Long Overdue Update

Well life apparently got a little bit busy, didn’t it? Not to worry, I am still making progress on my 101 list. Even if I’m not making giant changes or losing large amounts of weight, I continue to move forward. I’ve been working on this post for two months now.

Here are some updates!

6.  Find a cause that I love and donate money or volunteer my time

This Presidency has certainly prompted me to some activism, as well as making donations to organizations that I believe in. Pretty much everything breaks my heart these days – whether its hunger (especially childhood hunger), xenophobia, racism, gun violence, environmental issues, and of course women’s issues. My girlfriend and I marched in the DC Women’s March on January 21^st and it was an amazing experience. I also did the March for Science on April 22^nd.

11.          Decide if I'm going to get my Bachelors in Business Admin and sign up to do it

I think I am closer to doing this. Studying for my 66 was so time consuming that it made me realize that I can probably take on one class a semester and maybe I can even CLEP out of some classes. Within the next year, I’m going to go visit a counselor if possible and talk to them about my options.

13.          Read at least three non-fiction books (not Kindle or audiobook) during 101 list

One down, two to go. I read The Opposite of Spoiled by Ron Lieber. I’m now on to Building Resilience in Children and Teens. Apparently, I have become my father. I’ve started meditating for at least five minutes each morning and evening, and I’ve started listening to some personal improvement books.

16.          Pass my Series 66

I passed it on my second try. I was 4 questions short on my first attempt, which was devastating. I passed with an 80% on the second go, so I was pretty pleased with myself. After my 80, I felt like I could take on the world – or maybe a fancy designation.

17.          Take a day off of work, get a massage, and enjoy a quiet day by myself

I planned to do this after passing my Series 66, but there was just too much going on. This year!

18.          Determine cost basis for my two lonely MTB shares

Done and more importantly, SOLD. That Wilmington Trust / M&T Bank merger was so awful that my cost basis ended up being $713.23 a share. So next year I should have a nice capital loss to report.

34.          Come up with a food storage plan/supplies for our family for 2+ weeks

I started this conversation and haven’t really continued it. We started getting a water delivery service to our house and I currently have 20 gallons of water on hand. I’d like to get a few extra bottles, but it’s a start. I’d like to get some extra cereal and more protein, but we have a pretty good supply of rice and beans and peanut butter.

46.          Visit at least five UNESCO world Heritage Sites during 101 list (1 / 5)

One down, four to go. I need to blog about Chichen Itza. We are going to dive with the Lady Musgrave Experience to the Southern Great Barrier reef in a few weeks, so that will be #2. If we have time, we may also go to Fraser Island.

59.          Go diving in the Baltimore National Aquarium

Done! Went on April 8^th. I had the worst dive buddy ever – he disturbed nesting fish and he ditched me. But it was the aquarium, so I just did without a buddy for most of the dive.

70.          Have brunch at Miss Shirley’s

Went there the morning after diving at the aquarium. I had their “Shirley’s Affair with Oscar”, allegedly the best breakfast in Maryland. It was good, but I think I would go with something else the next time, especially for the price tag. Jay’s chicken and waffles were amazing. The service was fantastic and surprisingly fast for such a crowded place. I will be back for sure.

75.          Have a yard sale (to clean up house)

We probably don’t even have enough stuff left to get rid of at a yard sale.

78.          Rearrange furniture in reading nook and downstairs

Downstairs is all in good order now… the reading nook we haven’t quite figured out, but I’d really like a chaise lounge to go up there. Only issue is that the cats would probably destroy it.

81.          Help Jay design & assemble outdoor fire pit area

This is 90% done. The fire pit itself has 3.75 rows of pavers arranged, but some of the last row were cracked and we have to get some more. We also need to fill in the area around with stones or more pavers. This is the summer that we’re spending more time making the outdoor living area nicer.

83.          Print and frame pics of at least ten new friends/family to hang in hallway

I did this, but then ended up having the wrong size frames. So I’ll need to pick those up at some point.

85.          Build a backyard deck

This will be done sometime this year. We thought that it would get done in the early spring, but it seems that we went from winter straight to summer.

91.          Clean out closets in all bedrooms

This is mostly done… my closet looks amazing and Jay has moved his hanging clothes to another room. I took care of Mark’s room when I was in my major decluttering phase. The only closet remaining that needs to be cleaned out only has a few things in it, but they are BIG things.

92.          Make a donation at least once a year to Purple Heart (2 of 3)

I made one in 2016 and have made one in 2017. I also donated to the National Federation for the Blind, who have a higher score on Charity Navigator.

93.          Make a filing system for all of my important documents

Done! I read (er, listened) to Marie Kondo’s The Magical Art of Tidying and have employed a lot of her methods to my life, including filing (her version of filing is basically throwing everything important in the same place). I also purchased a new fireproof safe that now houses all of our important documents like our passports and birth certificates.

That’s all for now! We are off to Australia in a week and a half, and I am wondering what the hell I was thinking by taking a terrible two year old on a trip to the other side of the world.