Care Package

I went on an insane liquidation spree in the apartment. I think I was feeling a little claustrophobic in my emotional life (nothing having to do with Riley) so I was taking it out on my possessions.

I guess you can never get rid of too much stuff can you?

We (meaning, I) had a large pile of junk I've been meaning to either sell or donate sitting in our bedroom for the better half of two months. Most of it was used clothes, towels, linens, or items no longer in use (such as my VHS tapes, some DVDs I no longer care to watch, and the half broken VHS/DVD combo player).


Part of this pile was four large grocery bags full of baby clothes. My sister has a 7 month old and one of my good friends, fellow blogger, and AOII sister has a 2 year old with a very extensive wardrobe that no longer fits her.

It was logical to relieve Caty from the burden of these clothes and send them to my sister, who's child will eventually grow into them and look adorable in all of those ruffles and footie pajamas for the next couple of years.

I sent a care package, crossing off item #8.15 on my 101 in 1001 Days list


I really wish I had taken pictures, but I was a woman on a mission and nothing was stopping me.

Not even to take some crummy picture of a pile of junk.

101 in 1001

I'm not a huge fan of written memes, but after reading a few of these lists and thinking about what constitutes a meaningful, successful life I couldn't pass this one up. Read about this challenge here. If you're looking for some other awesome lists, google "101 in 1001" and go through the first 3 pages. Some pretty awesome challenges out there!

Date started: August 21, 2012

Expiration: May 19, 2015

Key:
Tasks Completed
Tasks In Progress 
Tasks Waiting to be Completed

Experiences will be blogged about either in words or pictures.

Without further ado, here's my list (in no particular order than the random thought process of my mind):

1.      Have 10 people recommend books to me and read all 10 of them

·         God, no! by Penn Jillette – Chris Cate

·         The Help – Araceli Olivas

·         Fahrenheit 451 – Ashley Armstrong

·         Trinity by Leon Uris – Tanya Bailey

·         Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell – Shawn Browder

·         House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski – Nicole Marcon

·         Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt – Vicki Clark

·         Tell No One by Harlan Coben – Lisa Evarts

·         No Second Chances by Harlan Coben – Lisa Evarts

·         The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – Lisa Bjorkman

2.      Pay off my student loans

3.      Save 20% of my income

4.      Make an AOII t-shirt quilt

5.      Au pair in Europe

6.      Write 10 poems in each of the languages I speak

7.      Do 15 "random" acts of kindness

1.       buy someone a coffee at Starbucks

2.       make our neighbors a holiday treat

3.       leave a nice note on someone's windshield

4.       tip a server 100%

5.       give a warm meal to a homeless person

6.       say "good morning/afternoon/evening" to a complete stranger (in a public place)

7.       bake something for someone “just because”

8.       let someone in line go in front of me (while in a long line)

9.       volunteer my time for a cause

10.    write a letter to someone who made a difference in my life, but probably didn't know it

11.    be a designated driver

12.    pay a stranger's tab

13.    send a handmade card to someone

14.    write a thank you note for no "real" reason

15.    send a care package

            9.  Visit my family in Albuquerque at least twice throughout the duration of the 1001 days

           10.  Make a cheesecake completely from scratch

           11.  Start my own herb and veggie garden

           12.  Sew/mend my own clothes & refresh old ones

           13.  Surprise a friend with a visit

           14.  Watch all seasons of How I Met Your Mother in succession

           15.  Organize my iTunes

           16.  Convert my physical book collection to Kindle and only collect unique physical books

           17.  Achieve Adho Mukha Vrksasana

           18.  Reach and maintain my ideal weight of 120ish lbs for a minimum of 6 months

           19.  Learn to snowboard

           20.  Bike 5 miles

           21.  Make gifts and cards by hand for 6 months

           22.  Don’t log into Facebook for 3 weeks

           23.  Wear my hair curly for 6 months

           24.  Cook a meal from two cultures on every permanently inhabited continent

           25.  Learn to French braid my hair and someone else's

           26.  Learn to shoot a bow and arrow

           27.  Take a cooking class with Riley J.

           28.  Create a piece of artwork

           29.  Watch 25 movies I've never seen before (more than 1 year old)

           30.  Get health insurance

           31.  Drink only water for two months

           32.  Go on a wine tasting tour

           33.  Go on a beer tasting tour

           34.  Go on a road trip at least 800 miles long

           35.  Cut out sugar from my diet for a month

           36.  Go to Oktoberfest in Leavenworth, WA

           37.  Get rid of unnecessary possessions

          38.  Read to kids in a library or public school

          39.  Establish a tradition with Riley J.

          40.  Attend a high school or college play/musical

          41.  Plan a surprise party

          42.  Register as a bone marrow donor

          43. Make a scrapbook for a friend

          44.  Go to Vegas with Mathew (my brother)

          45.  Wake up before 8 every day for 30 days straight

          46.  Have a no spend week every month for 3 months

          47.  Study 5 tarot cards a week until finished

          48.  Get CPR certified for infants, children, adults, and pets.

          49.  Kiss Riley J at midnight every New Year’s Eve for the duration of the 1001 days.

          50.  Learn to make my own laundry supplies and dish washing detergent

          51.  Use entirely eco-friendly cleaning supplies

          52.  Go to a concert

          53.  Take Riley J to the International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque

          54.  Write a will

          55.  Go to Canada

          56.  Go to a poetry slam and present

          57.  Visit another AOII chapter

          58.  Move to another state

          59.  Put 25₵ in a jar every time I swear for a week and donate the proceeds to charity

          60.  Keep a “my day in 5 words” journal for 6 months

          61.  Read a book in each of my languages

          62.  Learn the following in 10 languages:

o    Hello

o    Goodbye

o    Thank you

o    Please

o    Yes

o    No

o    Sir/Ma’am

          63.  Get my planned tattoos done

          64.  Go to a local art gallery

          65.  Learn the metric system

          66.  Reread the Lord of the Rings trilogy

          67.  Read the entire works of Edgar Allen Poe

          68.  Have an Audrey Hepburn movie day

          69.  Watch Riley J graduate from graduate school

          70.  Go to a movie alone

          71.  Go horseback riding

          72.  Own every Disney movie that has been released out of the vault

          73.  Have a Doctor Who marathon

          74.  Take a dance class

          75.  Get engaged to Riley J

          76.  Take only public transportation for a month

          77.  Visit the east coast

          78.  Visit Riley J’s family in Nebraska

          79.  Get a dog

          80.  Go to at least 3 MLB games throughout the duration of the 1001 days

          81.  See a University of Nebraska football game

          82.  Celebrate Christmas Day with Riley J

          83.  Go camping four times throughout the duration of the 1001 days

          84.  Stay in a hostel

          85.  See an opera

          86.  Read the entire works of Jodi Piccoult

          87.  Read the entire works of Nicholas Sparks

          88.  See Jim Morrison’s grave

          89.  Become a manager for a hotel

          90.  Start earning my bachelor’s in Hotel & Restaurant Management

          91.  Write a letter to myself for the day I graduate with my bachelor’s

          92.  See a professional ballet

          93.  Go whale watching

          94.  Hang out at a ski lodge

          95.  Watch a movie in a park

          96.  Have a picnic in a park

          97.  Celebrate a non-American holiday once a year during the 1001 days

          98.  Go stargazing

          99.  Make pizza from scratch

          100. Make ice cream from scratch

          101. Go on a trip with Davrey (my sister)

Some inspiration for your day

via PostSecret blog

List of 30: 28. What is your love language?

 List of 30

My love language is action, not words.

Words are meaningless. Telling someone you love them or care for them is pointless without a follow up with action.

"He loves me because he says so" doesn't hold a sparkler to "he sat through Titanic with me because I wanted to see it"

Though motives behind the action mean more.

Riley and I did long distance for nine months recently. It was tough and several times I got upset with him because I felt disconnected from him.

When we were in the same place he would buy me lunch or dinner, bring me something to show he had thought of me while he was out, kiss me, and hold my hand, or something small. It's the small things that count.

When we were 1500 miles apart, it was a little harder for him to show that he cared, no matter what he said.

In romance movies, there's always the big gesture. The big "aw" tearjerker moment.

We rarely get it. Honestly, it's usually not that huge and in your face.

But it is the small gestures that are the language of love.

It's the little notes, the dishes done, allowing you to control the remote, the kiss goodbye, or the look in their eyes when they look at you.

It's not the materialistic things they can provide for you. It's the thoughts throughout the day they have for you that dictate true love.

List of 30: 02. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.

List of 30

Fear #1: Free falling

I'm not so much afriad of heights as I am about the feeling of falling and the stomach in the throat nonsense that comes with it. I can be up in a tall building, but the elevator ride up and down gives me anxiety. Forget those free-falling rides that take you to the top of something and dropping you. I almost cried on Tower of Terror in Disneyland.

I think it's because I got stuck on the monkey bars in 1st grade because forgot how to get down and then I was on a free-fall ride that refused to stop. You'll notice on my bucket list  the clichéd item of sky diving isn't on there. Well, that's why. Not my cup of tea...or shot of whiskey.


Fear #2: Bugs that fly

Things that sting, things that bite, beetles that belong on the ground, flies, lady bugs, and anything else with wings that can chase me around freak me out. Butterflies are cool because they don't fly, they flutter. And they're pretty. But those other things I listed? Screw that. I hate mosquito bites (along with the rest of the human race) and I currently have one on my back that is driving me insane as my shirt rubs against it. I've never been stung by anything and I'd like to keep it that way. Oh and ants, especially if they fly. We had an ant infestation at the beginning of this summer and that was pure hell.

I just don't like being chased by tiny things that I can't keep track of and usually buzz.

Fear #3: Stupidity

It really concerns me how many stupid people there are in the world. I don't want this to sound pompous, but I like knowledge and learning and when someone asks me an ignorant question or chides me because I enjoy educational documentaries over the new Tyler Perry movie, it really makes me wonder where the world is going. We spend more time watching idiots on MTV binge drink and screw everything that moves than progressing and investing in our personal futures. Most would rather watch 16 and Pregnant than see girls the same age kicking some ass in the Olympics. It gives me hope for the human race when I see someone who is kind for the sake of kindness, rather than for the glory of the title of being kind. I love when people are learning for the sake of learning (you wouldn't believe how many people give me crap for learning languages on my own instead of going to college and getting a degree in it).

Most of all I love people who live off the beaten path and go their own way, rather than succomb to the norm. I try and influence people to think outside the box (something I've apparently been able to do since infancy, according to my mom) and live their life how they want to, rather than how they think they're supposed to.

And lastly, intelligence is a wonderful thing, but what you do with it matters more.