One Final Goals List?

I have never been one for New Year's resolutions. Personally I've always felt that these goals are often too lofty and made from a place of disappointment, frustration, or desperation. People who threw all order to the wind during the holiday season, are bombarded with fatphobic messages encouraging them to get back in shape, shed the holiday weight, conform to societal beauty standards. It's always felt disingenuous and naïve to think that all of a sudden I could make a resolution and suddenly change my habits and patterns with a one-sentence, lofty goal. I will say that I don't think this applies to people who make s.m.a.r.t. goals, but generally this is the case in my opinion. All that to say, it probably seems funny then, that this is my third time writing a 101 things in 1001 days list.

Before my husband and I were married, we would complete a paper each New Year's Day looking back on our previous year and looking to the year ahead. It was a fun little tradition we invited friends into, as well. One year, when searching for a template, I ran across my first 101 in 1001 and I was immediately intrigued. I have been making daily lists since I was a sophomore in high school, so I knew right away that I would be attempting my own. The first time, in 2016, my sister made a list with me. By September 2018 I had completed 37 goals. In January of 2019 I made my second list. Things started off well, but as you can imagine, The Panini threw a giant wrench in most goals. By September 2021 I completed just 48 goals.

Through the trial and error of making these lists twice, I have learned quite a bit about the types of goals that work, and those that don't. If I get under halfway through this third list, it will be my final 101 goals list. But, I am hopeful for this list that I will complete at least 75% of is by October 2024. I can't wait to come back and check things off, and blog some of these along the way!

101 in 1001

Beginning: January 15th, 2022

Ending: October 12th, 2024

 

 

Travel

1. Go to Antelope Canyon

2. Go to Monument Valley

3. Take Kae to Disneyland

4. Visit the Rose Bowl Flea Market

5. Watch a meteor shower outside of the city

6. Renew my passport

7. See the ABQ hot air balloon festival

8. Visit 3 new National Parks

9. Visit Oktoberfest (anywhere)

10. Visit Lowell Observatory at night

11. Go on an Arizona winery tour

12. Visit the Four Corners

13. See Canyon de Chelly

14. Visit 3 new states

15. Travel to 1 new country

16. Go on a fall foliage trip

17. Visit 4 new cities/towns in Arizona (Superior, 1/22)

 

Food

18. Make a meal from farmer’s market purchases

19. Make pane bianco

20. Make mozzarella

21. Make caramels

22. Make pesto

23. Make a souffle

24. Make Yorkshire pudding

25. Make tangzhong style bread

26. Make croissants

27. Make a baguette

28. Make fougasse

29. Make a new sourdough starter each year

30. Perfect my cinnamon rolls/sticky buns

31. Perfect my egg poaching

32. Join a Farm CSA or something similar (or grow my own food is possible)

33. Make three new things from each cookbook I own

34. Master macarons

 

Entertainment

35. Attend an opera

36. Watch live jazz music

37. Try Top Golf

38. See a new musical

39. Get back to the symphony again

40. Visit a cat cafe

 

Personal

41. Chop off hair again

42. Finally give up paper towels

43. Cover 5 old tattoos

44. [Private]

45. Don’t buy any clothes for 6 months (2/22)

46. Get 3 new tattoos (not including cover-ups)

47. Put up two Christmas trees

48. Write my own Xmas light scavenger hunt

49. Practice Navajo for my bebés

50. Wardrobe update/refresh/overhaul

51. Host a holiday party (Friendsgiving, Halloween, Xmas, NYE)

52. Make two new friends

53. Read 150 new books

54. Spa day with Kae

55. Research witchy/pagan beliefs and traditions

 

Health

56. Find a PCP

57. [Private]

58. See a dentist

59. Find a new therapist

60. Find a new psychiatrist

61. Go vegetarian for one month

62. Go vegan for one month

63. Try morning journaling for one month (Jan-Feb. '22, ongoing)

64. Try Tai Chi in the park

65. Do 2 Yoga with Adriene challenges

66. Walk 3x/week for 3 months

67. Complete 10 weekly meditation challenges

 

Creative Pursuits

68. Knit an item of clothing

69. Make a fresh wreath

70. Make an iron-on t-shirt

71. Make a large wall art project

72. Make my own door mat

73. Knit baby blankets for niece and nephew

74. Sew a vintage style dress

75. Sew a circle skirt

76. Sew a family Halloween costume

77. Make 30 unique diy projects (all these included)

78. Learn how to do night sky photography

79. Master hand lettering

 

Business Pursuits

80. Blog 40 times (1-2x per month)

81. Blog at least 10 completed goals/updates 

82. Have 100 items in TpT store

83. Design our co-desk space

84. Upgrade my laptop

85. Buy a large PC monitor (Jan. '22)

86. Buy an iPad

87. Open my own blog shop

Financial Goals

88. Go one month without eating out (besides 4 dates) (Feb '22, one date only!)

89. Get credit above 800

90. Begin investing in a retirement fund

91. Earn $800 in one month on TpT

92. Become debt free

93. Save $10,000

94. Earn $100 in one month through blog revenue

95. Make more than $1500/mo from at-home work

96. Begin working fully remote

97. Replace the Volvo

 

Give

98. Pay anonymous dinner bill

99. Have a sister day, my treat

100. 10 “just because” gifts (flowers)

101. Experiential or homemade gifts for one Christmas

2020 Top Ten Books

2020 was a huge year for me and my reading goals. I've mentioned in previous posts how I'd put off leisurely reading when I went back for my degree. In 2017 I made a conscious effort to slow my life down and have made slow steps towards that goal year after year. I began reading again in 2019, and read 17 books. Then in 2020 I made a goal with Goodreads (36 books) and was crushing the goal so hard by February that I upped it to 100 books.

So how'd it go? In 2020, I read 102 different books. I read one book twice, and another two books THREE times--is that 107 books? Either way, I regret not keeping up on my quarterly favorite books, because it's so difficult narrowing down my favorite books of the year from such a large pool.

So real quick, some round-up stats for my 2020 books:

I read 42 non-fiction books, 60 fiction.

I read 40 audiobooks and 62 physical/e-books.

I actually read slower during quarantine--31 books in the 2.5 months before quarantine hit and just 71 after.

My favorite book of the year, the one I read three times, was Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Beyond that, it was hard enough narrowing down 10 favorites out of 102 books, so these favorites are listed in order of date read:

1. "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens

When my grandma passed away, she was reading this book. I was able to read her copy 3 months later, and I devoured it in under 24 hours. This book has huge buzz and it is totally deserved. This book features a back and forth story line, past and present, but it's not obnoxious. I have been irritated in the past by books with competing storylines that feature an excessive amount of cliffhangers. But this book handled the jumping storylines so well. At the beginning of the book a man is found dead and it follows the life of "marsh girl" Kya, who grows up learning the ins and outs of the marsh and I must say, I never would have believed I'd find learning about life in a marsh so utterly fascinating. However, Delia Owens is a zoologist and her writings about the marsh are so beautiful.

2. "Educated" by Tara Westover

This is another book that generated so much buzz and I was a bit behind on reading it. Guys, I ADORE a memoir, honestly. Tara grew up in Idaho, a family very much like the one that lived at Ruby Ridge. She was kept from traditional education, helping her parents at home, including a dangerous job scrapping with her dad. She grows up a an emotionally explosive dad with undiagnosed mental health problems, and later has an older brother move in who is verbally and physically abusive. Tara defies familial convention, pursued her GED, left home for BYU, and tells the story of learning life in the world outside of her family.

3. "Native" by Kaitlin Curtice

This is one of the books I read three times. I was lucky enough to receive a pre-release kindle copy, which I devoured. I kept telling my husband, "you have to read this", "listen to this part". I purchased a physical copy and received an audiobook copy which my husband and I immediately listened to. Kaitlin is one of the voices I follow on Instagram who helps me decolonize my faith. She has an Indigenous dad and European background mom, while my husband has a European dad and Indigenous mom. He related so much to Kaitlin's story of growing up in the church and only later decolonizing her faith, so much so that he purchased books for his two sisters, and an Afro-Indigenous friend.

4. "We Should All be Feminists" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This is a short, easy to consume story by Adichie based on her TED Talk. I love how this book has such a broad, international scope in the way men and women have different roles and realities around the world. Adichie breaks down her reasoning with easy to understand examples and stories, and shares stories from the US, abroad, and her native Nigeria. My husband really enjoyed this audiobook and I listened to it twice.

5. "Burnout" by Emily and Amelia Nagoski

This book was so different and so. much. better. than I had originally imagined. I assumed this book was about overwork, anxiety, and obviously, burnout. But this book is so much more than that. It deals with patriarchy, gender roles, the bikini industrial complex that makes us feel like shit about our bodies. This book was so good that I purchased my own copy to re-read this year and underline everywhere. 

6. "With the Fire on High" by Elizabeth Acevedo

I made a point last year of reading books by and about people from other countries, religions, and racial backgrounds. I read three books by Elizabeth Acevedo, all of which were so wonderful, this one being my favorite. Emoni is the Afro-Latinx teen mom juggling motherhood and high school. She is talented and creative in the kitchen, and is given the opportunity in a school culinary class to go overseas and work in a kitchen. Her teacher and the chef she works with both see her talent and leadership potential, but will Emoni find that strength within herself as well?

7. "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine" by Gail Honeyman

Please ignore Reese Witherspoon's pull quote about how funny the book is. It is definitely clever and ironically funny, but this is not a light-hearted comedic book and i think that quote has thrown some people off and made them judge the book inaccurately. Eleanor is a late-20s English girl living in Scotland having grown up there in foster care after a dark past with her mom. Eleanor lives a lonely, predictable life until she is brought into contact with a new coworker after they witness a man collapse on the street. Eleanor has always fancied herself aloof, relationships being unnecessary. Friendship is something she studies until finally realizing that she now has a friend of her own, a friend who will help her through even her lowest, darkest moments.

8. "Know My Name" by Chanel Miller

Chanel Miller was the previously unnamed victim of Stanford r*pist Br*ck T*rner. I read her victim impact statement back when it was anonymously published on Buzzfeed. Her statement went viral and led to the recall of the judge in her case as well as changes in California law. By sharing her name, Chanel Miller wanted to be known as more than just a victim, she wanted to shape her identity. Although heartbreaking and tragic, Chanel is an amazing writer and her story was so beautifully written. It showed so much of how the judicial system and American culture is skewed to favor the suspects and offenders, and how rape culture permeates our conversation around cases like this. 

9. "There There" by Tommy Orange

This was an incredibly beautiful book written by Indigenous author Tommy Orange, about the intertwining lives of Natives living in Oakland. This centers around the upcoming Oakland powwow, examining the lives of characters marked by alcoholism, violence, death, Native identity, and more. This was the author's debut book and it is not only heart-breaking and hopeful, but so poetically written as well.

10.  "Home Fire" by Kamila Shamsie

This is one of the last books I read in 2020 and the ending of this book was unforgettable. This book was a fascinating look at the intersecting lives of Muslim Brits and the way they adapt to British society. "Home Fire" dealt with extremism, family ties, and sacrifices made in the name of new life and love. 

Later on in 2020 I noticed troubling while reading or on the computer at work, and found out I am ever so slightly farsighted, and have some astigmatism in one eye. I now wear various readers on the computer at work and while reading. I also made my 2021 goal lower so I can focus less on ebooks for the sake of my eyes this year. My 2021 reading goal is 65 books. Share your goal if you have one, but most of all, share some of your favs of the year (or all time), so I can pad my “Want to Read” list on Goodreads!

Happy 2021 reading!

Storytime: 2020 Wrap-up and Favs!

 Oh lordy, how does one sum up a year like 2020?

If I had to pick a word for 2020, it would be "change". And "change" is not a good word in my dictionary.

In fact, I have always been fairly adverse to change. Having a very stable home life as a child has made change something that I deeply struggle with facing. I mean, just ask my family what I was like when we moved across the country between middle school and high school...*insert Liz Lemon eye roll here*

2020 not only forced change on a personal and global level, but we also made changes in our life by choice. In the first few months of the year I was struggling with the loss of my grandma in the fall, and finally understanding why people dealt with Seasonal Affective Disorder in the dark winter months following the holidays--andIi lived in Phoenix for god's sake! The sun was shining more often than not but I was grieving, I was unhappy in my job, and I was really struggling.

We knew we would be moving out of state, and prior to quarantine we were able to take two trips to our future home. It was much more quiet and beautiful than living in the middle of Phoenix, I felt I was able to breath deeply, to find silence and peace, to find space to think. We were actually on our way home from a trip when we started to hear about everything (including my job) being shut down.

The change was immediate and mostly uncertain, but the start of lockdown initially like felt fun--I love to stay home, and was excited to spend my days baking, crafting, relaxing, just generally enjoying myself. But as we all know, quarantine stretched on for months, and the fun wore right off. The majority of quarantine has been marked by oscillating stages of anxiety and depression, leading right on up to the moment I sit here typing.

Our biggest personal change came about when we moved....in the middle of a global pandemic. Moving in the middle of a global pandemic meant we were unable to say a proper goodbye to Phoenix and to our friends. We moved near a city that was making worldwide headlines for being absolutely crippled by and realing from Covid. Moving in the middle of a global pandemic also means we have yet to explore and enjoy the area we now live in. It means we have been unable to meet people, to make friends, to settle down where we are now. 

This year has not been all bad, however. In 2020, I was able to see my parents 4 times, I read 102 books, I moved to a place much more similiar to the life I have envisioned for myself, I permanently deleted my Facebook account, I upgraded from a cramped apartment to a more spacious house.

2020 changed so much for me, and it was by no means easy, but I want to cultivate joy and wonder by looking to the positive this year offered. So, how about some favorites?

My 2020 favorite...

-Book: My overall favorite book this year was Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. I actually read it three times in 5 months, definitely going to purchase it. I did a round up of my 10 favorite books this year, on my Instagram. Apart from having Eleanor Oliphant stand out, it was so hard to narrow down from the 102 I read in 2020.

-T.V. Show: I mean, 2020 was the year of Netflix, amirite? I re-watched a number of my favorite shows, but some new favorites this year would be...I May Destroy You, Bridgerton, Killing Eve, Selling Sunset (I'm not usually a reality tv person), The Duchess, Never Have I Ever, On My Block, Love is Blind, Cheer, and Glow Up.

-Movie: I can never narrow down tv/movie lists, but I don't watch remotely as many movies. Some favorites this year were...Yes, God Yes, Happiest Season, and Moonlight.

-Recipe: Strata. It is a game changer for an overnight, savory, use-up-everything-in-the-fridge bake.

-Podcast: Office Ladies gets me through dull work days. Griefcast, one of my ultimate favorites returned this year after a 9 month break. We Can't Talk About That Right Now was my favorite of the year, and then Archewell Audio came out RIGHT at the end of 2020, can't WAIT to hear more.

-Album: My husband Uriah released his first album, Strand, this year and he made my Spotify top five, obvi. Second fav was a surprise for me--folklore by Taylor Swift. I have never listened to much of TSwift beyond radio hits. I heard all of 1989 but as covered by Ryan Adams. I listened to Lover once through, but then folklore took me by storm and I have binged it since July. 

-Hobby: Baking and cooking are forever my number ones. Also knitting and reading took top spots this year.

-Bake: My favorite thing I baked this year was probably when I made pasties with a ras-al-hanout flavored lamb filling.

-Thing created: I didn't do much crafting this year, and my knits were all unexciting (in my opinion). My favorite created things of 2020 are actually all bakes--a rose apple tart, stuff focaccia, homemade puff pastry on pot pies, pull apart bread, homemade pastas, on and on.

-Guilty pleasure: I honestly don't know! Binge-watching GBBO episodes I've already seen?? Honestly it's probably cooking shows. I wish I could round up the number of individual episdoes I'd seen this year, the number would be insane. I do know I watched 79 episodes of GBBO this year (and only 12 of them were new!).

-Season in NM: I have yet to live through spring in NW New Mexico, but fall remains my favorite season. Days and night began cooling off in fall, 

-Outfit: This year I was able to purchase a number of new clothing items towards my dream closet. I also got to buy a number of new sweaters and warmer clothing because of the cold climate we moved to. All that to say, my current favorite thing to wear, is any sort of adorable dress layered with a cropped sweater overtop. No small thing to say I am obsessed with this pairing.

I also received a wonderful new camera this year, and found that above all else, I love taking weird close up textural shots of things. Below, without explanation, is a round-up of some favorites from the year.