Day Zero

First post: the one where I explain who I am and why I'm doing this. I'm a mid-20s newlywed seeking to put my adult life on the right path early. I own a small wedding planning business, and I'm a complete wannabe in the domestic goddess area. I have two dogs, the biggest Min Pin you've ever seen (Trevor) and a Min Pin mix (Darcy). You'll probably see a lot of them. My husband, John, is probably the greatest guy ever. He's composing his own list so he can do this beside me.

I'm officially launching this effort tomorrow, so I suppose today is day zero. I also know that I'm incredibly late on this bandwagon, but I decided that the best way to get what I want out of life is to put it in writing and hold myself to it. So here we go. 101 goals in 1001 days. September 1, 2010 to May 28, 2013 (my sister's birthday!) I decided to divide up my goals into 10 categories: Personal Improvement, Family, Finances, Home Improvement, Domestic, Dogs, Weddings, Zeta Tau Alpha, Travel, and Dreams. Some of these goals I'm more proud of than others. Some show where I'm failing right now. Some goals are even for other people. I know I won't get all of these goals accomplished, but I'm sure going to try. So here we go: the list.

Personal improvement
1. Get my flat abs back!
2. Read 10 books in 3 months (10/10) 1/17/2011
3. Go with Pappy for a walk in the mountains.
4. Visit 3 VA wineries that aren’t in the Northern VA/Shenandoah region. 6/23/2011
5. Talk to grandparents about great-grandparents.
6. Participate in Race for the Cure
7. Make a scrapbook. 3/20/2011
8. Compliment 10 strangers. (10/10) 2/23/2011
9. Volunteer for an animal rescue for an afternoon.
10. Learn to drive stick
11. Go to Mass on a day that’s neither Christmas nor Easter. 5/13/2012
12. Become conversational in Spanish.
13. Go to yoga for 8 straight weeks. 9/23/2011
14. Donate clothes to charity 2x per year. (1/5)

Family
15. Host a holiday 12/25/2010
16. Visit Carlin in college 10/9/2011
17. Visit Cory in college
18. Visit Christian in college
19. Make the family trees in our Bibles.
20. Make a baby!
21. Truly surprise John with a gift/event. Just once. 12/12/2010
22. Have Grandma over for lunch.
23. Have dinner with Patty and Pappy, where *we* ask *them.*
24. Have both sets of parents over for a nice dinner.

Finances
25. Hold a $500 safety bubble for 2 months 2/3/2011
26. Get 4 digits in our savings account 12/23/2010
27. Get 5 digits in our savings account 12/21/2011
28. Max out our 401K contributions 4/1/2011
29. Pay off John’s credit cards
30. Pay off Catherine’s credit cards
31. Pay off the Cobalt
32. Turn a profit on our Roth 4/10/2011
33. Save 3 months’ bills 12/21/2011
34. Save 6 months’ bills
35. Write a will (have John write one, too).
36. Give the full donation at a cash register fundraiser

Home Improvement
37. Finish furnishing the apartment 10/23/2010
38. Keep the apartment clean for one whole month
39. Completely clean the walk-in closet. 3/20/2011
40. Buy a house! 3/6/2012
41. Install one hardwood floor 3/14/2012
42. Keep fresh flowers in our home for a month 2/28/2011
43. Sort through our boxes of paper and do something about them.
44. Get a cute duvet set, and keep the bed looking pretty in it for 2 weeks

Domestic
45. Cook dinner every night for 2 weeks.
46. Learn to make a perfect pot roast. 12/25/2010
47. Make a piece of clothing.
48. Create a piece of DIY furniture.
49. Make a display-able DIY project.
50. Hold a tea party.
51. Make a perfect Jack and Coke. 1/4/2011
52. Actually make Mom’s macaroni and cheese
53. Host a Superbowl party
54. Make someone a birthday cake.
55. Finish changing my name.
56. Mail Christmas cards before Christmas 12/21/2010
57. Clean the kitchen without John mentioning anything. 12/24/2010

Dogs
58. Trevor and Darcy go on a walk and bark at no one, even though they see people. 9/9/2010
59. Trevor and Darcy master beginner obedience training. 9/23/2010
60. Trevor and Darcy master intermediate obedience training.
61. Trevor and Darcy graduate from advanced obedience training.
62. Trevor learns to shake hands 2/6/2011
63. Darcy doesn’t bark at a stranger.  9/4/2010
64. Trevor and Darcy lie quietly, not begging, during dinner. 1/24/2011
65. Trevor and Darcy let a “stranger” come into our house, sans barking and jumping. 11/9/11
66. Trevor and Darcy ‘stay’ through an entire guest visit.
67. Trevor and Darcy get kennel-trained

Weddings
68. Launch Infinite Joy Weddings webpage. 2/14/2011
69. Create an actual advertising campaign.
70. Book 7 weddings in a year. (4/7)
71. Get certified!
72. Become a Wedding Wire bride’s choice vendor
73. Help Nikki pick her major vendors.
74. Get 100 fans on facebook 11/1/2010
75. Clean my wedding gown!
76. Create a discount deal with another vendor 7/18/2011
77. Find a back-up coordinator.

Zeta Tau Alpha
78. Recommend a PNM who becomes a Zeta.
79. Hold an elected position in the alumnae chapter 4/24/2012
80. Hold a regional position/advisor position. 11/11/2011
81. Completely organize an inter-chapter event.
82. Achieve major donor status.
83. Really get to know 3 sisters. 4/3/2011

Travel
84. Go to Mexico 12/11/2010
85. Go to Canada
86. Visit Auntie and Uncle Henri
87. Stay at a VA B&B. 6/22/2011
88. Go to Puerto Rico.
89. Meet John’s family in Texas
90. Go to Atlantic City!
91. Take a beach trip with friends

Dreams
92. See the Wizard of Oz on the big screen
93. Go on a hot air balloon ride
94. Sing at a crowded Karaoke bar 5/13/2011
95. Get all seasons of Bones
96. Take a bubble bath twice a month for 6 months
97. Visit a winery outside of VA.
98. Have a quiet date night in with John
99. Have a girls’ weekend
100. Send John out for a boys’ weekend
101. Receive chiropractic treatment that creates a noticeable and lasting effect on my well-being. (Changed 9/29/10) 1/17/2011

Jumping in.