The Good Year Project.

I was reading some blogs recently and I saw a friend of mine's idea to have a list of things to accomplish by the year 2010.  She gave herself two and a half years to do what she set out to do, and for the most part, she was successful.

That got me thinking.

Over the past couple of years, I have been very unsatisfied when I reflected on what I did and how I lived in the year previous.  I'm tired of feeling that way at the start of a new year.  So, inspired by my friend's list, I decided to make a list of the things that I knew would bring pleasure, accomplishment, and vivacity to my year.

I wanted them to be things that were concrete; things that I could know with certainty I had done.  I want to be able to put a date and event with each item.  These are things that I already wanted to do.  I am just giving myself a challenge: enjoy your life this year, and document it so that you will have proof that 2011 was a good year.

So, without further ado...

The Good Year Project
1. Visit a new state.
2. Go on a vacation.
3. Eat at 5 restaurants in Raleigh I've never visited before (and that are NOT chains).
4. Try 5 new foods.
     -Edamame - tried on Saturday, March 12.  Loved it.
5. Read 5 classics I've never read.
    -Shirley by Charlotte Brontë: finished March 4, 2011.  A truly wonderful novel.
6. Go one month eating no fast food. Done! The last day I ate fast food was February 28, 2011, and still going strong.
7. Go one month drinking no soda. Done! The last day I had soda was February 28, 2011.
8. Choose a Saturday and go to a park and hang out with Rob all day.
9. Paint 2 rooms in our house.
10. Read 2 C.S. Lewis books I've never read.
11. Reestablish $1,000 Emergency Fund.
12. Buy myself something I've always wanted.
13. Give to a charity.
14. Renew an old friendship.
15. Give up Facebook for 2 weeks.
16. Explore a new, random place.
17. Read the Bible through.
18. Write a short story or start a novel.
19. Cook a new recipe once a month - something challenging.
         -March 31: Cooked Coq Au Vin. Was delicious.
20. Paint something on a large canvas and hang it in our home.
21. Make a new friend.
22. Ride a train.
23. Go visit a friend who lives far away.
24. Be a tourist in Raleigh for a weekend.
25. Buy myself a great, timeless accessory.
26. Wear red lipstick fearlessly for one day.
27. Get my passport.
28. Go a week watching no television or videos.
29. Go out to eat or on an outing with each member of my immediate family separately.
30. Turn my spare room into a functional guest room.
31. Find something really cool and unique in an antique store and display it in my home.
32. Cook a lobster.
33. Give a gift anonymously.
34. Clean up a hoarded house.
35. Go on a day trip by myself.
36. Go to the NC Art Museum.
37. Go to at least one concert.
38. Memorize a chapter of Scripture.

There are several other items that are more personal and I'm not comfortable sharing here, at least until I've made some progress in those areas.  

I honestly can't wait to see what unfolds this year.