101 in 1,001 – Year 1 Update!

Whew! It has been a year since I first shared my 101 in 1,001 days bucket list (here). For those who don’t know, the 101 in 1,001 days bucket list is essentially a list of 101 items to complete in 1,001 days. A LOT has happened in the past year, since I first shared my 101 in 1,001 bucket list. And, to be transparent, I have BARELY looked at this list since I did my 6 month update (here). HOWVER, it was SO MUCH FUN to look back and see how far I’ve come in the past 6 months-year when I started this bucket list.

Start Date: September 22, 2022 (aka the FIRST Day of Fall and a year post-my undergraduate college years!)

End Date: June 19, 2025 (I’ll be 26 and 4 years post-my undergraduate college years)

Career:

  1. Attend a leadership seminar
  2. Be making a certain salary
  3. Attend an in-person healthcare-related conference
  4. Reach a certain level of leadership within my projects
  5. Join a healthcare-related professional society
  6. Attend a Women in Technology Leadership Awards Gala
  7. Volunteer at STEM For Her Day/other STEM For Her events in relation to promoting company exposure â€“ Ongoing
  8. Host a meet and greet or event with my company and my alma mater, Meredith College
  9. Continue to network within my company and beyond â€“ Ongoing
  10. Attend the Women in Data Science at the University of Virginia conference again
  11. Continue to maintain and create connections with both my coworkers and clients â€“ Ongoing

Education:

  1. Start the part-time MBA application process
  2. Complete a technical writing-related certification
  3. At least plan out when I want to obtain my PMP (Project Management Professional) certification
  4. Complete my company’s Human Centered Design certification – approved to start in October 2023

Personal:

  1. Start attending church more, whether it be Wednesday night activities, Sunday services, or special events
  2. Work on reorganization within my apartment
  3. Vote in-person in an election
  4. Donate blood
  5. Finish watching Gilmore Girls
  6. Paint my dresser hot pink
  7. Decorate a statement book shelf
  8. Buy a new laptop
  9. Adopt a rescue Yorkie
  10. Participate in a local charity walk
  11. Watch a play at my local high school
  12. Watch The Crown on Netflix
  13. Paint my family’s antique lamps
  14. Decorate my apartment with family antique pieces
  15. Start scrapbooking
  16. Start investing and continue to do so
  17. Open a Poshmark shop
  18. Make more intentional purchases when shopping
  19. Read a devotional
  20. Buy and read Reese Witherspoon’s Whiskey in a Teacup
  21. Try Korean BBQ

Relationships:

  1. Visit a vineyard with family
  2. Host a dinner party
  3. Have a fondue night with Papa
  4. Host a Christmas Holiday Tea
  5. Treat my Papa to dinner at The Capital Grille
  6. Host a White Elephant gift exchange
  7. Attend a Meredith College Cornhuskin’ as an Alumnae
  8. Go to a happy hour at a nearby restaurant with friends/coworkers (not planned by my company)
  9. Host a girl’s weekend for 4+ of my friends at my apartment
  10. Host a s’mores bonfire
  11. Plan a family crab feast in Annapolis
  12. Go see a Taylor Swift concert with some of my best friends
  13. Meet up in real life with my fellow influencer/small business owner friends Holly and Lindsay1/2 complete, as Lindsay and I have met up not once but twice!
  14. Join the DAR
  15. Attend a DC Bloggers Event/Meetup
  16. Meet up with DC-area-based influencer friends of mine in real life
  17. Meet up with my cousins Jack and Laura
  18. Reunite with my family and friends that I spent childhood summers up in Maine with
  19. Visit my coworker’s nail salon
  20. Tour the Library of Congress with my Dad
  21. Go to The National Christmas Tree with Papa and Aunt Amy
  22. Decorate Christmas cookies with my friend Sarah
  23. Have a DIY fancy picnic with friends

Travel:

  1. Visit two new-to-me countries
  2. Visit two new-to-me statesvisited Kentucky (March 2023) and Indiana (August 2023)
  3. Visit a new-to-me Canadian Province
  4. Plan a girl’s birthday weekend away for my birthday
  5. Visit Charleston again
  6. Explore Uptown Charlotte
  7. Go back to New York City at Christmas time
  8. Attend another one of Papa’s family’s reunions
  9. Visit Papa’s family in Carlisle, Pennsylvania
  10. Visit The Biltmore at Christmas time
  11. Plan a weekend away from our respective hometown’s with my bestie Amanda
  12. Drive myself to visit family and friends in New Jersey/Pennsylvania
  13. Visit my cousin Sabrina in Boston – planning in November!
  14. Visit Natural Bridge State Park, Virginia
  15. Go to New York City for the day with my Aunt Sherri
  16. Take a trip with my bestie Shivani
  17. Visit New Bern, North Carolina
  18. Visit my friend Cassie in her hometown of Winston Salem, North Carolina
  19. Explore my friend Alanna’s hometown of Chapel Hill, North Carolina
  20. Visit St. Michael’s Island, Maryland

Washington, DC:

  1. Attend Capital Pride with my company
  2. Go to a Library of Congress Happy Hour
  3. Visit Georgetown at Christmas time
  4. Explore 3 new-to-me Washington, DC neighborhoods
  5. Picnic at The National Mall
  6. Go on a Potomac River Cocktail Cruise
  7. Go to a National Gallery of Art’s After Hours Event again
  8. Tour the Old Postal Office
  9. Enjoy a High Tea
  10. Tour the White House
  11. Visit the DAR Headquarters/Museum
  12. Visit City Center
  13. Tour Mount Vernon again with my Dad
  14. Eat at Old Ebbitt Grill
  15. Visit MGM National Harbor
  16. Eat at Tupelo Honey
  17. Visit the SCOUT Bags Flagship store on a weekday
  18. Eat at Primrose DC
  19. Go on a Georgetown Canal Cruise
  20. Visit another Embassy (I went to the Jamaican Embassy as a kid!)
  21. Explore Dupont Circle again
  22. Experience the Tidal Basin Cherry Blossoms at sunrise

Total Complete/Ongoing: 28

Total Partially Completed: 1

XOXO – Katie <3

My Washington, DC Area 2023 Bucket List!

*JUST* in case you didn’t already know, I am a Washington, DC area-based blogger! While I do travel frequently especially to where I have family and friends in Delaware, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey and love every minute of my adventures, I LOVE LOVE LOVE getting to explore my Washington, DC area backyard, too. On my Instagram (follow me @_thepinkchickadee!), I am ALWAYS posting about my local adventures which I am SOOO blessed I am able to do close to home. Every now and then, well every year at this point since I moved LOL, I have shared a Washington, DC area bucket list, so here we go for 2023!!

Read my Washington, DC area bucket lists from the past two years’ past here:

Looking back at my Washington, DC area bucket lists from the past few years, I am lucky enough to have completed several of the items that I had desired to do. One of the highlights of my time in Washington, DC was dining at the bar at Old Ebbitt Grill – the oldest saloon in Washington, DC at least and a former boarding house for former President McKinley during his time as a Congressmen – which I will be dining at *yet again* for my birthday weekend (!!!) at the end of April. I have also enjoyed a gorgeous few strolls along Georgetown’s Waterfront Park and the food scene many times in nearby Arlington, Virginia. Touring the historic Tudor Place, National Cathedral, and Library of Congress have each been highlights of my own, too. My best friends and I enjoyed ice cream, sailing, and strolling in Annapolis, Maryland – a highlight of mine from when I first moved! Overall, looking back at both bucket lists, I feel beyond blessed that I have been able to do many of the things that I have previously desired to do.

Before I get into my Washington, DC Area 2023 bucket list, I do want to share that it is always likely that not all items will be completed in a year. Luckily for where I stand with where I want to go in my career, I will not be leaving the Washington, DC area anytime in the near-term future or even the next few years. More adventures to come both near and far!!

My Washington, DC Area 2023 Bucket List

  • See the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin at sunrise
  • See a performance of The Nutcracker
  • Check out Cafe Georgetown
  • Visit the Renwick Gallery
  • Go mini golfing at Puttery
  • See Aladdin at National Theatre
  • Explore City Center
  • Enjoy pizza and/or Thursday night trivia night at The Winery at Bull Run
  • Tour the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland
  • Explore downtown Leesburg, Virginia
  • Visit the DAR Museum and Library
  • Take a day trip to St. Michael’s Island, Maryland
  • Try Ralph’s Coffee for the first time-ever at Tyson’s Galleria
  • Have a picnic at The National Mall
  • See The Lion King at The Kennedy Center
  • Visit an embassy for a free event/exhibit
  • See the orchid display at the United States Botanic Garden
  • Explore the Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, Capitol Hill, U Street Corridor, and Shaw neighborhoods
  • Eat at The Point in Washington, DC
  • Admire the flowers at Greenspring Gardens in Alexandria, Virginia
  • Explore downtown Fairfax, Virginia
  • Enjoy a warmer weather evening at Fairfax Corner
  • Explore Shirlington in Arlington
  • Visit the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
  • Watch the sunrise or sunset from Lincoln Memorial
  • Take a walk along the Tidal Basin not during cherry blossom season
  • Attend a blogger meetup
  • Try Cameron’s Coffee & Chocolates in Fairfax, Virginia
  • Go mini golfing at The Perch
  • Try LeBon Cafe
  • Dine at a restaurant in Chinatown
  • Tour The Carlyle House
  • Eat at Ambar
  • Try Chateau de Chantilly Cafe
  • Enjoy coffee flights at Loud’n Roasted Coffee Roasters
  • Visit a Basilica
  • Visit the Dumbarton Oaks Museum
  • Go back to Tatte Bakery & Cafe
  • Visit The Crossing at Clarendon *yet again*
  • Try 54
  • Try Breeze Bakery Cafe
  • Go to another National Gallery of Art After Hours event
  • Go back to the Library of Congress
  • Tour the Hillwood Estate
  • Visit the newly-updated Air & Space Museum
  • Visit the Old Post Office Pavilion

Here’s to MANY more adventures in the Washington, DC area!

XOXO – Katie <3

Kicking off My First-ever 101 in 1001 Bucket List!

I am a big sucker for bucket lists!!! On my Instagram (follow me @_thepinkchickadee!), I am ALWAYS visiting new places, whether near or far. I have many many many bucket lists. The other day, I got inspired by my fellow blogger friend Annaliese of Southern Belle in Training who just completed her first-ever 101 in 1001 bucket list. SO, as someone who LOVES reaching for the stars in her own magical and confetti-filled way, I knew that I had to jump on this bucket list idea and start it TODAY!

The 101 in 1001 bucket list is a bucket list for people to complete, which allows them to complete 101 of their own goals in different categories within 1,001 days (or a little less than 3 years). Being out of college for a year now with a stronger mindset of what I want to with my life post-college graduation, I feel as if I am in a place where I can work to achieve both my career goals and personal goals. Personally, I hope to remain in the Washington, DC area and grow my career here, too. At the same time, I have professional goals within my current company that I would like to achieve which additionally involves getting a graduate degree. I also plan to provide periodical updates on the goals that I’ve achieved over time. NOW, let’s get into it!!!

Start Date: September 22, 2022 (aka the FIRST Day of Fall and a year post-my undergraduate college years!)

End Date: June 19, 2025 (I’ll be 26 and 4 years post-my undergraduate college years)

Career:

  1. Attend a leadership seminar
  2. Be making a certain salary
  3. Attend an in-person healthcare-related conference
  4. Reach a certain level of leadership within my projects
  5. Join a healthcare-related professional society
  6. Attend a Women in Technology Leadership Awards Gala
  7. Volunteer at STEM For Her Day/other STEM For Her events in relation to promoting company exposure
  8. Host a meet and greet or event with my company and my alma mater, Meredith College
  9. Continue to network within my company and beyond
  10. Attend the Women in Data Science at the University of Virginia conference again
  11. Continue to maintain and create connections with both my coworkers and clients

Education:

  1. Start the part-time MBA application process
  2. Complete a technical writing-related certification
  3. At least plan out when I want to obtain my PMP (Project Management Professional) certification
  4. Complete my company’s Human Centered Design certification

Personal:

  1. Start attending church more, whether it be Wednesday night activities, Sunday services, or special events
  2. Work on reorganization within my apartment
  3. Vote in-person in an election
  4. Donate blood
  5. Finish watching Gilmore Girls
  6. Paint my dresser hot pink
  7. Decorate a statement book shelf
  8. Buy a new laptop
  9. Adopt a rescue Yorkie
  10. Participate in a local charity walk
  11. Watch a play at my local high school
  12. Watch The Crown on Netflix
  13. Paint my family’s antique lamps
  14. Decorate my apartment with family antique pieces
  15. Start scrapbooking
  16. Start investing and continue to do so
  17. Open a Poshmark shop
  18. Make more intentional purchases when shopping
  19. Read a devotional
  20. Buy and read Reese Witherspoon’s Whiskey in a Teacup
  21. Try Korean BBQ

Relationships:

  1. Visit a vineyard with family
  2. Host a dinner party
  3. Have a fondue night with Papa
  4. Host a Christmas Holiday Tea
  5. Treat my Papa to dinner at The Capital Grille
  6. Host a White Elephant gift exchange
  7. Attend a Meredith College Cornhuskin’ as an Alumnae
  8. Go to a happy hour at a nearby restaurant with friends/coworkers (not planned by my company)
  9. Host a girl’s weekend for 4+ of my friends at my apartment
  10. Host a s’mores bonfire
  11. Plan a family crab feast in Annapolis
  12. Go see a Taylor Swift concert with some of my best friends
  13. Meet up in real life with my fellow influencer/small business owner friends Holly and Lindsay
  14. Join the DAR
  15. Attend a DC Bloggers Event/Meetup
  16. Meet up with DC-area-based influencer friends of mine in real life
  17. Meet up with my cousins Jack and Laura
  18. Reunite with my family and friends that I spent childhood summers up in Maine with
  19. Visit my coworker’s nail salon
  20. Tour the Library of Congress with my Dad
  21. Go to The National Christmas Tree with Papa and Aunt Amy
  22. Decorate Christmas cookies with my friend Sarah
  23. Have a DIY fancy picnic with friends

Travel:

  1. Visit two new-to-me countries
  2. Visit two new-to-me states
  3. Visit a new-to-me Canadian Province
  4. Plan a girl’s birthday weekend away for my birthday
  5. Visit Charleston again
  6. Explore Uptown Charlotte
  7. Go back to New York City at Christmas time
  8. Attend another one of Papa’s family’s reunions
  9. Visit Papa’s family in Carlisle, Pennsylvania
  10. Visit The Biltmore at Christmas time
  11. Plan a weekend away from our respective hometown’s with my bestie Amanda
  12. Drive myself to visit family and friends in New Jersey/Pennsylvania
  13. Visit my cousin Sabrina in Boston
  14. Visit Natural Bridge State Park, Virginia
  15. Go to New York City for the day with my Aunt Sherri
  16. Take a trip with my bestie Shivani
  17. Visit New Bern, North Carolina
  18. Visit my friend Cassie in her hometown of Winston Salem, North Carolina
  19. Explore my friend Alanna’s hometown of Chapel Hill, North Carolina
  20. Visit St. Michael’s Island, Maryland

Washington, DC:

  1. Attend Capital Pride with my company
  2. Go to a Library of Congress Happy Hour
  3. Visit Georgetown at Christmas time
  4. Explore 3 new-to-me Washington, DC neighborhoods
  5. Picnic at The National Mall
  6. Go on a Potomac River Cocktail Cruise
  7. Go to a National Gallery of Art’s After Hours Event again
  8. Tour the Old Postal Office
  9. Enjoy a High Tea
  10. Tour the White House
  11. Visit the DAR Headquarters/Museum
  12. Visit City Center
  13. Tour Mount Vernon again with my Dad
  14. Eat at Old Ebbitt Grill
  15. Visit MGM National Harbor
  16. Eat at Tupelo Honey
  17. Visit the SCOUT Bags Flagship store on a weekday
  18. Eat at Primrose DC
  19. Go on a Georgetown Canal Cruise
  20. Visit another Embassy (I went to the Jamaican Embassy as a kid!)
  21. Explore Dupont Circle again
  22. Experience the Tidal Basin Cherry Blossoms at sunrise

Now, to get going on my bucket list!!!

XOXO – Katie <3

My Washington, DC Area Bucket List

Now that I am *finally* starting to get settled into my apartment in the Washington, DC area, I am more than excited and ready to explore my new backyard! There are oh so many things that I want to do here in the Washington, DC area. So, today I will be sharing my Washington, DC area bucket list & some of the things that I have already done and enjoyed doing!

My Washington, DC Area Bucket List!

Washington, DC

  • Have a picnic at The National Mall
  • Eat dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill
  • Attend a blogger meet up downtown
  • Walk along Dupont Circle and U Street Northwest
  • Try Baked & Wired’s Cupcakes in Georgetown
  • Admire the aisles and enjoy some delights at Eastern Market
  • Watch the sunrise from the Jefferson Memorial
  • Take blog photos in Georgetown
  • Try Urban Roast for brunch
  • Walk around Capitol Hill
  • Go to a Nationals baseball game
  • Tour the White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court Building, and the Library of Congress
  • Take photos along the cobblestone streets of Georgetown
  • Tour the National Cathedral
  • Walk along the Tidal Basin when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom at sunrise
  • Tour the Tudor Place
  • Enjoy cocktails at The Wharf
  • Watch the sunset from the Lincoln Memorial
  • Have a high tea at Lady Camellia
  • See The Nutcracker at the Kennedy Center
  • Take a stroll along Georgetown Waterfront Park
  • Go to the Renwick Gallery
  • Have a picnic at the United States National Arboretum
  • Admire the flora of the United States Botanical Garden
  • Visit Ford’s Theatre
  • Learn ways to not repeat history ever again at the Holocaust Museum
  • Ice skate at the Sculpture Garden
  • Enjoy doing work at a local cafe
  • Visit Enchante at Nationals Park at Christmas time
  • Watch The National Christmas Tree Lighting
  • Shop in Georgetown
  • Walk through the Freer Gallery of Art *yet again*

Virginia

  • Visit George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate at Christmas time
  • Explore downtown Fairfax
  • Stroll through the cobblestone streets of Old Town Alexandria *yet again*
  • Take a day trip to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
  • Visit the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
  • Make it to all of the Charlottesville vineyards on the Monticello Wine Trail
  • Drive through the countryside of Loudon County, specifically Middleburg and Leesburg
  • Admire the sunflowers and/or tulips at Burnside Farms
  • Explore downtown Vienna
  • Sip some wine at one of the many Middleburg vineyards
  • Enjoy dinner and strolling along the streets of Shirlington
  • Take a hike at Occoquan Regional Park
  • Enjoy a meal out and shopping at the Mosaic District
  • Go iceskating at Reston Town Center
  • Hike along Shenandoah National Park and drive along Skyline Drive
  • Explore Fredericksburg
  • Shop at the Potomac Mills Tanger Outlets
  • Enjoy the nightlife and food scene in Arlington
  • Walk along Clifton and take blogger photos there

Maryland

  • Stroll through Annapolis at Christmas time
  • Enjoy dinner at National Harbor
  • Take a day trip or weekend excursion to St. Michael’s Island
  • Enjoy a night at MGM in National Harbor
  • Have a high tea with family in Annapolis
  • Admire the Christmas lights at the Gaylord National Hotel
  • Shop at the Tanger Outlets at National Harbor
  • Admire the downtown Annapolis area and enjoy ice cream there in the summer time
  • Visit Baltimore, Maryland
  • Walking around Fells Point in Baltimore
  • Tour downtown Frederick
  • BONUS: Visit Harpers Ferry, West Virginia at Christmas time

Things I Have LOVED Doing:

  • Walking and hiking along the Appalachian Trail at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
  • Enjoying dinner in Clifton, Virginia
  • Visit my favorite local Mom & Pop place for breakfast food 24/7 – Lincoln’s Waffle House
  • Hiking Sugarloaf Mountain in Dickerson, Maryland
  • Shopping at Tyson’s Corner Center Mall or Tyson’s Galleria Mall in Tyson’s, Virginia
  • Admiring the many museums at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC
  • Enjoying a cupcake at Georgetown Cupcake
  • Taking a hike to Great Falls Park, Virginia
  • Walk along the Tidal Basin
  • Enjoy a soup and sandwich at Cosi Cafe
  • Shop at the TJ Maxx in Georgetown – y’all it is an AMAZING TJ Maxx!!!
  • Tour the Washington Monument – tickets are free & it’s an amazing experience
  • Admire the mountains and farm side of Catoctin Mountain Orchard in Dickerson, Maryland
  • See the cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin
  • Take a sail in Annapolis
  • Enjoy a sip of wine at The Winery at Bull Run in Centreville, Virginia – see my blog post here!

I am oh so excited to be able to start my next chapter here in the Washington, DC area AND explore my brand-new backyard. Cheers to new adventures!!!

XOXO – Katie <3