Two Down...Making Progress

Tonight I settled into the recliner after AFC and after a long day for some light reading. With a rare quiet house and some rain "pitter-pattering" on the skylight, my light reading turned into some extended reading. I was able to finish the last fifth of my second book in about two hours.

Ford County by John Grisham is his latest book released and is a set of short stories about people and happenings of Ford County in Mississippi. Usually, some citizen with a rough past has found some kind of trouble and the story takes you through the whole drama. It was a good read, it kept my interest in every story but one I think (there were anout 10). Overall I liked it, but almost every main character had a rather messed up life and the county was made out to be pretty judgemental and ignorant, which wasn't the happiest of themes. However, I do like Grisham's writing style and I enjoyed it.

The first book I read, I actually finished earlier this month. It was another by John Grisham, The Last Juror. I really enjoyed this book! It was my second John Grisham book (my first was The Testament, which is one of my favorites) and it was about a recent college grad that buys a small town newspaper in Ford County, Mississippi (same county for the basis of the above book) and gets involved with the reportings of the biggest trial the town had ever seen. Years after, the jurors from the trial start getting murdered and the reporter takes it on himself to solve the case. Good page turner, and a lot of colorful characters!

So I wanted to read one book every three months and so far, in less than a full month I have read two! haha Anyone that knows me well understands that this is highly unusual, but I am pretty proud of myself and would really like to keep up this pace! So if anyone has any good book recommendations, I am open for suggestions!

I have a few more in mind that I want to read.....next up is The Kid Who Climbed Mount Everest by Bear Grylls!!!

Also in progress:
#38 Read everybook of the Bible. I finished II Thessalonians this morning. I and II both have some pretty straightforward content about the second coming, very intersting stuff to think about!
#96 Start a loose change bucket and save $500. I'm probably around $5 dollars, but its a start!
#98 Get three people to start lists of their own. Nicole started one and its great! Check it out! And I am tryin' to get my mom to start one!

This Weekend I want to go for maybe #5 Write a book review (since I just finished one) or maybe #42 Create a mosaic out of bottle caps or #43 Finish my painting!

Sangria Perea

I started off my first day of workin' on the list with a bang! After waiting so long to actually complete the list, I was excited to get started. Along with starting this blog to complete #1, I set out to take on #54 and make some deliscious sangria. I found a recipe on the Food Network website and it turned out to be pretty good. Nicole and I made dinner for my roommates and Brandon, I made the sangria and she made her first lasagna (which was amazing by the way). The meal was completed with some squash and zucchini.

The recipe*:
3 cups of ice
1/4 cup of lemon slices
1/4 cup of lime slices
1/4 cup of orange slices
1/4 cup pineapple chunks
1/4 cup seedless grapes
2 cups red wine
1/2 cup peach brandy
1 cup orange juice
1 cup lemon/lime soda

*The recipe said it would make six glasses. We were planning on 7 people so I just doubled everything so we would have plenty. I mashed up the grapes and pineapple and squeezed the juice from the lemon, lime and orange slices into the mix and then put all the slices in the pitcher with all the drinks. I let it sit for about an hour (stirring occasionally) to let the wine and the fruits fuse together. It ended up making only 5 full glasses, which was just enough, but I expected more. We served it with slices and pineapple and grapes in the glasses, so after finishing it, we ate the rest of the fruit from our glasses. I also couldn't find peach brandy so I used apricot brandy which did great.

I would use this recipe again, but I would use a bigger pitcher and add the slices after letting it sit.

All in all it was a success, I made my own sangria!

Finally!!!

I first heard of the 101 in 1001 when my sister sent me her list and a link to her blog. She had a great list and it inspired me to start my own. Originally I didn't want to start a blog because I didn't think it was really my thing, but after realizing it would be the easiest way to let people stay up to date with my progress on the 101, I started to warm up to the idea.

I began putting my list together over a week ago and finally it is complete!

1. Start a blog

I didn't want to publish it until it was finished so I am excited that it is out there now. Here are a few notes about my list:

• I may have cheated on one......#85 becoming an uncle. I know it shouldn't technically count because it involves no effort on my part. However, I think it would be awesome to be an uncle, something I've always wanted o be. So Matt and katie, if ya'll could help out a little on this one, that would be great haha. No rush!
• I am most excited about #12 Hike a 14'er, #30 Play Lacrosse, #46 Take 3 really good pictures to blow up and frame, #51 Pick a honeymoon destination with Nicole, #59 Make a pizza from scratch, #69 Go to a Broncos game, and #82 Get married!
• The hardest ones will be #28 Finish a century bike race under 6 hours and 45 minutes, #36 Read a full novel in a week, #65 See the northern lights, #73 Hit a hole-in-one, #74-76 Pass my classes with A's, and the hardest of all....#72 Win a game of scrabble.

Also on the list for today is #54 Make sangria.....I need to find a recipe so I can go to the store.

About the 101

Howcome the 101?
I have always thought of different things that I want to do, make, accomplish or see, but I always seem to forget them or put them off. By creating this blog and doing this project, I will be able to keep track of all my goals, let other people stay updated and give myself a reasonable timeline to complete them in.

The Challenge:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (i.e. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (i.e. represent some amount of work on your part). I will document, as best I can, the completion of each task.

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple challenges such as New Year's resolutions or a'Bucket List'. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time that a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips, study semesters, or outdoor activities.