard feelings. When I hit 200 likes on Facebook I'm having a giveaway! Whoopee!

Secondly, I also added an option in the sidebar to have my blogs emailed directly to you if you're not into the whole online reader thing. I'm all about options. You're welcome.

Thirdly, it's time for a 101 in 1001 update! Didn't see that coming did ya?

I'll start with the goals I have accomplished since the last update.

Accomplished Goals

 --Eat a salad - a vegetable one -- THIS SUCKED. But I have proof..

At Olive Garden, I had what Melissa calls, "the Cadillac of salads" - well I like Benz' and this Cadillac was horrible. I thought I was going to yack at the table. My Aussie friends thought it was funny until they realized I was serious.

-- Wear heels everyday for 1 week - also quite painful but successful. Made me feel very fancy! Even bought horse feed while wearing a pair! I took a picture but of course have been unable to locate it for proof.

-- Coordinate a tailgate for one of the following teams: KSU, KC Royals, Ohio State Buckeyes or the KC Chiefs -- Big party during the KSU vs. OSU game. Lots of fun was had - actually, we had ALL the fun!

K-State won - Big XII Champs!

 
-- Organize and go on a mother/daughter day with Diana & Madie  - did this shortly after Christmas. My credit card yelled at me later.

-- Pay off my small credit cards - Maurices, Victoria's Secret - this felt really good.

-- Call /visit my grandparents once/month for 12 months- just for the record, I plan to continue talking my grandparents' ears off any chance I get.

-- Become a lifetime member of the K-State Alumni Association -- BOOM!

I am far more jacked about it than the Ninja is - this was our joint graduation gift this summer when both defended in June. Success! Two Masters of BS in the house!

-- NOT have a baby before I'm 27  - I turn 21+6 in 3 months so it's safe to say I accomplished this one

-- Spend under $10 on a meal & give a $10 tip - on my way back from Tampa I had a hotdog at a fancy bar/grill. It was by far the cheapest thing on the menu and there was college basketball to be watched so I went for it. My waiter's face lit up when he saw the tip. I've been there before (5 years at the Hut) and I know how good it feels to see a big tip. Pass it on waiter man.

-- Memorize a verse from the Bible every week for ten weeks - here they are taped up on my bathroom mirror.

-- Bake and decorate a birthday cake for a loved one or friend - I did this for a friend this past summer but forgot to take a picture and document it.

-- Celebrate our 1 and 2 year wedding anniversaries in a unique way - I told you here about our first anniversary and here about our second. The Ninja is the bomb.

 Goals in progress (there are a lot of these so I didn't list them all):

-- Run 5- 5K’s for Beef or Breast Cancer - 1) Winter Runderland 5K   I can't find the picture of me running but I wore one of my breast cancer t-shirts. Don't ever let anyone tell you running a 5K is easy. It sucks. I got out of bed the next morning and fell on the floor. Legs = jello.

That's me in the pink - didn't finish last and most importantly didn't walk once!

-- Attend 6 of Kristy’s sporting events/school events/4-H stuff  (3/6)- (Bourbon Co. hog show, Bourbon Co. beef show, Woodson County Beef preview show)

-- Visit 5 friends who have moved away -- Mandy, Iowa; Kelly's wedding, Minnesota;

-- Learn to do my own taxes - just started getting everything together for this and am actually excited!

-- Frame and hang my Bachelor's and (eventually) Master's degrees  -- I have the frames, I am just waiting on the dang MS to come in the mail!

-- Donate 25,000 grains of free rice through Freerice.com (7270) 

So that's about it! As I said, there are a lot of goals that are in progress so if you're interested you can see the whole list here.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~ 

Above the Shoulders - 101 in 1001

I hope I have your attention.
I haven't done a 101 in 1001 update since October/November so I figure it's about time. I don't do updates very often because I don't want to update you, faithful readers, unless I have actually completed some worthwhile goals. So here they are:

First up, goals in progress:
Run/workout 3x a week for 2 months
Celebrate one of life's little achievements once/month for 12 months (1/12)
Celebrate our 1 and 2 year wedding anniversaries in a unique way
 -- Successfully did the 1st year anniversary uniquely - Ninja took me to the Cottage House Bed & Breakfast in Council Grove and to dinner at the Trail House Museum. Council Grove was a point on the Sante Fe Trail (I think) so the dinner the restaurant was set in the 19th century and had a bunch of cool historical things and facts from that era. We're history nerds and we love it.  For gifts, (first year is paper) he got me Eli Young Band tickets - my favorite! I bought him a bunch of books and a big vintage world map for us to keep track of our world travels and also to pin spots we'd like to visit in the future. He did a great job of spoiling me and it was a lot of fun!

the Ninja and his map

I was pretty excited about those Eli Young Band tickets (they were awesome in concert - you should go sometime).

Watch 5 movies that the Ninja loves that don't interest me (Apocalypse Now, Papillon, X-Men,)
Call /visit my grandparents once/month for 12 months (6/12)
Attend 6 of Kristy’s sporting events/school events/4-H stuff - (Bourbon Co. hog show, Bourbon
     Co. beef show)
Defend my thesis by May 2012 - My defense date is set for April 20!
Promote agriculture at community meeting or conference - 3x (2/3)-- This one I am pretty excited about. My first experience was with the Australiasian Pig Science Association Conference in November in Adelaide, SA, Australia. I was invited to speak about agvocacy in agriculture, specifically in the swine industry. It was only to about 75 people but it was very well received.
-- The second time was just last Thursday at the Berryton, KS Kiwanis Club meeting. I am a speaker for Operation Main Street (I did my training with the Food For Thought in Jan 2011). I haven't heard much feedback from the NPB yet, but I had a blast!

Speaking to the Berryton Kiwanis Club about modern pork production. They were a great audience and I had a blast!

Pay off my small credit cards - Maurices, Victoria's Secret
Purge and donate old clothes from closets at least three times (1- 7/2011, 2 - 1/2012)
Learn how to make Grandma’s fried chicken, chicken n’ noodles and divinity candy
Volunteer once/month at a breadbasket, food pantry or other comm. service 6 times (5/2011 -
        Red Shield Appeal;)
Donate 25,000 grains of free rice through Freerice.com (5110)
Say 'I love you' EVERY day for entirety of 1001 days
Attend church once/month for 12 months (6/12)Read the books from this list
Play golf 3x in the 1001 days (2/3)
 -- This one was a lot of fun too, both times I played while in Australia. Our friend Doug Albright came and visited so during some downtime during an afternoon in Alice Springs we checked out the links. I also played once in Melbourne on a rainy day.

Dougie Phresh and I

Alice Springs' golf course wins award for best scenery - middle of the Australian outback

Now for the fun stuff... goals I've completed since the last update:
Run/workout 3x a week for 1 month -- some of my closest friends can't believe this. Even hubsy and his best friend had an over/under bet on how many times I would work out (hubsy took the over for 5, lucky him)
Have a date night with the Ninja each week for two months
Watch Food Inc. -- this was difficult to do but I felt I must. If I ever find the notes I took, I'll write a summary/opinion post
Fly first class (even if it's only from KC to Dallas) -- this was not on purpose but on a recent flight to D.C. for a job interview (the company paid for the seats) I found myself with uber leg room and at the front of the plane. Success!!

Design and print our Christmas cards for 2011 - this was hard because we had so many great pictures from Australia that I wanted to include but here was the final product.

Clockwise from top left: A day out at Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary in Healesville, VIC, AUS; infront of Uluru/Ayers Rock in the Northern Territory, AUS; goofing around on the Great Barrier Reef before snorkeling; one of our great wedding pictures from Grant Watkins Photography; a romantic/posey moment in front of the Sydney Opera House, Sydney, AUS; scuba diving off the cost of Matamanoa Island, Fiji, during our honeymoon!

Earn someone's respect -- this has been made extremely clear to me over the past few months so thank you to everyone for the kind words.

Drastically change my hair -- if you hadn't picked up on it in the picture from the pork presentation, I cut 6 inches off my hair. It is currently ABOVE MY SHOULDERS. My hair hasn't been this short since I was 13 and growing out the bowl cut I sported from age 9-13 (true story). Here's a better picture for ya. It looks a lot longer here because I'm kind of leaning forward but it's way short. Also, I had no less than 10 people tell me that my Fake Patty's Day shirt (pinch me and I'll punch you) was very fitting to my personality. Go figure.

Goals completed to date: 23 (in less than a year - go me)!
Goals left to complete: 101 minus 23 (I suck at math).
Days left to end of challenge: 663 (I used this website to figure that)

Well, that's all for this update. There will probably be another in June. Or not.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~