100 Things in 2014

So we saw this thing. And our collective jaws hit the figurative ground. “We should totally do that!” we all thought simultaneously.

So here we go. There are a hundred things on our personally-curated list, and we intend on completing them all.

The Rules

• Every item must be completed by 11:59 pm on December 31, 2014.
• They are not required to be completed in any particular order.
• Each requires that both Becky and I be present, but some also have the kids involved; we’re training them as professional adventurers.
• More than one may be completed in a single day, if circumstances permit.
• We are allowed to modify the list slightly to adjust for life changes during the year (as long as the goal of doing 100 great things is still met).

Wish us luck!

Current progress: 100/100!!

1. Take a photo with the Fonz.
2. Explore a new-to-us beach town
3. Ride the Burnt Bridge Creek Trail with kids
4. Dine at an old-guard Portland restaurant (at least 10 years old)
5. Dine at a brand new restaurant (open within 6 months)
6. Road trip with a destination
7. Road trip with no destination
8. Visit the big Portland Farmers Market in the summer
9. Attend Becky’s 20-Year High School Reunion
10. Visit a wildlife refuge
11. Write a book
12. Throw a party
13. See a play about zombies
14. Visit an art gallery
15. Watch a movie outside
16. Do 4 walks from our Portland walking tours book
17. See Santaland Diaries at Portland Center Stage
18. Drink a bottle of fancy champagne
19. Complete a puzzle together (at the beach)
20. Read The Hobbit together
21. Read a parenting book together (The Read-Aloud Handbook)
22. Attend a Winterhawks game
23. Do a sake tour
24. Eat tacos in Mexico
25. Have the dog run upgraded
26. Go fruit picking
27. Shoot something (with a gun)
28. See a stand-up comedian act
29. Go canoeing/kayaking
30. Have dinner in the backyard
31. Visit a new city/state
32. Grow tomatoes in the back yard
33. Attend the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting at Feast Portland
34. Watch movies 91-100 on AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list
35. Try 5 new fruits or vegetables
36. Hike Multnomah Falls with the kids
37. Buy a beautiful piece of investment furniture
38. Visit a new country ¹
39. Corn maze
40. Go 24-hours gadget-free
41. Attend an OMSI After Dark event
42. Try a new ethnic food
43. Attend a movie at an art-house theater
44. Eat a multi-course chef’s-whim meal
45. Attend a Timbers game
46. Visit the Arizona Museum of Natural History
47. Ride a tandem bike
48. Gnome for the Holidays
49. Swim with sharks
50. Take care of the backyard dirt pile
51. Fix the kids’ closets
52. Reorganize our office
53. Take kids to a Cirque Show
54. Volunteer for a charity
55. Visit a “biggest” tree in Oregon
56. Write a letter to each other, for our anniversary, about the previous year
57. Go roller skating
58. Find a raw milk source
59. Visit the Hatfield Marine Science Center
60. Carve a pumpkin
61. Visit the Lan Su Chinese Garden
62. Surprise date, planned entirely by Ben
63. Visit the Columbia River Maritime Museum
64. Watch 5 Documentaries
65. Teach something at the kids’ school
66. Make ice cream
67. Participate in an organized 5k fun-run
68. Buy art from a local artist
69. Visit the End of the Oregon Trail Center
70. Buy something beautiful from an antique shop
71. Make a family bookshelf
72. See something at the Portland Rep
73. Attend an improv show
74. FROGZ!
75. Frame and display our travel art collection
76. Fly a kite
77. Visit the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute
78. Go snow tubing
79. Play old-school arcade games
80. Complete a Portland scavenger hunt
81. Visit Saturday Market
82. Build a sand castle
83. Spend a day at Enchanted Forest
84. Visit the Wreck of Peter Iredale
85. Sign the kids up for the Portland Trackers Apprenticeship
86. Cook something new from 5 new cookbooks
87. Bike the lights at PIR
88. Dress up fancy for an event
89. Spend a day at Oaks Park
90. Visit the Tillamook Forest Center
91. Tour a lighthouse
92. Participate in a Holdfast dinner event
93. Complete the 4T hike
94. Karaoke Date
95. Attend an event at the Oregon Convention Center
96. Take the kids to the Portland Art Museum
97. Take the kids to Washington Park Playground (largest in Portland)
98. Show the kids two memorable movies from our childhood
99. Start a Book Club
100. Create and post our 100 Things 2015 List

Footnotes

1. This can be a place either or both of us has been in the past, but has to be someplace we’ve never visited together.