Project Progress

0/101 and 3 in process

The List

Books

001. Read the portions of the Bible that I didn't complete during the time covered by my last 101 things goal list

002. Read How to Read a Book

003. Read 3 books from the appendix of How to Read a Book

004. Read 5 business books

005. Read 3 books about science

006. Read 5 books recommended by Ryan Holiday

007. Read the next 5 presidential biographies for my presidential bio bucket list goal

008. Read 3 books from Book Lust to Go

009. Read 3 books about racial/discrimination issues

010. Read 3 books that have won the National Outdoor Book Award

011. Read 5 books on the Book in Common list

012. Read 5 books that I own (physically, not on the Kindle) but have not yet read

013. Read 52 books per year in 2019, 2020, and 2021

Culture and Education

014. Go on the Artoberfest art studio tour

015. Attend Taste of Chico

016. Work through the Open Yale literature class

017. Attend a Chico Performances show

018. Watch 25 TED talks

019. Visit a museum

020. Listen to 10 classical albums that I have purchased but not yet listened to

Health and Fitness

021. Run a 5k

022. Swim a mile without stopping

023. Complete a century bike ride

024. Complete a sprint triathlon

025. Participate in one of the local Wednesday night group rides

026. Fast from refined sugar for 30 days (fruit is fine)

027. Exercise at least 3 times a week for at least 100 of the weeks during the time covered by this list (bike commutes to/from work count) [18/100]

028. Track my food intake for 30 days in a row

029. Weigh less than 240 pounds

030. Weigh less than 200 pounds

Travel and Outdoor Activities

031. Visit a National Park that I haven't yet visited

032. Vist a U.S. state, Canadian province, or foreign country that I haven't yet visited

033. Climb Brokeoff Mountain

034. Climb Lassen on full moon night

035. Take a basic mountaineering course

036. Take a level 1 avalanche course

037. View a meteor shower

038. Camp at the Fowlers Camp Campground

039. Camp at Lake Alpine

040. Camp at Panther Meadows

041. Hike the Crags Trail in Castle Crags State Park

042. Complete a 2 week or longer through hike

043. Take an overnight or longer bikepacking trip

044. Go hiking (or snowshoeing) in at least 26 of the 32 months covered by this goal list [2/32]

Family

045. Take Emily backpacking

046. Take Anna backpacking

047. Take Victoria camping

048. Go on a backpacking trip with Dad

049. Take a kid-free trip with Crystal

050. Design a book or series of books containing family photos from 2008 through 2020

Personal

051. Redesign this site

052. Design and purchase our wedding album

053. Make a list of movies that I would like to own and purchase 5 of them

054. Design and build a website that serves as a personal business card, a hub pointing to my other sites and businesses

055. Digitize as much of the family photo archive (especially Mom and Dad's negatives) as I can

Organization and Time Management

056. Organize all media (music, movies, home videos, podcasts, and audiobooks)

057. Design a system for organizing scanned documents

058. Go through all old paperwork. Throw away what is not needed, and scan everything else

059. Organize our bedroom

060. Organize our garage

061. Private

Purchases/Finance

062. Purchase a bike rack for our car

063. Purchase a headstone for the grave of the twins

064. Purchase an entertainment center for our living room

065. Purchase a home theater receiver and speakers

066. Purchase everything I need to make our camping boxes grab-and-go

067. Purchase needed sleeping bags and pads for our new tent

068. Pay off all credit card debt

069. Pay off our car

Photography

070. Build a website for Greg Coates Photography

071. Read Art/Work

072. Read 3 photography books

073. Take at least 1 photo-specific trip each year in 2019, 2020, and 2021

074. Complete the setup of our image backup system

075. Organize all negatives and slides

076. Rate all original (non-derivative) digital images

077. Purchase everything I need to digitize my film images

078. Digitize all film images that need to be digitized

079. Keyword and rate all digitized film images

080. Shoot a roll of film every week for a year

081. Create 10 portfolio quality images in Lassen Volcanic National Park

082. Create 10 portfolio quality images in Bidwell Park

083. Sell gear that I no longer need

084. Photograph Yosemite in the winter

085. Photograph in Death Valley

086. Photograph in Redwood National/State Park

087. Watch CreativeLive course on videography

088. Learn to use Adobe Premier for video editing

089. Create 10 videos for my Youtube channel

090. Make at least 2 BTZS tubes

091. Photograph 10 scenes with my view camera

092. Learn to make Platinum/Palladium prints

093. Private

Coatesoft/Programming

094. Redesign the Coatesoft website

095. Learn responsive design techniques

096. Learn HTML 5/CSS 3

097. Learn about DevOps

098. Read 3 books listed on the Programmer Competency Matrix

099. Release a new product for Coatesoft

Career

100. Move into a management position

101. Generate monthly freelance/business income equivalent to half of what I make at my day job

Project Progress

24/101 and 15 in progress

The List

Books

001. Read through the Bible

002. Read How to Read a Book, and then read 3 books listed in the appendix of How to Read a Book [0/4]

003. Read 5 business books [5/5]

A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge – Project Management Institute (December 8, 2017)
The 1-Page Marketing Plan – Allan Dib (March 2, 2018)
Getting to Yes – Roger Fisher; William Ury; Bruce Patton (May 15, 2018)
Social Media Explained – Mark W. Schaefer (June 12, 2018)
Topsight – Clay Spinuzzi (January 3, 2019)

004. Read 3 books from the Programmer Competency Matrix [0/3]

005. Read 5 books recommended by Ryan Holiday [2/5]

American War – Omar El Akkad (September 6, 2017)
Washington: A Life – Ron Chernow (December 21, 2017)

006. Read 5 books listed in Book Lust To Go [2/5]

The Places in Between – Rory Stewart (December 19, 2016)
From Cape to Cairo – David Ewing Duncan (August 14, 2017)

007. Read 3 books that have won the National Outdoor Book Award [3/3]

The Emerald Mile – Kevin Fedarko (November 17, 2016)
The Ledge – Jim Davidson; Kevin Vaughan (May 22, 2017)
Fast into the Night – Debbie Clarke Moderow (March 10, 2019)

008. Read 3 books from the Book In Common list [3/3]

Just Mercy – Bryan Stevenson (October 26, 2016)
The Yellow Birds – Kevin Powers (March 15, 2017)
The Distance Between Us – Reyna Grande (June 19, 2018)

009. Read 3 Christian non-fiction books [2/3]

The Bible Jesus Read – Philip Yancey (October 12, 2017)
Searching for Sunday – Rachel Held Evans (January 24, 2019)

010. Read 5 books about psychology [1/5]

The Evil Hours – David J. Morris (October 8, 2018)

011. Read 5 books about racial/other discrimination issues [1/5]

The New Jim Crow – Michelle Alexander (May 31, 2018)

012. Read 3 books from 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die [3/3]

The Handmaid's Tale – Margaret Atwood (September 8, 2016)
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee (February 24, 2017)
Cryptonomicon – Neal Stephenson (March 5, 2018)

013. Read 5 paper books and 5 Kindle books that I own but have not yet read (these may also qualify for another reading goal) [6/10]

Be Brave, Be Strong – Jill Homer (October 11, 2016 - Kindle)
Just Mercy – Bryan Stevenson (October 26, 2016 - Kindle)
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee (February 24, 2017 - Kindle)
Snowshoeing – Gene Prater (March 12, 2017 - Paper)
The Yellow Birds – Kevin Powers (March 15, 2017 - Kindle)
The Cape Refuge Collection – Terri Blackstock (August 23, 2018 - Kindle)

014. Read 30 books a year in both 2017 and 2018 [2/2 - completed August 31, 2018]

Culture & Education

015. Go on the Artoberfest art studio tour

016. Work through the Open Yale literature class

017. See a Kyle Williams show

018. Attend a Chico Performances show

019. Finish my MBA degree [December 2018]

020. Attend Taste of Chico

021. Learn to cook Thai curry

022. Take a cooking class

023. Visit a museum

024. Listen to 10 classical albums that I have purchased but not yet listened to [0/10]

Health and Fitness

025. Run a 5k

026. Swim a mile without stopping

027. Complete a century bike ride

028. Complete a sprint triathlon

029. Participate in one of the local Wednesday night group bike rides

030. Fast from refined sugar for 30 days (fruit is fine)

031. Exercise at least 3 times a week for at least 100 of the weeks during the time covered by this list (bike commutes to work count) [96/100]

032. Track my food intake every day for 30 days in a row

033. Weigh less than 200 pounds (Starting weight: 280 pounds; Current weight: 266 pounds)

Travel and Outdoor Activities

034. Visit a National Park that I haven't yet visited

035. Visit a U.S. state or Canadian province I haven't yet visited

036. Take a family road trip

037. Climb Brokeoff Mountain

038. Camp at the Fowlers Camp Campground

039. Camp at Lake Alpine

040. Camp at Juniper Lake [August 3-5, 2017]

041. Camp at Panther Meadows

042. Hike the Crags Trail in Castle Crags State Park

043. Use my new Long Haul Trucker for an overnight or longer bike trip

044. Go snowshoeing [March 30, 2019]

Family

045. Take Emily backpacking

046. Take Anna camping [August 3-5, 2017 – Juniper Lake]

047. Tour Lake Shasta Caverns with the girls

048. Take a kid-free trip with Crystal [February 15-17 - Trip to Santa Cruz]

049. Design a book, or series of books, containing family photos from 2008 through 2018

050. Go on a backpacking trip with Dad

Personal

051. Redesign this site

052. Work with an attorney to create a will [December 5, 2016]

053. Design and purchase our wedding album

054. Go a month without watching television (including streaming sources like Netflix and Hulu) [March 15-April 14, 2019]

055. Transfer Digital 8 video to computer [February 7, 2019]

056. Make a list of movies that I would like to own and purchase 5 of them [0/5]

057. Design and build a website that serves as a personal business card, a hub pointing to my other sites and businesses

058. Update the photos in my office at work [May 30, 2019]

059. Hang things on our walls [April 19, 2019]

060. Take an overnight trip by myself [Went camping July 20-23]

Organization and Time Management

061. Finish setting up Getting Things Done at home

062. Organize all media (music, movies, home videos, podcasts, and audiobooks) for streaming via Plex

063. Move to a paperless home office as much as possible

064. Organize our bedroom

065. Organize our garage

066. Private [March 10, 2017]

067. Private

Purchases and Finances

068. Buy hardware/software needed to transfer Digital 8 videos to our computer [January 6, 2019 - Purchased Firewire card for computer]

069. Purchase a wok

070. Purchase a document scanner [February 19, 2017]

071. Purchase a Plex pass so I can share videos, etc with family and friends [December 22, 2016]

072. Purchase a bike rack for our car

073. Purchase a headstone for the grave of the twins

074. Purchase an entertainment center for our living room

075. Purchase a home theater receiver and speakers

076. Purchase everything I need to make our camping boxes grab-and-go

077. Purchase the equipment needed to do camera scans from film (alternate: get a film scanner that can handle all of my negative and slide formats)

078. Purchase a new tripod

079. Buy baseball equipment so I can play with the girls

080. Pay off all credit card debt

Photography

081. Photograph Yosemite in the winter

082. Take a photo of one or more of my kids once a week for a year with the big camera [January 1-December 31, 2017]

083. Take my camera out to look for landscape photos at least 5 times [1/5]

Trip to Lassen National Park - July 20-23

084. Redesign the Divine Reflections website (alternately: rename to Coates Photo and build a website for that)

085. Catch up on copyright registrations

086. Complete the setup of our image backup system

087. Organize and keyword all digital original photos [March 2019]

088. Build at least two BTZS tubes for 4x5 film

089. Do a nature shoot with my 4x5 camera

090. Make scans of all reasonable quality black and white film and color slides

091. Make scans of all reasonable quality color negatives

092. Create 30 book quality images for my Bidwell Park photo project [0/30]

Coatesoft and Programming

093. Design a website for Coatesoft

094. Learn responsive design techniques

095. Learn about DevOps

096. Learn HTML 5/CSS 3

097. Attend the Business of Software conference

098. Attend a tech conference [November 2018 - Gartner IAM Summit]

099. Release a new product for Coatesoft

Career

100. Move into an expert, lead, or management position [November 28, 2018 - Promoted to expert team lead]

101. Generate monthly freelance/business income equivalent to half of what I make at my day job

Project Progress

11/101 and 10 in progress

The List

Books

001. Read the entire Bible

002. Read How to Read a Book

003. Read 5 books listed in the appendix of How to Read a Book [0/5]

004. Read 10 books listed in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die [7/10]

The Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien (December 27, 2013)
The Color Purple – Alice Walker (June 11, 2014)
The War of the Worlds – H.G. Wells (November 21, 2014)
The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver (March 17, 2015)
The Long Goodbye – Raymond Chandler (July 1, 2015)
Casino Royale – Ian Fleming (November 23, 2015)
The Big Sleep – Raymond Chandler (December 23, 2015)

005. Read 10 business books [2/10]

The $100 Startup – Chris Guillebeau (November 6, 2014)
Influence – Robert Cialdini (March 23, 2015)

006. Read 3 books listed on the Programmer Competency Matrix [0/3]

007. Read all of the books from the Book in Common list that I haven't yet read, including the books that will be added during the time covered by this list [2/13]

The Moon by Whale Light – Diane Ackerman
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down – Anne Fadiman
Fast Food Nation – Eric Schlosser (September 2, 2014)
The American Soul – Joseph Needleman
Plan B – Lester Brown (this is an updated edition)
True Notebooks: A Writer's Year at Juvenile Hall – Mark Salzman (May 28, 2014)
Never Let Me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro
Mountains Beyond Mountains – Tracy Kidder
The Soloist – Steve Lopez
Zeitoun – David Eggers
The Yellow Birds – Kevin Powers
The Distance Between Us – Reyna Grande
Just Mercy – Bryan Stevenson

008. Read 5 Christian non-fiction books [2/5]

Moment Maker – Carlos Whittaker (April 8, 2014)
Crazy Love – Francis Chan (November 17, 2015)

009. Read 5 other non-fiction books that are not biographies or memoirs [5/5]

Parenting with Love and Logic – Jim Fay and Foster Cline (December 18, 2013)
Runner's World Complete Guide to Minimalism and Barefoot Running – Scott Douglas (January 7, 2014)
Blind Descent – James M. Tabor (March 25, 2014)
Barefoot Running Step by Step – Barefoot Ken Bob Saxton and Roy M. Wallack (August 8, 2014)
Get Fast!: A Complete guide to Gaining Speed Wherever You Ride – Selene Yeager (July 4, 2015)

010. Read 15 other books [15/15]

The Closers – Michael Connelly (June 29, 2013)
Void Moon – Michael Connelly (July 5, 2013)
Oryx and Crake – Margaret Atwood (July 17, 2013)
Mud, Sweat, and Tears: The Autobiography – Bear Grylls (July 22, 2013)
The Lincoln Lawyer – Michael Connelly (August 1, 2013)
Prince Caspian – C.S. Lewis (December 21, 2013)
Echo Park – Michael Connelly (December 29, 2013)
Killing Floor – Lee Child (January 3, 2014)
The Hunt for Red October – Tom Clancy (January 10, 2014)
A Man's Life – Mark Jenkins (January 17, 2014)
Redeeming Love – Francine Rivers (January 20, 2014)
The Overlook – Michael Connelly (January 23, 2014)
Drop Dead Healthy – A.J. Jacobs (January 27, 2014)
The Pact – Jodi Picoult (January 29, 2014)
Sycamore Row – John Grisham (February 4, 2014)

Culture

011. Attend a Second Saturday Art Walk in Sacramento

012. Go on the Artoberfest art studio tour

013. Watch 10 documentaries [9/10]

Back to Eden – June 21, 2013
Lang Lang: Dragon Songs – January 27, 2014
The Business of Being Born – July 19, 2015
Jiro Dreams of Sushi – August 21, 2015
Highwater – September 26, 2015
Pentatonix: On My Way Home – October 20, 2015
Only the Essential – December 10, 2015
Meru – December 20, 2015
Making a Murderer – December 26-29, 2015

014. Take a literature or writing class

015. Take a dance class

016. Purchase and listen to 30 works listed in The NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection [4/30]

1. Chopin Polonaises and Preludes – Maurizio Pollini (Purchased June 23, 2013; listened July 14)
2. Chopin Ballades – Krystian Zimerman (Purchased June 23, 2013)
3. Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin – Nathan Milstein (Purchased July 30, 2013)
4. Beethoven: Missa Solemnis – Charlotte Margiono, Catherine Robbin, William Kendall, Alastair Miles; Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner (Purchased August 13, 2013)
5. Chopin: Piano Concertos 1 & 2 – Christian Zacharias, Lausanne Chamber Orchestra/Christian Zacharias (Purchased August 21, 2013; Listened September 8, 2013)
6. Mendelssohn: Octet for Strings, Op. 87 – Academy Chamber Ensemble (Purchased October 8, 2013; Listened October 29, 2015)
7. Holst: The Planets – Montreal Symphony Orchestra/Charles Dutoit (Purchased October 30, 2013)
8. Haydn: The London Symphonies Volume 1 (purchased October 30, 2013) and Volume 2 – Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Colin Davis (Purchased December 17, 2014)
9. Bach: Orchestral Suites – Boston Baroque/Martin Pearlman (Purchased November 22, 2013)
10. Falla: El Sombrero de Tres Picos and Nights in the Gardens of Spain – Orquesta Ciudad de Granada/Josep Pons (Purchased January 7, 2014)
11. Barber: Adagio for Strings – Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra/Leonard Slatkin (Purchased February 10, 2014)
12. Brahms: Late Piano Works – Nicholas Angelich (Purchased April 1, 2014)
13. Debussy: Preludes – Paul Jacobs (Purchased April 7, 2014)
14. Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals – Montreal Symphony Orchestra/Charles Dutoit (Purchased April 28, 2014)
15. Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante – Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman; Israel Philharmonic/Zubin Mehta (Purchased June 2, 2014)
16. Beethoven: Cello Sonata in A – Mstislav Rostropovich; Sviatoslav Richter (Purchased August 26, 2014)
17. Mozart: Symphony No. 38, K. 504 – Prague Chamber Orchestra/Sir Charles Mackerras (Purchased September 2, 2014)
18. Mozart: String Quartets 17 and 19 – Alban Berg Quartet (Purchased October 13, 2014)
19. Elgar: Enigma Variations and Pomp and Circumstance Marches – Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/André Previn (Purchased November 5, 2014)
20. Mozart: Horn Concertos – Dennis Brain; Philharmonia Orchestra/Herbert von Karajan (Purchased December 30, 2014)
21. Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 – Krystian Zimerman; Boston Symphony Orchestra/Seiji Ozawa (Purchased January 9, 2015)
22. Bach: Cantatas 140 and 147 – Ruth Holton, Michael Chance, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Stephen Varcoe; Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner (Purchased March 10, 2015)
23. Verdi: Requiem – Luba Orgonasova, Anne Sofie von Otter, Luca Canonici, Alastair Miles; Monteverdi Choir, Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique/John Eliot Gardiner (Purchased May 4, 2015)
24. Brahms: Violin Concerto in D – Anne-Sophie Mutter; New York Philharmonic/Kurt Masur (Purchased June 8, 2015)
25. Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 – Berlin Philharmonic/Herbert von Karajan (Purchased September 21, 2015)
26. Bach: Mass in B Minor – Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner (Purchased November 2, 2015)
27. Dvorak: Cello Concerto in B Minor – Mstislav Rostropovich; Berlin Philharmonic/Herbert von Karajan (Purchase November 2, 2015; Listened November 19, 2015)
28. Schoenberg: Verklarte Nacht – The Raphael Ensemble (Purchased December 3, 2015)
29. Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks – Cleveland Symphonic Winds/Frederick Fennell (Purchased December 14, 2015)
30. Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream overture and incidental music – Orchestre des Champs Elysées/Philippe Herreweghe (Purchased January 6, 2016

017. Attend performance in the Chico Performances series

018. See a Kyle Williams show

019. Listen to 30 albums listed in 1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die [0/30]

Food

020. Attend Taste of Chico

021. Cook beef bourguignon (Julia Child's recipe) [February 8, 2014]

022. Learn to cook Thai curry

023. Take a cooking class

024. Cook ethnic meals from 10 different countries. These should be meals that I haven't eaten before. [0/10]

Health and Fitness

025. Train for and complete a triathlon

026. Complete a 5k

027. Complete a century bike ride (100 miles)

028. Weigh less than 200 pounds (starting weight: 265 pounds)

029. Complete another Whole30 (I finished my first about a month ago)

030. Floss my teeth every day for a month [August 2015]

031. Exercise at least 3 times a week for at least 100 of the weeks during the time covered by this list [66/100]

Travel

032. Visit a national park that I haven't yet visited [September 18-21, 2014 - Kings Canyon National Park]

033. Visit a state that I haven't yet visited

034. Travel out of the country

Outdoor Activities

035. Go on a backpacking trip with Dad

036. Go backpacking in the Lassen area (the national park or one of the nearby wilderness areas)

037. Go snowshoeing

038. Camp at Juniper Lake

039. Camp at Panther Meadows

040. Camp at Mattole on the Lost Coast

041. Climb Lassen Peak [August 31, 2013 - Climbed with Crystal]

042. Hike to Bumpass Hell in Lassen National Park [August 30, 2014]

043. Thru-hike the Tahoe Rim Trail

044. Hike the South Rim Trail, Yahi Trail, and Guardian Trail in Upper Bidwell Park [0/3]

Family

045. Go camping with Emily [August 1, 2013]

046. Go camping with Anna [August 10, 2013]

047. Tour Lake Shasta Caverns with the girls

048. Take a kid-free trip with Crystal [October 17-19, 2013]

049. Design a book, or series of books, containing family photos from 2008 until 2015

050. Go on a bike ride as a family

051. Come up with a chore chart and allowance system for Emily and Anna

Personal

052. Redesign this site, including the use of a professionally designed logo

053. Write a will

054. Take a martial arts class and advance at least one belt

055. Transfer all of our digital 8 videos to the computer

056. Go at least a month without watching television

057. Design and build a website that serves as a personal business card, a hub pointing to my other sites and businesses

058. Update the photos in my office at work

059. Take an overnight trip by myself

Organization and Time Management

060. Finish setting up my Getting Things Done system. (I've been using elements of the system for several years. I'd like to see what happens if I use it to its full potential.)

061. Organize iTunes collection, including deletion of free music that I don't like

062. Purchase a document scanner and move as many paper files as I can to digital files

063. Private

064. Private

Purchases/Finance

065. Purchase a receiver and speakers for our entertainment center

066. Purchase a bike rack for our car

067. Purchase a headstone for the grave of the twins

068. Purchase road bikes for Crystal and me

069. Buy baseball equipment so I can play with Emily

070. Become completely debt free

Photography

071. Photograph Yosemite in winter

072. Take my camera out to look for photo opportunities at least 25 times [0/25]

073. Redesign the Divine Reflections website, including the use of a professionally designed logo

074. Photograph Mossbrae Falls

075. Catch up on copyright registrations

076. Complete the setup of our image backup system

077. Create 30 book-quality images for my Bidwell Park photo project [0/30]

078. Organize and keyword all digital photos

079. Do a nature shoot with my 4x5 camera

080. Print 5 images that I haven't printed before [0/5]

081. Buy a new tripod

082. Sell unused camera gear and buy a Mamiya 7 II camera body and at least one lens

083. Buy the equipment needed to do camera scans from film

Coatesoft/Programming

084. Design the Coatesoft website, including the use of a professionally designed logo

085. Design a website for my Windows 8 mileage app

086. Have a logo designed for Office Mogul

087. Release a beta version of Office Mogul

088. Learn Javascript

089. Learn C by working through The C Programming Language (K&R)

090. Learn a functional programming language (e.g. Scala or Erlang)

091. Learn HTML5/CSS3

092. Learn how to use object-oriented methodologies in Perl, including Moose

093. Attend the Business of Software conference

094. Contribute to an open source project

095. Attend a tech conference

096. Build an iPhone app

097. Build a Windows Phone 8 app

098. Private

099. Private

Career

100. Get a raise, or get a new job [July 29, 2015 - received a raise at work]

101. Generate monthly freelance/business income equivalent to half of what I make at my day job

It always surprises me how inspiration can come from the most unlikely places. My dear hubby is seriously fascinated by French cooking, and has read many of Julia Child's recipes from her famous cookbook, Mastering The Art of French Cooking. And it inspired an idea for me. What if I took some of the French cooking techniques, married them to paleo ingredients, and saw what it birthed? The answer was simply decadent. I had no idea something made from healthy food could be so rich and full of flavor. I was aiming for a yummy Paleo Beef Stew, and I got a whole lot of "oh my word!"

I am sure a serious chief could find a thousand ways to perfect this dish even more, but I am quiet content with the outcome. While it took about an hour to get it into the oven, the taste was worth every minute spent. It is not much more complicated then a traditional beef stew. So, yay to French cooking techniques and unlikely inspiration!

Here is my recipe. And if you find a way to improve it, I think you are morally obligated to share. Enjoy! :)

Ingredients

6 oz. nitrate free bacon (about half a package)
1 tbsp. coconut oil
1 tbsp. grass fed butter (Kerrygold is our favorite)
1 beef roast (about 3 lbs.), cut into 2x2 inch cubes
1 onion, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
3 large sweet potatoes, cut into 1 in. chunks
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
4 tbsp. almond meal or almond flour
3 c. of a full bodied, young red wine (We used a cheap Pinot Noir from Trader Joe's)
1 c. beef stock
1 tbsp. organic tomato paste
1 tbsp. chopped garlic
2 bay leaves
1 spring of fresh rosemary

Method

1. Cut bacon into match sticks. I used kitchen scissors to simply cut the pre-sliced bacon into strips. Simmer bacon for 10 minutes in 1.5 quarts water. Drain and dry. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Sauté the bacon in the coconut oil over moderate heat for 2-4 minutes until lightly browned. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.
3. Add butter to pan at medium-high heat. Dry beef chunks with paper towels and sauté to brown all sides. Fit as many chunks as you can in the pan and repeat until all meat has been browned. Add it to the bacon.
4. In the same pan, brown the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery.
5. Place beef and bacon in the casserole baking dish and toss with salt and pepper. Then sprinkle with almond meal or almond flour to lightly coat all sides of the beef. Set casserole uncovered in the middle of the oven for 4 minutes. Turn meat and then cook for another 4 minutes. Remove the casserole and turn oven down to 325 degrees.
6. Stir in the wine, and beef stock to cover the meat. Add the tomato paste, the bay leaves, and rosemary. Add the sautéed veggies (onion, garlic, carrots, and celery), and then add the chunks of the sweet potatoes. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover and set in lower third of oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers slowly for about 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily. During this time you will be tortured by the amazing smell.
7. Enjoy! (I may have added a dash more salt and pepper on mine.)

1. House Rules – Jodi Picoult (January 6, 2012)
2. How to Stay Christian in College – J. Budziszewski (January 10, 2012)
3. The Litigators – John Grisham (January 17, 2012)
4. Even Now – Karen Kingsbury (January 19, 2012)
5. K2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain – Ed Viesturs and David Roberts (January 28, 2012)
6. Out of the Silent Planet – C.S. Lewis (February 14, 2012)
7. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan – Lisa See (February 17, 2012)
8. The Plot Against America – Philip Roth (March 1, 2012)
9. The Genesis Code – John Case (March 6, 2012)
10. A Darkness More Than Night – Michael Connelly (March 14, 2012)
11. The Art of Racing in the Rain – Garth Stein (March 19, 2012)
12. Riven – Jerry B. Jenkins (May 21, 2012)
13. In the Garden of Beasts – Erik Larson (June 2, 2012)
14. City of Bones – Michael Connelly (June 19, 2012)
15. Total Money Makeover – Dave Ramsey (June 30, 2012)
16. The Black Ice – Michael Connelly (July 8, 2012)
17. The House of Silk – Anthony Horowitz (July 24, 2012)
18. Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? – Philip Yancey (July 29, 2012)
19. The 4-Hour Body – Timothy Ferriss (August 2, 2012)
20. 7: An Experimental Mutiny Agains Excess – Jen Hatmaker (August 10, 2012)
21. Wild – Cheryl Strayed (August 24, 2012)
22. Got a Minute? – Dale J. Dwyer and Sheri A. Caldwell (September 12, 2012)
23. Blue Like Jazz – Donald Miller (September 17, 2012)
24. All Is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir – Brennan Manning (September 23, 2012)
25. SideProject Book – (November 16, 2012)
26. The Poet – Michael Connelly (November 25, 2012)
27. The Narrows – Michael Connelly (December 16, 2012)
28. Unquenchable – Robert Glennon (December 21, 2012)
29. The Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell (December 29, 2012)
30. The Racketeer – John Grisham (December 31, 2012)

I am a planner. Not a planner in the super detailed-type-A sort of way, more like life planning, think-through-all-the-possibilities sort of way. I like to think everything through, at times to the point of ridiculousness. After all it is one of my favorite lies to tell myself, if I plan for every possible contingency then maybe I am the one in control? Right. And so it was with that mindset that I have approached my weight loss journey…I thought I had mentally weighed out every possible issue I would be truly challenged with. That was just stupid.

First, I do not need to know the future. A theme seems to be running through my adult life so far and it can be summed up in just one sentence: Do I trust God? Often I will say, "Yes!" and then go back to trying to control things myself…that, dear readers, is NOT trust. And when I recently got the proverbial curve ball thrown at me I could hear God's still small voice ask me yet again, "Do you trust me?" Ever so aware of my lack of strength or my ability to do even do one day on my own, I chose to answer, "Yes." And then I stopped planning…but not before I almost fell back into my familiar pit.

Yes, I was doing great. I was exercising and eating just like I was supposed to… until…

…the reality of the fact that there are certain foods I will NEVER eat again began to sink in and my weight plateaued.

…I struggled to figure out what was next for my professional life.

…both my adult daughters moved back home, and then one moved back out.

…I got into a disagreement with my husband.

…my littles decided to color their bedroom walls.

…I let someone manipulate me into believing I was worthless, yet again.

I could go on. Maybe you can relate to some of those things, maybe you can't. The point is that I was finding myself slipping into that old familiar pit. I was at the edge. And then I forced myself to remember…

…how far I have come. I am not where I want to be, but thank God I am not where I used to be.

…that I can do all things through Christ.

…that it doesn't matter what I do as long as I am doing what God has for me.

…that God is big enough to deal with my kids, and with my big fat feelings.

…that God was the center of my marriage, and I will not give that up.

…that one can always paint walls.

…and that I am NOT worthless.

And then I realized something…

I really am learning how to fight for ME. I really am different…and God is SO not done with me yet. And to think how easy it would have been to just give up, to try to "plan" things out again…to once again choose misery over freedom. And then I had my "ah ha moment", I realized I really am learning how to trust Him. And dear reader, my mind cannot fathom the depth of the power there is in that one statement. No matter what comes, I trust the God of my yesterdays, todays and tomorrows.

For the latest information on my weight loss journey, check out my latest video:

My Family - December 2011

I sat in the doctor's office waiting for what seemed like my 1,000th appointment. I was tired, my body hurt, and I was so sick of being ill. I couldn't remember the last time I had a good night's sleep that lasted for more than a few hours. My body was quite literally attacking itself, and I still had no answers. All the different medications just weren't working, and I quite literally felt like I was falling apart. I felt rather hopeless that today's visit would offer anything new. Probably the same old thing: you just need to lose weight.... Why did they always make it sound so simple? Did they think that somehow over the last 25 years I had missed the fact that I was fat? It just wasn't that simple, and I knew even as I sat there that a diet was just not the cure. If it was, then all those costly programs I had participated in over the years would have worked.

December 2011
[Click the picture to enlarge]

A slender, handsome young nurse called out my name to check me in. Great, I thought to myself, maybe I won't have to get on the scale THIS time. No such chance. "Please step on the scale, Crystal," he requested. I took in a deep breath and stepped on. Every muscle in my face cringed. The number ping ponged around until it landed on THE number. Tears filled my eyes as I stared down. 311 lbs. What? Was that right? How DID I get here? I had promised myself I would NEVER be one of those people; I would never get into the 300's. Yet, there I was. Surely the visit could not get worse then this.

Click here to read more...

1. Kayaks Down the Nile – John Goddard (January 10, 2011)
2. Handle with Care – Jodi Picoult (January 15, 2011)
3. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest – Stieg Larsson (January 23, 2011)
4. The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins (February 2, 2011)
5. Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins (February 10, 2011)
6. Mockingjay – Suzanne Collins (February 14, 2011)
7. The Confession – John Grisham (February 26, 2011)
8. Decision Points – George W. Bush (March 7, 2011)
9. It's Not About the Bike – Lance Armstrong (March 10, 2011)
10. Home to Holly Springs – Jan Karon (March 17, 2011)
11. The Expediter – David Hagberg (March 24, 2011)
12. Kitchen Confidential – Anthony Bourdain (April 14, 2011)
13. Enduring Love – Ian McEwan (May 4, 2011)
14. Two Wars – Nate Self (May 14, 2011)
15. It Happens Every Spring – Catherine Palmer and Gary Chapman (May 29, 2011)
16. No Mercy – John Gilstrap (June 11, 2011)
17. Op-Center – Tom Clancy (June 22, 2011)
18. The Priest's Graveyard – Ted Dekker (July 6, 2011)
19. Mormonism, Mama, and Me – Thelma Greer (July 27, 2011)
20. The Second Chair – John Lescroart (August 4, 2011)
21. Courageous – Randy Alcorn, Alex Kendrick, and Stephen Kendrick (September 18, 2011)
22. A Man in Full – Tom Wolfe (October 25, 2011)
23. By the Rivers of Babylon – Nelson DeMille (October 28, 2011)
24. Burn – Ted Dekker and Erin Healy (November 13, 2011)
25. Edge of Apocalypse – Tim LaHaye and Craig Parshall (November 24, 2011)
26. My Nuclear Family – Christopher J. Brownfield (December 5, 2011)
27. Bankable Business Plans – Edward Rogoff (December 13, 2011)
28. Kiss – Ted Dekker and Erin Healy (December 21, 2011)
29. The Brotherhood – Jerry B. Jenkins (December 30, 2011)

1. Perfect Match – Jodi Picoult (January, 10 2010)
2. Julie & Julia – Julie Powell (January, 17 2010)
3. Green – Ted Dekker (March 21, 2010)
4. Born to Run – Christopher McDougall (May 8, 2010)
5. Honeymoon with My Brother – Franz Wisner (May 25, 2010)
6. Plain Truth – Jodi Picoult (June 1, 2010)
7. Eat, Pray, Love – Elizabeth Gilbert (June 26, 2010)
8. The Jungle – Upton Sinclair (July 12, 2010)
9. Cold Fire – Dean Koontz (July 15, 2010)
10. BoneMan's Daughters – Ted Dekker (September 9, 2010)
11. The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath (September 21, 2010)
12. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind – William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer (October 3, 2010)
13. A Calculated Risk – Katherine Neville (October 6, 2010)
14. The Bride Collector – Ted Dekker (October 11, 2010)
15. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon (October 24, 2010)
16. Immanuel's Veins – Ted Dekker (October 31, 2010)
17. Open – Andre Agassi (November 10, 2010)
18. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson (December 5, 2010)
19. The Girl Who Played with Fire – Stieg Larsson (December 22, 2010)

And now, here's the list, which will be updated as I go.

Project Dates

Project Progress

The List

Books

001. Read the entire Bible

002. Read How to Read a Book

003. Read 10 books listed in the appendix of How to Read a Book [0/10]

004. Read 10 books listed in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die [7/10]

The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath (September 21, 2010)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon (October 24, 2010)
Enduring Love – Ian McEwan (May 4, 2011)
Lord of the Flies – William Golding (January 12, 2012)
The Blind Assassin – Margaret Atwood (April 22, 2013)
The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien (May 6, 2013)
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald (June 9, 2013)

005. Read 10 business books [4/10]

Bankable Business Plans – Edward Rogoff (December 13, 2011)
Got a Minute? – Dale J. Dwyer and Sheri A. Caldwell (September 12, 2012)
SideProject Book – (November 16, 2012)
The Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell (December 29, 2012)

006. Read 5 books listed on the Programmer Competency Matrix [0/5]

007. Read 10 Christian non-fiction books [5/10]

Mormonism, Mama, and Me – Thelma Greer (July 27, 2011)
How to Stay Christian in College – J. Budziszewski (January 10, 2012)
Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? – Philip Yancey (July 29, 2012)
Blue Like Jazz – Donald Miller (September 17, 2012)
All Is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir – Brennan Manning (September 23, 2012)

008. Read 30 other books [30/30]

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind – William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer (October 3, 2010)
A Calculated Risk – Katherine Neville (October 6, 2010)
The Bride Collector – Ted Dekker (October 11, 2010)
Immanuel's Veins – Ted Dekker (October 31, 2010)
Open – Andre Agassi (November 10, 2010)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson (December 5, 2010)
The Girl Who Played with Fire – Stieg Larsson (December 22, 2010)
Kayaks Down the Nile – John Goddard (January 10, 2011)
Handle with Care – Jodi Picoult (January 15, 2011)
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest – Stieg Larsson (January 23, 2011)
The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins (February 2, 2011)
Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins (February 10, 2011)
Mockingjay – Suzanne Collins (February 14, 2011)
The Confession – John Grisham (February 26, 2011)
Decision Points – George W. Bush (March 7, 2011)
It's Not About the Bike – Lance Armstrong (March 10, 2011)
Home to Holly Springs – Jan Karon (March 17, 2011)
The Expediter – David Hagberg (March 24, 2011)
Kitchen Confidential – Anthony Bourdain (April 14, 2011)
Two Wars – Nate Self (May 14, 2011)
It Happens Every Spring – Catherine Palmer and Gary Chapman (May 29, 2011)
No Mercy – John Gilstrap (June 11, 2011)
Op-Center – Tom Clancy (June 22, 2011)
The Priest's Graveyard – Ted Dekker (July 6, 2011)
The Second Chair – John Lescroart (August 4, 2011)
Courageous – Randy Alcorn, Alex Kendrick, and Stephen Kendrick (September 18, 2011)
A Man in Full – Tom Wolfe (October 25, 2011)
By the Rivers of Babylon – Nelson DeMille (October 28, 2011)
Burn – Ted Dekker and Erin Healy (November 13, 2011)
Edge of Apocalypse – Tim LaHaye and Craig Parshall (November 24, 2011)

Culture

009. Attend a symphony concert [September 22, 2012 – Crystal and I saw the North State Symphony play Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin, Jazz Suite 2 by Shostakovich, and New World Symphony by Dvorak]

010. Attend a play [May 7-8, 2011 – Crystal and I saw The Imaginary Invalid and Julius Caesar]

011. Attend a concert [October 9, 2011 – I saw the David Crowder Band in San Francisco with Ariana and my nephew Gary]

012. Watch 10 movies listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die [10/10]

On the Waterfront – Jan 21, 2011
Stagecoach – Jan 27, 2011
Blackmail – Feb 3, 2011
The Jazz Singer – Mar 11, 2011
Duck Soup – Oct 12, 2011
High Noon – Jan 10, 2012
Breakfast at Tiffany's – Jan 13, 2012
Dirty Harry – Feb 14, 2012
Glengarry Glen Ross – May 15, 2013
West Side Story – June 9, 2013

013. Attend a Second Saturday Art Walk in Sacramento

Food

014. Attend Taste of Chico

015. Eat at the Spice Creek Cafe [September 28, 2012]

016. Eat at a restaurant in Chico that I've never been to before [September 14, 2010 - Petra Mediterranean]

017. Eat food from a culture that I've never tried before

018. Cook beef bourguignon (Julia Child's recipe)

019. Learn to cook Thai curry

Faith

020. Go on a short term mission trip

021. Write in a journal (paper or digital) every day for 30 days

022. Participate in Love Chico [Oct 26, 2010]

Health and Fitness

023. Train for and complete a triathlon

024. Complete a 5k

025. Complete a 10k

026. Complete a century bike ride (100 miles)

027. Weigh less than 200 pounds (starting weight: 276 pounds)

028. Break my addiction to caffeine

029. Go 1 month without eating ice cream [February 9, 2012]

Travel

030. Visit New Zealand

031. Visit at least one country in Europe

032. Visit a national park that I haven't yet visited

033. Visit a state or province that I haven't yet visited

034. Visit Santa Cruz [February 4-6, 2012]

Outdoor Activities

035. Go on a backpacking trip with Dad

036. Go backpacking in the Lassen area (the national park or one of the nearby wilderness areas)

037. Go snowshoeing

038. Go horseback riding

039. Camp at Juniper Lake

040. Go bicycle camping

041. Climb Lassen Peak

042. Hike a trail in Castle Crags state park

043. Hike to Bumpass Hell in Lassen National Park

Family

044. Take a 2 night or longer backpacking trip with Ariana

045. Go on a car camping trip with Emily

046. Take the kids to Lake Shasta Caverns

047. Visit Mexicali with Ariana

048. Put together an iTunes playlist of cheesy love songs for Crystal [January 10, 2011]

049. Go on a vacation with Crystal [May 5-8, 2011 – Anniversary trip to Ashland, OR]

050. As a family, watch a professional sports event (NFL, MLB, etc) in person

051. Design a book of family photos from the last few years

052. Go on a bike ride as a family

Personal

053. Have a logo for this site professionally designed

054. Redesign this site

055. Write a will

056. Copy all of the (good) music from our CDs to our iTunes library [Jan 7, 2011]

057. Take a martial arts class and advance at least one belt

058. Finish unpacking and organizing our house

059. Donate blood 3 times [0/3]

060. Complete 5 drawings [0/5]

061. Transfer all of our digital 8 videos to the computer

062. Get a professional massage [January 12, 2013]

Purchases/Finance

063. Get a passport [November 20, 2010]

064. Purchase a Kindle or other e-reader [April 30, 2011 - Crystal purchased this for me as an anniversary gift]

065. Purchase the rest of the pieces for our entertainment center (receiver, speakers, computer, hard drives)

066. Purchase everything needed for our entire family to go on bike rides together

067. Purchase renter's insurance [January 31, 2011]

068. Purchase a bike rack for our car

069. Purchase a headstone for the grave of the twins

070. Build or purchase a touring bike

071. Purchase at least one canvas of our family to hang in the living room [December 8, 2010]

072. Purchase 2 books for my photo book collection [2/2]

On This Earth: Photographs from East Africa (Nick Brandt) – January 10, 2011
Chased by the Light: A 90-Day Journey (Jim Brandenburg) – January 27, 2012

073. Design and purchase our wedding album

074. Buy a new tripod

075. Build a $1000 emergency fund

Photo Business

076. Take a winter photography trip to Yosemite

077. Photograph waterfalls in North Carolina in the spring

078. Have a new logo designed for Divine Reflections Photography

079. Redesign the Divine Reflections website

080. Photograph Mossbrae Falls

081. Complete a 26 things project

082. Catch up on copyright registrations

083. Complete the setup of our image backup system

084. Complete my Bidwell Park photo project

085. Design a book with the photos from the Bidwell Park project

086. Organize and keyword all digital business photos

087. Design a companion book to Crystal's 365 day photo project

Coatesoft/Programming

088. Have a logo designed for Coatesoft

089. Design the Coatesoft website

090. Release a beta version of Blahaha

091. Have a logo designed for Blahaha

092. Come up with a better name for Photo Business Plus [December 14, 2010 - Office Mogul]

093. Have a logo designed for Office Mogul

094. Release a beta version of Office Mogul

095. Learn C

096. Learn Javascript

097. Private

098. Private

099. Private

100. Private

Life

101. Build our businesses large enough that I can drop to half time at my day job.