100+ Things I Want To Do In 2014 (the official list)

Here is the OFFICIAL list of the 100+ things I want to do in 2014:
(in no particular order,
in memory of Erin)

1. Celebrate Chinese New Year [1] [2] [3] (failed)
2. Try to trapeze
3. Drink water from an actual coconut (completed in Mexico)
4. Kayak in the sea/large river
5. Ride a Catamaran 
6. Hang out in a tree house
7. Skinny dip (in the sea or lake)
8. Kiss upside-down like Spiderman
9. Make my own paper [1]
10. Canoe a river
11. Try to slackline [1]
12. Hike in a cloud
13. Catch a butterfly (then let it go)
14. Whiten my teeth
15. Yawn bomb [1]
16. Stalk a stranger
17. Send a message in a bottle
18. Hand milk a cow 
19. Hang out in a graveyard
20. Learn to scuba dive
21. Learn to snorkel
22. Dance naked in the rain
23. Try a paleo diet for a week [1]
24. Watch a meteor shower
25. Learn to shoot a gun
26. Fly a box kite
27. Camp on Lake Superior
28. Write a "Letter to the editor"
29. Make a secret hideaway book [1]
30. Bungee jump
31. Learn to dance the Tango
32. Learn to dance the Salsa
33. Send a package to a stranger
34. Go dog sledding
35. Vow a day of silence
36. Roll naked in the snow 
37. Get fortune told
38. Learn to yodel
39. Run a 5K
40. Learn to stand-up paddle board (Completed September 6, 2014)
41. Try actual sushi (or more fish)
42. Go to the St. Paul Winter Carnival [1] (Completed February 1, 2014)
43. Learn to golf
44. Spend a day at the MIA [1]
45. Watch Star Wars: A New Hope (Completed August 7, 2014)
46. Watch Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Completed August 12, 2014)
47. Watch Star Wars: Return of The Jedi (Completed August 20, 2014)
48. Watch Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
49. Watch Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
50. Watch Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
51. Watch LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring
52. Watch LOTR: The Two Towers
53. Watch LOTR: The Return of The King
54. Try 25 different (or new) kinds of beer (Completed August, 2014)
55. Go rock climbing
56. Go see an a Capella group live [1] (Completed February 12, 2014)
57. High-five 5 complete strangers
58. Go tailgating 
59. Go on a road trip alone 2+ hours away (Completed June 29, 2014)
60. Go to at least 3 shows at the Minnesota Fringe Festival [1] (Completed August 8, 2014)
61. Learn to make my own salsa [1] (Completed October)
62. Learn to juggle
63. Go to the Como Zoo Japanese Lantern Lighting Festival [1] (Completed August 17, 2014)
64. Ride on a hot air balloon
65. See the Northern Lights
66. Go on a blind date (Completed October 25, 2014
67. Swim with Dolphins
68. Do a color run
69. Go skydiving
70. Spend 1 day at a spa
71. Ride a motorcycle
72. Register with the state for my ordainment (Completed March 19,2014)
73. Officiate my first wedding (Completed March 27,2014)
74. Get an adjustment from a chiropractor
75. Get a tattoo (in progress!)
76. Leave 5 inspirational messages anonymously in public spaces
77. Take a kickboxing class
78. Send a postcard into Post Secret [1]
79. Ride in a horse-drawn carriage
80. Go paint balling
81. Watch all of Pierce Brosnan's "James Bond" movies
82. Get a cream pie thrown in my face
83. Throw a cream pie in someone's face
84. Donate blood (unable to, since I went out of the country)
85. Start a blog and document the whole experience (in progress!)
86. Finish classes to graduate with my Bachelors degree (almost done!)
87. Take a self-defense class
88. Submit a photo to Jones Soda [1]
89. Cherish each moment I get to spend with my nieces (ongoing)
90. Put myself out there more/Take more chances in my personal life (ongoing)
91. Watch all of Firefly
92. Live life the way Erin would- with reckless abandonment (ongoing)
93. Go to a symphony blindfolded
94. Ride a mechanical bull
95. Go water skiing
96. Make 1000 Origami paper cranes [1] (in progress: 500+ done)
97. Make a gingerbread house
98. Watch a sunrise and sunset in the same day (Completed May 5, 2014)
99. Get hypnotized
100. Get a book signed by the author
101. Make a blessings jar and add to it all year [1] (in progress)
102. Take a pole-dancing class
103. Write a letter to myself to open up in 5-10 years
104. Take a Leather Working class (completed March, 1, 2014)
105. Take an aerial fitness class (completed July 15, 2014)

So, that is my list. Some, I'm already in progress. I will update this post whenever I either finish or begin a new part on my list. 

If anyone wants to help, donate or join in any of these events or projects, please let me know!!

-A

New notebook

I got a new notebook today, to start seriously documenting all of the finds I get while looking for all of my activities.
I thought this would be nice to have it all in one place, rather than have it in many different places or just seeing it on groupon or something.
Wish me luck!!
-A

Absent part 2

In addition to my last post, I would like to share a few words.

This came from my Guncle Larry:

"However you feel and however you react is perfectly normal and acceptable given the circumstances. This is what we do these things like today when we are family and friends we hold each other up. Your aunt will need to be held up because now she doesn't even know how she's going to make it to the next minute the next hour the next day next week next month and the next year. In these situations there is never too much support or love that you can offer the heartbroken."

This came from my Auntie Joyce, posting on Erin's wall:

"Erin Elizabeth Hennes..March 17, 1989- January 5, 2014Erin's family would like to thank her friends for all the love we have felt this week. It is because of YOU that we have been able to stay strong. And, isn't that one of the best things in life; to support another when they need your help? We all can find comfort knowing Erin continues to live in others through organ donation. I will keepyou updated as we learn more about those whose lives have been made better because of Erin's generous gifts. Up to 60 people will be directly impacted because of her donations.
"Slow down, you move too fast. You've got to make the morning last, just kicking down the cobblestones..looking for fun and feeling groovy. Hello lampost, whacha knowing? I've come to watch your flowers growing. Ain't cha got no rhymes for me? Feeling groovy."
Erin made her first passage when she was born in Oregon on St. Patricks day in 1989. She 1/2 Polish with just a smidgen of Irish, but she was named Erin because of the day she was born. Erin made many more passages while on this earth. Her travels on earth took her to South America, New York City, Florida, Mexico, Colorado and all places in between. Erin passed into and touched countless peoples lives in her 24 years. Through her organ donation, she continues to make others lives better. "No greater gift...".
Erin's final passage officially occurred at 2:50pm on January 5, 2014 when she was declared dead and flew to heaven. But just because she is no longer here for us to talk and see, doesn't mean she is gone from our lives. Erin made her final passage but in no way is she gone.

I hear her singing from heaven...
"I've got no deeds to do no promises to keep, I'm dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep. Let the morning time drop all it's petals on me. Life I love you, all is groovy."

And then, I hear Erin saying...
"mmmmm...chips!!!"

And, I hear the young Erin saying..
"Not a good place to put a booger..."
Rest in Peace, little daughter. "

That is all.

-A

Absent

Well, lately I have been absent and out of it and the only reason is that I have been dealing with the family issue that I posted about in my last post.

I promise I will be better about posting. I have been preoccupied.

I'm sorry, and I love you all!!

-A

In Memoriam

So, the world lost the most beautiful soul yesterday. My cousin Erin died yesterday after suffering a severe asthma attack and being deprived on oxygen for too long. Although this wasn't on my list, I guess this is a new thing that has happened in 2014. I'm not going to go into too much detail, since I'm already crying writing this little bit. However, I just would like to share a little bit about her and about who she was.

Erin was born on March 17th, St. Patrick's Day. She was bubbly, up-beat and a wonderful person. She was up for anything and everything, at any time of the day, no matter what it was. She and her sister were my best friends growing up, and the greatest best friends a child could ask for. You could always see her smiling at any point in the day, even if it was from embarrassment. She was an old soul, that didn't spend nearly enough time on this Earth, but the little time she did spend, she touched so many people. While I was at the hospital yesterday, there were at least 30 people who came to visit her, ranging from high school friends to old bosses. She had an infectious attitude that you couldn't help but smile when you saw her.

There will be so many people who are missing her and wanting her back. There is no rhyme or reason to why these things happened, and we must trust that these things happen for a reason. Especially this.

I love you, and I miss you

RIP Erin Hennes 

3/17/89-1/5/14

Update...

So, I've been working a lot lately, and tomorrow is going to be day 4 of 8...  after which I will be curling up into the fetal position on my bed and cry for a few hours.

Probably on Monday or Tuesday, I will be posting the majority of my list, and then I will be then talking about my options that I will be using for my activities for this year!

For some of the bigger things, I will be using Groupon or LivingSocial to purchase the things. I am really excited to start purchasing and starting on this journey!

I hope that you will continue to follow me on this crazy journey!

-A

First Post

So, this is my first post on this blog, and I might just want to introduce myself to people who may not know who I am.

My name is Abby. I work and go to school full-time in Edina and St Paul, Minnesota, respectively. I currently live in Eden Prairie, Minnesota in an apartment with my parents and two cats, Beatrice and Dot.
I have never been one to stick to my new years resolutions, so I have decided to do something different this year and make a list of things I'd like to do but never got around to doing so. My original goal was to do 365 things in 365 days, but with my schedule of work and school, I would never be able to get those things done! So, I have decided to settle for 100 new things in 2014.

I have already started researching companies to do the activities that I am wanting to do, and will be posting the whole list within a few days.


Stay classy Minnesota,

Abby