The End!

Finish date: November 26, 2016
Total items completed: 60

Today marks the end of my 101 in 1001 journey.  I was not able to complete all 101 items, but I am proud and grateful to have completed the items that I did complete.  Here are the highlights:

Participating in a Color Run with my mom - May 2014

Getting back into the sport of swimming in 2014 (pictured winning my age group in 2016)

                                     

Completing an obstacle race in 2016

Adopting my cat, Sabrina, in December of 2014

Finding my wedding dress! October 2016

Seeing a show at the Grand Ole Opry in April 2016

Going on a hot air balloon ride in February 2014

Going skiing for the first time in February of 2016

While I was not able to check everything off of my list, I am so happy to have checked off the items I listed above.  Had you asked me almost three years ago, I would not have believed that I was capable (and able to!) achieve these things.  To me, it was always a list of things that I wanted to do.  Now, however, over half of them are fond memories that I will cherish forever.  

Things on my list that I still want to complete:

1. Paying off the credit card.  Oh, finances. This is a major goal that my fiancé is helping me prioritize and improve.  

2. Visit another country.  Luckily this is getting closer to becoming a reality!  We are currently planning our honeymoon. We will be going to Europe in 2017!

3. Learn how to french braid my own hair.  One of these days I will be able to do this!

4. Experience a white birthday or Christmas.  My family has talked about spending Christmas in NYC.  Hopefully this will happen!

5. See the Colts play in Indianapolis.  The fiancé is totally getting dragged to a game within the next few years!

Thank you to my wonderful family, fiancé, and friends for supporting me on this journey!  I could not have done these things without your support!  I love you all.

~Heather

Wedding Dress

59. Try on a wedding dress.

I admit, I added this item to my list because I had hoped to be married (or engaged) before the end of my 101 in 1001.  It's now true!  I have a wedding date set and am in the middle of planning our wedding.

The first wedding dress that I tried on was my mother's wedding dress.  As beautiful as the lace train was, my swimmer's shoulders could not move in the sleeves.  I knew that I would need to find a different dress to wear.

My mom's dress.

I took my mom, my matron of honor, and one of my bridesmaids with me to a local wedding dress boutique around the end of October.  By the end of the appointment, eyes were teary and we were almost positive that I had found my dress.  After visiting another nearby bridal store, we quickly returned so I could say yes to my dress.

I am very excited to wear my dress in June of 2017.

Items completed: 60

Professional Photos

67. Have professional photos taken.

Getting engaged is a great excuse to have professional photos taken.  My fiancé and I knew that we did not want to spend a ton of money on engagement photos in Arizona, especially when we would have additional "engagement" photos taken in New York before our wedding.

Luckily, my matron of honor's husband's hobby is taking photos.  He graciously agreed to take a few pictures of us on a warm November evening.  At first, my fiancé was not excited about taking the photos, but he wound up having a great time.  Thank goodness for wonderful (and talented!) friends.

Items completed: 59

No More Soda and Fast Food

57. Give up soda for six months.

Growing up, I frequently drank soda.  Soda is how I survived college.  Now that I've discovered my love for salted caramel mochas at Starbucks, I rarely drink Coca Cola.

However, giving up soda completely for six months was more difficult than I thought it would be.

I had several strong cravings for a fountain drink throughout the summer months.  Luckily, I was able to avoid the fast food restaurants and stay soda free for six months.  Now that I have completed this challenge, I will occasionally grab a soda on my way home from work.  I do not think that this will become a habit, though.  

Items completed: 57


79. Stay away from fast food for at least two weeks.

Cooking is not one of my best skills.  When I lived alone, I would grab fast food for dinner at least once a week.  Now that my fiancé and I live together, we prepare meals together at home every night.

Because of this, I do not have a specific set of weeks in mind for this list item.  I'm pretty sure that we have avoided fast food for several weeks over the past six months.  

Items completed: 58

Jane Austen's Novels

41. Read all of Jane Austen's novels.

After reading Pride and Prejudice in high school, I purchased the complete works of Jane Austen. I didn't pick it up until this summer.

Jane Austen wrote seven novels.  I will discuss each one briefly in order from least favorite to favorite.

7. Lady Susan

Instead of following a traditional format, Lady Susan is told in a series of letters.  It focuses on a woman named Susan whose only goal is to make a younger man fall in love with her.  Susan is a rare Austen character because she is not a likable character.  Her story was interesting but definitely not my favorite.

6. Mansfield Park

Fanny, the main character of the novel, is a very endearing character.  Born to a poor family, she is raised by her wealthy aunt and uncle.  She falls in love with one of the only characters who treats her well, her cousin Edmund.  Again, this was an interesting book, but it was not my favorite Austen novel.

5. Sense and Sensibility

After her husband dies, Mrs. Dashwood and her three daughters are forced to live in a small cottage in the country.  Her oldest daughters, Elinor and Marianne, face several obstacles on their way to finding love.  While I liked reading about Elinor in particular, I thought the ending of the book was a bit rushed.

4. Persuasion

Anne falls in love with Wentworth but is forced to turn down his proposal because her family does not approve of his lowly status.  Years later, a chance encounter gives them a second chance at love.  I think Captain Wentworth is one of my favorite Austen male characters.  His letter at the end of the book was powerful and memorable.

3. Emma 

The title character believes that she is a good matchmaker and does her best to find her friend a good husband. Naturally, things do not go according to plan.  I wanted to hit Emma over the head with my book at a few points in the novel, but I found her more relatable than other Austen characters because she is confident that she knows what she wants in life.  Naturally, she is not right about this.

2. Northanger Abbey

I was a bit surprised at how much I enjoyed this book.  Catherine, a lover of Gothic novels, gets invited to stay at Northanger Abbey.  Because of her love of novels, she expects to find mystery and adventure at every turn, especially after hearing about a mysterious death.  I actually laughed out loud in places when reading this one.

1. Pride and Prejudice

I purposely read this book last because I knew it would still be my favorite.  I love seeing how Elizabeth Bennet's perception of Mr. Darcy changes over the course of the story.  Lizzie Bennet is certainly one of Austen's most outspoken female characters.  I love that.

Items completed: 56

Terrain Race Adventures and the Street Fair

20. Run an obstacle race.

Two years ago, I participated in a color run. I think that's the last time that I ran a 5k.  When my boyfriend told me about the Terrain Race, I hesitated before I signed up.  I knew that it would fulfill the obstacle race on my list, but I wasn't sure if I was fit enough to complete the course.  Unfortunately, none of the obstacles involved swimming.

When we arrived at the race site, I was expecting to see a starting line that I was able to stand in front of prior to beginning the race.  Instead, I saw an above ground pool.  We began the race wet from the waist down.  It was an interesting experience.

Our team faced 20 obstacles spread out across 3 miles.  Surprisingly, the most difficult part for me was the actual running.  I was able to scale retaining walls, climb over cargo nets, use a rope and small built-in stepping blocks to climb a wall, and crawl through a few mud pits.  I only had to skip the monkey bar obstacle.  Thanks to all of the swimming I do, my shoulders do not like to support my weight.

The teamwork that my friends and other contestants displayed made the race worthwhile and fun.  Everyone was willing to lend a hand with an obstacle and several people offered encouraging words when needed.  The one part that seemed to make several people uneasy (myself included) was the fire pole.  The pole was a bit too far away from the structure, which caused many of us to hesitate before making our way down the pole.

The final obstacle.

 Our team had a Scottish theme, hence the kilt. 

We were rewarded with a free beer when we finished the race.   I think it took us about 60-70 minutes to complete the entire course.

81. Visit the street fair downtown.

I grew up in the northwest part of Tucson, so I did not get to explore the downtown part of Tucson until recently.  The street fair, which takes place twice a year, has been an item on my to-do list for quite some time.  Luckily, my boyfriend and I were able to go this past spring.

We enjoyed seeing the wide variety of items for sale as we walked along the rows of shops.  Although we did not buy anything except lunch and ice cream, I am glad that we went.  I am hoping to go again this winter.


Items completed: 55

Adventures in Nashville

2. Visit Nashville, TN and sit in on the Bobby Bones Show see a show at the Grand Ole Opry.

I am a huge country music fan.  Visiting the Bobby Bones radio show was the original goal on my list, but when I emailed the show, they said that was not going to be possible.  :(

Instead, as my boyfriend and I planned our visit to Nashville, I decided to get us tickets to see a show at the Grand Ole Opry.  I'm pretty sure that this is a must for country music fans who visit Nashville.

We purchased seats in the mezzanine section.  Looking back, I think it was the right decision. We had an unobstructed view of the entire stage.  During the two hour show, we got to hear music from Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, Phil Vassar, Point of Grace, David Nail (one of my favorites!), Bill Anderson, Pam Tillis, Jerrod Niemann, and Lee Brice.

David Nail

Lee Brice

 A few weeks after we purchased our tickets, I learned that The Property Brothers were going to be signing copies of their EP after the show.  Their show on HGTV is one of my favorites, so waiting in line for almost an hour to meet them was definitely worth it.

I was able to get one of the 100 copies of the CD!

This was definitely a night (and a trip) that I will never forget.

Items completed: 53