#28 - Try a winter sport (97/101).

Inspired by the olympics on a weekend getaway to Vermont, we tried cross country skiing and it was so much fun! After a twenty minute lesson, bundling up, putting on some nordic skis and holding poles, we started moving across the snow and ice. We were lucky that it had snowed a few inches the night before so there was some fresh snow and fresh tracks on the trails. As we started moving, we quickly realized it was a much heavier cardio workout than we had expected and began to peel off layers of our warm clothing. We ended up going for a couple hours and it was full of lots of laughing, lots of falls and some fun mini slopes downhill. I have never tried a winter sport so it was a fun way to start and I hope to be able to go again!

1,001 days - 5 left to complete.

On May 19, 2015, I started on this 1,001 day journey. On that day, I wrote:

"I'm a natural multi-tasker, love a good adventure, extremely curious and believe in lifelong learning. After graduating from the University of Virginia (Go Hoos!), I spent a year in Argentina and now live in Atlanta working for an amazing organization. I've always been one to make lists, whether it is what I need to get at the grocery store or where I want to travel, and love a good challenge. I came across the 101 in 1,001 days challenge and immediately starting creating my list ("If not now, when?" right?). I decided to write this blog to hold myself accountable and hopefully share a few good stories along the way. Whether you are here to join me in the adventure or just find ideas for a list of your own, I look forward to sharing with you."

Since then, I have learned, cultivated healthy habits, traveled, paid it forward, and enjoyed a lot of life. I have also experienced a lot of life changes - I moved to a new state, switched jobs, lost loved ones, got engaged and more. So I have to be honest - this list is not the exact same as when I started. It still has the same categories but I have adapted certain items over time to be more realistically achievable in the time allotted. That being said, I have completed 96 items fully of my original 101 list. I am proud to say that I will finish my 1,001 days with 96 items fully completed and the other five in progress. So what do I have left?!

• #15 - Read 3 classics: I have read 1984 and Lord of the Flies but not a third yet. I had a friend suggest Moby Dick, I need to ask her if I can borrow it.
• #18 - Refurbish a piece of furniture: We want to refurbish our nightstands. We have bought the materials and are waiting for a weekend with no precipitation, when we are in town and not too cold of weather to finish this DIY project.
• #28 - Try a winter sport: This weekend, we are heading up to Vermont and going to try cross country skiing. Looking forward to reporting back.
• #48 - Travel to a new continent: This is a big one and takes time and money to complete. We have tickets booked to Thailand & Vietnam for later this year so I consider this item in progress.
• #101 - Put $10 in savings each time I complete a task on the list for a reward at the end: What will I do? Guess we will have to wait and see...

More reflections to come, as well as a post on each of these five items I still have left to complete. Here I go!

#99 - Celebrate a cultural holiday that is not one of my own (96/101).

Disclaimer: I had forgotten to write a post about this item on my list so this actually happened in November 2016.

In November 2016 when I was in Vienna for work, I visited a magical Christmas Town, the Weiner Christkindlmarket am Rathausplatz. I did not realize that Vienna is often called the magical Christmas town and home of Christmas markets in Europe. I did not grow up with a tradition of having or visiting a Christmas town and was blown away by the mulled wine, twinkling lights, endless decorations, and more. Here I am drinking some mulled wine out of a little boot.

p.s. My hair used to be so long! Remember when I donated my hair a year ago?

#20 - Listen to all episodes of a podcast (95/101).

I enjoy listening to podcasts. I told my grandmother I was listening to a podcast the other day and she didn't know what it was, so for those who do not know what podcasts are, Wikipedia says they are "episodic series of digital audio or video files which a user can download and listen to". I have found podcasts to be a great source of content to listen to when in transit - in the car, on the subway, on a plane, on a walk, etc. Over the last months, I have been listening to every episode of a podcast called How I Built This with Guy Raz, a NPR podcast that "dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies -- weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs, idealists, and the movements they built". There have been about seventy episodes of the podcast so far (as of February 2018), which began in Fall 2016.

It was so interesting to listen to the stories behind many companies I am familiar with, some I use daily (like Instagram), some I had never heard of (like Radio One) and many that have great stories about resilience, grit, discipline, risk, entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, phases of growth (startup, scale, etc.), luck, and more. I definitely suggest picking a few to listen to when you have time.

Some of my favorite episodes (and a memorable quote from each) include:

• Edible Arrangements: Tariq Farid: "Well if no one else does it, why do you think you will be successful? So I would encourage you to stick to your daytime job"
• Spanx: Sara Blakely: “In the middle of my meeting with her, I could tell I was losing her…so I said, “You know what, will you come with me to the bathroom?”
• Real Estate Mogul Barbara Corcoran: “we are going to have to make a lot of changes…and the hardest change of all is me firing my mother."
• Radio One: Cathy Hughes: "you have to be so very careful about who you discuss your hard times with because those who love you and care for you the most, like your mother, like your best friend, they'll give you the worst damn advice in the world"
• Zumba: Beto Perez & Alberto Perlman: "We had zero in the bank, we created this beautiful email, we pressed send and were praying, please, please, and suddenly four hundred and fifty instructors joined"
• TOMS: Blake Mycoskie: "Muchas zapatos rapido!" 

#31 - Start Invisalign (94/101).

Many teens have memories of braces, retainers, brackets, and more. I do not have memories of my own as I did not have braces when I was growing up, I have never even been to see an orthodontist. This was something I was grateful for growing up and have found it to be something that currently surprises most people I tell.

Over the last couple years, my teeth have started to shift a bit. About six months ago, my dentist mentioned to me that if I wanted to consider some orthodontics work such as Invisalign, this might be a good time to do it as it would be a lighter case and wouldn't take as much time as a "normal" case. I recently decided to go ahead with it and will be starting Invisalign tomorrow.

To prepare, I have been doing some research. Here are a few tips I have compiled so far, anyone else have ideas?

• Switch to a new aligner before bedtime -- to sleep through some of the initial discomfort while sleeping
• Travel with a travel toothbrush, floss and mouthwash (for after every meal)
• While wearing, only drink water or clear sparkling water without sugar (La Croix is approved - yay!)

I'm a bit nervous but am looking forward to the results. I am hoping fourteen weeks from now I'll have a straighter smile!

#97 - Celebrate with a friend (93/101).

A couple weekends ago, we flew down to Atlanta to celebrate the upcoming wedding of our friends Katie and Spencer! They had an engagement shower and many of our friends ended up joining for all the festivities. We built a great weekend around it, including good food, breweries, visiting with friends and family and more. As we get further away from our days at UVa, it is so precious to find time to see our friends in bigger groups. It was a great added bonus that we also have many other friends and family to visit in Atlanta as well. We can't wait to celebrate their wedding later this year!

p.s. My friend Katie started Happy Camper, a wholesome, vibrant breakfast with a healthful spin on the classics. If you are in the Greater Atlanta area and looking for a caterer for your upcoming event, check out Happy Camper!

#33 - Create a self-care routine (92/101).

"A self-care plan can help you enhance your health and wellbeing, manage your stress, and maintain professionalism. Learn to identify activities and practices that support your wellbeing as a professional and help you to sustain positive self-care in the long-term."

Life gets busy - between work, travel, personal life and more. I have tried to create and maintain a self-care routine so I can sustain myself. Here is some of what I have come up with (if you haven't already come up with yours, I suggest working on it as well). I have divided it into six types of self-care to prioritize:

Professional Self-Care: Identify and attend professional development programs

• Heading to a Management Center training in March

Physical Self-Care: Work out regularly

• I regularly workout and usually switch between Orange Theory, hot yoga, barre and some running outside.

Psychological Self-Care: Make time to engage with friends

• Both during the week and on weekends away, I have been prioritizing this in my life.

Emotional Self-Care: Keep a gratitude journal

• For the past two years, I have kept a gratitude journal where each day, we each write one thing we are grateful for.

Spiritual Self-Care: Do yoga

• See above -- currently working on my handstand and side crow

Relationship Self-Care: Prioritize close relationships with partner and family

• Always.

#71 - Send someone a birthday treat (91/101).

Throughout 2017, I had a puppy calendar sitting on my desk. I loved it. Every day I would flip to a new page and see another cute puppy or group of puppies on it. I would write a memory on the back of each page and keep it in a little box next to my desk. There were a few times that my sister saw it on my desk and she started asking me to send her the puppies that were cute on Snapchat. Every few days, I would send her a snap of the puppy of the day. For her birthday this year, I sent her a mini puppy calendar for her very own desk. Now she can enjoy a year of cute puppies - enjoy!

#62 - Serve a meal for a person experiencing homelessness (90/101).

I attended a conference for volunteer professionals across the country in Miami. As a part of the conference, we served meals at Chapman Partnership, a comprehensive support program that includes emergency housing, meals & job placement. Over a short period of time, we served about 400 meals "restaurant style" to children, women and men of all ages. A common myth is that all people experiencing homelessness are men, when in fact, homeless families comprise roughly one third of the total homeless population. You can read a few more common myths and facts of people experiencing homelessness here.

I have visited shelter before but it had been awhile since I visited a family shelter. We served meals to families of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, babies and high school students, single men, people with disabilities, elderly and young, etc. I would ask kids how their day in school was, what their favorite subject in school was, and ask them to take three more bits of green beans before eating another cookie. I purposely did not take my phone out while I was inside. I wanted to preserve people's dignity and make sure I was not making anyone feel uncomfortable (so no photos to accompany this post). I left feeling grateful for having my basic needs met - having a safe and secure home and access to food.

#32 - Go vegetarian for a week (89/101).

I ate vegetarian for a week and really enjoyed it. I bought more varieties of vegetables than I usually do, cooked tofu in a couple of different ways and ate a lot of yummy grains. I did crave steak at the end of the week, and happily ate a good steak when the week is over. Here is what I ate all week:

SUNDAY
-Brunch: Huevos Rancheros from Parish
-Dinner: Veggie Tofu Spring Rolls

MONDAY
-Breakfast: Green Smoothie
-Lunch: Lentil Tortilla soup
-Dinner: Spinach Tofu Stir Fry + Velveeta Mac & Cheese

TUESDAY

-Breakfast: Blackberries + Cheerios

-Lunch: Lentil Tortilla soup

-Dinner: Tortellinis + Veggies

Wednesday
-Breakfast: Green Smoothie
-Lunch: Lentil Tortilla soup
-Dinner: Mediterranean Bowl

Thursday
-Breakfast: Green Smoothie
-Lunch: Tortellinis + Veggies
-Dinner: Vegan Pho from Sen Organic

Friday
-Breakfast: Cheerios
-Lunch: Cava Falafel Bowl
-Dinner: Brown Rice, Roasted Vegetables, Chickpeas

Saturday
-Breakfast: Eggs + Avocado
-Lunch: Grilled Cheese + Tomato Soup from Pop's Market on Grace
-Dinner: Vermicelli Bowl with Crispy Vegetable Rolls + Tofu from Mekong

Note on my green smoothies: Over the last few years, I have made green smoothies almost every morning at home (#drinkyourgreens). My go to recipe includes kale, spinach, banana, coconut flakes, orange mango juice, coconut water, chia seeds, flax seeds, greek yogurt, and ice. To spice things up, I sometimes throw in extra vegetables (celery, carrot, cucumber), herbs (mint, basil, cilantro), extra fruit (mango, peaches, berries) or other boosters (matcha).

#69 - Pay for someone behind me (88/101).

Every once in awhile after a workout class, I like to go through the Starbucks drive through. Yesterday as I was going through, I decided to pay for the person behind me in line. I liked doing it that way, through a drive through, so the person couldn't even see who I was. I also have no idea who the person was (I purposely did not look), all I know is that they ordered more than just one drink ;) I hope I inspired them to pay it forward as well, I guess I'll never know!

If you find yourself in a similar situation soon, I suggest trying it out. Pay it forward, see what happens!

#63 - Give my grandmas a gift one day out of the blue (87/101).

I am fortunate that both of my grandmothers are still living. As I have grown older, I have grown to appreciate my relationships with them even more. I enjoy hearing the stories they have told me about our family's history, my parents growing up, what they have experienced in their lives and more. I enjoy asking them for advice, what they would do in certain situations, visiting them and giving them lots of hugs. I am so grateful to have them in my life and always want to make sure they know how special I think they are. I gave them each a framed photo recently as a small token of showing them how much I care. I should have sent it to them on National Grandparents Day (apparently the next one is September 9, 2018) - guess they will have something to look forward to ;)

#75 - Volunteer again (86/101).

I work at an organization called Repair the World, which aims to make service a defining element of American life. I have learned through work that if a person volunteers 4 or more times, they are much more likely to have a lifelong commitment of volunteering. I am also fortunate that I am requested in our employee handbook to volunteer six days each year, so I can work on building up a personal lifelong commitment to volunteering and engaging in direct service.

I went to the Central Virginia Food Bank to fill backpacks with food for children in FeedMore's backpack program benefitting the Central Virginia Food Bank's distribution facility. We unpacked items from crates and cartons and assembled them into food bags to be delivered to children in various schools during the week. We ended up packing 1,000 backpacks in about three hours. It was a great experience and I'm looking forward to going back soon.

#66 - Send someone a care package for no reason (85/101).

I sent my cousin a care package in the mail this week. I wanted to send her a few workout clothes I don't wear often and decided to add some other goodies in there, including some of these fun "adult in training" socks. I'm excited for her to open her package, she doesn't even know it is coming! Especially in our digital age, it is so fun receiving and sending things via snail mail. Though, I am thankful for increased technology to help cut down on the time it takes for people to receive mailed boxes!

#3 - Learn how to tie a bowtie (84/101).

I am a fan of bowties on guys. I thought it would be helpful to know how to tie a bowtie so I learned. I am no expert, but I did get down the basics and am looking forward to having many opportunities to practice with the many weddings and events we will be going to over the next few years. And in full disclosure, I did not actually tie the bowtie in this picture. Next, on to how to tie a regular tie!