Day Zero # 77 - Read the Ensign

So I'll admit it. When I was little and I graduated from reading the Friend to reading the New Era, I was devastated. But I read the New Era anyway, and eventually I really came to love it. However, the Ensign in my mind was always a big, thick magazine, full of dry topics and long discourses on heavy, complicated doctrinal topics, with not enough pictures. The Ensign was, in fact, for adults.

So I'll admit that when I finally became an adult and moved out and started paying rent and all that fun adult-ish sort of stuff, I clung to macaroni and cheese and books from the teen and young adult section and tried to ignore the Ensign. Therefore, I was taken aback when I had a roommate who would sit and read Ensign articles to herself every morning over breakfast. I thought she must just be crazy and couldn't possibly be enjoying herself.

But deep down I figured I should probably read the Ensign. After all, it contains the words of our latter-day prophets and apostles, and it is a form of modern-day scripture.

So my 101 list seemed a good enough excuse to read the Ensign. I made a goal and bought a subscription.
And I discovered something.
The Ensign is awesome.
It's full of stories, testimonies, talks, topics that apply to me, good advice, information about life, and amazing insight.

I just renewed my subscription. My year is up, but I wouldn't stop reading the Ensign for anything!

Viva la Vida.

Day Zero # 3 - Read the Book of Mormon in Spanish

I finally finished it.

After about 15 false starts and failed attempts, I read the entire Libro de Mormon all the way through.

Now on to the Doctrine and Covenants!

Viva la Vida.

Day Zero #85 - Canning

Day Zero Goal #85 - Learn to can fruits and vegetables.
This fall I did some canning - and while I haven't done it on my own yet, and I didn't do it all myself, I did learn how to do some things.

I did peaches and pears with my mom, and I watched Ryan's mom Lisa while she did beans and helped a bit with salsa - which is the best salsa I've ever had, hands down. I'm awfully glad I learned how to do that one!

Next fall, I plan to do more peaches, pears, tomatoes, beans, and salsa - maybe on my own, but probably with more help - and maybe some applesauce, too, if I can get my hands on some apples and an applesauce maker machine deal.

Day Zero # 3 - El libro de mormon

Day Zero #3 - Read the Book of Mormon in Spanish

I FINALLY finished this! This post is actually a bit overdue, I finished a few weeks ago. It was a really wonderful experience, learning that I can read the words that I love so much in another language, too. I gained a much stronger testimony that God is the same to all people, all nations, all tongues - He doesn't change. The Book of Mormon in Spanish is beautiful - but I won't lie, I'm excited to be back in my native language again. I guess no matter how much you practice a second language, you always do feel at least a little more comfortable in your native language, unless you're truly bilingual.

Still, this was a great experience that I'm glad I finally finished!

Day Zero #13 - Run in an official race/event

Kokopelli.

That's a fun word to say. It happened Saturday down in St George. Friday we (me, Ryan, Ryans' brother and sister and brother's brother-in-law and his parents) packed up and went down to St. George. After checking in and getting our numbers written all over us in Sharpie (NOT my favorite part of running in a triathlon!) we went out to eat, all ordered too much food (apparently because we were about to run a race we all thought we could eat more? go figure) and then went to bed.

We all woke up bright and early (correction: I was already awake, having had nightmares about oversleeping and missing the entire thing and losing my shoes - who knows where that came from) and we headed down to the state park. There were like half a bazillion people there, it was crazy. We set everything up and got all ready.

The swim was first, and I was the first of our group to start, since I was doing the sprint distance instead of the regular Olympic length. I was super nervous... but when I jumped in the water, I got really excited, especially since my wetsuit was practically keeping me afloat, and keeping all the water out. The wetsuit practically pushed me the whole time, and sand hollow reservoir is PERFECT for swimming in! I loved it. I finished the swim in the middle of my group - 24 minutes. Not great, but it's a personal best.

Getting out of the water after the swim

The bike and run were after that... nothing too exciting, the bike course was insane, there was this GIANT hill that wanted to kill everyone, curse whoever decided the race course should be over that hill... but I made it, and then the run wasn't too hard. However, at the end you had to run up this hill. Then at the top, people start cheering for you, just because they're nice like that. So me, being excited and all, decide to sprint to the finish. But unfortunately, I started my sprint WAY too soon... and had to take it back a few notches before I actually crossed the line.

Yeah. This is how I felt by the time I was almost to the end.

And then I noticed the photographer right there taking pictures of me. So I smiled, that seemed like the appropriate thing to do. And then it clicked that I had just FINISHED a triathlon and then my smile was for real. Awesome.

Crossing the finish line

It was definitely an experience to remember, and maybe to repeat... We'll see!

Ryan and I after finishing. I'm marrying a triathlete :)

Day Zero #7 & 31 - Movies and Swimming

#7: Attend the midnight premiere of a movie.

Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows - Part 2. It was epic. And awesome. And I can't wait to see it again! I took some pictures but... they're blurry. Maybe next time. I highly recommend midnight shows, though, particularly the three hour wait on the sidewalk outside playing word games and 20 questions with friends. And eating candy. Lots of candy...

#31: Learn how to swim properly.

This happened quite unintentionally. Ryan's family is doing a triathlon in September, and they invited me to join them. In the process I would knock out goal number 13 (run in an official race/athletic event) and so I thought, hey, why not. So we went swimming. And after a couple of nights of nearly swallowing the pool, I finally mastered proper swimming - head in the water and everything. The goggles definitely help. My life is enriched now that I know how to swim. Next up: master that awesome little underwater somersault to turn around...

Day Zero #21 - Read 7 book recommendations

#21: Get 7 book recommendations from friends and read them all.

Let's be honest. As awesome as Harry Potter is, I can't just read and reread it for the rest of my life. So I branched out. Here's what I read:

1. Who Stole my Cheese?
2. Fablehaven series
3. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief series
4. The Ranger's Apprentice series
5. The Prince and the Pauper
6. Women of Israel series
7. Butterfly Box series

ALL of these books were excellent - and as you can see, for many of them I read the whole series. Fablehaven was my favorite, with Percy Jackson and The Ranger's Apprentice right behind them. I'm mad at Orson Scott Card for not finishing the Women of Israel series, and I anxiously await the next Butterfly Box book.

In working on this goal, I rediscovered my absolute LOVE for reading! I don't read books. I devour them. I lose myself in the story, and I finish the book with a sense of slight surprise that I'm still in the real world. I become the characters I read about, and I have adventures, explore new lands, become excited and sad as do the characters.

"A good book should leave you... slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it. " I love that quote - and for me it's true. I needed a nap after finishing the great battle with Morgorath in the Ranger's Apprentice! Movies are great - but there's something special about entering the world of imagination contained within a book.

Day Zero #100

#100 - Get a scholarship

Do you believe in miracles?

I do.

When I found out I was getting a full tuition scholarship last year, I can't even describe how blessed I felt. With the cost of my study abroad, it was really a miracle. I hardly dared hope for another miracle this year. It sounded too good to be true.

But it wasn't.

I am so very grateful to the wonderful men and women who choose to contribute to the scholarship fund, so that students like myself who work as hard as they can but still don't have enough can still get an education, participate in things like dance teams or orchestras or study abroad programs, so that the realm of opportunities isn't smaller for those who don't have very many financial resources.

Someday I want to start my own scholarship fund. I want to be the means of providing miracles to other people - because I think it's the most wonderful feeling in the world.

Day Zero: #5, #9, #44, #69, #71

#5 - Give away a pass-along card
I did this in Spain as well, but have neglected to check it off the list. The day that Melanie and I left for the Canary Islands, I left chocolate and pass-along cards for the two Italian girls who were also living with Pilar at the time. They were both such nice girls and we had talked about life in Utah, church dances, dating, and other sorts of things, and I had woken up that morning with a strong impression to not leave without telling them what I knew. I don't know if anything will come of it, but it was a good feeling to receive an impression and follow through on it.

#9 - Write in my journal at least 3 times a week for three months
This was not very hard - I love to write. Check!

#44 - Be on the BYU Folk Dance Team
I've blogged about this before - but folk dance this past semester was AMAZING! :) I've been invited to "Workshop" at the end of the summer - which is three days of intensive folk dance, at the end of which they'll assign you a team based on how well you did. I'm excited to dance all day!

#69 - Sew a skirt
At first this goal was "Learn how to sew clothing" but I opted to change that to make it less stressful - it was causing me grief. I enjoy sewing, but I have to take it at a slow pace, since I don't have a lot of patience. However, the straight skirt turned out well - I actually wear it! I also revised a swimsuit, am working on an apron (still!) and am contemplating another skirt style. I'll post pictures - someday.

#71 - Floss every night for a month
Dentist's orders. It was hard not to forget a night here and there - but my teeth have never been quite so happy... maybe, with a little diligence, I can beat my poor dental genetics.

Upcoming goals: recipe sharing, book recommendation reading, tie-dyeing, and more!

Day Zero: #31

I realize it's months after the fact, but I crossed another Day Zero goal off my list while in Spain. Our hotel in the Canary Islands had a beautiful swimming pool, and one sunny afternoon Melanie and Carina tried to teach me how to swim (properly). I have this thing about accidentally inhaling half the pool when I try to swim, but I gave it my best shot, so, even though I'm not much better than I was before, I think I'll count it. Hey, I can get around just fine - earlier that day we had gone down to the beach with McKay and swum out into the ocean, out to the end of the rocks that extended out into the bay. I don't know how deep the water was... I don't really want to know... but I didn't drown, so we're going to call the swimming goal good and cross it off the list. :)

I'm grateful for my friends

I am so grateful for the friends I've made throughout my life. They're in all parts of the world doing all different things right now, but there's so many people who've left footprints on my heart. To them, I say thank you, for helping me become the person I am today. I wouldn't be me without you.

I love this girl more than words!

best friend. ever.

# 34 - knit a scarf

Day Zero Project: first goal completed.

I've wanted to knit a scarf ever since my roommate, Angela, knitted one for her boyfrend last winter. My host mom in Spain, Pilar, taught me to knit! One week before heading back to the states, I finished it. I'm quite proud of myself. It could be better, but it's very thick and warm, and it's CHRISTMASSY!

We had fun with the scarf.

Finished product!

Day Zero Project

So I stumbled across this website via a friend's blog I was reading the other day, and I won't lie, I've been thinking hard about it ever since. I finally decided I'm going to do it: 101 goals in 1001 days (about 2 3/4 years). After quite a bit of thought, here's the goals I came up with:

1. Read all the standard works
2. Be on the Dean’s List
3. Read the triple combination in Spanish
4. Pay off my student loans
5. Give away three pass-along cards
6. Stop biting my nails
7. Think of 5 people who have made a difference in my life and write them a letter
8. Visit my grandpa once a week for three months
9. Write in my journal at least three times a week for three months
10. Learn how to play 10 songs well on the guitar
11. Throw a dart on a map and go to where it lands
12. Let my hair grow for a full year
13. Run a half marathon
14. Document all 101 goals with a picture and caption in a scrapbook
15. Visit 3 new states
16. Get married
17. Pay for someone’s meal behind me in the drive-thru
18. Kiss someone at midnight on New Year’s Eve
19. Go snowshoeing
20. Make a quilt
21. Have 7 friends suggest a book and read them all
22. Splatter-paint a wall
23. Refinish a piece of furniture
24. Learn to cook something new every month and save the recipes
25. Ride a jetski/waverunner
26. Tie a note to a balloon and let it go
27. Do a random act of kindness every day for a month
28. Make and decorate cookies shaped like zoo animals
29. Go barefoot for a whole day
30. Buy a lottery ticket
31. Learn how to swim correctly
32. Keep a dream journal for a month
33. Kiss in the rain
34. Knit a scarf
35. Take a First Aid class
36. Write to my grandparents at least twice a month for a year
37. Master the art of driving a stick shift
38. Choose the songs to the soundtrack of my life
39. Carve my initials on a tree
40. Visit 15 different temples
41. Go two weeks without spending money
42. Learn how to play soccer
43. Leave five dollars in a library book for someone to find
44. Attend four extracurricular lectures
45. Answer/call back all my phone calls for a week
46. Write a song
47. Open a cookbook randomly and make that recipe
48. Make a list of 101 things that make me happy
49. Go to a professional sporting event
50. Keep a blessings calendar every day for 1001 days
51. Make a time capsule for myself in 10 years
52. Kiss in the snow
53. Sleep and eat outside for a week
54. Go to a “real” concert
55. Learn to identify 3 constellations in each season’s sky (12 total)
56. Ask someone on a date
57. Plan a healthy diet and stick to it for a month
58. Do the temple work for my great-aunt Margaret
59. Write to three family members on my mom’s side
60. Start a new tradition
61. Start my family history
62. Visit an extended family member I haven’t seen in a long time
63. Visit a butterfly garden
64. Attend the midnight premiere of a movie
65. Have a mud fight
66. Save 10% of my income for 6 months
67. Learn how to sew basic clothing
68. Take an interior design class and redecorate a room
69. Read 5 church-related books
70. Floss my teeth every night for a month
71. Fly a kite
72. Take a self-defense class
73. Save $10 for every goal I complete
74. Participate in a service project a week for three months
75. Go to Festival of Colors
76. Go on a multi-day biking trip
77. Read the Ensign every month for a year
78. Learn and master the art of baking bread
79. Learn the basics of amateur photography
80. Take, edit, and frame a picture
81. Watch the evening news or read the newspaper every day for a month
82. Complete and internship
83. Own a little black dress
84. Get a pedicure
85. Learn how to can fruits and vegetables
86. Grow a garden
87. Go camping with friends
88. Make a budget and stick to it for a month
89. Take a finance class
90. Make three different kinds of pie from scratch
91. Learn how to say “I love you” in 16 different languages
92. Document my nativity collection
93. Go skinny dipping
94. Put my wishes in a bottle and throw it into the ocean
95. Hike Mt. Timpanogos
96. Go rock climbing
97. Read 5 classic books
98. Sort, organize, edit, and scrapbook my Spain pictures
99. Get a scholarship
100. Write something and submit it for publication
101. Spend three minutes a day thinking only positive thoughts about myself for a month.