101 Things in 1001 Days

82. Visit the Green Valley Bookfair

During my final weekend of my sixth list, I realized I had time to go to one of the museums or down to the bookfair. I finally decided on a bookfair road trip. I absolutely loved it, even though the wind advisory made me absolutely terrified I was going to die as I drove down on Route 88, white knuckling it the whole way.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but the warehouse with amazing book prices was about 3 times the size I'd imagined. I made a list of items ahead of time and found everything but one LEGO book and a cross-stitch kit. I found some presents for friends and family. I found some books for my church library. In all, I managed to spend $104 on:
1 book I've already read and wanted a physical copy of
5 books that went on my Mt. To Be Read
1 pack of colored pencils
1 word puzzle book
1 coloring book
2 Disney board games (Gargoyles & Jungle Cruise)
3 books I'm donating to my church library
1 book I'm giving away next Halloween
1 pack of stickers
1 seagull plushie
6 presents for friends/family

On my way home, I stopped by a Dollar Tree and bought a book on simplifying (which is my theme for the year) and got a free LEGO book I'll be BookCrossing later this year. I also stopped by Cracker Barrel (my first time inside one in... I dunno 10 years? More?) and bought some stick candy, an Easter donkey squishmallow, and a giant highland coo tote bag. The wind had died down by then, and the drive back took hours but was much more pleasant. I also finished one audiobook and started another during the journey. It was such a great day!


I fell behind in logging my accomplishments on this blog. I'm catching up in February 2024 and backdating entries to keep my records consistent.

45. NaNoWriMo 2023

I had such a great November! I worked on a cozy fantasy novel I've titled: The Saved Are Not Forever Happy. While I didn't finish the novel during November, I did manage to meet these goals:
1. Write AT LEAST 1,667 every single day in November
2. Pass the 50,000 mark (58,716 words written)
3. Fall IN LOVE with some new characters
4. Buy my second official NaNoWriMo t-shirt

So proud of me! I look forward to finishing a full draft of this novel soon.


I fell behind in logging my accomplishments on this blog. I'm catching up in February 2024 and backdating entries to keep my records consistent.

46. Take a photo of the KP tree each October

On my way home from work one evening, I made a detour and got a photo of the tree. It still doesn't look like it has grown much, but seeing it all the time means I can't accurately eyeball its growth. I look forward to putting all the photos together one day to see the changes over time.


I fell behind in logging my accomplishments on this blog. I'm catching up in February 2024 and backdating entries to keep my records consistent.

22. Disney movie marathon

I accomplished this on Labor Day weekend!

Disney movies I watched that weekend for the first time:
Soul
Onward
Turning Red
Luca
The Incredibles 2
Cruella
Aladdin (Live Action)
Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin
Piglet's Big Movie
Jungle Cruise

Movies I rewatched that weekend:
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Winnie the Pooh
The Tigger Movie
Beauty and the Beast
Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins Returns
Fantasia

My first and second days (Friday and Saturday) were all movies I hadn't seen before. My third day (Sunday) was all Pooh movies. And then my fourth day was a wild mix. I had so much fun with this marathon!


I fell behind in logging my accomplishments on this blog. I'm catching up in February 2024 and backdating entries to keep my records consistent.

98. Continue to save and make an extra mortgage payment every May

I ran into a few problems transferring funds online, but it worked on the app. I made an extra mortgage payment this month. Even though I'll continue to save a little in my special account for this, I'm calling this done as it's the last May in this round of 101 Things.

60. Try a kickboxing class



After purchasing a two-month membership, I took a couple boxing classes at TITLE Boxing. Then I took my first kickboxing class. It was exhausting but extremely enjoyable. I was told I had pretty good form, especially for my first ever in-person class (I learned from online fitness videos). But I got a lot of pointers and tips for improving, which is exactly what I was hoping for. I'm hoping to continue my membership.

37. Eat a pie every Pi Day

I bought myself a small apple pie and bought a large pecan pie to bring to work. At work, sooo many people brought pies. So I ended up having my first piece of homemade shoofly pie and a piece of homemade apple berry. Both were delicious! The following week, I had a piece of the pecan pie and a piece of the lemon meringue still leftover from pi day. So 2 pies on pi day itself and 5 different pies for pi week. This is the last March of this list, and I've had pie on each one. So this thing officially accomplished!

50. Memorize the UU principles

Thanks to my reverend and his partner for sharing this catchy song with movements, I am now able to remember which principle is which! And I've changed the ending to incorporate the 8th principle as well.

18. Lord of the Rings marathon

Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I decided just to pop in some Middle Earth movies and get this marathon crossed off my list. I rewatched all the extended editions as well as Ringers (for the first time) and started the first two episodes of Rings of Power. I've seen the LotR movies dozens of times, but it was magical to watch them again this time. It reminded me of how amazingly good the movies are, and perhaps that was partly because I watched them after watching the Hobbit movies. While there are still many things I don't like about the Hobbit movies, there were fewer parts I disliked this time around. In fact, I really liked them. But then watching the LotR trilogy just blew them away. What a wonderful weekend in Middle Earth! The next day, at work, I listened to the LotR soundtracks all day to make the feeling last a little longer.



Day 1:
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Day 2:
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Ringers: Lord of the Fans

Day 3:
The Rings of Power: Episodes 1 & 2

41. Have a puzzle day

I spent an entire fun day (Labor Day) putting together puzzles! I started with a haunted house puzzle I put together hundreds of times during my childhood. Then I put together a Harry Potter map of Hogwarts puzzle (500 pieces) that I got as a present years ago from my family but had never put together. I ended the day by putting together a third puzzle, a gorgeous art scene from Star Wars (1,000 pieces), that I got as a present last year and had never attempted. It was a marvelous day of puzzling. I should really do this more often.