101 in 1001

The Goal: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days? I am bored with the "New Years Resolutions" that so many of us adopt for a few months and give up... I feel like this list is full of good life goals for me, some small and some large... But I also like that none of them HAVE to be done this year, if I slip I can keep trying... Plus it holds me accountable in a great way!


Starting Jan 1st 2013 to Sept 29th 2015


1. Attend a Cooking Class
2. Cook Grandma Gordon's rolls
3. Cook 20 recipes from cookbooks I own (0/20)
4. Make 5 dishes that get 5 stars from husband, write them down (0/5)
5. Make the Perfect Loaf of Bread
6. Learn Hubby's favorite childhood recipes (at least 3)
7. Master Bed Linen Overhaul
8. Create a Photo Wall in our Home
9. Refinish a Piece of Furniture
10. Build A Piece Of Furniture
11. Patch & Paint Living Room Walls
12. Move the TV - Use the Fireplace!!
13. Hang Art in the Kitchen
14. Paint the House Exterior
15. Finish the Deck Handrail
16. Install Fence Gate
17. Only buy thrifted clothes until I weigh 160 lbs
18. Keep track of our Donations
19. Pay off 3 student loans (0/3)
20. Don't Buy Lunch At Work For One Month (0/31)
21. Set up Baby College Fund when Pregnant
22. Sell $300 worth of stuff on eBay or Craigslist or KSL
23. Learn and be able to use 50 Spanish words
24. Learn and be able to use 50 Italian words
25. Read 3 "Bestseller" Books (0/3)
26. Try 10 foods I’ve never had before (0/10)
27. Get in Contact with my Best Friend from High School
28. Create a new Income Stream
29. Buy a nice Piece of Art
30. Get a more Professional Wardrobe - 10 new pieces
31. Buy a new gym bag
32. Finish lotions before buying new ones
33. Host Thanksgiving dinner
34. Move to California
35.Create "Binder Of Important Stuff"
36. Make A Will
37. Get Featured On a BIG Blog
38. Grow a Plant from a Seed
39. Send cards to the Grandma's 1xmonth x 6 months
40. Eat as a vegan for one week
41. Give up all carbonated beverages for 4 months (0/4)
42. Go hiking for at least 3 hours
43. Lose 30 Pounds
44. Run 1 Mile without Walking
45. Run a 5k Event
46. Take a fitness class for 4 weeks (0/4)
47. Take a picture of every single thing I eat for 30 days
48. Fit into size 12 jeans
49. Get to a healthy BMI
50. Buy a bicycle
51. Send off Wedding Dress to be Cleaned
52. Sell the Remaining Wedding Stuff or Donate it
53. Put together a Birthday/Anniversary Calendar for Friends and Family
54. Clean out my Garage
55. Get rid of all of the clothes that no longer fit / I no longer wear
56. Get Pregnant!!
57. Take Prenatal Vitamins every day of Pregnancy
58. Family Photo
59. Learn to Sew Cloth Diapers
60. Collect 10 Classic Children's books
61. Take Hubby to a bar in Nashville
62. Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
63. Travel to Europe
64. Go on a Cruise
65. Play poker in Vegas
66. Pacific Ocean & Atlantic
67. Visit 3 states I’ve never been to!
68. Grand Canyon
69. Mount Rushmore
70. Disney!
71. Visit the Salt Lake
72. Snowboard in Park City
73. Go to a Farmers Market
74. Enter a Photography Contest
75. Buy a Real Camera
76. Build a Snowman
77. Coordinating Halloween Costume
78. Girls Trip with College Girlfriends
79. Sister/Mom Trip
80. Have a Picnic in the Park
81. See a Pro Game
82. Go to at least four concerts/shows (0/4)
83. Attend a State Fair
84. Buy a Lottery Ticket
85. Watch 10 Classic Movies. (0/10)
86. Learn how to Play a new Card Game
87. Go an Entire 24 Hours without Internet
88. Host a Baby Shower
89. Whiten Teeth for a Whole Month
90. Go to the Dentist & Eye Doctor
91. Hair Cut... Not Trim
92. Buy something from Hermes...
93. ... Give it to my mom.
94. Wear False Lashes for a Day
95. Bake a Cake for Someone
96. Complete 10 random acts of kindness for someone who isn’t a family member. (0/10)
97. Send out 10 Cards to People Just Because (0/10)
98. Adopt a Family at Christmas
99. Donate Blood
100. Write to 10 Letters to Managers that Compliment an Employee for Good Service. (0/10)
101. Make a new 101 list in 1001 days!

Win Lose or Blog... Accepting Season 7 Contestants!!

We are now accepting applications (here) for Season seven contestents on Win, Lose, or Blog! Last season our 8 contestants lost 90.8 pounds in 7 weeks! Win, Lose, or Blog is a Big Loser inspired weight loss challenge for the blogging world. Health & Fitness are my passions in life and I hope this competition will inspire others to lead healthier lifes too! I have been working with four fabulous ladies to create this fun and exciting new blog.

What does Win, Lose, or Blog have to offer you?

Want to be a contestant? Apply here.

Each season of the challenge (lasting 7 weeks) we will choose eight contestants. This is your chance to win some MAJOR prizes! The "big loser" (based on percentage of body weight lost) will win one big AWESOME prize. Second and third place contestants will also win some great prizes. And everyone else will get something just for participating.

Want to Play along?
Want to lose weight right along with our contestants? Post your weekly loss each week on our Tuesday Update post and you're in the running for some fantastic prizes! Last season TWO of our mini-contestants won fabulous prizes and lost a TON of weight in the process.

Just want to follow along?
We have multiple health and fitness gurus on our team who are going to be posting information, recipes, tips, inspiration and more. So come follow and get a little help living a healthier lifestyle. Also, at the end of each season followers will win awesome prizes just for leaving comments throughout the season. And you know it will be fun to watch the competition play out and cheer on the contestants :)

Go check it out!!! And spread the word!

Remember each comment you leave all season long counts as an entry for great prizes! Want to get a head start on those comments? Head on over to Win, Lose, or Blog, grab our button, and leave three comments for displaying our button on your blog and five comments for writing an exciting post announcing us to your blog friends. We want you to invite others to join the the fun and gain some motivation to live a healthier lifestyle.

Apply for SEASON 4!!!

We are now accepting applications (here) for Season four contestents on Win, Lose, or Blog! Win, Lose, or Blog is a Big Loser inspired weight loss challenge for the blogging world. Health & Fitness are my passions in life and I hope this competition will inspire others to lead healthier lifes too! I have been working with five fabulous ladies to create this fun and exciting new blog. Jill from Women Who Do It All, Laura of Skinny Pants Dreams, Lindsey of Fitness For The Rest of Us, and Allison from House of Hepworths.

What does Win, Lose, or Blog have to offer you?

Want to be a contestant? Apply here.

Each season of the challenge (lasting 7 weeks) we will choose eight contestants. This is your chance to win some MAJOR prizes! The "big loser" (based on percentage of body weight lost) will win one big AWESOME prize. Second and third place contestants will also win some great prizes. And everyone else will get something just for participating.

Just want to follow along?
We have multiple health and fitness gurus on our team who are going to be posting information, recipes, tips, inspiration and more. So come follow and get a little help living a healthier lifestyle. Also, at the end of each season two followers will win awesome prizes just for leaving comments throughout the season. And you know it will be fun to watch the competition play out and cheer on the contestants :)

Go check it out!!! And spread the word!

Remember each comment you leave all season long counts as an entry for two great prizes! Want to get a head start on those comments? Head on over to Win, Lose, or Blog, grab our button, and leave three comments for displaying our button on your blog and five comments for writing an exciting post announcing us to your blog friends. We want you to invite others to join the the fun and gain some motivation to live a healthier lifestyle.

The Right Direction

So I am getting a head start on my Monday post.... seeing as how Monday always trys to sneak up on me and before I know it the day is over and I haven't posted... it's lame... but life has been busy lately!

I've done a really good job of watching what I eat this week... pretty much removed sugar and flour from my diet... just been eating lots of lean protien, salads and fruit... and planning what I eat... rather than just snacking on whatever food is available, or eating something because it is free... etc

I realized this week that I eat A LOT when I am bored or stressed... usually when I get home from work I am so tired... so I make something quick like kettle corn (1/4c oil, 1/4c sugar, 1/2c seeds) and sit around watching some show on netflix with no commercials and no end in site...

And now that I am watching what I eat, but still watching my shows, I notice how much I crave *something* while I am watching... it is insane how STRONG the urge to eat something - anything while I watch.... I am going to have to have to find a solution... but, no worries...

This week I lost 4lbs!!... I feel like I am on the right path... and In another few weeks I will be at a happier weight and a few weeks more maybe at a new all-time low weight... That's what I am hoping... and maybe after Easter I will switch to a low-carb diet... I do really well on the Atkins... so we will see...

One week at a time!!

Also - a reminder - Win, Lose or Blog is still accepting applications for our 4th season which begins on April 1st.... If you like to blog and need to lose weight you should totally check it out!

Table for One....

I hate eating along...

Why does it have to be soooooo awkward?!

I just got back from lunch,... it was weird! I prefer being in our office and just eating whatever I have packed for that day... but today I was on-site with my wonderful & supportive clients *cough* getting some items done and all of a sudden I was starving!!

So I texted so co-workers and found out that they had already left for a restaurant called "Bajio's"... If you are unfamiliar with them, they are one of like 4 chain stores here in Utah that do Mexican food "Subway Style"... aka you pick the entree (taco, burritto, salad...etc), then the type of meat and all the other fixings you want and they 'cook' it up for you... well...

#1 - I am a picky eater, and...
#2 - I'm sort of on a diet and really just wanted a salad...

Oh, and don't judge my co-workers for leaving without me... we usually split into 2 groups and sometimes it just gets confusing who is going with what group...

Anyways, I decided that I REALLY do not like the meat options at Bajio's... they 'chunk' their meat rather than shredding it and well it grosses me out (see #1)...

I went to a local Pizza joint instead - they have an "all you can eat" buffet and a salad bar with delicious toppings... okay, pepperoni is not really a salad topping, or at least not the most healthy option, but it is delicious and if it helps me eat an extra cup of lettuce more power to it! Plus fat and protien keep you full longer so win win!

But, the whole eating by myself thing was weird... I pluged in my headphones and watched an episode of Greek on netflix via my IPhone.... but still... weird... I decided I would post about it on my way back... so there.

Feelin' Lucky?

"Luck is what happens when Preparation meets Opportunity" - Seneca

When it comes to luck, this is my personal outlook... If life has me down, it is very hard to sit around feeling sorry for myself... I have to believe that all the things I do everyday are in preparation for my next big opportunity... If there are things in life that I want {currently a child} I have to believe that if I don't have one now, or soon, that it must be for a reason... Maybe I need more life lessons or time to mature - but I certainly don't feel unlucky or that other people are more lucky than myself...

When I was a senior in high school I had loads of people telling me how "lucky" I was to have gotten a partial scholarship to a school across the country... And yet, it may have been good fortune, but the school doesn't just hand over money... I worked hard through school, volunteered, participated, etc all in preparation for whatever opportunity would cross my path... yes a lot of things lined up to make it happen, but if I hadn't been working hard I wouldn't have gotten far...

And when college was over and the job market was in the toilet... I was SO LUCKY to have gotten a job... not only one that paid decently, but that I actually enjoy doing everyday... Again - Preparation meeting opportunity...

Recently Andrew and I purchased our first home... it took a lot of research and saving every extra dollar to make it happen... but it was what we wanted so we began preparing... When a realtor came cold calling at our apartment door and subsequently sent us an informational postcard advertising that the mortgage rates we at an all time low (which we *knew* since we had been doing so much research), we realized that it was possible for us to begin seriously looking. In November we found *the* house... it was adorable... in a great location, and at a decent price... So we put an offer in and then made the 12 hour journey West to visit family for Thanksgiving... While we were there we got awful news... not only were the owners not going to accept our offer, they wanted us to pay ALL the closing costs and full price... We were bummed... almost so much so that I didn't want to even look at another house...

Well, or realtor convinced us to get back in the game and just *try* then next 5 houses.... and guess what? We found the one we are currently living in now! And for the same price we were able to get a 2 car garage, 2 fireplaces, twice the kitchen space, insane crown molding and tons of typical fixer-upper projects already completed for us... {okay... knock on wood - because I do believe in Jinxes}

I feel lucky every day... but at the same time, I know that I play a huge roll in the successes in my life.


I wrote this blog post while participating in the Bookieboo and "Earthies Wants You to Feel Lucky" blogging program, making me eligible to win a pair of Earthies shoes and American Express Gift Cards. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Another Monday! ~ Plus Season 4 of Win Lose or Blog!

Meh!

Another Monday!... I had an aweful day at work this morning... basically had this arrogant butt head {Client} tell ME that I was incompetent... but I guess it is okay, because my boss understands the whole situation and thinks that the client is incompetent so i will just try to drown my bad feelings in hugs and kisses from the fiance... and maybe have some sunflower seeds on my salad... take that!

I have a little more control over my weight and although I dont have any official numbers to post I am definately moving in the right direction... hopefully next week I will be able to post an official loss! Woot!

Anyways, there is an Awesome blog called "Win, Lose or Blog" that I help co-write... okay, mostly I just help line up sponsors, but I try to blog as much as I can! Well, WLB is a weight-loss 'competition' blog where we have 6-8 contestants compete to lose the most weight over a 7 week period.... we have loads of prizes for all the contestants.... The season 3 ladies lost over 100lbs during the 7 week period! It was AMAZING! And even if you don't want to compete, you can win prizes just by following and commenting!

We are currently accepting entrants for season 4! It starts April 1st - no foolin'!

If you would like to apply to be a Season Four contestant on Win, Lose, or Blog please fill out the form here.

If you have problems uploading a photo please email them to: Winloseorblog @ gmail . com with your name & "photos" in the subject field.

Thanks for stopping by!
Laura