101 in 1001: End of 2009 Update

As 2009 winds down, I realized that I haven’t updated on our progress on our 101 in 1001. It’s only been a month and a half, and we’ve made a bit of progress. Hurray!

1. Go to Spain.
Scheduled for this summer in conjunction with our cruise! (see #2)

2. Go on a cruise.
Scheduled for this summer!

5. Sarah: Try at least 1 new recipe every month.

• 11/2009: Caramel Coconut Pie
• 12/2009: Three Chip English Toffee and Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzels (2!)

11. Train for a sprint distance triathlon.
We recently swam a half mile without stopping. We intended to try for 400m (a quarter mile), but I was feeling really good that day and just kept going. We haven’t gotten to get to the gym or pool lately since we were hosting my family for 2 weeks, but we’ll be back at it in the new year…along with everyone else who resolved to work out more in the new year. I really don’t like how crowded gyms get in January!

20. John: Get rid of my BlackBerry.
Yesterday, John’s Blackberry was taken away to be given to one of the higher-ranking soldiers in John’s office. Mission accomplished!

22. Try a new cheese once a month for a year. (1/12)

• 11/2009 We tried Jurassic from the Jura mountains in France, and we didn’t like it. Oh well!
• 12/2009 We tried a Wein Kase (wine cheese). By tried, I mean we bought it and it stunk up our fridge and house. We threw it out without trying it. Lame, I know. We also had cheese fondue this month, which was new. It wasn’t as classy as our stinky cheese, but it still counts.

23. Update the look of our blog.
Completed 11/22/2009

30. Sarah: Learn how to knit (I can only do one basic stitch.)
As of 12/10, I can also purl!
On Christmas Day, my mom received a hand knit scarf from “Santa.” I’m now working on a duplicate of the first scarf for myself. Pictures to come when I finish it.

33. Sarah: Take my vitamin every day for a month.
After several failed attempts, I’m on the bandwagon again. I think my longest streak was 20-21 days. So close!

37. Find the International Space Station in the night sky!
Two weeks ago, I was walking Béni about an hour before sunrise and was staring at the dark early morning sky. I saw a bright light moving quickly across the sky and thought it was certainly bright enough to be the International Space Station. I hurried inside and checked the NASA app I have on my iPhone, which can track the ISS. Sadly, the ISS was over the South Pacific right then, so it was not the ISS. I was disappointed!

46. Have fresh flowers on our kitchen table 3 times. (0/3)
This probably doesn’t count, but we bought 2 poinsettia this month to help our home be a little more festive. I’m not going to count it toward our 3 count here, but nevertheless, I thought I’d mention it!