#58 Completed - electronically

I met with an advisor.... online, that is. I called to schedule an appointment with him, but then got a message saying that appointments were walk-in. So I emailed my advisor to give a rough outline of what I was trying to accomplish, and I found that my dummy algebra classes don't count towards my remaining 17 institutional credits. So, we had a virtual meeting... it saved time and gas, so I'm all for it. At any rate, what all of this means is that I will not have a life for the next year... no more happy hours or fun for me. I'll be taking 11 credits this fall and working full time... so please understand if I'm in a constant bad mood or don't feel like hanging out. :( It sucks, but I have to get it done... poor Brian is the one that will have to live with me. C'est la vie. OH! But French does count towards my credits, so I'll be working on #51 this way, at least. I'm still hoping to do that long weekend in Paris, but we'll see what happens.

Pray for me, I'm going to need it.

#88 Completed, and I even enjoyed it!

On day 58 (that would be yesterday, 7/11) of my 1001 days, I tried scrapbooking... so, hurray!! 88. Try scrap booking (make at least one page) ... (sorry, I had to try that nifty strikethrough deal that Tiffany told me about at the 101 party.) My friend Kathy's daughter is turning 16 this month (which is crazy in itself, I remember when she was 9, now the girl is taller than me!!)… to celebrate her birthday, her mom is collecting scrapbook pages from her friends, family, etc. I made her a page from the cats, because it was something a little different from everyone else. :) I took a picture of it, I'll have to try to post it with this blog. Actually, I think that I'll begin posting pictures (if possible) of my 101 accomplishments. Tonight I'll go back and edit some of my earlier posts and add in the pics (done). That should be cool. Unfortunately, the only pic I have that shows me at Stonehenge is of the self-portrait variety. I think that Brian might have a copy, but I won't get it until he backs up his files on that hard-drive, too. That will be nice, because we'll finally be able to share pictures. I'm always good (at least I think I am) about sending him pics that I think he'll want, but where are MINE??? :-P I must train that boy!! Hmm, that should've been one of my 101.
Oh, but back to scrapbooking - it was actually FUN! I was so surprised that I enjoyed it, because I've been lacking creativity lately. The nice thing about scrapbooking is that if I decide to take it up, I will have a place for all of those little sentimental items that are hanging around.. Receipts from special dinners, notes, tickets from concerts, boarding passes… okay, well maybe not the boarding passes, I could probably fill up a whole scrapbook just with the boarding passes that I have at the moment. Especially the ones that are printed out first with my SA4P pass travel priority printed on them, before I get my seat assignment. Errr, that is IF I get my seat assignment. Seat assignments aside, this is how my first attempt turned out:

#58 (Meet with an advisor at AACC before 8/10/07 ) is almost complete as well. It turns out that the information that I need wasn't all that complicated. He emailed me back less than an hour after I asked him my questions... this was his response:
Hello Lauren, No problem with the lengthy email. I work from Noon to 8 PM on Tuesdays. The rest of the week my hours are 8:30 to 4:30. I'd be happy to help you if you need any assistance. Our records show that you need 17 more credits to reach the total of 60 that are required. Those 17 credits need to include: 3 cr general education computer technology, 4 cr general education LAB science, and 3 cr general education math. The remaining credits can be electives of your choosing (no Underwater Basket Weaving). Before you take your credit math course you need to complete Beginning Algebra (MAT 011) and Intermediate Algebra (MAT 012). You should have no trouble getting into Penn State-Lehigh. Hope this helps. Welcome back.>Mike
So, I'm waiting to hear back to see if those remedial algebra classes will count against those 17 extra credits that I need. If they don't, I'm kinda screwed, as that means that I will need to take two more electives in additon to graduate. Either way it ends up, the next year is going to be pretty tough. My plan right now is to take my beginning algebra & computer tech course this fall (total of 7 credits), physical lab science & intermediate algebra in the spring 08 semester, and then do one of those intensive mini-semesters at the beginning of the summer for my college algebra course. Full immersion is better anyway, I won't have time to do anything else. If I end up needing to take extra credits (if those MAT 012 & 013 classes don't count), I won't be able to finish until Fall 08. Which wouldn't kill me, but I'm already a little behind schedule. I sure wish that I'd planned this differently!! You know, actually done well after I graduated HS and have at least my BA by now. C'est la vie.

Oh, and my plan is to complete #4 tonight (back up my computer files)... I bought a 160 GB external hard drive last week that both Brian and I can back up our stuff on. It's small enough that it will fit in our fireproof safe, too. Hopefully I'll be making that post later. Don't count on it, though. ;)

#63 completed

Read my Aunt Dede’s book - completed 6/30/07... I was able to finally finish reading my Aunt's book last weekend while I was sitting in airports or on planes for 24 hours, getting to or from Lafayette, LA. Her book was quite good! It isn't something I would probably read on my own, I prefer mystery, medical thriller and sci-fi type stuff (I'm a dork), but it held my interest very well. So much so that I would even recommend it to others, and not just because I'm her niece. ;) So I can honestly say that I enjoyed her book.

Tonight I am going to Sara's for her 101 list party! I can't wait!! :)

I think I'm going to have to modify #42

Going without using the internet would be nearly impossible for me, since I use it every day at work... so the only way that I could not use it would be during a vacation. I don't take many 2 week vacations! So I think that this will have to be modified to "go without using the internet for one week." That way is much more do-able. When I first posted my blog, I had planned on allowing myself to change up to 5 items on the list a year, because I don't want to be resistant to change. ;) Sometimes life circumstances change and doing something on your list becomes less important or relative. So consider this modification to be my first change of the year. I have 4 changes left until next May.

#2 and #11 completed!

#2 was completed over the weekend - I headed up to MA for the weekend for my 2nd cousins' (my cousin's 5 month old triplets) christening and my other 2nd cousin's 4th birthday party. I just can't believe that Emma is already 4... she is such a gorgeous little girl... she is going to give mom & dad a lot of trouble when she gets older, haha! While helping to prepare for the party, I happened to mention to my aunt and cousin that I'd never changed a diaper. That takes care of #11 - change a diaper. It wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, either. During the weekend, I also had the opportunity to feed the babies and consequently be spit up on. They're the cutest things... must be because we're related, hehe.

Here's my proof... I hate the diaper picture, it might be the worst pic of me ever... but it was taken towards the end of the day after I'd already been spit-up on, and this was actually my 2nd diaper of the day. Not to mention that I'd been outside helping my uncle drag stuff in just as it started pouring down rain. The diaper changing is Will and the feeding pic is Adie (see how nice I looked at the beginning??? sheesh!)

I've also been working on #63 - read my Aunt Dede's book. I'm about halfway through it and I'm really enjoying it! The problem has just been finding the time to do it. Fortunately (or not!) with all of the time that I've been sitting around airports, I've had more time to read. Hurray!

#59 is now in progress as well... I haven't really opened a brokerage account, but apparently I have a Computershares account with some shares of Prudential stock in it. I'm going to see if I can put my Wilmington Trust ESPP shares into that account too. I have the certificates for 20 shares now, and I should be getting certificates for another 50 shares shortly. I imagine that after I get that certificate, I'll open that account. Really.

First post!

Well, it's time to finally make my first post in this blog. I created it about a month ago, but due to my hectic life, I hadn't made any posts. I'm going to deem my official start date of my 101 as May 16th. As best as I can figure out with my horrific math skills, that means that I have until February 10, 2010 to complete this list - which will be 5 years and one day after Brian and I started dating. Today will mark day 31 of my 1001 days. I'd better get on the ball.
However, I began with May 16th because that is the approximate date of the creation of this blog, and it is also the day that I completed #55 - Make a checklist, chart or flow chart of household chores to make life easier. I made both a checklist AND a flow chart and it helped some before we left on vacation.

Both of us have been slacking since we've been home, though. "Real life" isn't much fun. #96 - Visit Stonehenge has also been completed, and I visited Stonehenge on May 28th (Memorial Day), the 13th day of my 1001. Not only did we visit Stonehenge, we were on the Stonehenge special access tour, where we were able to touch the stones and spend a good bit of time inside this ancient circle.

It was an experience that most people will never have, and it was expensive enough that I don't know if I would do it again, lol! The U.S. Dollar is in the toilet, especially compared to the pound. The Euro to US Dollar is bad enough, but British pounds are over double. It's crazy.
Anyway, here I go! This weekend I will complete # 2!