What is the meaning of life?

Life is all about relationships with loves ones and new experiences

Goals aren't just for the alcohol fueled ambitions of New Year's eve or the guilt placations of New Year's morning. I love my list of 101 goals and have been making steady progress towards the finish line at 1001 days. 

Especially as a busy mom of a toddler who also works, blogs, gardens, writes and tries to be super-everything to everyone, having the goal list has legitimized taking time and energy to do things that matter just to me. 

There are over a dozen goals that I have finished so far. Some are things that I will continue, like finding more paid writing opportunities, meeting other bloggers and foodies, and continuing to purge my closets. Here is what I have crossed off the list in the first 120 days:

get rid of the Christmas tree before the tree recycling program is over (1-9-11)

See a baby be born (1-5-11) AND (3-29-11)

host a tweetup (1-25-11)

eat at the Herbfarm   (4-17-11)

learn to make perfect gnocci  (2-27-11)

start a KIVA account (1-13-11)

get the airbags replaced in my car (1-20-11)

visit Allium on Orcas restaurant (2-26-11)

Bla bla blhjhabhjhjhjhj la bla  ( (Done! 2-1-11)

complete the dark days of winter SOLE food challenge  (4-15-11)

donate or consign 20% of the clothing in my closet (3-15-11)

Meet more bloggers, writers, chefs and food lovers

Find more enjoyable, paid, writing opportunities 

Prepare a disaster kit for my home (3-15-11) 

I have prioritized what I want to be sure to get done this year. 1001 days is just under three years, and I am needing to organize in my mind which things I should be working on for now. Here are the two dozen or so that I have put on the agenda for 2011. The ones in bold are already in progress, meaning I have at least started making arrangements to complete it. This seems manageable, don't you think?

• kill, clean and eat a chicken arrangements are in process. 
• catch a salmon I have secured a promise of assistance on this. 
• go on a girls retreat weekend hot springs: its on the calendar!
• act as a staigaire at a 5 star restaurant so.excited.
• regularly attend a quilting group found a group and have have worked on a half dozen projects.
• take a food photography class I will be taking a FREE! online class from Penny De Los Santos
• eat primarily from from my garden for one month If the weather co-operates, I'll try for August.
• Jog for one mile without resting New gym membership and I am up to 1/2 mile so far.
• keep a my-day-in-6-words journal for a year this is harder than it sounds!
• learn 6 'signature' dishes from the cook who makes it {2/6} See Gnocchi and Indian Curry 
• take my son to visit his aunties for a sleep-over
• take a daily vitamin with folic acid, ladies!
• own a meyer lemon tree
• get a replacement head and start using my sonicare toothbrush again
• Try dim sum at T and T Seafood restaurant
• teach my son at least 10 signs (ASL) {8/10} up, more, all done, milk, baby, sleepy, help me, sorry
• learn to use my dslr on manual settings
• pick berries
• float down a river on an innertube 
• make gallons of pesto (to last the winter) from my own basil
• grow enough potatoes to store for winter they have eyes! 
• read more I hear the key to being a better writer is reading more. Recent reads: The Help, The Sun Magazine, The Hunger Games
• get a professional family portrait done
• make a monthly entry in baby's (and all future babies') baby book so far, so good. 
• smoke something (fish, salt...) Just got a BBQ grill and wood chips. 

So, how about it? Want to make a list for yourself? A good goal is a SMART goal: 


Simple - be specific! And remember that simple is not always easy.
Measurable - "lose 10 pounds" is measurable, "be healthier" is not
Attainable - for me, this meant not setting goals that are expensive to achieve
Rewarding - because that is why I am doing it!
Timely - in this case, 1001 days.


"Tell everyone what you want to do and someone will want to help you do it." - W. Clement Stone