Completed! 24.4 Visit the following places that I’ve never been: National Building Museum

Not only did I get to go to this building (which is beautiful), I got to do my favorite thing while I was there — EAT MY FACE OFF. Thanks, Taste of the Nation D.C.!

Me inside the building:

The Great Hall:

Me and my fellow goal rusher:

I need to go back to see LEGO® Architecture: Towering Ambition.

More on the National Building Museum

- Lyssa

Made travel plans to one of our goal destinations! 

But where to… ??? 

Well, damn…

I guess 24.8: Visit the top of Washington Monument is going to have to wait until 2013. Bummer.

— Lyssa

Kris’ #20: Join local pro-choice protestor.

Things I witnessed/learned today:

1.  About 100 people honked out of support.
2. A few people driving by held up crosses like they were casting away a demon.
3. The woman who runs the women’s clinic packs heat. 
4. I look forward to doing this again.

- Kris

Completed #19: Cook a different dish twice a month, January: Green (Bay) Beans With Bacon

- Kris

Behold, our annual goal list. I laughed for a good few minutes when Kris shared one of his goals. Surprisingly and unintentionally, there are a few of ours that are VERY similar. New this year: we came up with goals for each other. Here they are!

In no particular order…

Lyssa’s Goals:

1. Start a blog (OH SHIT. I can already cross one off my list.)
2. Be an extra in a movie/tv show - preferably a period or zombie piece
3. Volunteer at BARN - transitional housing for women
4. Hot air balloon ride
5. Go to shooting range (carried over from 2011)
6. Start playing trombone again - used to play in 5th grade
7. Go to drag bingo
8. Take a photography class
9. Learn how to play chess
10. Refinish bathroom floors
11. Try a house cleaning service
12. Volunteer at military hospital
13. Kayak on a regular basis
14. Travel abroad to volunteer (carried over from 2011)
15. Donate monthly to charity
16. Visit James Stewart museum, if it’s still open
17. Make one new food dish a week
18. Complete some type of marathon/5K/race
19. Take a wine tasting course
20. Take a bartender class
21. Stop wasting food
22. Pay to train the dogs
23. Be on Facebook less (difficult as it’s part of my job)
24. Visit the following places that I’ve never been:
    1. Botanical Garden
    2. Tudor Place
    3. Fords Theater
    4. National Building Museum
    5. Old Executive Building 
    6. Luray Cavern
    7. West Wing White House Tour
    8. Top of Washington Monument if it ever opens (carried over from 2011)
25. Drive Kris’ dad’s bug (if he allows) every Saturday it’s 70-85 degrees
26. Take walking breaks during work
27. Play cards more
28. Enter chili competition with or against Kris
29. Move closer to metro (carried over from 2010 and 2011)
30. Start freelancing
31. Remain potato chip free
32. Go horseback riding with Kris
33. Drink more expensive wine
34. Go to New Orleans with Kris (carried over from 2011)
35. Learn how to double dutch (carried over from 2011)
36. Learn sign language or Mandarin (carried over from 2011)
37. Get chimney cleaned (carried over from 2011)
38. Swim with dolphins (carried over from 2009, 2010, and 2011)

Lyssa’s goals for Kris:

1. Take swimming lessons (side note: Kris is afraid of his head under the water)
2. Go camping (side note: Kris doesn’t believe black people go camping)

Kris’ Goals:

1. Go to ATL
2. Keep track of my yearly memorable moments
3. Become a referee (carried over from 2011)
4. Get my motorcycle license (carried over from 2011)
5. Participate in a sleep study (carried over from 2011)
6. Work at a fast food chain for at least one day :)
7. Go to the Packers shareholders meeting
8. Fast for two days
9. Bench 300 pounds
10. Have a podcast on iTunes
11. Allow Curly to run around more
12. Learn to play the harmonica
13. Take a class on radio production
14. Get some of my poems published 
15. Be an extra in a movie
16. Picture taken with five celebs
17. Learn to drive stick shift
18. Be on the radio
19. Cook a different dish twice a month
20. Join local pro-choice protestor
21. Cut my parents’ grass one Saturday
22. Make contact with the WWE
23. Set up 501K and get 15 cred pay bump
24. Limit self to two fast food trips per month
25. No Chick-fil-a
26. Move to another house (closer to the city)

Kris’ goals for Lyssa:

1. Take a public speaking class and use learned skills to teach less fortunate women (if you recall, Lyssa is afraid of public speaking.)
2. Learn the history of the green bay packers. Everything about them.

And now the fun part begins…

For the last few days, we’ve been thinking long and hard about all the stuff we want to accomplish in 2012. We don’t share our goals with each other until New Year’s Eve, so stay tuned for our list tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some pictures of random memorable moments from 2011.

Vacation: California Extravaganza!!!!! (2011 Goal)

Kris started a new side job as a Redskins flag runner.

Lyssa went to the Bahamas.

Kris and Lyssa Went to the Opera (no picture, but just imagine Kris looking bored). (2011 Goal)

Lyssa attended a “midget wrestling match” — “To: Lyssa, From: Puppet”  *swoon*

Lyssa met Van Jones, author of Green Collar Economy.

Lyssa started a new job (Pictured: Jeff Bridges talking to veggie puppets.)

Lightning struck our house and blew up Kris’ Blackberry charger

We visited Chapel Hill, NC.

Kris completed the Spartan Race. (2011 Goal)

We traveled to Natural Bridge, Va. where we went to the funniest wax museum ever. President Carter never looked so good. 

We saw Michelle Obama at a Nationals game.

Lyssa coerced her family to join her in volunteering.

We took a mini vacay to the Northern Neck in Virginia.

Earthquake (random picture, but imagine Lyssa shaking and crying for weeks)

We visited the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

Lyssa went on a weekend trip with her Grandma, Aunts and Cousins for the first time.

We kayaked for the first time.

We took a cooking class. (2011 Goal)

Kris went to NYC to see Lombardi.

Lyssa tried out for roller derby team (Lyssa not pictured, but took the picture). (2011 Goal)

Kris worked out with John Cena.

Kris became a Packers owner

And so much more…

“One’s title, even a title like president, says very little about how well one’s life has been led — and that no matter how much you’ve done, or how successful you’ve been, there’s always more to do, more to learn, more to achieve.” — Pres. Barack Obama

On New Year’s Eve 2009, we decided to come up with goals for the year ahead, not resolutions. Every year since, we’ve created our list of goals, shared them with each other, then worked toward achieving them throughout the year.

We’ve had some ridiculous goals. Some achieved. Some not.

This year, we decided to document them and their [hopeful] completion in a blog.