101 in 1001

I know it’s not Thursday, but here’s some early randomness for ya: Lately, it seems that I have been blogging the same ol same ol; Thread on Thursday, and my latest session sneak peeks, but nothing more, nothing less… hmmmph. One of my goals for this year is to blog more; to let you know more about me, because I think it is really important to put a person behind the business and create a sense of familiarity when you stop over and visit my little slice of the internet. Kind of like Cheers, without the beer of course. When it gets crazy, the ‘extra’ stuff tends to slide to the back burner and it’s all I can do to get the must-have stuff done. But I am on a mission to get better with my schedule, pre-planning, and making time for more of the not-so-usual-and-expected stuff {both personal and professional}.

So I am making a list. Big list. I have seen many photographers and bloggers in general challenge themselves with a 101 in 1001 list — a set of 101 goals/dreams/to-do’s to accomplish in 1001 days {that’s nearly 3 years, folks!}. It’s not really a bucket list, though I suppose one could {and probably should} include some of those items on the list; it’s a compilation of all sorts of to-do’s. I think it is a super way of holding yourself accountable and seeing how your hopes and desires come true, change, and even fall to the wayside. I am a big list maker, so this idea really makes me giddy and I think I am going to go for it, just to see what happens 🙂 And to add an extra element of excitement and motivation to this 101 in 1001 venture, that deadline {Wednesday, October 29, 2014} falls a few weeks before I turn the big 3-0 {gah!}. What better way to kick off the next decade of my life, right? So here we go…101 things to do in 1001 days:

In the order that they came to me…

1. Sleep on average 7 hours a night. Successfully accomplishing since 10/2012! Then not so much in 2014 🙁
2. Babysit my nephew for an entire weekend.
3. Launch new website. Completed 1/2013
4. Update blog. Completed 5/10/2012
5. Create client survey; send to each client within 1 week of their shoot.
6. Go back to Spain.
7. Visit Canada.
8. Continue with our ‘One international, one domestic’ trip goal each year. Went to AZ and MA!
9. Paint the whole house. Done!
10. Finish The Lover’s Dictionary. Completed 2/15/2012
11. Read Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang.
12. Read Everything is Illuminated.
13. Go to church regularly. Ongoing; officially joined 10/2013
14. Visit with family more. Ongoing; 2/11/2012
15. Photograph a charitable event or cause.
16. Have published work on Style Me Pretty. Completed 10/25/2012!!
17. Build my vendor connections.
18. Do 5 styled shoots a year. 1 down; 4 to go!
19. Get in a routine and stick to it.
20. Sign up for yoga. Done! And then I got preggo….
21. Buy our food from the local farmer’s market each week. Kind of, we have it delivered!
22. Build strong industry relationships.
23. Be featured on a local wedding blog.
24. Meet Jasmine Star. Done! 2/29/2012
25. Buy a 35mm lens. Completed 4/5/2012
26. Buy a 70-200mm lens. Done! Kind of, bought the 24-70 instead!
27. Buy another 5DMII OR the 5DMIII. Completed 9/2013
28. Learn the heck out of Lightroom. Done!
29. Travel to Napa.
30. Take a girls trip with my mom and sister.
31. Go to a concert.
32. Comment on other photographers’ blogs. Ongoing!
33. Invite an inspiring photographer for coffee; brain picking. Completed 4/10/2012
34. Work out on a routine basis. Ongoing — super proud! 5x week
35. Go skiing.
36. Grow our little family. Happily completed 6/29/2013…and again 1/2015!
37. Go to a Tech football game each year.
38. Organize my office. Completed 5/24/2012
39. Work on packaging and branding materials. Done as of 6/19/2012
40. Order sample albums of my work. Done! 8/2012
41. Attend WPPI.
42. Go on a road trip. Done! Arizona 2014
43. Buy a Kelly Moore Classic bag. Got it!; 3/6/2012
44. Get a massage. Done x6 2012
45. Go on a hike. Done! Arizona 2014
46. Get head shots taken.
47. Visit Enchanted Rock. Done! Jan 2014
48. Go to the Zoo. 2/17/2012 and 12/23/2012!
49. Read a book in Spanish.
50. Photograph my friends.
51. Photograph my mom. Completed 9/3/2012
52. Buy a new pair of shoes. Completed 2/1/2012 per #84
53. Second shoot a wedding for free.
54. Photograph a destination wedding.
55. Take a trip to Seattle. Done! 6/7-6/10/2012
56. Donate to a cause. Completed x3!
57. Cook a traditional Spanish dinner for friends.
58. Make my own bread.
59. Take a day off. Per week. Yes! Already on the calendar for 2013 🙂
60. Sing karaoke.
61. Go horseback riding with the hubs.
62. Take the dogs to the Grand Canyon. Done! Kind of….we went Arizona 2014
63. Go back to not drinking soda. Done!
64. Visit Smalls in CA.
65. Visit Lindsey in Chicago.
66. Photograph my great grandmother.
67. Finish decorating our bedroom. Done! Completed 6/6/2012
68. Landscape our backyard. Done; it’s as good as it’s gonna get
69. Create and implement an electronic contract form.
70. Outsource my editing.
71. Outsource my album design. Done! 
72. Go to a local museum. Done! With my sis Oct 2014
73. Call people for their birthday instead of text/Facebook. Ongoing!
74. Update Illustrator. Done, Summer 2012
75. Launch a page for my photo-related cards and designs. Update–decided to nix this venture.
76. Feature industry vendors on the blog. Completed & Ongoing
77. Eat at Tiny Boxwoods. Completed 2/16/2012
78. Do an unconventional bridal shoot. Completed 3/2012
79. Have a family photo taken. Officially scheduled for April 2013!
80. Get business stationery made. Done! May 2012
81. Write more thank-you notes. Done — having a baby will give you lots of reasons!
82. Have a photo published in print.
83. Buy a new pair of jeans. Bought 3…post baby…eek.
84. Buy another pair of TOMS. Completed x2 on 2/1/2012
85. Pet an elephant.
86. Buy a new car. Completed 4/26/2012 — yippee!
87. Read a business/marketing book.
88. Get a photo with someone famous.
89. Buy someone a gift just because. Completed August 2012 for Jo + Linds
90. Lose 100lbs. Okay maybe not that much…
91. Send someone flowers. Done! Sent some to my friend Rach
92. Go back to New Orleans.
93. Take a class.
94. Go to a book signing. Completed 10/2012 with Rachel Ashwell 🙂
95. Have a garage sale. Done! 10/2012
96. Volunteer.
97. Go back to Round Top. Went 10/2012, 4/2013, 10/2013! 4/2014, 10/2014!
98. Visit my childhood home.
99. Take a train ride.
100. File all of the loose paperwork in the house, or throw it away.
101. Learn how to write calligraphy.

I will track my progress through updates on this list, so feel free to check back and see how good, or bad, I am doing!