Time Offline

94. Spend 48 consecutive hours offline.

It is difficult to escape social media in today's society.  I have moments where it is difficult to resist the urge to check my phone.  There is always something to check: texts, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and fantasy football scores. (There will be a post about fantasy football once the season ends.)

Recently, my family took a four-day cruise to California and Mexico.  By the time we left the coast, I lost cell reception and was only able to use my phone's camera for two full days.  

In a way, escaping this form of technology was freeing.  I didn't have to check Facebook updates, check work emails, and debate about what photos to post on Instagram.  Instead, I was able to spend quality time with my family.  I was also able to fit in some quality reading time. 

Will I go offline again?  Probably, but I doubt that I will be able to stay away from my phone for another 48 consecutive hours.  Thankfully, my vacation forced me to do it this time, and for that, I am grateful.

Items completed: 43

Donations

99. Donate clothes to Goodwill every 6 months for two years.

When it comes to clothes, I buy two things in abundance: cardigans and tank tops.  Therefore, I feel the need to go through my closet a few times a year in order to get rid of clothes that I no longer wear.

I was able to go through my closet on a regular basis over the past two years and donate several clothing items.  This is something that I will continue to do.

Items completed: 42

Chicken Pesto Pizza Deliciousness

71. Make pizza from scratch.

I've always wanted to learn how to cook, but I never did anything about it. Recently, this changed.  I've learned how to cook a variety of things, including chicken pesto pizza.

With a lot of help of my amazing boyfriend, I made dough and pesto from scratch.

We grilled some chicken, added it to the pizza, and ended up with a very tasty final product.  I promise we did not burn it.  

I will definitely be making this pizza again soon.  :)

Items completed: 41

Bon Voyage!

9. Renew my passport.

I got my first passport when I was 16 years old.  I went to France and Spain in high school and somehow came back without a single stamp in my passport. I don't know how I managed that.

My goal is to visit another country (aside from Mexico) and get a stamp in this shiny new passport before the end of my 1001 days.  Fingers crossed.


Items completed: 41

Turning the Television Off

93. Go without TV for one week. 

If you know me, you know that I keep up with several television shows.  I even have an app on my phone that helps me keep track of the episodes that I need to watch.  Until recently, I was up to date on all of my shows.

Then my friend introduced me to the Outlander book series.

I read all eight books this summer.  I devoted almost all of my spare time to reading and turned off my television.  It was nice to focus on reading again; it's been awhile since I have been able to do that.

Items completed: 40

Red Lipstick Isn't For Me

69. Wear red lipstick for an entire day.

This item was a difficult one for me to cross off of my list.  I am not a fan of lipstick in general because it gets everywhere.  I also prefer to wear a light or neutral shade of lip gloss, so wearing a bright red lipstick pushed me out of my comfort zone.

I chose to complete this item on the Fourth of July. What better day is there to wear red lipstick? I sampled two different shades of red and went with the brighter one.

Removing the lipstick at the end of the day was a relief.  I do not think I will continue to wear this particular shade of lipstick.

Items completed: 38

Once an ADPi, Always an ADPi

5. Attend Alpha Delta Pi's Grand Convention.

Copyright alphadeltapi.org

Joining Alpha Delta Pi changed my life.  Being a member of my sorority helped me finally come out of my shell and it also allowed me to meet and become close with so many amazing women.  My college experience would not have been the same without the people I met through this organization.  

Attending Grand Convention, even just for one day, was an amazing experience.  It was like putting on an old comfy sweater.  That's the only way I can describe it.  It's been awhile since I have immersed myself back into my sorority.  It was definitely overdue. 

Here were my 3 favorite things about Grand Convention:

1.  Meeting ADPi sisters (and reuniting with others)

I only spent one afternoon at convention, but I ran into several sisters that I knew while attending college.  I saw former advisers for my chapter, saw into a former leadership consultant, and attended a reunion for my specific college chapter.   

I was also able to talk with quite a few women from other ADPi chapters.  It was so interesting to hear how ADPi has impacted others.

2. ADPi Swag (Yes, I just used the word swag)

If you are in a sorority, chances are you have a closet full of t-shirts and tote bags with your letters on them.  I am no different.  I did, however, freak out when I was handed this gorgeous bag at convention.  You can never have enough tote bags, right?

Speaking of sorority t-shirts, the most dangerous part of convention is the sorority spirit store.  Not only did I wait in line for ten minutes to get inside, but I literally wanted to buy everything.  I don't really wear letters anymore, but I was so tempted to buy one of these shirts with the pockets.  Anything looks amazing with your sorority's letters on them.

I wound up getting a necklace charm with the ADPi crest on a gavel.  A president has to have a charm with a gavel on it.  I think it's a rule.  Believe it or not, this fine piece of jewelry was cheaper than some of the t-shirts that were for sale.

3. Spending the day with one of my Diamond Sisters <>

Attending Grand Convention with one of my little sisters was an unbelievable experience. I do not think that I would have enjoyed my experience at convention as much without Samantha by my side.

Samantha and I have known each other for about seven years now.  Spending the entire day together (car rides and all) helped to reignite the bond that we shared in college.  We are already planning to attend the next Grand Convention.  

I couldn't have asked for a better Grand Convention experience. I can't wait to attend it again in two years.  :)

Items completed: 37

It's Lotto Time!

31. Buy a lottery ticket.  

I've wanted to buy a lottery ticket for years.  The (lame) reason that it's taken me so long? I had no idea what to do in order to get one.  Do you go to the gas station? What do you say? What are the different options?  I had no clue, so I just avoided going.

My dad and I went to the store last night and I finally approached the customer service counter and got a ticket.  Woo!

Will I win?  No.  I don't have good enough luck for that.

I bought a ticket though!  :)


Items completed: 36

101 Inspiring Quotes

42. Make a list of 101 quotes that make me happy and inspire me.

I am obsessed with positive quotes.  If you look around my apartment or classroom, you fill find several motivating sayings on the walls.  

I spent several days looking through quotes that I had saved onto my phone and computer, but coming up with a list of 101 was pretty challenging.  Thankfully, some of my Facebook friends responded to my cry for help and contributed several quotes that I was able to use.

The list can be found here: http://crocchi101in1001.blogspot.com/p/101-quotes.html

Here are my fifteen favorite ones:

• "Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life." - Joseph Addison
• Stay close to anything that makes you glad to be alive.
• Self-confidence is the best outfit. Rock it and own it.
• Life has many different chapters for us. One bad chapter doesn't mean it's the end of the book.
• "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light." - J.K. Rowling
• "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' expectations drown out your own inner voice. And, most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become." - Steve Jobs
• "Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
• "If we are not a little bit uncomfortable every day, we are not growing.  All the good stuff is outside our comfort zone." - Jack Canfield
• "Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you. You just gotta find the ones worth suffering for." - Bob Marley
• "Just keep swimming." - Finding Nemo
• "Dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney
• "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end." - John Lennon
• "Romance novels are birthday cake and life is often peanut butter and jelly. I think everyone should have lots of delicious romance novels lying around for those times when the peanut butter of life gets stuck to the roof of your mouth." - Janet Evanovich
• Life is like a camera. You focus on what's important, capture the good times, develop from the negative, and, if things don't work out, take another shot. 
• If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no. If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place.

I did not write any of the quotes.  If you know the source of one that I did not cite, please let me know.

Items completed: 35

The Wonderful World of Harry Potter

47. Re-read the entire Harry Potter series.

Not pictured: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I couldn't find my copy and borrowed it from my school's library because I'm cool (and cheap) like that.


I grew up reading Harry Potter.  When I was in sixth grade, a friend's sister gave me the first book to read.  I was immediately hooked.

I haven't re-read most of these books in years.  Once the final book came out, I placed them on my bookshelf and moved on.

As I re-read these books, I gained a much deeper appreciation of J.K. Rowling's ingenious plot twists. It was fun to catch all of the foreshadowing included in the earlier books.

My favorite book of the series is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.  This book has been my favorite since I was in the sixth grade.  The book contains dementors, an elusive prisoner, and a werewolf.  What's not to like?  My copy of this book is literally falling apart because I read it frequently when I was younger. 

Another one of my favorites would have to be the final book of the series.  

Rowling's conclusion to the Harry Potter series is flawless.  I have only read this book twice, but I have been brought to tears both times.  The sheer brilliance of the ending is impossible to put into words.  As a reader, I couldn't have asked for a better ending to Harry's story.  

Items completed: 34

Mt. Lemmon Adventures

92. Visit Mt. Lemmon during the winter.

I have lived in Tucson for over 20 years and I can't remember the last time I visited Mt. Lemmon.

 My friend Rachel and I drove up the mountain early Saturday morning.  There was some snow left, but most of it had turned to ice.  We attempted to make a snowman.  This was the best we could do.

It looks more like a bird, doesn't it?

After having some fun in the snow, we visited The Cookie Cabin for a quick bite to eat.  The peanut butter cookie I got was amazing!   I think I will be enjoying it for another couple of days.

Before we left Mt. Lemmon, we decided to see if we could ride the ski lift.  Neither one of us had ever been on a ski lift before, so we were excited to see that the ski lift was running.

There was no line, so once we bought our tickets we were able to get on the lift immediately.  Since we were new to this, we both didn't realize how high we would be until we were already on the lift.

Our nervous faces.

After hearing Luke Bryan music from another rider's phone, I decided to steal their idea.  Luke Bryan's music helped us relax and enjoy the ride.  Unfortunately, most of his songs are about summer, which didn't fit well with the winter weather.  

As we were returning to the bottom of the lift, clouds and fog started to roll in and the temperature dropped a few degrees.  It was 38 degrees out!  I am not used to being outside in that weather.

Once we exited the ski lift we decided to return to Tucson.  Thanks so much for driving, Rachel!  You're the best.  :) 

Items completed: 33

Makeup Makeover

70. Have my makeup professionally done.

I received $100 in gift certificates to Sephora for my birthday and Christmas this year.  I took advantage of this and decided to have my makeup done by a beauty expert at Sephora before I purchased anything.

I usually don't wear too much makeup on a daily basis.  I have never mastered the art of applying eyeliner and I couldn't tell you how to use a brow pencil.  The woman who did my makeup gave me a smoky eye, penciled in my brows, and applied other things to my face that I can't even remember or recognize.

My makeup looked great, but there's no way that I would feel comfortable wearing that much makeup on a daily basis.  I enjoyed getting it done though.  It was a fun experience.

 Please don't judge my Snapchat photo.  It's the only one that turned out well.

With the money I had to spend, I purchased new foundation, concealer, primer, and mascara.  Since I signed up for Sephora's Beauty Insider, I received free lip pencils.  Score!

It was nice ringing in the new year with new makeup.  

Items completed: 32

365 Days Down...

My New Year's Resolution last year was to complete 30 items from my list within the first 365 days.  I accomplished 31.  I am very proud of that.

I think I need to complete another 25 to 30 items off of my list this year in order to stay on track.  This year, however, will be a little more difficult for me.  I crossed off some of the smaller items off this year, which means that the larger and more expensive items still have to be completed.

I also bailed on a couple of my financial items last year.  That can't happen again because I can't complete several items without saving money and budgeting a bit.  I might need to start watching Suze Orman to help with the whole budgeting thing.  It's not one of my strengths.

As always, if you are willing to help me complete an item, please let me know.  Thank you to my wonderful friends and family who helped me in 2014.  You guys rock!

31 items down. 71 to go.

Here's to a fantastic 2015.  Thanks for reading.  :)

Thoughtful Family Gifts

18. Buy something thoughtful for each of my immediate family members (not necessarily a birthday or Christmas gift).

Mom: Framed photographs

I saw the idea of re-creating childhood photos on Facebook in March and knew that it was the perfect Mother's Day gift for my mom.  Luckily, my younger brother was willing to help me out with this.  It took about a month for me to gather the correct clothing and accessories that we would need.  Once we had everything we needed, we distracted my mom and my dad, brother, and I spent the better part of two hours re-creating a few photos in the home I grew up in.  

When my mom opened the framed photos on Mother's Day, she was speechless.  She had never heard of the idea before and absolutely loved what we had done.

Steven: First flight 

My brother made it 24 years without flying on an airplane.  For his 25th birthday, I surprised him with his first plane ticket.  We took a trip to Denver in September, which is described in an earlier blog post.  I think his first flight will be something that he remembers for a long time.

Dad: Antiques

My dad is always the most difficult person for me to shop for.  He hates spending money on himself and doesn't particularly enjoy others buying him expensive things.  I usually get him a gift card to Home Depot or Best Buy, but I wanted to do something different this year for his Christmas gift.  

My dad has a small collection of antique tricycles that he displays on a shelf in my parents' home.  I found a small tricycle that I thought would be a nice addition to his collection on eBay.  

I wound up buying one that blended right in with the ones he already owned, which worked out perfectly.

The second item I found for my dad was an advertisement for a 1927 Studebaker.  My dad has a 1927 Studebaker in his garage, so I was very excited when I found this.  Thank goodness for eBay.  

Although the advertisement is for a slightly different model than the car my dad owns, he was still surprised and excited to receive the advertisement.


Note: Learning how to take better pictures is still an item I need to cross off of my list.  I didn't notice how crooked most of the pictures were.  Oops!

Items completed: 31