In January, I started a list of 101 things I wanted to do in 1001 days. Now that my company has decided we are working from home most likely through the end of Q1 (that’s March 31st for you non-accounting/finance friends), I have finally decided to settle into this new “normal”. We have become *somewhat* more productive, at least as much as we can from staying at home.
It has been over 3 months since my last update, so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity do an update, especially because a lot of milestones have occurred (ie. anniversaries, elections, etc).
Update #1: August 11, 2020
Personal
1. Read at least 10 books (Making progress – 8 out of 10)
One of my main goals was to read more this year and going forward. I originally wanted my goal to read 10 books over the course of 2.75 years (I’m not an avid reader), but I’m planning to read them all before 2020. Ranging from the reality TV for books to heartbreaking memoirs, here are the 4 more books I’ve read this year all for free via the Libby app: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, Untamed by Glennon Doyle, Know My Name by Chanel Miller and Act Like A Lady by Keltie Knight, Becca Tobin and Jac Vanek (in progress).
3. Vote in the 2020 elections (COMPLETE)
Heck yes we voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris! My family and I woke up at 6 AM to arrive at our local polling location by 6:30 AM on the first day of early voting in Texas, October 13, 2020. I was voter number 98,237 in Harris County (SO COOL) and have never felt prouder for voting in probably one of the most important elections in my lifetime. Afterward, my dad and I celebrated with some Starbucks!
13. Read for 30 minutes every night before bed for one week (COMPLETE)
See #1. When I am on a reading roll, I will read every evening. When I was reading Know My Name by Chanel Miller, I couldn’t put it down. Her story was so compelling yet heartbreaking. I read “Jane Doe’s” victim impact statement when it first came out back in 2016 but reading the full story from Chanel’s perspective really opened my eyes to how many lives these acts of violence can impact.
Marriage
3. Celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary (October 14, 2020) (COMPLETE)
Time really does fly when you’re having fun! We decided to keep our anniversary celebrations casual this year and had dinner at a local Houston restaurant, Brennan’s of Houston. The outdoor dining was beautiful, with plush greenery and a fountain. We splurged on our meals, which consisted of oysters, crab cakes, and steak. I would highly recommend this restaurant for a birthday or anniversary!
9. Change my last name (REMOVED)
It’s decided – I’m keeping my last name! Changing my last name has been something I have gone back and forth on since we got married in 2017. Originally, I kept my maiden name for honeymoon purposes. Then month-after-month passed and I never “got around” to making the change but had full intention to do so. However, there came a point this year that I decided I was going to keep my maiden name just like my mom. Thankfully, Drew was supportive of my decision.
13. Collect ornaments for each city we visit (Progress)
A few vacations ago, we decided to collect Christmas ornaments for each city we visit. This year, we were able to travel to Paris so in classic tourist fashion, we got an Eiffel Tower key chain to turn into our ornament for this trip. It doesn’t look like we will be able to travel anywhere this year so I’m thankful for our last-minute trip in February. See my post on our trip and my packing list.
Family & Friends
1. Host 3rd Annual Halloween party (October 31, 2020) (COMPLETE)
This year’s Halloween party looked a little different from the huge party we typically have. Instead, we hosted an intimate escape room style murder mystery dinner party with our close friends and family. It was potluck style and we made required everyone wear masks just to be safe. During dinner, “Mr. Body” was murdered, and each team was tasked to complete puzzles throughout our house to gather clues of who done it, with what weapon, and in which room. It was a huge success and we would definitely do it again!
Travel
5. Annual summer weekend in San Antonio (2020) (REMOVED)
This one makes me sad. Another tradition Drew and I have is to spend a weekend “vacationing” in San Antonio. We (mainly me) have this soft spot for San Antonio, I think mainly because it was the first city we went on vacation as teenagers. We had a weekend planned in July but cancelled last minute because I just didn’t feel comfortable. Fortunately, San Antonio will always be there, and we can always vacation another year when it’s safer!
13. Visit Drew’s sister & brother-in-law in Florida (REMOVED)
For COVID and life related reasons, I never had a chance to make it to Florida to visit Drew’s sister and brother-in-law. But luckily for us, they both moved back to Texas, so we only have to travel 3.5 hours to see them!
Houston
1. Go to the Rodeo (2020) (REMOVED)
Unfortunately due to COVID, the Houston Rodeo was cancelled this year. The rodeo is typically in March of every year and has concerts, livestock show, and a carnival area. In mid-March, news spread that someone at the annual cookout had COVID, so it felt like the right decision.
2. Go to the Bayou City Art Festival (2020) (REMOVED)
Similar to the Rodeo, the Bayou City Art Festival was cancelled this year. The festival is typically held twice per year but, once again, due to COVID it was cancelled for the year. Last year Drew and I biked downtown to visit so I’m looking forward to doing the same when they reschedule next year.
6. Try 10 new restaurants (COMPLETE)
Not counting the restaurants we tried in Paris, we surprisingly went to quite a few new restaurants this year: Down House Houston, Lotus Chinese in Austin, Royal China in Dallas, Brennan’s Houston (see #3 in Marriage above), Napoli’s Wine Cafe (see #9 below), The Peached Tortilla in Austin, Mico’s Hot Chicken, Fajita Jacks, Juliet Italian Kitchen in Austin, and Mia Italian Tapas & Bar in Austin.
9. Try 5 restaurants during Houston Restaurant Weeks (Progress – 2 out of 5)
Houston Restaurant Weeks is typically for the entire month of August; however, it was extended through September this year! HRW is a fundraising event for Houston Food Bank where restaurants have pre-set menus for a flat price ranging from $25 for lunch to $35-$45 for dinner. This year I went to two restaurants, Churrascos for dinner and Napolis Wine Cafe for brunch, and would recommend both. Hopefully, next year we can visit more!
Hopefully, I will be able to make more progress as we go into 2021 but I’m not putting any pressure on myself to do so. It’s been great to track all that I’ve accomplished throughout this year.
Happy quarantining!
Vivian
