My 101 in 1001 List

I started making this list last fall when I spent a month in Paris. I put pen to paper in my notebook at a café (Buvette… Yes, the same one as NYC!) and just started listing things out. I got quite a few things down over the course of a few weeks (89), but I never ended up finishing it and publishing it as things turned to crazy town as soon as I got back from that trip.

If you’re not familiar with 101 in 1001, Mackenzie started this concept a few years ago. Essentially, it’s a list of 101 things you’d like to accomplish in 1001 days… Just over 2.75 years! Mackenzie is on her third list, you can see it here! You’ll notice I took a lot of inspiration from it, haha.

It’s cool to look back through that list I made in Paris and see how many things I’ve crossed off already! (Hire some help, go to Coachella, learn Lightroom, start a meditation practice, invest in a piece of art, get a real Christmas tree, etc.) And it’s kind of bizarre to realize just how much can change in a year! There are a number of things on my original list that aren’t really a priority for me or focus of mine anymore, as well as a few things that I won’t be able to do as originally planned.

I’ve been re-visiting and updating this list over the last few weeks and finally have a full list I’m excited about! Here it goes…

Start: 11-8-17
End: 8-5-20
…Just three weeks before my 31^st birthday. (Hard pill to swallow/type…)

Travel (5/19) (See more details on my Travel Bucket List!)

1. Renew my passport (June 2018)
2. Yacht Week
3. Ibiza
4. South of France
5. Australia (February 2018)
6. Go on a fall foliage trip… Vermont, maybe?
7. Canada – I’ve never been. Montreal and Quebec City are on my list!
8. Japan in the Spring (April 2018)
9. Charleston
10. Greece
11. Go back to Italy (July 2018)
12. Explore more of the UK + Scotland
13. San Francisco (I’ve only spent about 24 hours there…)
14. Napa
15. Visit Caneel Bay once it reopens!
16. Maine
17. Cape Cod
18. Another girls trip to Vegas
19. Coachella again – ticket has been purchased! (April 2018)

Blog & Business (3/12)

1. Operation: Inbox Zero. Email is, admittedly, my biggest downfall as a business owner. I need to figure out how to conquer the beast once and for all.
2. Launch something new. Not sure what exactly this one looks like yet, but I have a few ideas swirling around. (Along for the Ride Podcast)
3. Organize my hard drives
4. Organize my Dropbox folders (Sometime in 2018)
5. Clear out my camera roll on my phone and organize the photos (needs to happen immediately…)
6. Launch blog revamp
7. Redesign my Travel Guide page
8. Launch series with Hallie that we’ve been talking about for years
9. Finally get into Freshbooks instead of doing everything manually (I’m my own worst enemy, I swear.) (Sometime in 2018…)
10. Do a TV segment
11. Film a hair tutorial
12. Film my makeup routine

Personal (4.5/19)

1. Live in Europe (I’d say 3 months or more counts…?) (It wasn’t Europe, but maybe Remote Year counts for this…??)
2. Become fluent in French (or at least start taking class again regularly!)
3. Finally get Griffin (obviously not forcing it if the timing still isn’t right…)
4. Join a volunteer program… I’ve been looking into Big Brothers Big Sisters, but would love if you have any other suggestions in Chicago!
5. Find a charity to get involved with, too.
6. Take up horseback riding again (!!)
7. Go on some sort of a wellness retreat
8. Laser Hair Removal… I’m two sessions in, but want to do my legs, too. ()
9. Try acupuncture.
10. Do allergy testing.
11. Hire a personal trainer.
12. Try cryotherapy
13. Try an infrared sauna (December 2017)
14. *Honestly* feel 100% confident in a bikini.
15. Plan an epic 31^st birthday party. This will be my “golden birthday” and it seems so much more unique than a 30^th birthday celebration. Plus, something to look forward to if I’m being weird about turning another year older. (I never used to be weird about getting older, but something about pushing 30 and still feeling like a teenager is slightly terrifying.)
16. Find a dentist in Chicago (My appointment is in two weeks…)
17. Find a new doctor in Chicago
18. Find a hair salon in Chicago (Oh, the money I would save…) (January 2019)
19. Get a gate analysis and expertly fitted for new running shoes. (And subsequently find out if running is ever in my future again… Fingers crossed.)

Home (2.5/5)

1. Print and frame at least one of my own travel photos
2. Finish the gallery wall in my living room and <>get the room photographed
3. Do something with my bathroom and publish it on the blog
4. Get my desk area organized once and for all (January 2019)
5. Get a storage unit once one opens up in my building (April 2018)

Just for Fun (5/14)

1. Get a lemon tree
2. Go bowling (a few times…)
3. Play mini golf
4. Take a tennis lesson
5. Take golf lessons… Haven’t touched my old clubs for at least a decade, pretty sure my parents have gotten rid of them by now.
6. Go ice skating
7. Go to a show at Second City (November 2017)
8. Go to another comedy show in New York
9. Send 5 “just because” gifts
10. Leave a 100% tip for great service
11. Buy a table of strangers dinner anonymously
12. Learn how to cook a turkey
13. Ride on the back of a Vespa in Paris
14. Take another surf lesson (September 2018)
15. Re-read the Harry Potter series
16. Go skiing again… It’s been a few years now! (December 2018)
17. Read 20 books. (Excluding HP)
18. Treat myself to a full spa day… Massage, facial, the works.
19. Take a Tracy Anderson class
20. Take Hollyn (my niece) on a girls trip.
21. Find my ‘daybooks’ we had to keep in AP English Senior Year of HS
22. Learn how to drive a stick again (haven’t tried since I learned when I was 15…)
23. Get rid of 100 things (Spring 2018)
24. Learn how to tie a tie

Confidential, Financial, or Extra Personal (2/22)

I’ve got these on a list of my own!

What’s on your list of things to accomplish in the next just-about-three years?!

I’m kicking off this year’s 25 Days of Gift Guides just like I do every year, with my personal (ridiculous) wish list for the season! To be honest, I really don’t want anything this year, but I’m a list person and it’s always fun to put together an extravagant list of hypothetical gifts. I share a lot of my wish list each week in my Friday Finds series, but here’s a look at the list I’m sending to the North Pole!

1. Leopard Boots | 2. Pink Handbag | 3. Gucci Loafers | 4. Black & White Sunglasses | 5. Pink Gloves | 6. Gucci Bloom Fragrance | 7. Kate Spade Socks | 8. Red Pea Coat | 9. Rose Gold Mini Bag | 10. Striped Sunglasses | 11. Pink Gucci Clutch | 12. Leopard Loafers | 13. Très Chic Scarf | 14. SHE Coffee Table Book | 15. Velvet Bow Pumps

In addition to the collage, here’s what I’ve got my eyes on…

1. I haven’t even smelled this new Tom Ford fragrance, but I’m obsessed. I need it sitting on my vanity ASAP! #ChicAF

2. I have a weak spot for Gucci sunglasses. Want. Them. All.

3. Pining for these suede booties! How cute would they be in Aspen?!

4. I want this velvet hair bow in every color. And the embellished one, too!

5. And these velvet sneaker with ribbon laces! And the plaid ones, too. And maybe the glitter pair, just so I’ve got my bases covered.

Thanks, Santa!!

2017 // Twenty Five Days of Gift Guides

#1: Jessica’s Wish List | #2: The Jet-Setter | #3: Rosé All Day | #4: Hostess Gifts | #5: For the Francophile | #6: Fitness Fanatic | #7: Make It Monogrammed | #8: For the New Yorker | #9: Cocktail Connoisseur | #10: Gifts for the Guys

Be sure to check out The Holiday Shop, where you can filter gifts by both recipient and dollar amount! (I’ll be adding lots more products in the coming days and weeks, FYI.) If you need to reference back, you can always find all of my gift guides here!