I've Moved!

I've moved! Well, my blogging self has at least. Visit my new place!

101. Set up a meeting with K. to review our success

Less than a month to go in the 1001, where did the time go! The best friend, K., and I have blocked off our calendar for a fabulous 101 recap weekend in September. Not only, will we start setting up our 101 memory books but we are also going to start planning our next 101 which I am soooo excited about. And, we have pulled in Katie W. and Katie H. for the weekend and the next 101. Definitely excited to recap this adventure and start gearing up for the next!

23. Hail a taxi

Two years ago when I was living the country life, I'm not sure there even were taxis in my town. Now, however, living in the D.C. metro area, I have taken my fair share of taxi rides. But, they are always schedule rides, with the little yellow cab waiting out front for me at my specified time of arrival. I had never actually hailed a taxi.

There is something about the actually hailing of the cab that makes me smile. Stepping out into the street, hand held high, face forward looking as confident as possible. I mean, how Sex and the City is that? This week, I spent a few days in New Orleans for work. My boss took me down to the French Quarter so that I could fully experience all that New Orleans had to offer. And man was it an experience! As we started to wind down and were ready to head back to the hotel she asked if I wanted to call or just flag down a cab. It was the moment of truth... how much of my nerdy self could I reveal to my boss? But, then again, there are only 60 days left in the 101, and who knows when the taxi opportunity will present itself again. So, I asked her, if she would mind if I not only hailed the cab, but if she would take a picture of me doing it. She fully obliged and we set out.


It was quite the moment. I had no trouble hailing the taxi, but I also seemed to be cheesing it up more than my normal smiley self. Ah well. It worked. And our friendly taxi driver even commented on my zealous hailing skills. A pro already.

83. Buy myself a nice piece of jewelry

Sometimes a girl just needs a nice piece of jewelry. My trip to San Francisco was a momentous occasion for many reasons. It was my first time on the west coast, it was my first time venturing out on my own in a completely unknown area, and it was my first business trip. My boss and I decided to do a little shopping which included a trip to Tiffany & Co., during which I found this beautiful necklace. I thought of this "task" and how this would be a great way to commemorate my new career. But, I figured I should sleep on it. The next day I knew I had to have the necklace, but when I went back, they were closed. So sad, but it will take more than that to keep us down. My boss thought it was a wonderful idea to get the necklace to remember my first big trip, so as a consolation, on my second big trip (to Chicago, just last week), we emerged from our meeting and trekked straight down the Magnificent Mile to the nearest Tiffany's.

I am now the happy owner of this beautiful necklace. I love it. It is simple enough to wear often, but yet unique. I love that the symbol resembles a "infinity" sign (yes, I am that much of a nerd) and that I was able to buy it on one of my early business trips. Success!

76. Go to the zoo

There is just something about the zoo that makes me smile. I just can't walk through the zoo without feeling about 8 years old again. And with the National Zoo practically in my backyard I had no reason to go. So on my long Memorial Day weekend, I set out with a friend into one of the first sweltering hot days of the year and headed to the zoo.

The animals seemed to be taking the hot day as a cue to stretch out and nap. It was so fun to see all the animals being lazy. I wish I had gotten a picture of the elephant who was comically rolling around in the huge pool, cooling off. He seemed to be having so much fun.


It is so interesting and amazing to be able to walk around the zoo and see animals from all different areas of the world. We walked through the rain forest, almost literally, and birds flew around us, monkeys scattered about, and beautiful sting rays floated in the pool below. I am so glad that I took a few hours and walked around the zoo (and through the "misters" ahhhh), sort of escaping the reality of hustle and bustle city life to enjoy some time near the animals.

15. Go on a picnic

After kayaking for a few hours, I was ready for some sustenance. Enter, picnic time! So this might not be the most glamorous picnic feast, but it has a bit more character. Except for a couple obvious items (Laughing Cow Cheese and peanut butter), everything was bought that morning at the local farmers' market. We had lots of fruit, some veggies, and a delicious loaf of bread that was all fresh and delicious. Happy Memorial Day, weekend!

45. Float the river

When I started this list "the river" was the Shenandoah. Now, around two and a half years later, I've had some big changes in my life, including a move to another part of the state. Now, "the river" is the Potomac, so when I set off with a friend to have some Memorial Day weekend fun, I thought why not check this off the list!

During some exploring several weeks ago, I came across a marina that rented canoes and kayaks that you could take out into the marshy areas on the Potomac River just north of Mt. Vernon. And so, we set out with plenty of sunscreen and a picnic lunch (gotta love combining 101 tasks, see next post!), and off we went.


It was very relaxing and lot of fun, and the weather was lovely (though a bit more overcast than I had hoped). The marsh lands were not something I had ever been familiar with before, and so paddling around was really interesting. We saw all sorts of beautiful birds, including a crane and a hawk doing some fishing, as well as some turtles sunning themselves (unfortunately, my camera skills were not as swift as my rowing skills). The foliage was very different and had a sort of calming influence. It was hard to believe that we were only minutes away from the hustle and bustle of D.C.