With a new year comes new goals.  Instead of creating a traditional list of resolutions for 2013, I decided to try something a little bit different – a list of 101 things to accomplish over the next 1,001 days.  It’s a combination of looking ahead while also placing an emphasis on enjoying the every day just a little bit more.

So here we go.  I’ll be blogging along the way to hold myself responsible and sharing my experiences as the next 1,001 days go by.

End date: September 28, 2015

1. Finish list of 101 things (12.12)
2. Inspire someone to write their own list (12.12 // Sara, 05.13 // Erin, 09.13 // Katie)
3. Have apartment photos shot (01.13 // Stoffer Photography, 03.14 // Jennifer Kathryn Photography)
4. Take a trapeze lesson (06.14)
5. Cook Thanksgiving dinner
6. Read 25 books (01.13 // Half Broke Horses, 03.13 // Lean In, 07.13 // The Fault in Our Stars, 08.13 // Eighty Dollar Champion, 10.13 // IT, 11.13 // Blog Inc, 12.13 // Where’d You Go, Bernadette?, Eleanor & Park, 02.14 // The Trusted Advisor. 06.14 // URGE, 07.14 // MWF seeking BFF. 08.14 // Me Before You, 09.14 // Eightysixed, 11.14 // The Alchemist, 01.15 // The Girl You Left Behind)
7. Volunteer (04.13 // PAWS Chicago, 04.13 // American Cancer Society, 08.14 // Anti-Cruelty Society)
8. Start a 401K
9. Make a list of birthdays & addresses
10. Cut down a Christmas tree
11. Grow herbs
12. Make plans for my MBA & to take the GMAT (no longer applicable)
13. Mail someone a surprise package (08.13)
14. Pay off credit card debt in full
15. See a movie at the drive-in (05.15)
16. Get new glasses (09.13)
17. Go to the ballet
18. Purchase coffee for a stranger (07.13)
19. Have a picnic (10.13)
20. Go pumpkin picking
21. Start a new tradition (11.14 // Thanksgiving travel)
22. Spend a weekend unplugged (09.13)
23. Make a new friend
24. Go a month without purchasing takeout
25. Ride on a Vespa (05.13 // also first trip in an ambulance)
26. Do something with Instagram photos (02.13 // prints via Postal Pix)
27. Watch fireworks
28. Make a drastic hair change (12.13)
29. Get a massage (02.13)
30. Rent a house in Hatteras, NC (08.14)
31. Take a photobooth photo
32. Host a dinner party
33. Go skinny dipping
34. Purchase a piece of original art
35. Go apple picking
36. Organize files & important documents
37. Make a piece of art
38. Go snowboarding
39. Organize and purge magazines
40. Travel to 3 new places (04.13 // Washington DC, 01.14 // Nashville, 11.14 // London & Paris, 11.14 // San Francisco)
41. Attend a NYFW show
42. Mail out Christmas cards
43. Go sailing
44. Try 5 new foods (04.13 // Ethiopian in DC, 05.13 // Goat at Girl & the Goat, 01.14 // Braised Rabbit in NYC, 10.14 // Sashimi sushi in Santa Monica, 12.14 // Chicken pate, 02.15 // Pho in SF)
45. Attend the Kentucky Derby
46. Learn how to fold fitted sheets
47. Meet 10 blogger friends in person (01.13 // Erin, 02.13 // Monica, Lauren, Danielle & Alaina, Emma, 05.13 // Melissa, 06.13 // Danielle, 07.13 // Sam, 08.13 // Sarah)
48. Launch a new blog post series (03.13 // Shops You Should Know & Budget Friendly, 01.15 // On My Radar, 07.14 // Workout)
49. Go on a hike (01.15 // Sutro Baths)
50. Read The New York Times daily for a month
51. Take Grandpa out on a dinner date
52. Keep track of all spending for a month & set a budget
53. Get a promotion
54. Take horseback riding lessons
55. Host a blogger event (04.13 // West Elm, 07.13 // PUBLIC Hotel, 05.14 // Kate Spade New York 03.14 // Peruvian Connection & Madewell)
56. Have apartment featured on a big time blog or in a magazine (02.13 // The Everygirl, 05.13 // Refinery29, 07.13 // Refinery29, 01.14 // West Elm catalog, 03.14 // The Glitter Guide)
57. Get a psychic reading (08.13)
58. Send 25 hand written notes
59. Save for down payment on a condo
60. Visit a new museum (04.13 // Newseum, Air & Space Museum, National Gallery of Art)
61. Sell car and go car-less (04.13)
62. Fix a broken relationship
63. Do something special for each immediate family member
64. Pay for dinner at a fancy restaurant
65. Go one month without buying coffee from Starbucks (01.13)
66. Attend a festival (08.13 // Lollapalooza)
67. See a shooting star
68. Go to 10 concerts (08.13 // The Postal Service, The Killers, Band of Horses, Ellie Goulding, Matt & Kim, The Lumineers, 10.13 // City & Colour, 12.13 // Saves the Day, 06.14 // Ray Lamontagne, 06.14 // Dave Matthews Band)
69. Donate $25 to a different charity each month (01.13 // Streetwise, 02.13 // Homeless Hounds, 03.13 // American Cancer Society, 04.13 // Kelli’s Breast Cancer Battle Fund, 05.13 // Misericordia & Cure Childhood Cancer, 06.13 // Back on My Feet, 07.13 // The Shedd Aquarium, 08.13 // JDRF, 09.13 // 3 Marathons in 3 Months for GCS, 10.13 // Bright Pink, 11.13 // Anti-Cruelty Society, 12.13 // Global Mamas, 01.14 // Team in Training, 02.14 // Chicago Food Bank, 03.14 // Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, 04.14 // Girls on the Run, 05.14 // Chicago Food Bank, 06.14 // Perfect Pets Rescue, 07.14 // She’s The First, 08.14 // Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance, 09.14 // Common Threads, 10.14 // Search for Common Ground, 11.14 // 100 Miles for Smiles, 12.14 // FEED America, 01.15 // Humans of New York, 02.15 // Pelotonia)
70. Make s’mores (08.14)
71. Write in One Line a Day journal daily
72. Cook 25 recipes from cookbooks
73. Celebrate a small victory
74. Take a yoga class (03.13)
75. Go on a sister trip with Elise (05.13 // Chicago)
76. Spend a day in a new Chicago neighborhood (10.13 // Lakeview)
77. Take a cooking class
78. Fall in love
79. Have Pretty & Fun professionally redesigned (09.14)
80. Throw away 20 things and do not replace them (04.13)
81. Get a new tattoo
82. Place in my AG in a race (06.14 // 5K)
83. Become a contributor for another blog or online magazine (SheKnows, SELF Magazine)
84. Give 20 “just because” gifts
85. Travel outside of the United States (11.14)
86. Attend a blogging conference or workshop (06.14 // TechMunch, 10.14 // GoBlogSocial)
87. Have photos taken with family
88. Rent a wave runner or SUP (03.14 // SUP Yoga in LA)
89. Collaborate with a brand I truly love (05.13 // Nike)
90. Make 25 12 things off of Pinterest (01.13 // Peanut Butter Oreo Blondies, Sugar + Olive Oil Hand Scrub 04.13 // Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies, 06.13 // Creamy Roasted Garlic Shells & Monster Cookies, 12.13 // Ice Cream Base, 01.14 // Oven Roasted Lemon Chicken Thighs)
91. Send someone flowers (05.13)
92. Have boudoir photos taken
93. Watch 10 7 classic films (10.13 // The Big Lebowski, 11.13 // Annie Hall, 01.14 // Breakfast at Tiffany’s) 
94. Attend a sporting event (01.13 // Chicago Wolves, 03.13 // Chicago Blackhawks)
95. Visit a new sight in Chicago (Chicago Cultural Center)
96. Have a “pinch me” moment (01.13 // shoot for The Everygirl, 05.13 // Styling at Nike Training Club, 03.14 // NTC Tour LA, 01.15 // SELF Magazine)
97. Write a letter to myself to be opened on my 30th birthday
98. Schedule appointments with doctor, dentist, etc. and go regularly
99. Run a PR half marathon (07.13 // Rock n Roll Half Marathon)
100. Have a stocked bar at home (bonus points for a bar cart) (01.14)
101. Purge closet and donate unwanted/unworn (04.13)

Thanks to Mackenzie of Design Darling for inspiring me to start my very own 101 in 1,001 list.  I’m looking forward to accomplishing both the big and small – from many of my “one day” goals to items that are perpetually on my to do list and just never seem to get done.  Let me know if you start your own 101 in 1,001 list, I’d love to read it and cheer each other along.

xo.