101 in 1001 #31: Go one month without shopping.

Anyone who really knows me (or has seen my closet) knows I'm a fairly certifiable shopaholic. My affinity for J.Crew has become a byword among friends, who love to tease me about it, and having a mom and sister (not to mention brother, who might be the worst of us) who share my addiction hardly helps matters. 

With a fairly hefty rent to pay, though, and two international trips plus plenty of domestic travel on the books for 2015, I need to start making smarter money decisions, and one of the easiest areas to pare back my frivolous spending would be reducing shopping. Plus, what better way to kick off 2015 than with a little extra money in my bank account and a detox from one of my favorite addictions? So here goes nothing, I decided: January would be my shopping-free month. As the month progressed, I decided to chronicle the ups and downs in a sort of serial blog diary to see how it went, what the challenges were, and ultimately whether I could stick to it: 

January 2: Back at work. Just realized how often I online-window-shop in my spare time at the office...I can't decide if I should cut that out to reduce temptation, or if I should just consider it an exercise of my iron willpower. Jury's still out. 

January 3: After spending several hours doing laundry, I really don't think I need more clothes. The problem is I'm so loath to get rid of clothes I've loved, even if the love affair is dying a bit. I always think of JUST ONE OUTFIT that piece would be perfect for...then I never actually wear it and it's a moot point. 

January 5: During the "Bachelor" premiere, I ended up online-shopping Anthro (browsing only!) and got weirdly obsessed with pretty pajamas. Didn't buy...really wanted to. 

January 6: Online retailer C.Wonder is going out of business, and their entire online stock is 50% off. There's this adorable pair of smoking slippers that I would adore...but where would I really wear red velvet smoking slippers with a foot of snow on the ground in January? Resisted.

January 8: Trying to convince myself that shopping for my apartment doesn't count as shopping, but being honest with myself, it does. Because I really want to finish my gallery wall and there are a few prints on Etsy that I'm obsessing on...

January 9: I went in Anthropologie and didn't buy anything. Willpower growing. 

January 11: I spent most of the afternoon shopping with Claire and came dangerously close to breaking my month off for, in order: a great Express circle skirt, a yellow coat and a powder-blue coat at Macy's, a perfect ponte dress at Banana Republic, and a polka-dot blouse at Loft. STILL stuck to the no-shopping thing, but it was seriously not fun. 

January 13: DAMNIT. J.Crew Factory has a popback of the most gorgeous emerald green wool dress that I wanted and wanted for work, but it sold out in my size before I could order it...and it's on clearance for $48.99. Resist, resist, RESIST............

January 19: Honestly, the longer I've gone without shopping, the easier it's gotten. I do, however, have an obscenely long list of things I "need" to buy in February...mostly replacements for basics in my wardrobe that have gotten really tired. My white button-down is looking a little dingy, my favorite skinny jeans are faded and saggy, and I should really get rid of about ten pairs of underwear and replace them with something that doesn't say "VS PINK" in glitter on the ass. 

January 28: This is going to sound really weird, coming from me: I'm not even really wanting to shop once this month-long sabbatical ends. Sure, there are things I probably should buy, as mentioned above, but the desire to just go browse and touch things and be a consumer has waned for me in a big way. I'm liking the way that not spending money on clothes has freed up a little extra flex room in my budget...and it's forcing me to be more creative with the (obscene amount of) clothes I already have. 

February 1: I did it. No shopping, 30 days clean and still counting. It's funny reading back over the early days of this admittedly silly challenge I set myself...especially because by the end of the month, any desire I had to go shopping has drastically abated. Not going to lie, I still browse online for cute clothes on my lunch break, and I'm totally looking forward to buying a cute new sundress for my trip to Mexico, but all things considered, I'm going to consider this shopaholic reformed! 

To check out the rest of my 101 in 1001, click here!

101 in 1001 #65: Buy a set of nice sheets.

I'm a terrible sleeper. I have an excessively overactive mind, a sensitivity to light and sound, and a tendency to overheat. Not exactly conducive to quality shut-eye. To compensate, I am notoriously picky about the environment I create to sleep in. Blackout drapes or shades? Since childhood. External noises? Canceled out by the loudest white noise machine known to humankind. Overheating? Apartment's set to 65 degrees every night and usually there's at least one limb sticking out of my covers. I have the softest, cushiest mattress, the plumpest pillows and the coziest quilt. To round out the perfect-bed equation, I've always wanted to splurge on nice sheets. 

What makes a nice sheet? According to some of the research I've done online, the thread count, material, pattern, and even dye can affect the quality of a finished sheet. "Nice" sheets, too, are super objectively defined. When I started shopping around, I found everything from Pottery Barn's luxe sheets at around $200 to Pratesi and Frette linens that cost well over $1000. It would be sufficient to say that, while I value my sleep and think sheets do make a difference, I'm not willing to drop almost a month's rent to make better sleep happen. 

I got crazy-excited when, in browsing Anthropologie's sale section one day, I noticed these beauties: 

They're 300-thread count, 100% organic cotton with the prettiest diminutive floral pattern. I was interested, but decided to wait in the name of spending all my money on buying things for others instead of myself. But then Anthropologie's sale went to 25% off and those babies were in my cart faster than you can count a sheep. According to this great Real Simple article, 100% cotton gives that "light, cool feel," and organic cotton will keep them from irritating my skin, which gets extra sensitive in the winter. 

I got particularly excited when I received them, opened them up and realized they're the crisp kind of sheets! I personally feel like there are two distinct kinds of sheets: the ultra-soft, cuddly, buttery kind and the crisp, smooth, linen-y kind. My other sheets are the soft kind, and who doesn't like a little variety now and then? 

Bam. It might be a frivolous thing to be totally satisfied by, but I just love getting into a perfectly made bed with fresh, fancy sheets. Happy to check this guy off my 101 in 1001! 

101 in 1001 #32: Lead a project at work.

Being totally honest, I'm shocked I get to check this item off my 101 in 1001 list this early both in my career with my current employer, and in my 2.75 years of 101 in 1001!

This August, I was asked to participate in my company's Employee Giving Campaign as a committee member, with a "to-be defined" role. It then evolved into serving as the entire campaign's communications coordinator and co-chair...a leading role that I find a tiny bit hilarious, given I didn't even work for my company at the time of the last Employee Giving Campaign! 

I was super excited to get to participate, and humbled by the invitation to lead--it's an honor to have been asked, being as new to the company as I am and having so little experience. While I was involved to a lesser degree with my old employer's campaign, it can't hold a candle to the all-out lengths my current company goes to to make the campaign a success. 

In my role, I got to help out with all the campaign special events, which offered great exposure to other people and parts of the company I haven't gotten to meet yet. It's so funny to me...even having been here for nearly a year, it's hilarious how "new" I still feel. Scores of people made sure to remind me of my newbie status, in the most good-natured way, when I wouldn't know who so-and-so was and, really, probably should have known. 

Traditional campaign events have always included a 5k fun run through downtown Saint Paul and along the Mississippi River, a super-intense basket raffle (this year the total worth of the baskets raffled off was $15,000!), and jeans days for Fridays from September through October. This year, I got to help spearhead the addition of two new events: a campus-wide picnic and a "Day of Caring" volunteer event on-site. The sheer effort and coordination required to work through these events for 2,100+ employees was staggering. Factors I never considered came into play; whether it was corporate restrictions on what could go in a raffle basket, liability waivers for media use at our Day of Caring, or city permits for the 5k, I got to be exposed to all of it. 

My personal favorite event was our Day of Caring. We were lucky enough to bring in Feed My Starving Children, an iconic Twin Cities non-profit focused around mitigating childhood malnutrition, to run a MobilePack event at my company's office. Feed My Starving Children packs super nutrient-dense meals and sends them to disaster relief areas and third-world countries, with over 92 cents of every dollar making its way into direct philanthropic impact. To do so, they rely heavily on volunteers to pack meals. It's such a blast to get to do the packing--we had over 300 volunteers assemble teams and pack for eight hours. While the hairnet photos and 90s jams while packing were hilarious, the impact we made in those eight hours took us from engaging in hilarity to embracing humility. Our 300 volunteers packed 41,700 meals, which will feed 110 kids for an entire year. Talk about a meaningful contribution. 

The best feeling through the insanity of campaign weeks was knowing that, in my role, I directly contributed to making the campaign the most successful one my company has fielded in memory. We raised over half a million dollars for four Twin Cities area charitable organizations through our special events and corporate pledge drive. Further, we achieved record volunteer percentages and hours logged, with over 25% of my company contributing nearly 800 total volunteer hours in two weeks.

Getting to be in charge of marshaling those people, organizing event logistics, and driving participation gave me a huge rush, beyond how good it will look on my résumé someday or how much fun it was to meet more colleagues. I've always loved doing good, and getting to lead this specific project fulfilled not only my desire to stretch myself professionally but to better myself personally. 

To check out the rest of my 101 in 1001 list, and my progress to date, head over here!

101 in 1001 #89: Purchase season tickets to an orchestra/theatre.

I've only been working on my 101 in 1001 list for about three and a half months, and I'm already totally sold--writing down goals, ideas, activities and adventures is one of the best things I've ever done for myself. Checking off those items one by one satisfies my inner list-maker control freak in a big way, and I love that I have an impetus to get out and do and craft and travel and experience things! 

This item, for example, is one I probably would have seesawed back and forth on forever if I hadn't had it on my list. Last weekend, Mom and I went to the Minnesota Orchestra's beautiful outdoor season kickoff concert at the Lake Harriet Bandshell. It was a perfect day for it...cool, sunny, a light breeze...exactly the kind of day that makes Minnesotans grateful to be alive and calling this state home. 

I've been a Minnesota Orchestra groupie since my high school days, when we would take trips to sit in the worst seats in the house just for the sake of being able to afford the tickets. These days, seeing their shows is one of the few ways I get my instrumental music fix. After an extended strike and the opening of a beautiful renovation to Orchestra Hall, the 2014-2015 season promises excitement, optimism and new beginnings. 

Last Sunday's program featured a new-to-us conductor, William Eddins, who was delightful! His spirit and expressiveness were a pleasure to watch. The concert commenced on a bright, high note with a Glinka overture, then progressed rapidly to spirited Strauss to highlight their fall program, a tribute to the composer's 150th birthday. The Tchaikovsky "Romeo and Juliet" was hands-down my favorite...it's just such lovely, lush, emotive music...and the closing of Borodin's dances ended with the same spirit the show started with. I couldn't get over the sheer number and variety of people...including the Lake Harriet Streetcar Trolley captain who we ended up standing right by: 

We were so excited about the orchestra afterward that we went straight home and built a season package! I'm looking forward to our custom package, which includes next weekend's "New Beginnings" program of Mahler and Barber. We'll celebrate the holidays with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Band, and in January we're seeing a Shakespeare: Star-Crossed Lovers series! We wrap up in February with "That's Amoré," a compilation of Italian composers old and new. 

I can't wait! I'm so happy that I'm making more of an effort to get to live performances...in my eyes, it's such a great investment in an experience that's not only enjoyable at the moment, but totally enriching. Looking forward to enjoying so much live music this year!

Summer Snapshots/#98: State Fair

Another day, another 101 in 1001 checked off! Across the rest of the country, the word association for phrases like "on a stick," "deep-fried," "butter princess," and "mini donut beer" conjure confused looks and the occasional "WTF." Here in my beloved land of 10,000 lakes, they mean only one thing: it's State Fair Time. 

The Great Minnesota Get-Together runs for around 2 weeks at the end of every August, and this year, my family attended on the most crowded day of all time...or at least since they've been keeping attendance records. Saturday dawned warm-but-not-hot, overcast-but-not-rainy, and we packed up and headed to the Fairgrounds around 10am. By 4pm, 252,000+ people had embraced the same plan, and we were completely overwhelmed and ready to be done. But in those six hours...oh man, get ready for totally epic exploits. We ate food. We (well, some of us) rode rides. We drank beer. We people-watched with the best'of'em. In short, we completely dominated the fair. 

Imagine, if you will, a morning that starts off with deep-fried cookie dough on a stick for breakfast. Then pair that cookie dough with a cinnamon bun the size of your head, dripping in sweet lemony icing, and you have our first food consumption of our State Fair morning. (Yes, I took pictures of almost everything we ate. No, no apologies.)

Being totally honest, getting to the fair a bit earlier in the day probably saved/made the whole experience for me. It wasn't as hot as later, and there was still room to move without getting someone else's...Pronto Pup...all up in your face, if you know what I mean. We headed in the general direction of the Mighty Midway, with a pit stop along the way to pick up some Comet Corn from the Blue Moon Drive-In. It was...interesting. 

Caramel corn dusted in pretzel crumbs and cheddar cheese powder, then "fried" in liquid nitrogen? It tasted like Corn Pops but had this weird, mouth-singeingly cold inital shock. Super different. I wouldn't eat them again, but I'd recommend trying them for the sheer weirdness. 

Then we hit the Midway...

Dad's fascinated with this launchy ride that throws you up in the air and bounces you around until gravity has its way with you again. I'd HATE it. 

Dad was super excited for the Midway. Em, on the other hand, made sure to thoroughly verify that she was tall enough to ride all the rides. We scoped out our options...

And after passing on the holy-shit-that-looks-freaky Kamikaze, which flips you upside down at least 8 times, Dad and Em settled on the straight-from-the-70s Bobsled Blitz. Mom and I selfied...

...while Em maintained her cool and Dad's facial expressions made my entire life. MY ENTIRE LIFE. 

We also got snowed by one of those classic rigged Midway games that nobody ever wins. As this particular game entailed throwing pingpong balls into glass bowls, Em insisted she'd dominate because she's so good at beer pong. After two games, neither Em, Dad, nor I had made one. single. ball. But our consolation prizes were super cute (we later gave them to the cutest little toddler ever just to get rid of them).

The Fair opened a whole new area, the West Market, this year. It's home to the Blue Barn, proprietors of The Lowry, Highland Grill, etcetera, and it was heralded as having some of this year's best new food options. We tried the blueberry basil lemonade along with the DELISH blue cheese corn fritters...which were unanimously our entire fam's favorite food of the day. I could've eaten an entire order myself. So good. We also sampled, but I failed to photograph, the "World Famous Salty Tart Coconut Macaroons." They were yummy, but I'm curious to verify their fame on my upcoming travels. 

I'm going to take a break from my regularly-scheduled, chronological recap to analyze two major titans of our fair day: the hot topic of 2014: Mini Donut Beer or S'mores Beer? The former, brewed by Lift Bridge Brewery in Stillwater, MN and served at the Ball Park Café, captured my heart instantly with its cinnamon-sugar rim and sweet, not bitter, caramely flavor. The latter, served by Giggles' Campfire Grill, satisfied my sweet tooth with a chocolate fudge and graham cracker crust rim, and a floating, beer-soaked jumbo marshmallow. The win totally goes to the Mini Donut. It was to-die-for. 

While we enjoyed our second Mini Donut Beer of the day, the daily fair parade came by and we were treated to a firsthand glimpse of Princess Kay of the Milky Way! For non-Minnesotans, Princess Kay is the winner of the annual Fair Pageant for girls who grew up on Minnesota dairy farms. She's one of the fair's official ambassadors, but the truly big deal is that she gets her head carved in like...100 pounds of butter or something insane like that. See below: 

I can totally see the likeness. Can't you? We munched on Pronto Pups before the parade...did you know Pronto Pups are the original corn-battered hot dog on a stick, and originated IN Minnesota? Magic, folks...and after, we split a chocolate-covered Salted Nut Roll (another family favorite, I'd call this a don't-miss for 2015). 

At this point, though, things were getting uncomfortably, claustrophobically crowded. Pronto Pups all up in my face, crabby people elbowing us, and so. many. weirdos. We hot-footed it to Machinery Hill, where Dad admired cars and snowmobiles while we admired the cute guys admiring machinery, and ran into some family friends! After a long chat with them, we decided to leave, but not without one last stop. 

It's a tradition. They're so trashy and so to-die-for that I didn't even stop to take a picture before we inhaled them. And with that, our State Fair 2014 experience came to an end. We walked 12,000 steps per Em's iPhone pedometer, and we ingested 12,000 calories...before noon. It was, all in all, an epic success. Here's to the Great Minnesota Get Together!