2011 "Resolutions"

So Darrell doesn't really buy into the whole concept behind making New Year's Resolutions, but because I like having tangible goals and a way to keep track of them, we sort of compromised. Actually, we "compromised" on this like six months ago, when I read about the idea of making a "101 in 1001" list. Basically, you are supposed to list 101 measurable and precise things to complete in 1001 days (just shy of three years). Darrell and I took a trip out to Rapid City this summer, so I figured 12 hours in the car was a good time to put our list together. But in the spirit of New Year's, I've decided to post our list now (and the progress we've made). Hopefully I'll also be able to figure out how to add the list permanently on the blog site so I can hold myself accountable for the progress. Oh, and we decided to split it up a little bit by coming up with 71 items for us to complete together and 15 each for individual goals. 

101 in 1001 (to be completed by April 20th, 2013)

Get a dog

Landscape the house (trees planted 9/26/10)

Skydive

Go skiing in the Rocky Mountains

*Personal* (but over half-way done!)

Build a lower deck in our backyard

Go to a professional dinner theater

Go horseback riding

Get passports and use them

Reach $20,000 in savings (currently just shy of $7000--eek!)

Go to an amusement park

Go on a date once a month (so far so good!)

Take a wine tasting course

Go white-water rafting

Go to a real zoo (aka not the one in Sioux Falls)

Camp in five State Parks (Custer 7/28/10; Farm Island 9/4/10)

Take old-timey photos (7/26/10--although I so want to do it again!)

Play all of our classic board games (I think we have three left--I'm dreading playing Risk!)

Put a puzzle together (we got two ridiculously hard ones for Christmas, so hopefully we'll be getting to this one soon!)

Bike around the Sioux Falls bike trails

Go to a DI football game (Nebraska vs SDSU 9/25/10)

Organize the basement

Have a movie marathon (we have the "Bourne" movies...now just to find time to watch all three!)

Watch five classic movies

Go cross-country skiing

Spend a night on the Appalachian Trail

Go snowshoeing

Go sledding

Take ballroom dance lessons

Help someone pulled over on the interstate

Go to a shooting range

Shop at a Farmer's Market

Order a restaurant meal that we can't pronounce

Eat at Touch of Europe (8/13/10--if you've never been you should go, it's great!)

Have a romantic picnic

Go stargazing

Go skinny dipping

Eat a lobster

Be greeters at church

Play bocce ball (9/4/10)

Ride a trolley

Go on a carriage ride (8/13/10)

Start a garden

Host a holiday party

Buy new kitchen chairs (10/8/10--although we just finished assembling them last week!)

Go to a homecoming at Wartburg (10/23/10)

Visit the State Capitol (9/4/10)

Go ice skating outdoors

Give $3000 in offerings to church (I think we're close to $1000??)

Take a canoe trip

Fly a kite

Go to a Pow-wow

Go to a State Fair

Throw a dart at the map and go where it lands

Spend a weekend at my parent's lake cabin

Read "The 5 Love Languages" (we're about halfway through!)

Go to a Pheasants game

*Personal*

Tour a battleship

Make one of the drinks on our drink mixer

Go to a driving range together (8/14/10)

Carve pumpkins

Make a decision by flipping a coin

Clean and organize the garage

Insulate the garage

Celebrate Christmas morning at our house (didn't happen this year, and next year isn't looking good either...)

Go to a museum (9/4/10--SD Cultural and Heritage Museum)

Go to an art gallery

State at a Bed and Breakfast

*Personal*

Complete the wine passport for downtown Sioux Falls

--Darrell's items--

Get an eagle (while golfing, not the animal)

Golf eighteen holes in under 85 strokes

Visit Mount Rushmore (7/26/10)

Learn a song on the guitar

Get a new computer

Randomly send Jess flowers

Be hoakey and agree to see the project through to completion

Hang hammocks in the basement

Build a wine rack for the kitchen

Surprise Jess with a romantic dinner

Take a photography class

Learn how to drive a boat/pontoon

Pay off car

Start swimming laps again

Donate one gallon of blood

--My goals--

Donate hair to Locks of Love (so! close!)

Run a 10K

Read 25 books (six down!)

Not buy clothes or shoes for two months

Enter a writing contest

Have a "Pirates" marathon (any takers? Darrell refuses)

Mow the yard

Finish our wedding scrapbook (12/14/10)

Score a goal

Get comfortable driving Darrell's car

Bake a cheesecake with no cracks

Sing karaoke

Subscribe to a cooking magazine and make a recipe out of every issue

Get and use a gym membership (got it on 8/1/10....need to get better at using it)

Get all my stuff cleaned out of my parent's house

Well, there you have it. Not exactly resolutions, but hopefully things that we can find the time to complete in the next few years, and feel good about doing together. If I'm counting correctly we have 12 completed and a handful more in progress--not too bad I don't think! If you have the means to assist us in completing any of these--or if you're just interested in doing one of them with us--let me know! I'm also cheating a little (shh, don't tell Darrell) by making an actual New Year's resolution for both of us--I think we really need to work on eating more balanced meals (sometimes I think we don't know what fruit is) as well as smaller portions. There are nights where we'll load our plates up with spaghetti and call that dinner, when I really don't think it counts (nutritionally, at least) for anything but grains and meat. And since I'm having to cook at least two nights a week hopefully we can make this change pretty effortlessly. Hopefully by easing into the change now it will be easier to stick to when we're trying to conceive and needing to be healthy (years away, before any asks), or at the very least we won't be in for as much as a shock when our metabolisms finally decide to slow down (because let's be honest, I know we've both been very lucky in that department).

If I get a chance I'll try to upload our photos from New Year's later today, otherwise that will be coming later this week as well as a few more cooking successes/fails!