101 in 1001 (Round Three)

2022 has arrived and has not started out exactly how I pictured! To attempt and swing the new year in a more positive direction I decided to write my third 101 in 1001 list. (Round One & Round Two for reference.) This round feels exciting (in some ways daunting) and overall motivating as I know the next 2.75 years are sure to bring lots of big changes. I decided to keep my categories the same as my second list with one grand finale item. I will update from time to time, wish me luck!

January 1st, 2022 – September 28, 2024

CREATIVE CAREER/LETTERING

1 Complete a rotation at Hallmark (Trends Rotation January-May 2022)
2 Take on a challenging illustration assignment
3 Work on a large, collaborative project (at work or beyond) (Holiday Mart 2022)
4 Participate in the mentorship program again
5 Update website lettering
6 Letter a custom return address stamp
7 Create family monogram
8 Design logo for Turkey Hill
9 Create lettering for a friend (Katie Baby Shower, Leslie Wedding 2022)
10 Update portfolio yearly (January 2022, January 2023)

DALE AND ALLIE

11 Write anniversary notes in our guest book each year
12 Send out Christmas cards each year (2022)
13 Plan a KC Staycation (Birthday Weekend at The Elms Feb 2023)
14 Surprise date night
15 Make homemade pasta together (Spaetzle Christmas Eve Eve 2022)
16 Try three new restaurants (Baba’s Pantry Nov 2022)
17 Map out five year goals together
18 Camp together for a weekend
19 Volunteer somewhere together
20 Host a fellowship graduation party!

FITNESS/HEALTH

21 Consistent workouts for 1 month
22 Hit water goal every day for two weeks straight
23 Take vitamins consistently for a year (2022)
24 Try five new recipes (Banana Oatmeal Muffins Feb 2023)
25 Update our recipe book
26 Treat myself to a massage (April 2022)
27 Treat myself to a facial
28 Try a pilates class
29 Go on a long walk with a friend (Sydney May 2023)
30 Go to a personal training session with Dale

TRAVEL

31 Take a family vacation (Steamboat Springs for Ben’s Wedding September 2023)
32 Visit a new state (South Carolina October 2022)
33 Travel to Europe (England and Croatia May/June 2022)
34 Travel with friends (Denver Froends Reunion October 2022)
35 Travel to Thailand
36 Visit a new country (Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina June 2022)
37 Travel to a destination wedding (Charleston Brittany & Parkin October 2022)
38 Visit out of town friends (Visited Laura & Ashton January 2022)
39 Go skiing (Breckenridge, CO February 2022)
40 Get TSA Pre-Check and Possibly Global Entry

ENTERTAINMENT

41 Go to the Kansas City Symphony (Harry Pottery Symphony January 2022)
42 Go to a concert (Kacey Musgraves Denver, CO February 2022)
43 Go to a KU game
44 Host a game night
45 Go salsa dancing (The Ship with Sydney and Salvadro, February 2022)
46 See a movie in theaters (The Barbie Movie, July 2023)
47 Host the Chi O Ornament Exchange (December 2022)
48 Host a holiday party
49 Plan a college reunion weekend (Dominican Republic 2024)
50 Watch a new TV series (Only Murders in the Building August 2022)

GET ORGANIZED

51 Go through phone and organize/delete contacts
52 Organize second bedroom (Fall 2022)
53 Take broken china to be repaired (November 2023)
54 Clean out basement
55 Organize 2021 Photos (January 2022)
56 Organize 2022 Photos (January 2023)
57 Organize 2023 Photos
58 Check safety of online passwords
59 Organize closets (Early 2023)
60 Update home security system

FAMILY/FRIENDS

61 Host a dinner party
62 Spend a weekend at Turkey Hill (Leslie and Nathan, November 2022)
63 Finish Sophie’s Wedding Album (February 2022)
64 Send hand-written letters to five friends (Holiday Mart Letters October 2022)
65 Finish college t-shirt quilt with Sophie
66 Take Sophie and Grace to dinner
67 Take Mom and Dad to a fancy dinner
68 Take Grammy and Pop to the dinner and a show (Anastasia Starlight August 2022)
69 Celebrate Allie’s 30th Birthday (Colorado and Family Dinner February 2022)
70 Take professional family pictures (Christmas Card 2022)

BOOKS

71 Read an memoir (Spare, January 2023)
72 Read a fiction novel (The Maidens, April 2022)
73 Read a non-fiction book
74 Read a historical book
75 Read a book (Goodnight Beautiful, March 2022)
76 Read a book (The Maidens, April 2022)
77 Read a book (Nothing to See Here, June 2022)
78 Read a book (Gilt, November 2022)
79 Read a book (The Song of Achilles, December 2022)
80 Re-read all the Harry Potter books (Complete August 2022)

FINANCIAL

81 Invest extra each month for a year
82 Increase retirement savings percentage (May 2022)
83 Read a new financial book
84 Take a Ramit Sethi course
85 Follow up with student loan debt advisor (October 2023)
86 Save for home addition or a move
87 Get will and healthcare directives in place
88 Max out retirement accounts
89 Meet with financial advisor (Spring 2023)
90 Plan long term financial goals

KC HOUSE

91 Install gas logs in our fireplace
92 Framebridge artwork in second bedroom (October 2022)
93 Framebridge artwork in bedroom (Fall 2022)
94 Have electrician fix random things on the list
95 Decorate second bedroom (Fall 2022)
96 Update stairwell
97 Install new bathroom sink
98 Get new driveway installed
99 Make plans to renovate garage
100 Fix doorbell!

GRAND FINALE

101 Try something outside my comfort zone (Fundraise for LBDI and Holiday Mart 2022)

101 in 1001 (Round Two)

Happy Wednesday! Once again I’ve decided to make a 101 in 1001 list inspired by Mackenzie Horan! (You can take a peek at my last list here.) While I only checked off 64 items I still really enjoyed having it to reference. Now that I’m settled in KC this felt like the perfect time to create another list that felt more relevant to what I’m interested in and want to focus my time on now. I will update this post with my progress over the next 1001 days!

Letters Are Lovely | 101 in 1001 (Round Two)

January 1st, 2019 – September 28, 2021 (72 Completed)

CREATIVE CAREER/LETTERING

1 Update Portfolio (January 2019)
2 Attend a new conference
3 Work on calligraphy for envelope addressing (2021 Mentoring Olivia)
4 Participate in Hallmarket
5 Create an illustration focused piece (January 2019)
6 Collaborate on a second font at work (Collaborating with Josh on Font in 2020)
7 Take a work trip (Almost! Letter West July 2020)
8 Letter a return address stamp
9 Set up home studio (November 2019, Set up Second Bedroom as Studio)
10 Continue mentoring (Mentorship with Leslie in 2019)

DALE AND ALLIE

11 Write anniversary notes in our guest book each year (2019, 2020, 2021)
12 Go camping (Devil’s Den in Arkansas October 2019)
13 Make a weekend trip to a winery (Wine Tasting California, Sept 2021)
14 Celebrate our 10 years of dating anniversary (Dallie Disco April 2019)
15 Volunteer somewhere together (Limited by Pandemic, but made large Harvesters Donation in 2021)
16 Send out Christmas cards each year (2019, 2020, 2021)
17 Surprise Dale with a date night (Minsky’s Nights, Gift Card to Rye)
18 Try three new restaurants (Plate, Thai Orchid, Bamboo Penny’s)
19 Go hiking together (Devil’s Den in Arkansas October 2019)
20 Walk to Brookside shops for date night (All the time in 2019!)

FITNESS/HEALTH

21 Try a new Fusion class (Drenched: January 17, 2019)
22 Try a yoga class in KC (Virtual Yoga: March 2020)
23 Hit water goal every day for two weeks straight
24 Try five new recipes (Greek Bowls, Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup, Turkey Meatball and Kale Soup, Salmon Avocado Toast, Pita Tostadas with Butternut Squash, January–March 2019)
25 Try Be Well smoothies every day for a week
26 Update our recipe book (February 2019)
27 Treat myself to a massage
28 Treat myself to a facial
29 Buy new glasses (April 2019)
30 Switch to silk pillowcases (December 2020)

TRAVEL

31 Take a family vacation (Costa Rica March 2020)
32 Visit two new states
33 Go to the beach (Alex and Adam’s Wedding June 2021)
34 Dale & Allie trip on one of his vacation weeks (Booked Cali Trip, April 2019)
35 College friends reunion trip
36 Travel to Thailand
37 Visit friends in Charleston
38 Visit friends in NYC
39 Travel to Iceland
40 Travel to Europe

ENTERTAINMENT

41 Go to the Kansas City Symphony
42 Go to a concert (Boulevardia with Megan and Matt June 2019)
43 Go to a KU game at Allen Fieldhouse (Dale with Austin 2021)
44 Take a trip to the Nelson (Napoleon Exhibit with Sophie & Dale, March 2019)
45 Take a flower arranging class (#My5Days Flower Arranging Workshop May 2019)
46 Go blueberry picking (July 2019 with Dianne, Mike & Graham)
47 Take a cooking class
48 Bake a fancy cake or dessert (Baked Derby Pie, January 2019)
49 Take Sophie and Grace to dinner
50 Watch Victoria (January 2019)

Get Organized

51 Go through clothes (January 2019)
52 Get TSA Pre-Check and Possibly Global Entry
53 Unsubscribe from emails (January 2019)
54 Instagram clean up (January 2019)
55 Go through phone and organize/delete contacts
56 Take broken china to be repaired
57 Organize Basement Shelves (January 2019)
58 Organize 2018 photos (February 2019)
59 2018 photo album (2020)
60 Fix security system/get doorbell

FAMILY/FRIENDS

61 Host a dinner party
62 Record Grammy and Pop telling childhood stories (Storyworth, 2020)
63 Help mom organize family photos (February 2021)
64 Spend a weekend at Turkey Hill (Pumpkin Carving October 2019)
65 Send hand-written letters to five friends
66 Finish college t-shirt quilt with Sophie
67 Join a book club (Internal Medicine Book Club 2019)
68 Host a movie night at our house (Watched The Shining with Grace October 2019)
69 Host a murder mystery party (Mom hosted for my 28th Birthday February 2020)
70 Mail birthday cards to 10 friends

BOOKS

71 Read an memoir (Becoming by Michelle Obama: November 2020)
72 Read a fiction novel (The Wedding Date: January 2019)
73 Read a non-fiction book (The More of Less: March 2019)
74 Read a historical book
75 Read a book (Fruit of the Drunken Tree: January 2019)
76 Read a book (The Woman in the Window: February 2019)
77 Read a book (Educated: March 2019)
78 Read a book (Red, White & Royal Blue: July 2019)
79 Read a book (The Only Woman in the Room: October 2019)
80 Re-read all the Harry Potter books

FINANCIAL

81 Cook our own food for two weeks
82 No extra purchases for a month (clothes/jewelry/books…) (February 2020, not perfect but close!)
83 Put money into a savings account each month for a year (2019)
84 Increase retirement savings percentage (Set up to increase yearly, 2020)
85 Follow up with student loan debt advisor (March 2019)
86 Reach savings goal (2020)
87 Start investing monthly after reaching savings goal (2020/2021)
88 Write things to buy in list for the next month for four months (2020)
89 Make a donation to charity (Harvesters January 1, 2021)
90 Plan long term financial goals (2020, Ongoing)

KC House

91 Buy a TV for the living room
92 Get a rug for our bedroom (February 2020)
93 New house numbers (2019)
94 Plant grass seed in the front yard (2019)
95 Paint stairway (December 2019)
96 Update bathroom (one room challenge?) (Spring 2020)
97 Get larger dining room table and more chairs (Fall 2021)
98 Hang up porch swing (2019)
99 Hang wallpaper in the sunroom (November 2019)
100 Replace kitchen, hallway, and sunroom lights (December 2019)

GRAND FINALE

101 Try something outside my comfort zone (Led Ability KC Mural Painting with Meredith, January 2019)

Thoughts for 2018

2018 is officially here! This will be an eventful year: Dale graduates from medical school in May and we already have a packed calendar leading up to our Europe trip to celebrate! In some ways it feels strange because there are so many unknowns and a major drop-off in planned events after May. The last few years I've tried to keep my "resolutions" simple, and not metric based. Interestingly enough my thoughts for 2015 and 2017 were pretty similar, and in 2016 I created a 101 in 1001 list (which I'm still crossing things off of!) But this year I'm feeling the need to spend a little more time really thinking about how I want to approach this hectic year. So without further ado here is a slightly longer list of thoughts for this New Year!

Letters Are Lovely | Thoughts for 2018

Live in the Present

  • Last year I wanted to focus on being present in the company of others. This year I think I need to refocus my energy and take this a step further. While I may not always be distracted when spending time with family and friends, I do allow my mind to wonder about the future a lot. In 2018 I hope that I can not only take a few steps back from endless scrolling on Instagram, but let my thoughts focus on the now.

Be Resourceful/Conscious

  • I have always thought of myself as a resourceful person, but this year I want to be even more intentional and conscious of my daily decisions. This year I want to take pause before purchasing, eating, and in general be conscious about how I am spending my time. I have big dreams for a year of creative growth, and I know that I can adjust how I spend my time to make them a reality. I also would like to continue simplifying my life, maybe this is the year I really commit to buying less and fully enjoying what I already have. In 2018 I also plan to take note of those relationships (and experiences) which leave me feeling joyful and which are draining. Letting go just might make all the change of this year be more peaceful.

Daily Gratitude

  • This year I started a new planner, and while in the past I have had planners specifically designed for gratitude journaling I've been loving just recapping my favorite moments of each day in this regular planner. Instead of to-do lists I just write a few highlights, things I'm grateful for, or even just a little moment that I remember from the day. I've always loved documenting my life, and this seems to be the perfect combo of a diary and a gratitude journal. Who knows if will even look back on my entries, but either way I have a whole book of positive thoughts and things I am grateful for in case I need it.

Embrace Growth and Creativity

  • Being back in the Lettering Studio at work has been really inspiring and exciting! Being surrounded by the most creative and talented artists every day is pushing me towards growth, even when it is uncomfortable. In 2018 I want to embrace being out of my comfort zone and accept growth without having to have a specific outcome in mind. I do know that this year I want to focus on calligraphy, sketching, and create some lettering using the iPad Pro!

Daily Reading

  • I have always loved reading, and while I have read a lot more in post-college life this year I hope to make it as much a part of my daily routine as possible. Maybe I will document what I'm reading here on the blog! 

Be Active 

  • While I have some good habits going, I want 2018 to be full of activity! This year I hope to keep going to Fusion, keep an active mind with meditation, and get to yoga more often. Also I would love to just try and get moving more on a daily basis with walks and more breaks at work.

Hopefully sharing these thoughts will help keep me motivated and accountable in this new year, happy 2018!

2017 Best Nine

Today I'm looking back on 2017, and thought my #2017BestNine from Instagram would be the perfect place to start. I'm always curious if the posts chosen will really reflect my year, but in this case they did! This year I was lucky to spend quite a bit of time traveling, Dale and I celebrated two years of marriage, and this year was full of wonderful new opportunities at work. I love that these three huge areas of my life are reflected: travel, work, and family. These photos show our anniversary celebration, a work trip to Chicago, my family's trip to Chile, time with family at our lake house (Turkey Hill), my trip to LA with Laura, a portrait taken at Hallmark, and a sister picture from New Orleans. 

Letters Are Lovely | 2017 Best Nine

But of course there are lots of things not captured as well. This year I have spent countless hours with friends both in Kansas City and St. Louis, I've committed at least one hour each week working out at Fusion Fitness, Dale and I spent a lot of time cooking in our tiny kitchen, I've driven what feels like a million miles back and forth between STL and KC, and dealt with all the general ups and downs and the uncertainty of what the next year will bring. I'm grateful for all I have experienced and learned this past year — 2018 will be a big year for us. I hope you have some time to reflect on your past year too, happy new year!

Thoughts for 2017

This year, perhaps more than any other year, I have really spent some time reflecting on the new year. While I haven't specifically created resolutions for myself, I have put some thought into different areas of my life and how I can make little changes that better align with how I would like to live. In 2015 (two years ago!) I wanted to spend more time on this blog, focus on fitness, and put more emphasis on relaxing. Last year I made my own 101 in 1001 list, and I am happy to report I have completed just over half of the list! While I enjoyed making that list, and will continue to complete items off of it, this year I went a little deeper. I won't share all the lengthy details of my notes here, but here are a few key points to keep myself accountable! 

Letters Are Lovely | Thoughts for 2017

Embrace Simplicity

  • Like many others, in 2016 I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Marie Kondo's method did allow me to get rid of unnecessary items in our apartment, but in the new year I would love to place a greater emphasis on what I purchase. I hope to be more considerate, and in general thoughtful, about everything I buy. I want to focus on appreciating and loving the items I already own. Some things that are becoming more important to me are buying locally, considering ingredients, what the environmental impact is, and trying to make less impulse purchases. 

Challenge Myself Mentally and Physically

  • This year I am grateful to be starting the year having been more active than I have been in a long time! Going to Fusion Fitness over the past two years really has shifted my mindset — I no longer doubt that I would even be capable of trying a new class. In 2017 I hope to continue working out at Fusion, and I would love to add more Yoga to my life. A few months ago I discovered a wonderful yoga studio in St. Louis where I plan to attend classes at regularly! I also would love to keep reading, meditating, and place a greater focus on healthy eating this year. 

Be Present in the Company of Others

  • Daily I notice myself distracted by my phone or pondering the next task I need to complete. I hope to make a more conscious effort to listen during conversations with friends and family, and to focus as much as possible on the moment at hand. 

Remain Grounded in Gratitude

  • Both meditation and the Five Minute Journal transformed my approach to gratitude in my daily life over the past year. Moving forward, I want to discover for myself the best way to keep gratitude a part of my life, but possibly in a more natural way. I don't want gratitude to feel like an item on my to-do list. This is one area I will continue to ponder. I can't wait to see what this year will bring, happy 2017!