The Greatest Time of Year

Well, the site has been made over for Christmas! I have time to do that now, since my novel is officially complete! That's right! 50,000 words in only 29 days this time! But I've got to move on to other goals before I get a sunburn basking in this triumph.

Lately, I've been volunteering at Rescue Ranch, a rehabilitation/adoption center for abused horses, in tune with goals #5 and #11. That means dodging the hooves of angry stallions and mucking out empty stalls while I jam out to the country station. Seems like a lot of work for only one volunteer hour a week. But I'll get my 125 hours one way or another.

I've also finally gotten a job, although I don't think it really counts for goal #2. I landed a gig babysitting for two grammar school cheerleaders and their six-year-old little sister. I can't really tell you if that's better or worse than volunteering at the horse shelter, but I do know that it at least pays. Goal #3, here we come...

And with Christmas cheer in the air, I'm getting ready to tackle several goals during the holiday season. I plan on volunteering at the retirement home over Christmas break (#4) and baking some holiday treats for my family and friends (#10 & 15). It's also the time of year for hot chocolate at the barn (#16) and stocking stuffers for my equine friends (#17). And as the presents and Christmas cards go out, I should be able to manage Goal #59 and at least some of Goal #18. Plus, all those presents need bows! (#76) It's also the time of year for spontaneous kindness, and I figure over the two week break that I get from school, I can fit in some Random Acts of Kindness (#83) and inspirational post-it notes (#88) and maybe even some more free rice (#95).

Now, I doubt I'll get to all of these in the 20 days left in the Christmas season or even the week or so that I have off following it, but if I at least get to half of them, I'm in pretty good shape for the New Year. And from there, who knows?

And So It Begins

So, today is Day One of the 101 in 1001 Project. I figured that the Fourth of July is as good a time as ever to start. This way, I'll have until the end of March 2012 to finish everything up.

I thought I'd start off with some easy stuff. I'm going to Borders tonight to pick up some of the books I'll need (Causing A Scene, #72 and 73; Wreck This Journal, #84; I Can't Tell You, #93). But I'd like to actually have something to show for myself at the end of the day.

And that being the case, I chose to start on #76 - Do 25 things from Keri Smith's List.

I followed her instructions - print out, cut on dotted line, choose random square. I wanted to mix them all up in a hat, but I didn't have a hat. So I grabbed the next best thing I could find - a frying pan - and shuffled them all up (over the stove, of course).

I ended up pulling idea number two: Write a letter to yourself in the future.

Going with the theme of 1,001 days, I decided to write a note to myself to be read on midnight April 1st, 2012 - just after the deadline for these goals. I'll let you read it, but guess what... You're not seeing it until I do - in approximately 1,000.5 days. Until then, we'll just have to see how the rest of my goals go.