Day Zero Project

As if I didn't already have a full plate, I've decided to start my very own Day Zero Project, because the over-achieving, needs gold stars and the feeling of accomplishment side of me has spoken. Inspired by my cousin Jennie, who I believe shares my desire for success and a nice, clean check list, I have decided to begin my 101 tasks on January 1, 2012. This means I have 1001 days to complete them, making my completion date September 28, 2014. So, without further adieu, here's my list.

Incomplete
Complete
In progress

For Others
 Teach Lucas how to drive a stick shift
 Help Lucas organize and send his work to various publishers
 Volunteer for Access Aids in Hampton Roads
 Help with the production side of a dance recital
 Tithe each month for the duration of the project (33 months)
 Donate my hair to Locks of Love
 Walk Gus once a week for the duration of the project (approx. 143 walks)
 Volunteer at a soup kitchen
 Let Lucas keep the toaster on the counter for a month
 Act as a designated driver
 Call my mother-in-law just to chat
 Give Lucas a week free of chores
 Walk around the neighborhood and pick up trash
 Substitute for a teacher at the dance studio
 Vote in the 2012 presidential election (I guess this is for myself, too.)
 Donate blood
 "Stand up" for someone in a difficult situation
 Give Elliott fancy food every Sunday for the duration of the project
 Buy Meredith her first pair of ballet slippers
 Pay for a stranger's items at Bottom Dollar
 Give a stranger an umbrella when it's raining
 Donate non-perishable items

For Money's Sake
 Buy a week's worth of groceries at a time (with no superfluous trips to the store) for two weeks in a  
 row
 Refrain from buying gas station or Starbuck's coffee for one month
 Avoid eating at fast food restaurants  for three months
 Pack my meals for a work trip
 No buying individual serving bottles of water, soda, or juice for six months
 Spend under $30/week (excluding bills) for one month
 Cook all meals at home for one week
 Order a meal under $12 at a nice restaurant
 Make a budget that Lucas and I can both agree on
 Use a coupon (Dollar off on batteries 1/4/12)

For the Future and Practical Reasons
 Complete pre-rec classes
 Take the GRE
 Apply to Nursing Programs
 Pay off 50% of my remaining undergraduate debt
 Schedule an appointment with an Ob/Gyn and/or fertility specialist to make sure we're candidates for
 natural conception
 Move out of Hampton Roads
 Replace the chipped filling on my molar
 Get Lucas to see a dermatologist
 Fix my camera
 Have the moles on my back removed

Because I Secretly Want to be a Domestic Goddess
 Re-decorate our bedroom
 Professionally clean our carpet
 Murphy's clean all the hardwood
 Fix the couch
 Buy slip covers for the couch and loveseat
 Use my crockpot
 Learn how to make the perfect Pad See Ew
 Learn how to can food
 Make my grandmother's famous chicken noodle soup (1/3/12)
 Bake a tirimisu
 Throw Lucas a graduation party
 Take a homemade dessert or side dish to a party
 
For Fun
 Buy a bicycle
 Take a dance class
 Take a hot yoga class
 Read one book a month for the duration of the project (text books don't count)
 Run (jog or walk) a 5K
 Take a trip (large or small) with my mother to her choice destination
 Use the public library 5 times
 Paint a picture
 Blog once a month for the duration of the project
 Send snail mail (To Amy Bryne 1/5/12)
 Order prime rib at a restaurant
 Learn how to use Skype
 Wear a pair of high heels in public
 Celebrate a new year in Nashville with Sam and Parisa
 Write a political blog entry
 Choreograph a musical theater piece
 Change my tragus piercing on my 28th birthday
 Change my rook piercing
 Go without make-up for a week
 Take a picture every day for a month
 Write Ellen Degeneres a letter

As a Couple
 Go to a concert
 Go see the Nutcracker Ballet
 Go to the beach at least 10 times during the summer of 2012
 Make a trip to Baltimore
 Get pizza and gelatto at YNot Pizza in Ghent
 Purge the house
 Plan our weekly meals (and stick to the plan) at least 5 times
 Play catch
 Go to a Tide's game
 Make brunch
 Break a habit (doesn't have to be the same one)
 Write our Christmas Newsletter for 2012
 Write our Christmas Newsletter for 2013
 Visit a new place
 Watch Travis in a show at SCAD
 Establish and stick to a bed time/wake-up time for one week
 Eat dinner before seven o'clock for an entire week
 Meditate

Because I'm a Little Crazy
 Do 100 crunches every day for two weeks
 Refrain from yelling at Lucas for keeping the cabinets open, then leave them open
 Watch the sunrise on the beach
 Say "yes" when I really want to say "no"
 Say "no" when I really want to say "yes"
 Suggest and participate in a teacher's dance at the studio
 Learn how to do an axel turn (Yeah, I still can't do one very well.)
 Sing a duet with Lucas in front of people