Rarely do I get personal on this blog. Rarely. Because, well? I get personal everywhere else. Sometimes too personal, but I digress into a new topic that I think you’ll like better:
Behold, the Life List of Erin Loechner:
Inspired by the sweet (and seriously, seriously smart) Maggie, I promised myself (and her, during Alt Summit) that I’d finally write down this list. And because I want to be held publicly accountable for actually doing these things, I’m posting it here, for you 33,000+ daily readers to see:
1. Write down my life list (oh look! I’ve already finished one!).
2. Learn to do the splits.
3. Re-watch every Beverly Hills 90210 episode, marathon style.
4. Snuggle a manatee (I stole that one from Amber, but who wouldn’t want to do that?).
5. Paint my own self-portrait.
6. Unplug (entirely!) for one week.
7. Bring Mankind Mag back — in some form.
8. Own 50 original artist works from 50 different artists.
9. Try sea salt chocolate.
10. Learn the origin of/meaning behind 100 phrases/cliches.
11. Ditch the car for an entire month.
12. Read every piece of published work from C.S. Lewis.
13. Rock a baby to sleep.
14. Convince a total stranger to make a life list of their own.
15. Publish (self-publishing doesn’t count!) five books.
16. Write thank you notes to my former teachers (thanks for that one, Mags!).
17. Visit San Francisco, Portland, Austin and Seattle.
18. Start a collection.
19. Invest in a grown-up sofa.
20. Make a chocolate chip cookie from scratch.
21. Lounge on the beaches of Bora Bora.
22. Taste 100 cheeses.
23. Play snow tackle football on Christmas day.
24. Wash the dishes by hand with yellow rubber gloves.
24. Own a set of expensive, luxurious sheets.
25. Take a drawing class.
26. Hire a personal stylist for the day. Become my own confidence stylist and wear whatever I want to.
27. Own a portrait wall with 50 photographs of people I don’t know.
28. Perform Billy Joel’s ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ in a Karaoke bar.
29. Taste 500 red wines.
30. Subscribe to the New York Times — and read the style section over coffee every Sunday morning.
31. Volunteer at a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving Day.
32. Purchase top-notch, personalized stationery.
33. Rent a convertible and drive down the PCH. Top down, hair down, shades on.
34. Build a parade float and ride atop it!
35. Cook a homemade meal for a neighbor in need.
36. Learn to juggle.
37. Finish my ‘Autohairography’ memoir.
38. Pay for someone’s dinner at Pizza Hut… anonymously.
39. Send a birthday card (on time) to everyone in my life for one full year.
40. Start a euchre club.
41. Attend a Rodeo in a cowboy hat.
42. Get missed connection-ed on Craig’s List.
43. Grow a garden in my backyard.
44. Sip sake.
45. Try acupuncture.
46. Fool someone on April Fool’s Day.
47. Solve Rubik’s cube (stole that one from sweet Karen).
48. Attend a football/rugby match in Ireland.
49. Submit a book proposal for something I believe in.
50. Take a hot air balloon ride.
51. Go house boating.
52. Have a shade of nail polish named after me.
53. Give a NYC cab driver a $100 tip.
54. Apologize to Thomas from 4th grade for calling him smelly.
55. Get to know my grandparents.
56. Write and publish over 30 magazine articles.
57. Grout and tile a kitchen backsplash.
59. Run for an entire mile… without stopping.
60. Get caught in a rainstorm with no umbrella.
61. Roast chestnuts over a fire.
62. Find my signature scent, the perfect pair of jeans and my perfect shade of foundation.
63. Picnic in a canoe.
64. Take a haunted hayride on Halloween.
65. Watch 100 scary movies.
66. Milk a cow.
67. Finish a crossword puzzle (no cheating).
68. Host a Thanksgiving meal and invite someone without a home or family.
69. Start a tradition.
70. Take a calligraphy class.
71. Learn to roll my “R’s.”
72. Putt-putt a hole in one.
73. Draw a mustache on my husband while he’s sleeping.
74. Braid my niece’s hair.
75. Go skiing.
76. Ride an elephant.
77. Start (and finish) a 365 photo project.
78. Lay in a hammock.
79. Bowl a 120 game.
80. Plant a tree.
81. Listen to an entire book on tape without falling asleep.
82. Stay in the top 100 U.S. Hotels.
83. Start a food fight.
84. Bet on a winning horse.
85. Ride a gondola in Venice.
86. Adopt a pet.
87. Inner tube down a river.
88. Drive a tractor.
89. Build a tree house with my husband.
90. Play street hockey with the neighborhood kids.
91. Bury a time capsule.
92. Eat a hot dog in Chicago, preferably at a baseball stadium.
93. Feed a baby lamb.
94. Give a keynote address.
95. Re-upholster a chair.
96. Learn to craft a balloon animal.
97. Make an effort to refrain from emoticons while communicating online.
98. Hold someone’s hand as they give birth.
99. Learn to surf.
100. Walk a Great Dane.
*And yes, I have a list of things I’d like to do in my life, and one of those is to actually make a list of things to do in my life. That’s how backwards my brain is.
image credit: tamara lichtenstein
This list is great. I need to make time to put one together too… Walk a Great Dane. They’re about the cutest dogs ever. Big lugs. :)
This was fun reading. I will make my list today.
This list was fun! As a Chicagoan, I have to recommend you split this one up.
92. Eat a hot dog in Chicago, preferably at a baseball stadium.
Go to Wrigley, watch a game. Then go just about anywhere else and get your dog. Worth it.
Great list, and you’ve inspired me to think about my own list. It’s funny how simply writing things down makes you feel a bit more accountable.
I’ve noticed that when I write down my daily to-do list (not iCal or online calendars of any kind) I actually finish it. Strange, right?
read every single one. twice.
love thislist, but that’s no surprise. love everything about you.
and we will try to cross off a few in june, yes?
101. Meet and have coffee with Uncle Beefy.
(just sayin’)
i love it!!!!! you can cross of house boating!!!! You got to do that with the teenagers:)
xoxo miss you
oops… cross *off
oh shoot — i forgot i already did that! ha. yep. crossing off now. ;)
since I’ve read Mike Gayle’s The To-Do List (http://www.mikegayle.co.uk/to_do.html), I find lists like yours very inspiring, although I’m not sure I could write one down: I wouldn’t know where to start. But still, I love lists, I think they’re helpful and stimulating. Your list, for instance, contains great, fun, exciting and simple things.
By the way, I did #93 once and it was great.
Good luck with your list and your new personal project !
I LOVE this list. You’ve convinced me to write a life list of my own (does that count as #14?) Hooray for lists!
I need to write all my old teachers thank you notes. I always think about that and never do it! Yay for you for learning to surf – I’ve been trying for years and still don’t think what I do can be considered surfing.
This was fun! I am inspired to write my list.
Nice! I love it, and thank you so much for the kind words. Some notes:
-You’re welcome to crash here when you visit San Francisco. There’s a great karaoke bar one neighborhood over, I have a great acupuncturist, and there are sake tastings up the street.
-I emailed you the world’s best chocolate chip cookie recipe.
-The New York Times offers Sunday-only subscriptions, and they’re lovely.
-Jealousy has its root in inspiration. Overcoming it is easier if you think of being inspired by people instead of envious.
-This can help with the birthday card thing:
http://www.jackcards.com/
I’m so excited for you. Let’s do this thing!
looks like you can cross off no. 14! enjoy your vacation, erin!
this was so fun to read!
you can cross off #14 — i’m going to make my own! (maybe i will publish it on my blog as well when i’m done, so you can verify that you actually convinced me?)
acupuncture is the best. i’ve been doing it for 2 months, and i am now a believer.
will you keep updating as you cross things off? :)
oh ! what a great list! i’m jealous and now feel like i need to write one as well.
have a lovely trip dearie. let’s get caught up when you get back. I miss you :D
honestly, one of the best lists i’ve seen…if you get these all done, you’ll have had a pretty damn fabulous life, i’d say.
would l-o-v-e to help you with #17 any old time, by the way :)
re: #71. me too, because i can’t sing bad romance right.
and consider #14 done.
#97, you can borrow mine?
i’ve had the pleasure of experiencing# 100. also, you should add a sub-item: have one sit on your lap. it’s super.
i love life (lists) :]
Can’t wait to see the big, exciting release!
i LOVE LOVE LOVE #32!!! Let’s do #33 on our way to #28, before we get to #32.
Hi Erin!
We love it when you get personal. ;)
Come to SF! Maggie already beat me to it, but I say when you come out here, the three of us go out for a sushi dinner (and sip sake) to cross off both #17 & #44!
I’d even be way down for us doing a little Napa trip, maybe even to visit Helen Jane, & knock off a few of those wines on #29 & cheeses on #22.
Can’t wait to hear/read more. Enjoy your vacation, m’lady!
xo
I made mine! But, it’s still a work in progress…maybe I should add “making a life list” to my life list…
http://jaimers.com/life-list
If you ever get to Seattle #17 we got a Dane you can walk #100. His name’s Kingston, he’s 3.
A few recommendations for #97: Read an Etiquette book
1. Entertaining at Home by Emily Post
2. Style, Occasions, Manners (3 books) by Kate Spade
3. The Fabulous Girl’s Guide to Decorum by Kim Izzo & Ceri Marsh
4. What would Audrey Do? by Pamela Keogh
I loved them all but I especially enjoyed the Kate Spade books because they’re so colourful and pretty!
Good luck with the rest of the goals!
-Jordana
P.S. I love #54. I hope Thomas is reading!
By the comments above, I think #14 can be crossed! lol
I really have to do this, it’s seems really fun!!
Ok, you have to do #24 soon or else I’m jealous that you’ve never done it! lol :)
Can’t wait for the announcement! I should probably make some lists of my own in the meantime…
Careful about #53!
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/nyregion/13taxi.html
WOO HOO! I love the suspense. I loved the checklist too. It was so fun!
Lila Ferraro
Queen Bedroom Sets
how awesome, I’m totally going to do this! I will get back to you with results!
You’ve done 88 – I’ve seen photographic evidence!
I love this list Erin & am very much looking forward to the excitement come April.
What a great list! I highly recommend the acupuncture, the luxurious sheets (well, of *course* I recommend the sheets! That’s what I *do* for a living!) BUT I have to suggest one amendement – gondolas are both overprice and uncool – instead, ride a traghetto. Much more Venetian and extra points if you stand…
http://www.dinociani.com/servizio_stampa/Servizi%202009/Venezia%20Albrizzi/venice-traghetto.jpg
oh man, disappointed that visit marrakech and peacock pavilions is not on the list. but maybe once you get this first 100 done?!:-)
i ADORE lists! thanks an oooooberous amount for sharing and please cross off number 14 as you have indeed inspired me to write a life list…
I can help you with no’s 8 @ 14 if you’d like to cross them off of your list?
When were you here in Ireland?! What game did you see?!
I love your list! It’s so you. :)
super inspiring.
can’t wait to hear about your project. :)
You rock, lady. As does this list.
Can’t wait to hear about your exciting new project!
#39 could set-up expectations for years to come. ;-) Seriously, I love your list!! What great ideas. And I cannot wait to hear about your project. You are always full of (pleasant) surprises!
Great list! I love #12…Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis is one of my absolute favorite books. And of course the Chronicles of Narnia are great too! :)
You can cross of #14. I’m convinced. :)
No. 1 made me laugh, it’s perfect. Some great ideas I just might add to my list, although am too afraid to add No. 6.
What a great list! You sort have already started a collection – the vintage typewriter ribbon cases! Come on down to NC and you could definitely ride a tractor and inner tube a river. Best of luck and can’t wait to hear more.
Wow, I really have some list writing to do. This reminds me that I need to be a little more goal oriented, thank you!
I’m so happy you stole my snuggle a manatee idea! If I do it first, I’ll let you know how it goes.
Have a lovely vacation next week! If your list was mine, I’d have so many of these crossed off ; I’m about 10 years ahead of you though :)
Yep. I’m a complete stranger and you convinced me to write a life list. So go ahead and cross that one off! good on you!
Such a great list! Inspiring. Have a wonderful vacation.
Well…. as far as #8 goes (owning 50 different pieces of art from 50 different artists), you’ll want to check out my blog! I’m painting and selling one painting everyday for a year for the dollar amount of that # day. For example, day 66 will cost $66. I’m on day 34 (=$34!)
Painting365.blogspot.com
Thanks for sharing this list! It’s great! What a wonderfully full life…
That was such a sweet inspiring list dearie! I hope you had an absolutely wonderful break, you definitely deserve some quality down time. Many hearts and hugs–J
GREAT list!!!!! Hurry up & rock a baby to sleep. There is NOTHING better than that. :-) xoh
We’ll have a baby you can rock to sleep in October… if you can wait that long. :)
Let’s meet in Chicago, or Portland, or Seattle… eat hot dogs and run miles… in succession! I love you, Erin Loechner!
I can help you with the self portrait- wanna do that this summer? I know of some friends who innertube on whitewater river.
I have been with a a couple girls when they were giving birth- One was a student of mine and the other was my sister. I have some tips for when you do this Erin- the nurses said I was great at it.
you can cross off your number 14 :) i’m writing my own life list.. i originally read this a few days ago and haven’t stopped thinking about it. i’am so inspired and will definetly finish writing my list. thank you for the inspiration!
love, zara
This is great. I started a shorter list a few years ago, and have edited and added to it a couple of times (and marked a couple of big things off, like quit my job and move to LA) but this inspires me to expand it. I think I will work on it this week! Thanks for the inspiration.
Well that certainly resonated! try Allure…it’s deeeeeevine.cheers kari
What a great and inspiring post. As we age our list changes since we accomplish some of the things and realize that some we can never do (like get to know grandparents since they are not around anymore) But replace that wish with have grandbabies and the circle continues. Enjoyed reading yours and thanks for sharing.
I wanted to let you know that you have managed to convince two people to make a list of their own, solely through this post! I shared this with my husband and now we have plans to sit down and make life lists while drinking tea this Sunday afternoon. Thanks for the inspiration!
I don’t know about this will help, but I have painted my self-portrait. Watch here http://www.martineseedorff.dk! I did it after a photo and it took me like 1/2 year.
I can help with number 8. Check out my art at hybridtribes.com.
Great list! Thanks!
fantastic; thanks, nicolette!! :)
life is finishing your hope.
It seems I adore lists as much as you do! I just borrowed “try acupuncture” for my own list… It’s so intriguing!
I totally agree — I’ve ALWAYS wanted to try it!
You aren’t in NYC are you? If so, I am so down for the euchre club.
omg you know how to play euchre? i think i love you! sadly, i’m based in the midwest, land of euchre enthusiasts. but if you’re ever in the area, come visit!
just looked at this again cause I gotta get working on my list.
But just tried Sea Salt chocolate a few weeks ago.
WHY IS IT SO GOOD? I am kind of addicted.
You gotta try this one:
http://www.meijer.com/s/chocolove-xoxox-dark-chocolate-with-almonds-and-sea-salt-2-bars-3-20-oz-ea-/_/R-173029?cmpid=goobase&CAWELAID=745409501
I love your list it inspires me to write my own, in fact I just started it. Thanks for the inspiration.
Jamie
yay; thanks, guys!
So inspiring! I’ve started my own list … http://living.weelife.com/2011/01/happy-2011.html
Thank you Thank you!
jackie.
this is so amazing, and inspiring!
if you are ever in town I will definitely do #87 with you. There is a great tubing run here, and I have been wanting to try it out too.
Even though you say you don’t get too personal on your blog, you add a really nice, unique personal touch to this site. Great job! :)
I love your list! I just started my own blog dedicated to 27 things I want to do in my year of 27. I am hoping to complete them all and then ADD MORE! There some great things that you have on your life list that I would love to add to mine! Good luck on your adventures
I so want to make a life’s list now. I really like the draw a mustache on my husband while he’s sleeping. lol
you forgot numbe 58. i think that was the one you left out
oops – good eyes, jaydah!
i hope that the manatee you mention hugging is not a real one, the fine for approaching, swimming, or attempting to get near to a manatee is 50,000 dollars and five years in prison since they are threatened and endangered species. i don’t say this to be a downer, i say it to make sure you don’t get in any unneccessary trouble!
Erin – thanks for inspiring me to write my own life list and post it! If I ever move back to Indiana, I’ll gladly kareoke with you to Billy Joel’s “We didn’t start the fire”, as I memorized it with the rest of my classmates in 4th grade!