101 Things Update

I've been steadily making progress on my 101 Things List, but I've been VERY BAD about posting updates... here are my most recent accomplishments (you can see the full list here).

Benefiting Others:
1. Volunteer my time for something I’m passionate about. (Update: Contacted & set-up volunteering at my old school – I can’t wait to start!)
5. 5 random acts of kindness without recognition. (In Progress: 3/5)

Benefiting Myself:
7. Drink 30 to 60 ounces of water a day for 30 days. (Completed 6/25/2008)
8. Work out 3 times a week for 4 consecutive weeks. (Completed 6/30/2008)
12. Floss everyday. (In Progress: 11/06/2007)

Writing:
14. Write to encourage support for a cause that I’m passionate about. (Completed: 4/9/2008)
16. Send Holiday Cards to my family & friends. (Completed: 12/15/2007)
18. Send 2 "just because" letters to a friend or family member. (In Progress: 1/2)
20. Keep a dream diary. (In Progress: 12/07/2007)
21. Learn calligraphy. (In Progress: Found a great deal on a calligraphy pen… Mom, I need you for the next step!)

Travel & Destination:
41. Go to a live sporting event. (Completed: 07/04/2008)

Local:
47. Learn to identify 10 local plants, animals, or insects. (Completed: 05/2008)

Technology:
72. Avoid watching TV for 14 days. (Completed: 06/01/2008)
73. Avoid the Internet for 3 days. (Completed: 05/20/2008)
75. Watch 5 documentaries. (In Progress: 3/5)
76. Spend one whole day just watching movies. (Completed: 05/10/2008)

Financial:
79. Record total amount of money spend on food for a month. (Completed: 04/30/08)

My House:
83. Finish painting bedrooms & bathrooms. (In Progress: 1/3)

General:
89. See Fireworks! (Completed 07/04/2008)
90. Vote!! (Completed - 1/29/08, 08/15/2008)
93. Purge 100 unuseful items. (In Progress: 24/100)

#52. Attend the Butterfly Festival

The Task: Attend Tree Hill Nature Center’s Annual Butterfly Festival.

Progress: Completed on April 26, 2008 when we attended the 7th Annual Butterfly Festival at Tree Hill Nature Center.

"April is Florida Butterfly & Butterfly Gardening Month. Tree Hill mascot, Bella Butterfly, invites you to celebrate Tree Hill style Saturday, April 26, 2008 at the nature center's 7th Annual Butterfly Festival. The festival features a butterfly exhibit, games and activities for children, live entertainment, special lecturers, food and much more. Guests are encouraged to roam the trails, learn more about butterfly gardening and the environment from local experts, and shop at the Monarch Mall where vendors showcase everything from native plants to yard art and jewelry. The event culminates with nature's fireworks - a live native butterfly release. This year's event commemorates Tree Hill's 37th anniversary as Jacksonville's Nature Center and is the premier butterfly festival of Northeast Florida. Over 4,000 nature enthusiasts enjoyed last year's butterfly festival. Tree Hill Nature Center is home to 50 acres of trails, a Florida Natural History Museum, butterfly and hummingbird gardens and native animals. For over three decades, it has provided the best in environmental and energy education to our community. Tree Hill is a frequent stop for school field trips, Scout troops and families just looking to take a walk in the woods."

We arrived just in time to catch the end of 'Poetry Rocks'.
After which we wandered the grounds for a while.

The Butterfly House was probably the most popular attraction.

The bubble machine was a close second!!

Monarch Mall was very informative...
it got me excited about Butterfly Gardening again!!

The Wildlife Rescue Coalition was there too.

This little skunk was raised on a fur farm where he was bred to have these rather exotic colors. Since his scent glands have been removed, he'd have no protection in the wild & can't be re-released. When the farm was closed he went to live with a family, but ultimately that didn't work out. He ended up with the Wildlife Rescue Coalition.

The Jacksonville Shell Club was there too.
(Who knew Jacksonville had a shell club?)

Jax Beach Seafood offered such edible delicacies as gator & frog legs...

We also saw Bella Butterfly, the mascot, over at the Puddlin' Pond...

her wings far outshine my own.

We walked the nature trails that were open
(unfortunately the main facility was closed during the festival).

We happened upon this turtle (tortoise?) along the way.

More sights from the 'Florida-friendly' trail...





Notice the banana tree bloom above!

Overall, it was a fun afternoon! We didn't actually end up staying for "nature's fireworks" (i.e. the butterfly release). We were hungry and had a couple hours before it began. We decided to chalk it up to a lesson learned & vowed to plan our trip around the release next year!

You can see all the progress I've made on my '101 Things in 1001 Days List' here.

Donor's Choose

This is up there on my list of worthy causes. I know the struggles of being responsible for preparing meaningful lessons on a daily basis while in the post-NCLB classroom. Unless you're in a "F" school (& sometimes even when you are) materials are often out of reach due to finances. This has been my personal experience, anyhow...

Teachers are then left with options:
#1. Pay for the supplies out of their pocket.
#2. Master the skill of writing grants in their "free time" & hope for funding... often times waiting for months.
#3. Forgo the materials & do without... possibly hindering students' learning.

Well, there's a new option out there that not as many people know about. (I must confess that if I were still in the classroom, I would be tempted to hoard this nugget of information without sharing).

DonorsChoose.org allows teachers to sign up & request their most needed supplies. Then donors browse through projects & decide which ones they'd like to donate to. You can search for local schools or you can search for particular categories (narrowing it down by things like... grade level, academic subject, poverty level, special education, technology, etc).

I was *highly disappointed* when I could not find ANY schools near Jacksonville on the website, & I immediately set out contacting my old teaching buddies! IF YOU'RE A TEACHER, GET UP THERE!! If you know a teacher, tell them about it!

You may also consider donating... it's quite a seamless system. Following a donation, you receive a thank you packet from both the organization & the teacher/students! It details exactly how your donation was spent & it's impact on the class... all information is verified from the bottom-up.... by the teacher, the school, Donor's Choose, & the government (where necessary). They send the teacher the requested supplies (i.e. not the check) so you know the money is being used as intended.

Since I didn't find anyone local, I decided to try to find a classroom similar to my own. I found a Kindergarten class that sounded somewhat similar to my methodologies. I got a lovely letter in response from the teacher & check out the response from a couple of the kids below... the entire class wrote us (& it wasn't photocopies of the kids' writing... those were real pencil smudges!)

#91. Five Date Nights

The Task: Have 5 date nights not attached to a birthday, anniversary, holiday, etc.

Progress: Completed 1/5 on March 10, 2008 when we went out for a traditional dinner & movie. Tim turned to me at 7:45 p.m. & said, "Want to go out tonight?" I was pleasantly surprised & agreed on the spot. We weren't sure what movies were playing, but we decided on 10,000 BC. It was good! Tim promptly tried to verify every fact when got home to see just how accurate it was. He's had history coming out his ears lately...by choice! :o)

You can see all the progress I've made on my '101 Things in 1001 Days' list here.

#40. Go to a comedy event.

The Task: Go to a comedy event.

Progress: Completed on 2/16/08. Tim & I celebrated my sister's birthday in style this year.... it just so happens that Demetri Martin & Kyle Cease preformed locally on her birthday. The show was general admission & despite arriving a little early, the line was already backed up about a quarter-mile. When we got into the arena, we found almost no one sitting in some of the best seats... because they were bleachers instead of cushioned chairs. We decided to tough it out on the bleachers & ended up with the perfect, center-stage view!!

Kyle Cease opened the show... before tonight I knew him only as 'Bogie Lowenstein' in 10 Things I Hate About You (one of my *most* favorite movies...yes, still, to this day... the world would be a better place if everyone shared my penchant for cheesy movies!) but he's actually got several other credits to his name as well. Kyle came on stage with lots of spunk, played the crowd like a pro & got a standing ovation! Despite being the opener, he was the crowd favorite!

Please Note: Contains language that may not be acceptable for children.

The Headliner was Demetri Martin & we've watched him for a while now on Comedy Central so we were pretty excited. In addition to stand-up specials, he's also a Correspondent on The Daily Show (& he supposedly has his own show premiering later this year). Demetri's demeanor is a little more reserved than Kyle so the crowd wasn't quite as pumped... but he made up for it!! His stand-up is usually pretty musical... he brings along the guitar, harmonica & keyboard! He's also known for the 'Large Pad'. Demetri didn't disappoint tonight... we were in stiches!!!



Neither Tim nor I had ever been to a live comedy show & didn't entirely know what to expect... but it turns out this show was worth seeing & we'd definitely be open to going to another!! :o)

See the original '101 Things in 1001 Days' list here.

#90. VOTE!!

The Task: VOTE!!

Progress: I registered in my new county on 11/6/07 & received my card on 11/25/07. I've always been an absentee-ballot-voter (stemming back to when I was away at college but still registered at my permanent address). Elliot would request the absentee ballots for me & they would *magically* show up about a month before the election. How could I not vote?! It literally gave me no excuse. Now, however, that civic duty rests on my shoulders alone. And believe me, in my family, I feel the pressure - you're talking to the daughter of a man who might as well have have his local politicians on speed dial... his voice is heard that much! So after some prodding from my mom, I got around to requesting my absentee ballots on 01/26/08.... too late for the FL Primary :o(

This means that I still had to brave my local designated polling place today, something I try to avoid at all costs. I was finally confronted with one of those new-fangled touch screens. The good news is it wasn't that busy... & I'm already signed up for absentee ballots for every election through 2010 so I won't have to deal with this hassle again for a long, long time! Yea for absentee ballots!! Since everything is lined up for me to vote effortlessly in all upcoming elections, task considered complete.

You can see all the progress I've made on my '101 Things in 1001 Days' list here.

#67. Acquire 10 Books (Worthy of Keeping)

The task: Acquire 10 books (worthy of keeping) for my library.

Progress: 3 new books have been added to the shelf. All keepers.

• The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
  by Betty Edwards
  
  
  

• The Little Prince
  by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
  
  

• Fish Tales
  
  by Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul, John Christensen & Philip Strand
  

  
  

  
  

  You can see all the progress I've made on my '101 Things in 1001 Days' list here.

#74. Watch Every Episode of Friends

The Task: Watch every episode of Friends… in order.

Progress: I've currently watched the first 12 of 234 episodes.

Episodes Watched:

1. The Pilot
   
2. The One with the Sonogram at the End
   
3. The One with the Thumb
   
4. The One with George Stephanopoulos
   
5. The One with the East German Laundry Detergent
6. The One with the Butt
7. The One with the Blackout
8. The One where Nana Dies Twice
9. The One where Underdog Gets Away
10. The One with the Monkey
11. The One with Mrs. Bing
12. The One with a Dozen Lasagnas

You can see all the progress I've made on my '101 Things in 1001 Days' list here.

#96. Talk with Someone I Haven't...

The Task: Talk to someone I haven't talked to in at least 6 months.

Progress: This one is definitely complete! I talked to a childhood friend of mine on 12/23/07. I hadn't talked to 'em since my first year of college so it was great to catch up!! Since then I've reconnected with another handful of friends that I haven't talked to in years!! F-U-N!

You can see all the progress I've made on my '101 Things in 1001 Days' list here.

#16. Send Holiday Cards to Family & Friends

The Task: Send Holiday Cards to my Family & Friends.

Progress: Task completed as of Thanksgiving & Christmas 2007.

You can see all the progress I've made on my '101 Things in 1001 Days' list here.

#20. Keep a Dream Diary

The Task: Keep a dream diary.

Progress: Designed, printed, & bound my dream diary on 12/07/2007. My main goal is to record dreams immediately after I wake up so I can best remember what happened (I'm keeping the journal by my bedside to make that possible). I don't plan to be able to completely answer every question on every page, instead I'll fill in what I remember from each dream. I'm really interested to see if any patterns develop...


Entry criteria includes:

• Date & Time of Day Dream Occurred
  
• Dream Events (as sequentially as possible)
  
• Dream Characters
• Dream Settings
• Overall Themes
• Overall Feelings
• Recurring events, characters, settings, themes, or feelings?
  
• Did you see color?
  

You can see all the progress I've made on my '101 Things in 1001 Days' list here.

#5. Random Acts of Kindness

The Task: Complete 5 random acts of kindness without recognition.

Progress: I completed the first of these 5 random acts of kindness on 12/06/2007. I can't tell you what I did though... that would be recognition, silly!

Update: Complete the second act on 2/10/2008.

You can see all the progress I've made on my '101 Things in 1001 Days' list here.

#82. Finish the flower beds/backyard.

The Task: Finish the flower beds/backyard.

Progress: We mulched & put border stones around our flowerbeds in November of 2007. Our *trusty* truck carried about 7 yards of mulch (obviously in different trips). With just one load to go, Tim pulled his back out & I got a quick lesson on the male species! I've learned before, when men are sick they need some extra patience & TLC. I thought the same would be true for an injury... apparently this is not the case. After grimacing for a few minutes, Tim suddenly became superman & despite my warnings, he wanted to get the rest of the mulch out immediately... & without any regard to pain. He paid dearly for it later. Anyhow, we consider it finished... at least until Spring.

You can see all the progress I've made on my '101 Things in 1001 Days' list here.

#39. Go to a parade, carnival, or fair.

I am *very, very* excited to complete
my first task from my '101 Things in 1001 Days' list...

Tim & I ventured out to the fair this evening for a fun-filled night.

I have very fond memories of the fair, & not just because I like to be spun, flipped, and tossled on the rides. No matter where I live, it always seems to come to town around my birthday!! My last visit was my senior year of high school. Tim had never actually been to a fair. We were long overdue!!!

The Fair, part 2

The fair is not all rides & games...
we checked out the plant section while we were there too!


Our friend Bobbie entered a bunch of plants to be judged.


She won several ribbons and 2 merits
(merits are equivalent to 'Best in Show' for each category).


Go Bobbie!!!

This plant is a 'Pitcher Plant' & it's related to the Venus Fly trap. It's a carnivorous plant that uses it's 'pitcher' design to trap liquid, which in turn attracts bugs. When the bugs fly in to get a drink...they get stuck! The bug is dissolved in the liquid & it's nutrients are absorbed by the plant. How fascinating!

This plant above won the merit for Bonsai trees.
The one below, however, is my personal favorite.




I don't think I had ever seen a pineapple still on the tree.

Update: Apparently I had some of these in my yard growing up & simply forgot...my mom reminded me! :o)


This lemon won a merit for Bobbie!


Tim & I got to watch these bananas grow
on the tree before they were cut...