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

Giving Back

101. Donate at least ten dollars to twelve different charities in twelve months.

I know the holidays are near when I hear the ringing bells of the Salvation Army volunteers.  I almost always donate a few dollars here and there to a few organizations during the holidays, but I rarely donate throughout the year.  That needed to change.

When I added this item to my list, my goal was to donate a total of $100.  I actually donated $220.  I chose twelve different organizations and contributed various amounts to each one on a monthly basis.  I did my best to choose a variety of charities that I either cared strongly about or organizations that I wanted to help support.

The organizations that I donated to are listed below.

St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital
Wounded Warrior Project
March of Dimes
American Red Cross
Alzheimer's Association
Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary
Soldier's Angels
The ALS Association
The Pat McAfee Foundation
Kidney Cancer Association
Folds of Honor
Ronald McDonald House Charities

I am going to do my best to continue donating on a monthly basis.  Every donation has the power to make a difference.

Items completed: 30