Final entry

So what did I learn at the end of this journey.

1. We are all out in the world just trying to make it. I learned not to be so jaded and dismissive of my fellow man. I learned that everyone lives in a different circumstance. I learned not to be so quick to judge or flame others that are not like me.

2. It is OK to be spontaneous and have some fun in life. We are told to live everyday like it will be our last, but too often we don't. Get up--go to work--come home--go to bed. Lather, rinse, repeat. Fun keeps us young. It is ok to be silly as an adult. Kids should not have all the fun.

3. I have to pay attention to the future. Decisions made now will impact me later on. From business to finance to investments. I need to make sure I always know where I am going.

4. I appreciate my body. I have learned how to take care of it.


When I first started this endeavor, I had no idea the impact it would have on me. I lived everyday with a purpose. I constantly thought about what I was doing. I used this experience as a tool that gave me a direction. I did things that I would never normally do. I did things out of my comfort zone. I did things that I have put off for years. I did things that only benefit me. I did things that solely helped other people. I did things that I forgot I loved to do. I did things that I did not think I could ever do. The point is I DID! That was my mantra.

Will I do another list? Yes. Would I recommend this adventure to everyone. Only if you are open to the transformation that you will go through. This is not an easy journey. It was physical, mental and emotional. I had to break through some walls and judgements that were very thick. I am not the same person I was on July 6th, 2009.

I am stronger.
I am smarter.
I am more compassionate.
I am less judgemental.
I am more creative.
I am richer.
I am more fun.
I am at peace with myself.

I could not have done this on my own. Yes, this was my journey. But as with any journey, you need some help along the way. My family and friends supported me all the way. Whether they completed a task with me or just listened to my stories, their presence was undeniable. Along every step was my husband, M. He laughed with me, supported me and never told me no. I love you babe! Thanks to all that helped, loved, supported and walked with me.

Until we meet again....

Week 143

So time is up. Did I finish everything?

#3 Wrote thank you notes for all gifts and good deeds received. This started as a pain to do, but throughout the years, it became much easier to do. I realized how much people appreciate getting a note in the mail saying thank you. They appreciate it as much if not more that getting a thank you in person. The art of hand writing anything is disappearing, but in my world, a handwritten thank you note will live on. Thanks to Nana for inspiring this task.

#13 Yes, yes I did 50 push ups. OMG!! I have always hated upper body exercises. They suck. They hurt. They are boring. That being said, I don't like chicken wings when I look in the mirror. At the beginning of the list, I could do 5. About a year ago, I could do 12. Last week, I could do 34. Yesterday I did 50. I even did them in front of M so he knew I actually did them. Bright and early in the morning while he was on the computer, I pushed out 50 and promptly collapsed on the ground quivering in the fetal position. So hard, by far the hardest thing on my list that was done.

#19 Drank 3 bottles of water daily. Besides quitting smoking 6 years ago, this was the best thing I did for my health. I have more energy. I have cleaner skin. I have less kidney pain. Life is good. Water is truly the elixer of life. I found that at the end of the day, if I was behind on my water intake, my body felt dry. I felt tired. I felt rundown. All I can say is drink water. Try a little water flavoring if you don't like plain water. And yes, tap water is fine for you and better for the environment. You should be drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water a day. No, soda and fruit juice does not count.

#26 Made gourmet pasta. So this was a disaster. I made a lemon pepper wheat pasta. The flavor was great, but getting to the end result was time consuming and frustrating. I ended up cutting all the pieces by hand because the dough kept clogging up my mixer attachment. Not sure if it was the lemon pieces or if it was the wheat flour. Regardless, the process took about an hour and a half. I have decided it is better to buy gourmet flavored pasta from Pappadrella's then go through this process again.

#36 M got his final foot rubs-- 3/15, 3/28, 4/2. I have overcome my testiness of touching someone else's feet. Now I have to get over someone touching mine. Maybe M should make a list and put on there to rub MY feet. I like that idea.

#45 Played a regular round of golf with B and M. We went to Links at 434 which is a little executive course in town. I did pretty well. We used the driving range to hit some balls. I desperately need to do this. I tend to lean back when I swing, like I was using a base ball bat. This is not condusive to hitting a golf ball. We went out to the course. I shot +28. Now before you laugh and say that is the worst game ever, I did outdrive the boys on one hole and I also shot even with the boys on 3 holes. Oh yeah, I undershot M on one hole. I did not win the day, but I had little victories and a lot of fun.

#48 Planned my vargas girl shoot. I have the poses. I have the outfits. I have a line on hair/makeup. I have a lead on a good photographer. Now all I need is the moxie and the money to do it.

#54 I learned 25 phrases in sign language. Technically, because I can sign the alphabet and the numbers up to 100, I can effectively communicate with someone. I did want to learn some phrases--hello, goodbye, how are you, I am fine. Most of the phrases I learned had something to do with telling them that I am learning. Slow down, repeat, can you fingerspell that and I don't understand are in my vocabulary. I also learned the basics--I love you, I am sorry, Please, thank you and where is the bathroom. There might be a curse word in there as well, but what are you going to do?

#56 I mastered Chicken in the Snow. This is a Penny recipe. She made it the first Christmas we went up to them. I was so intrigued by the presentation and quite skeptical that this dish would be palatable. The basic premise is taking a roaster bird and covering it completely with 3 lbs of salt. Yes, you read that correctly, 3 lbs. of salt. The damp salt forms a dome while it is cooking, so it does not oversalt the meat. Instead, it steams the bird and keeps it uber tender and juicy. So good. I tried to replicate this odd cooking technique only to end up with over salted dinner or raw chicken. Neither one very appetizing. After about 4 tries, the bird came out perfectly cooked and presentation worthy. We ate a lot of chicken in the snow. M is ready for a new dish.

#67 So M is not the only musician in the house anymore! I learned to play 7 chords on the guitar which turned into three songs--"I'm a little Teapot", "On top of Spaghetti" and "Folsom Prison Blues". Now, I am not the next Jimmy Page, but I did manage to put on a great show. M was very suprised at my performance. I guess he though I was going to suck. Thanks for the vote of confidence. I practiced a lot. I have callouses on top of blisters. My fingers smell of rusty guitar strings. But I would not have it any other way. I really enjoy playing the guitar. I just need to learn to play with a pick. Oh, and master the whore F chord.

# 79 The yard looks much better. It went from a 2 to a 7 within a week. Mulch always makes things better. The best part was that it was free. I called a local arborist and they dumped 10 cubic yards of chewed up trees in our driveway. It is not the best quality, but it was free and that goes a long way. We worked on the ginormous pile for a week. There was a lot of bruising and sweating, but at the end of the week, it was worth it. It should last for a couple of years, which is a good thing. Our landscaping is extensive. I can't do this every month!

#87 Yes, I am now a flosser. My mouth is happy. My heart is happy. My dentist and dental hygenist are happy. This was a good habit to pick up!

#89 I am a T-shirt designer. OK, maybe a concept developer. I came up with a design for Threadless. M, being a graphic designer, was an integral part of the process. If it was not for him, I would have had stick figures. Nobody pays for stick figures. I did the concept, layout and final color choice. M did the graphic conversions, placement and file preparations. It got picked for voting, so that is a step in the right direction. Hopefully, it will get picked for printing. That would be awesome!! I have a couple other ideas in the hopper....

#91 The electronic path for Statmat. So we had this idea to make the business electronic. I found out that the sites that currently do what we want to are huge with a lot of employees running the behind the scenes pieces. There is a lot of IT issues and setup costs. I think that we will stay the current course and revisit this in a couple of years. I am not sure that we have the capacity and manpower to deal with issues as they arise electronically.

# 94 I have very generous friends. I started out with 3 boxes to be sent to soldiers. After a call out to friends and my ability to get things for free/cheap, I ended up with 9 boxes! What a great feeling to be in the post office filling out customs form surrounded by boxes of support and thanks for our troops. You may not agree with the military presence in other countries. You may not agree with wars that we fight. You may not agree with the political involvement in military decisions. You do need to understand that we have men and women that are willing to lay down their lives to allow you to feel and freely voice those opinions. They don't hesitate. They don't question. They don't run away. They do everything that they have to protect our four walls. That is more than I could do. At the end of the day, they just want to know that people respect and appreciate their bravery and dedication. We don't say thank you enough. This includes our police officers, fire fighters, paramedics and teachers. We take these services for granted. Where would we be if we did not have these groups in our corner? Say thank you.

#97 Annie Duke better watch out. After months of doing a casual poker game, M and I decided it was time to put our poker skills to the test. We jumped in the deep end of the pool by completing in a monthly tournament at our local poker room. It was so surreal and completely different from our casual game. There was no mercy and no room for error. We competed with 150 people. My first goal was to not be the first one eliminated. Check. Second goal was not to be the first one busted at my table. Check. Third goal was to make it to the first break. Check. Fourth goal was to outlast M. Check! He got busted at around 100. Fifth goal was to make it to the 2nd break. Check. Sixth goal was to make it to the final table. No check. I busted at 45. Not too bad for the first tournament. Top third baby!!! Before I went down, I busted 2 people and decimated one other player. Once I got past the nerves, I was playing really well. Really want to do more tournaments.

#100 Much to M's dismay, I reorganized all of the closets to allow maximum storage. I used many vacuum bags. Seasonal clothing, extra pillows, blankets, towels and sheets are now tucked away in Space Savers. Halloween party stuff are in their little boxes, labeled and stacked away for next year. Kitchen is organized and easy to manage. This is the thing about 1949 houses--wicked cute but no closet space. M can't find anything and is very flustered. This is a good thing. I like to keep him on his toes. Not to mention, he has to keep me around. Otherwise, he will never find what he is looking for. My plan is working perfectly!!

#33 So, because I finished ALL of the tasks on my list, I got to go out to a really nice meal. We went to Kres Steakhouse. Very fancy pants. We talked. We ate well. We drank a lot. We came home fat and happy and $200 lighter in our wallets. It was worth it.