Kelly's 101: November 2007

Monday, November 26, 2007

#29 BUY A CAR

My mom and dad have been very good to me and my sisters. Not only did they help fund our educations and endless extracurricular activies, but we always had wheels to get us there too. After college we were all expected to give the cars back. I've run out of time and so at the end of the summer I started my car search. I was terribly confused by the car market. Not to mention I didn't know many of my own variables in life - where I would be living next year, where I would be working, how much money I would be making, etc. So making choices about a car was next to impossible. After looking in to used cars, a new Camry (with attractive Wal-Mart discount), small sized SUVs, and everything in between Ben brought up a good point. If I were just going to give my car back to my parents and they were going sell it, why didn't I buy it from them? I already knew the whole vehicle history since we bought it new. not to mention it would be a steal if I bought it at market price. So I wrote the check last week to my parents. It was the BIGGEST check I have ever wriiten to date! I BOUGHT MY OWN CAR!

Monday, November 19, 2007

#23

"Go to a wine tasting and maybe drink something other than a 5 dollar bottle of Gallo white zinfandel"

Last week (11/15/2007), I went to a wine tasting that I planned for the NIU YPN. We had over 25 people there at Tasting DeVine in Naperville, IL. I really like this bottle of wine! It is an award winning blend that they make at their very own Lynfred Winery. The lady who hosted our party and owned the store said it was her favorite bottle they had. So I bought one for Cindy's birthday!

#89

Here are the three Jodi Picoult books I read over the last year. I would highly reccomend her to anyone... she's a great author! I would say that Keeping the Faith is the best of the three that I read. They all have motherhood themes in them. I have gotten my mom and sister, Lauren, both hooked on her books as well.

Not part of the list, but a special day!

This day was great thanks to dad. He bought us a spa package for the day to celebrate Mom's 50th birthday! Mom had no idea we were all going to be there in town. This was an even greater surprise!

Finally starting a blog...

Too bad this isn't one of the items on my list, because it should be. Ever since I made my 101 in 1001 list I have wanted to blog it. I think it is a great way to track the progress of this project and have others be in tune with it as well. So today, over 1 year in to my project, I am finally starting my very own blog :)

THE LIST

(items this color are completed)

1) Go to a taping of the Oprah show.
2) Cook a big dinner for all 5 of my roomates.
3) Run the LaSalle Chicago marathon.
4) Bake muffins and take them in to work. Spice pumpkin muffins 2007. Rave reviews! Thanks mom ;)
5) Pack a picnic lunch and eat it at the campus courtyard. I packed ham sandwiches for Ben and I during the summer and at the lagoon.
6) Organize a trip for my high school friends.
7) Cook mom and dad a meal.
8) Visit Erin and Lauren at their homes. I first visited Erin when she moved in and the place was still a wreck. For Thanksgiving 2007 Erin will be hosting dinner at her house.
9) Take the train downtown just for the day.
10) Take someone older than me in my life out to lunch. Sarah Griffin 11/5/2007. I wanted to show her that I appreciate what she has done for me this year. We went to Panera and had great conversation.
11) Write a letter with my Christmas cards.
12) Make a scrapbook for mom.
13) Go to a concert and make all the plans for before and after it.
14) Donate change every time I pass a Salvation Army bell ringer. The ringers are out for 2007! I have donated at least 50 cents every time I walk past a ringer. It makes me feel good and keeps the ringer cheery in the demoralizing cold :)
15) Go to a thai restaurant with Erin.
16) Learn how to make jam/jelly.
17) Become certified in project management.
18) Drink 8 glasses of water a day for 1 week. June 2007. Felt pretty good but had to go to the bathroom a LOT!
19) Go ice skating.
20) Buy a pup!
21) Write my parents a letter explaining what I'm thankful for.
22) Make a trip to see Regan. (Brune back yard barbeque is even better!)
23) Go wine tasting. Maybe drink something other than a 5 dollar bottle of white zinfandel. YPN Event 11/15/2007. Tasting DeVine in Naperville. I even bought a bottle!
24) Buy and give "The Secret" to at least 5 people. (2/5). For Chrsitmas 2007 I included this in my sisters' baskets. I was able to order it on ebay for less than $9 a copy including shipping.
25) Play in the rain.
26) Go on a camping trip and sleep in a tent.
27) Volunteer at a Habitat for Humanity project.
28) Go to an MLB game. Cub or Cardinals? Whichever fan invites me to go first... I went with my parents and Ben to Wrigley in the summer of 2007.
29) Buy a car. After much debate over a Toyota Camry, I have decided to purchase my car from mom and dad. They were just going to trade it in anyway when I bought my car. So I am writing the check for the Elantra Wednesday November 21, 2007.
30) Go to the Mall of America.
31) Buy a nice bra and panty set.
32) Get business cards.
33) Throw a graudationparty for myself. Invitations have gone out to over 80 people for my party on December 14th @ Fatty's. Should be a blast!
34) Have a candlelight dinner.
35) Give a 50% tip. I did to Leah at Fatty's - she deserves it since she gives me too many drinks for free!
36) Write handwritten notes to everyone I worked with or had as a professor at NIU when I graduate.
Sally Wakefield
Denise Schoenbachler
Jane Mall
Sue Braffet
Candy Hintzche
Linda Tatro
Dr. Wunsch
Lenita Hepker
Jim Mecklenberg
Michelle DeJean
Connie Weaver
Laura Weaver
Harry Wright
Mona Salmon
Tanuja Singh
Brian Gillet
Dr. Beatty
Dr. Peresen
Joan Petros
Amy Buhrow
37) Become engaged.
38) Plan a trip with mom and dad to Tucson. We went in May 2007. Mom, dad, Ben, Cindy, Mike, and myself all went! We had a blast and stayed for 10 days. We should have taken more pictures.
39) Donate money to Cor Jesu.
40) Take Donna Johnson out to lunch.
41) Send a toy to my dog. After all, I am her lesbian mama with Regan.
42) Go to a casino. I went with mon, dad, Ben, and Jamie in St. Louis on St. Patricks day. I also went in Tucson. I had a blast on the Star Wars machine there. Mom won lots of money!
43) Vote in 2008.
44) Get my nose fixed... again.
45) Raise a cherry tomato plant until I reap at least one tomato.
46) Take MaryKate to lunch... maybe bring Emma and Elyse too.
47) Host a superbowl party.
48) Throw Ben a graduation party.
49) Email John Byrne.
50) Have lunch/long conversation with Dr. Beatty. Done.
51) Vounteer at a food kitchen.
52) Donate clothes I don't wear anymore.
53) Go to Rouge and buy Cindy a nice bottle.
54) Go to the dentist and ask about whitening costs. I got my teeth cleaned in July 2007. I also went back in October and got my first two cavities fixed :(
55) Visit Ginny in the city at her new place.
56) Go to one of Isaac's games.
57) Email the high school group with an update. I did this in May and revived it in November again before the holidays. I just need to keep it up and get the gang going.
58) Vacuum and impeccably clean out my car 4 times. (2/4)
59) Have someone tech-oriented check out my computer to make sure things are running smoothly.
60) Read a book about finances... but not a boring one. I read a GREAT book called "On My Own Two Feet." It was fantastic and written by two young women that are CFA's and MBA's. I should use this as a gift for people.
61) Clean the apartment for the girls just because. Lisa and I did this 11/8/2007. We bleached the WHOLE kitched and threw stuff away.
62) Give blood twice. (0/2)
63) Make wings again.
64) Go to an Iowa field hockey event/game.
65) Blow up the funny balloon pictures and put one of them in a frame upstairs. I framed them and gave them to Amy and Leah for their going away presents!
66) Buy a Yankee candle. I can't bear to spend 20 bucks on a candle, but these smell so wonderful. I always smell them at Mike & Cindy's house and wish I had one. Low and behold Cindy brought me TWO to dinner last night for NO reason! :) It made my week!
67) Buy a nice pair of heels.
68) Go get my makeup done at the mall with a friend.
69) Make the plans to go to Ireland with mom and dad- even if I don't have enough money to actually fo on the trip.
70) Do something nice for Megan Gruhn before she moves.
71) Take all my jewelry in to get it professionally cleaned.
72) Buy stock from Wal-Mart with the stock purchase program. I started this program in June 2007. I have been buying $50 biweekly.
73) Go to lunch with Sarah Griffin. Refer to #10.
74) Buy a round of shots.
75) Do something nice for Cindy.
76) Call Lauren for casual conversation about her. I did this when the Red Sox won the World Series. She even told me that she has a bew boyfriend. I can't remember her ever telling me about boys before!
77)Bring a toy to Issac.
78) Make mimosas.
79) Spend a half day at the daycare.
80) Pack lunch for a week.
81) Blow up some pictures from Germany.
82) Surprise dad when I go home.
83) Open a Roth-IRA.
84) Use The Bullet to make some kind of food.
85) Learn to put air in ties.
86) Commit to a detox diet for two days.
87) Get a new camera. Mom gave me a new one for my birthday!
88) Use a RedBox.
89) Read three Jodi Picoult books. (3/3) Salem Falls in October 2006. Harvesting the Heart in December 2006. And Deeping the Faith in November 2007.
90) Baby sit. I baby sat for the Armato family in October 2007. Abby is 6. Anna is 4. Sam is 2. It was quite the night! I babysat a lot in the past, but these children were by far the best ever! Mrs. Armato is an elementary teach and I should learn some tips from her and try to watch her kids again.
91) Stretch every morning before work for a week.
92) Make Christmas baskets of "favorite things/secrets." I am doing this for Christmas 2007 for Erin and Lauren. THIS IS A GREAT IDEA! I will take pictures.
93) Collect pop tabs at the College of Business for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. I have put pop tab houses in each kitchen in the College of Business. In addition, I have started keeping them at home from my own pop cans.
94) Make a vision board per "The Secret."
95) Make a trip to Indianapolis.
96) Go without Diet Coke for 7 days.
97) Get an eye examination.
98) Open an online savings account.
99) Have dinner at Medieval Times.
100) Make a new list.
101) Convince 5 other people to do this. (4/5) Amy Ward. Megan Gruhn. Anne Edwards. Jane Mall.

Kelly's 101