Overdue, as per usual...

I've updated the list below with more items I've completed. I basically continue to cross items off the list by accident and through sheer luck. I'm starting to get down to the items that are going to actually take some planning and effort. I have less than a year left... Eek!

Busy, busy Gator

It's been months since I last posted, and there has been a lot of change in my life. So LOTS of things have been crossed off the list. Here's a summary:

#1 (Quit my job and move to FL): This was the biggest, scariest, most exciting item on the whole list and it's DONE! It was/is so exciting to move and be in a new place. I'm already getting sick of school after only 3 weeks, but nonetheless... It's great to be a Florida Gator!!!

#30 (Get all my shoes to fit in my shoe closet): Well, since I no longer have a dedicated shoe closet (the pitfall of an apartment), this one really became more about managing to get all my shoes together in one place. All 70+ pairs are on shelves that I managed to fit in my walk-in closet. They look so pretty and happy all together.

#66 (Fill and cash in my Jamaica jar): Right before moving, I filled my change jar and cashed it in. I got about $65. Not quite enough to go to Jamaica, which kind of shows that my friends and I were a little naive when we first created the Jamaica jars in high school.

#70 (Learn everything necessary to rent out my house): I have a very nice family renting my house and a property manager to handle all the details. So in the end, I didn't actually have to learn that much, and that's the way I like it.

#91 (Transfer personal files from my work computer to my personal computer): Quitting my job sort of required that I get this one done...

#92 (Clear out and shred all old financial documents): Again, moving motivated me to get this done. I shredded so much stuff that I burned out my shredder and had to get a new one.

I've also started progress toward #16 (laser hair removal for my bikini area). It is about a million times more painful than when I had treatments done for my underarms. I've had two treatments so far and have four more to go. Eek!

A Super-Fast Update

Sheesh... Some of these updates date back a long time and I'm overdue as usual. So here's a quick and dirty update:

#14 (Cease carrying on long-term casual relationships with a certain man): It took too long, but I'm so over it. Enough said.

#72 (Buy myself something cashmere): Gotta love Bluefly.com. Cashmere sweater for $39!

#96 (Go to the dentist): I had to get a big, giant filling. :(

This and That...

As usual, I am overdue for an update! Let's start off with what's been accomplished:

#5 (Enroll in an MBA program): WOOHOO!!!! Yea!!! Yippee!!! (I'm doing a little dance around the living room right now.) I am officially enrolled in the University of Florida's MBA program. In other words, I've given them money. :) The program will begin in June and be completed in one year. Related to this, I've given official notice at work that my last day will be June 5th.

#63 (Take Dad to lunch at Out of the Fire): I had a very nice lunch with my dad at my favorite restaurant. I just heard today that OOF will not be open for lunch starting in February. How terrible!! I'm glad I got this one done when I had the chance.

#68 (Figure out loan/financing options for school): Getting the assistantship helps immensely with the cost of doing my MBA. I've also opened a home equity line of credit that I'll be used for non-tuition expenses.

Now for some updates on some other items:

#2: This item was to become a licensed makeup artist. That's still something I would really enjoy doing (just for fun) but I don't think I'm going to have the time to do it within this 101 list. I've therefore replaced it with a new item: Buy at least one stock on my own (not as part of a mutual fund).

I also sent out Christmas cards (#65) and made a new Greater Good Necklace (#78) this past holiday season. I need to do each of these two more times before I can cross them off.

Finally, I had a very fun birthday in Baltimore last weekend. It really was a great time. But I think I can do better... I'm going to hold out for a *SUPER*-fun birthday before I cross this one off (#90).

Ciao for now... Thanks for checking on my progress!!

Excellent Progress!

Critical progress has been made at accomplishing Item #1 (quit my job and move to Florida). I just found out that I've been accepted into the University of Florida MBA program. I was awarded an assistantship, which will cover my tuition and includes health insurance. So it's pretty much a no-brainer... It was my first choice anyway, and now it's definitely a great option financially speaking. The program starts in June, so in only 7.5 months I will have quit my job and I'll be living in the land of sunshine and old people. :)

Sad News

I haven't posted this update yet because it makes me sad. :( Shortly after getting my puppy, Axel, I realized that I was a little allergic to him. After a couple of weeks, I was clearly VERY allergic to him. I have never been allergic to any other dogs, but when I spoke with an allergist she told me that people can be allergic to one dog and not another. And based on the fact that my allergy was getting so much worse, the only treatment program that *might* work would be a 5-year program of monthly shots. To make a long story short, I had to take Axel back to the shelter so that he could go to another family. He was adopted very quickly since he was so friendly and well behaved. He had already learned to sit and he knew to ring a bell hanging on the door when he wanted to go outside. I really miss him. It's amazing that you can get so attached to an animal so quickly.

A long overdue update... 6 things accomplished!

I've gotten a lot done over the past couple months! I'm doing a lousy job of keeping this blog up-to-date and I've gotten a couple of messages from people who think I've been slacking off. Not so, dear friends! Here's a quick summary of what I've gotten done... Don't worry, I won't go into great detail on the less interesting items like organizing my coupons.

#8 (Get a dog): This is the one I'm most excited about getting done! I have a new mutt puppy named Axel. He's part Schipperke (a Scandinavian boat dog) and who knows what else. He's quite small with tiny feet so I don't think he's going to get very big. But he's still a "real dog" despite his diminutive stature. My mom's taken pictures and I'll post some once I get them. I've been a bad mom and haven't taken any pictures myself yet.

Having a puppy is definitely a lot of fun and a lot of hard work. Axel's a pretty good dog though, and he's learning to chew on his things only. He has this great little stuffed dog toy, but he's always humping it. Poor toy. Axel also tries to hump my parents' dog all the time, which is rather ambitious since she's significantly taller than he is.

#19 (Learn to hold a newborn baby without fear of causing its head to fall off): A friend from work just had a little girl and I held her when she was 10 days old. It was horribly scary at first. I was so worried I would drop her in the hand-off or not hold her head properly, thereby causing some sort of horrible irreversible brain damage. But it all went fine. And as I was holding her, the fear went away. She was cute and small and I realized she wasn't going to try to jump out of my arms. I even managed to calm her down when she started to get fussy. Overall, it was quite a nice experience.

#22 (Find a way to organize my coupons): I got a cute little purse-size filer that I'm using. It's working out nicely.

#23 (Try a new hair color): I thought I would enjoy a change, but I've been surprised by how comfortable it feels to not be blonde. I went with a brown/red color and I'm really digging it. I've gotten lots of compliments, so that's cool. And it seems to draw attention from a better quality guy in bars. :)

#60 (Spend an afternoon in St. Michaels): My sister spent a lovely 4th of Jully afternoon walking around The Town that Fooled the British. The weather was lovely, the shops were fun, and the ice cream was yummy.

#73 (Visit Savannah, GA again): Woohoo! I finally got to see my friend Jessica after 6 years!! Tiffany and I flew down to FL and drove to Savannah to spend a couple days with Jess and her husband Marc. Savannah is such a cool town... I still want to spend a lot more time there. We walked around downtown for a while but it was over 100 degrees so it was hard to stick it out for too long. We also spent a great couple of hours on the boat out on the river. Much fun.