20 - Purchase Starbucks for the person in line behind me

A couple of weeks ago when I made my daily stop at Starbucks, this finally happened! (Although I cannot take credit for initiating it)

As I pulled up to the drive through window to pick up my latest favorite Starbucks drink, a dirty Chai Latte, the barista shared with me that the person in line ahead of me purchased my beverage! He also shared that the person in line in front of that person, purchased their drink for them. So in the true spirit of giving, I decided to purchase the drink for the person behind me.

As I pulled away, I wondered how long the drink purchasing for others would last...

#8 - Fly First Class

For Christmas 2009, I flew First Class. I was on a work assignment in Denver and made plans to fly to Chicago to see my family for the holidays. During my travel planning process I never thought about Denver being a 'hotspot' during the holidays due to skiing. When I booked my flight, I was unable to obtain an assigned seat. So when I went to the airport to check in, I jumped at the option to upgrade to First Class to guarantee myself a seat.

On the return flight from Chicago to Denver, I was unable to obtain a seat assignment or provided the option to upgrade to First Class when I checked in. I was told that I would be given a seat assignment at the gate. As the flight started to board, and I still didn't have a seat assignment, I started to get worried. Finally my name was called for my boarding pass! I went to the counter to thank the ticket agent, and then proceeded to get in line to board my flight. It was only then that I realized that I received a First Class seat assignment - for FREE!

As the second ticket agent scanned my boarding pass, I asked her to please thank the other ticket agent for me. She just smiled and said 'Have a wonderful flight!'.

#37 - Start My Master's Degree

In case my loyal followers have been wondering where I have been, I started working on my Master's in Education degree!

After many, many months of trying to figure out what to do with my life, I decided now was the time to begin my master's degree. I started my degree in March, and here is it June. When I started I was at home and not on a work assignment, and life was great! I was enjoying being a student and being able to spend as much time as I wanted on my coursework. Then came the work assignment...

For the past month and a half, I have been back to work. Yes, that means working 12 hour days, 6 days a week. And I am finding that there are just not enough hours in the day for working, course work, walking (don't forget about the 3 Day!) and blogging. So something had to suffer, and so far it is my blogging.

But never fear, I will find some balance in my life. Wish me luck!

#26 - 30 Random Acts of Kindness

This past week as I was preparing to depart from my current work assignment, I planned to take the two ladies that I had been working with out to lunch. I had enjoyed working with them and appreciated all of their hard work during the past 2 months we had worked together.

As we prepared to leave for lunch I realized that one of the Independent Adjusters that we had been working with was going to join us. No problem since he was someone that I had worked with before and wouldn't mind spending lunch with him.

Once the server brought out our checks, the Adjuster decided to buy lunch for all three of us! Certainly it wasn't my intent for him to purchase lunch (I was planning to do that!), but I was appreciative of the kind gesture.

The next while I was in the office a few of the Adjusters returned from lunch at The Cheesecake Factory (I could tell from the carryout bags they were carrying). One of them walked over to my desk and said 'This is for you!' And this is what was inside of the bag - Stefanie's Ultimate Red Velvet Cheesecake:

The guys had brought back a piece for myself and one of the other ladies in the office. How nice! Of course, my first thoughts were to eat it all myself, but later in the afternoon I did cut it up and we all shared it together.

So, two days in a two nice and totally unexpected things happened to me!

#26 – 30 Random Acts of Kindness (2/30)

When I first created this goal, I thought it would be to track my own random acts of kindness. But last night as I was traveling from my home city back to my current work assignment, I witnessed a random act of kindness on my flight.

When I approached my row, I noticed that someone was sitting in the window seat, yet I was very thankful to have an aisle seat (more on my newfound claustrophobia another time!). I was very hopeful that the middle seat would stay unoccupied for a little extra room and allowing me not to feel obligated to talk to the person sitting next to me.

After a several minutes passed I heard a woman say 'That's your seat and I will be sitting here.' I looked up to find a mother and her son. The boy was going to sit in the seat next to me and the mother was going to the middle seat in the row ahead of us. As I began to rise to let him slide into his seat, the passenger sitting in the window seat asked the mother 'How can I help? Would you like to take my seat so you two can sit together?' The mother seemed very appreciative of the offer and accepted. I thought 'Wow that was pretty awesome of the passenger to give up her window seat in order to take a middle seat.' The Flight Attendant noticed the same thing and said 'That was very kind of you.'

Several more minutes passed and the Flight Attendant returned to the passenger that had given up her seat. Although I could not hear what was being said, I soon figured it out…there was an extra seat in First Class and the Flight Attendant was allowing the passenger to move there! In one night I had witnessed TWO random acts of kindness by people that didn't have to do what they did. It also made me realize that the act of being kind can be (and should be!) contagious!!!

#34 Take in Local Attractions While on Work Assignments

While in Virgina Beach I really missed walking a lot. Fortunately I was able to find Mount Trashmore Park which has a couple of really nice walking trails. So one beautiful Sunday morning I set out to get some walking in. The following are a couple of pictures from the park:

After walking in the park I decided that I hadn't had enough of the beautiful day or the fresh air, so I headed to the beach...Virginia Beach!

Unfortunately it was November so it wasn't really beach weather, but it amazed me how many people were out walking the boardwalk and just enjoying the day. The following are a few shots that I took along the way:

I found it interesting that the baordwalk had lots of different art displays and exhibits for people to stop and look at. The Angel Wing Shells were part of a really cool exhibit that had lots of different shells. I love shells and these were really special since they reminded me of my walking team Angels for the Cure.

I was able to walk through the Naval Aviation Monument...

The day ended with a couple of other cool shots....

#17 Complete my Associate in Claims (AIC) Designation

After some soul searching about what I really want to achieve professionally and my new committment to only doing things that add value to my life, this task has been officially removed from my list.

The Associate in Claims (AIC) designation is an insurance education program that is respected in the insurance industry. Although I work in the insurance industry my career path has been in the learning and development and human resources fields. I am currently working in a claims related department but still have the opportunity to train.

I have decided to maintain the recertification credits for the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification which is respected in the Human Resources field.

#54 - See 3 Cirque Du Soleil Shows (1/3)

I had the opportunity to see Alegria yesterday and it did not disappoint! Alegria translates to 'jubilation' in Spanish and this show was definitely non-stop energy.

This show reminded me of La Nouba that I saw in Orlando in the sense that there are different acts and it seems like the performers get better and better along with doing things you don't expect. The talent the performers have is amazing and just leaves you saying 'Wow'! The music was wonderful and I am really hoping there is a soundtrack available for purchasse.

There were 9 different acts, and it is so hard for me to say which one would be my favorite, but the following are definitely my top three:

1) Power Track - the performers soar in the air all while jumping on a trampoline from within the stage floor. What is so amazing is that how synchronized the performers are while leaping over one another along with utilizing the trampoline. I am amazed because the trampoline cannot be seen and it looks like the performers are bouncing off the floor.

2) Russian Bars - the performers in this act are thrown into the air from a bar that is perched on the shoulders of two catchers. The bars are flexible and measure two to six inches in width. It is amazing how the performers move from bar to bar, and even more so the catchers that are holding the bar and moving with the performers weight and energy.

3) Contortion - the two female performers are awesome! It is amazing how they can contort their bodies individually and together to become one. In some ways I thought the act was kind of sensual how they interacted with one another. Maybe that was just me though!

And the best thing of all was that I was able to attend the show with someone very special to me. I think he enjoyed it too!

#13 Participate in NaBloPoMo - In Progress

Let's just say my first try didn't go so well...looks like I will be trying this again in December! :-(

#13 - Participate in NaBloPoMo

Since I really don't know if I can post a topic every single day on my blog, I thought I should take some baby steps. Today is the first day of IComLeavWe for November. The concept is to leave a total of 5 comments on someone else's blog, and respond to one comment someone has left on my blog for 7 days. Being the commitment phobic person that I am, this 7 day commitment might be a bit challenging!

So far I am off to a good start and I have even found some cool blogs to check out!

#94 - Visit 5 New States

I travel quite a bit for work, so I might be taking the easy way out on this task! And since I fly quite a bit, does sitting in an airport really constitute visiting a new state? So, I decided that if I sleep overnight in the state, that means I visited it!

So that brings me to my first state...South Carolina! A couple of nights ago I received a surprise call from 'someone that I am getting to know better' and that he wanted to drive to see me. Since we were 5 hours apart by car, we (well I) landed on meeting someplace in the middle. And Greenville, South Carolina it was!

Since it was a short trip, I don't have much to say. Other than Michelin's headquarters is there. Hopefully I will have more to say about the next 4 states I visit.

# 56 - Compile Current 101 Things in 1001 Days list by January 1, 2020

I can hardly believe it...I finally compiled my 101 Things in 1001 Days list!

When I first found out about the Day Zero project, I thought 'It will be pretty easy to come up with 101 things that I want to complete'. Was I ever wrong!

The first 20 - 30 tasks were fairly easy to come up with. But as I really began to think about what I wanted to accomplish, the list became harder and harder to complete. Finally, after giving the tasks much thought, I believe I have a list that I am happy with and which is a true reflection of me.

I am interested to see if I complete the entire list. Will I change? How will my life be change 1001 days from now. Stay tuned...

The Project

A unique challenge that inspires you to set and achieve your personal goals in life.

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

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part).

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 than 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.

Some common goal setting tips:

1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.

2. Stay Focussed. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.

3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.

4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.

5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.