101 in 1001 Update #76

 #76 - Play pickleball with the kids - COMPLETE! (February 20, 2026)

 Our kids play pickleball 2-4 times a week, and I've been begging them to teach me how to play! We went out and played for an hour and a half and it was so much fun! I can't wait to play again!

101 in 1001 Update - #66

 #66 - Complete the 2026 Coffee Crawl - COMPLETE! (January 7, 2026)

Another annual tradition that I LOOOOOOVE doing with Bri!! I will hate it when she's off at college and I'm having to do this alone!

101 in 1001 Update #61

 #61 - Go ice skating with the kids - COMPLETE (March 1, 2026)

This is one of my favorite traditions to do every year! We have so much fun doing this, and were able to bring along a couple of friends this year!

101 in 1001 Update #32

 #32 - Complete 3 puzzles - COMPLETE! (February 7, 2026)

I've actually done four so far! Great new hobby!

101 in 1001 Update #29

 #29 - Thrift trip with friends - COMPLETE! (January 10, 2026)

We always have the best time doing this! We have great thrift stores in town and we love stopping at The Swanson for lunch halfway through our day!

101 in 1001 Update #15, #37, #38, #40, #50, #70, #77, #80, #81, #96

Years ago, my sister and I started doing 101 in 1001 lists. They were very trendy and I loved it because, as you know, I love a checklist!

The premise is that you make a list of 101 things you want to do in 1001 days. I like to do some that are super easy and then some that are a little more challenging.

I started this back up this January and I've actually made some pretty good progress! I'd like to update as I complete things, so I'll update as I go along!

#15 - Track my macros for 30 days straight - COMPLETE! (March 5, 2026)

I'm back on macros and feeling amazing. My trainer helped me figure out my macros. Right now I'm at 130g protein, 57g fat, and 155g carbs. I've actually hit those for 35 days straight so I'm loving the consistency. Next week I'll be switching up my 6-week workout cycle with her, so I'll revisit these numbers at that time and see if they need any tweaking.

#37 - Get my annual mammogram - COMPLETE! (January 27, 2026)

#38 - Get my annual skin check done - COMPLETE! (February 24, 2026)

#40 - Donate 100 items from the house - COMPLETE! (January 20, 2026)

#50 - Go through my blue binder and either complete the activities or trash them - COMPLETE! (January 13, 2026)

#70 - Unsubscribe from 20 email lists (January 3, 2026)

#77 - Unfollow 50 people on TikTok who serve no purpose for me (January 3, 2026)

#80 - Track HRV and RHR for 30 days straight to see patterns (February 24, 2026)

#81 - Watch 5 documentaries (February 8, 2026)

#96 - Organize bathroom middle drawers (January 4, 2026)

100 Books of 2025

 In 2009, I pledged to read 100 books over the course of 2010. Here's my list of 107 books in case you're interested.

I did it again in 2011 (why not?). Here's my list of 109 books.

The tradition continued in 2012 where I read a whopping 144 books! Here is my list from that year.

In 2013 I kept on chugging along, reading 104 books. Here is my list from that year.

In 2014 I hit my best record yet, reading 152 books. Here is my list from that year.

In 2015 I beat my record, reading 187 books. Here is my list from that year. 

In 2016, I read 166 books, focusing on books I owned but had never read. Here is my list from that year.

In 2017, I read 123 books. Here is my list from that year.

In 2018, I read only 54 books. I spent most of my year driving the kids around, haha! Here is my list from that year.

In 2019, I read 150 books. Here is my list from that year.

In 2020, I read 152 books. Here is my list from that year.

In 2021, I read 203 books. Here is my list from that year.

In 2022, I read 249 books. Here is my list from that year.

In 2023, I read 131 books. Here is my list from that year.

In 2024, I read 105. Here is my list from last year. 

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It's a running joke about how many books I own. The books I own and have never read are a little less than 500. This used to be funny to me, but at some point, a switch flipped, and it became overwhelming to me. Now my goal is not just to read as many books as possible, but to be extremely picky about what I keep after I read it. I only keep books that I will absolutely read again or will pass down to my children. I still have a long way to go, but I do see how much progress I'm making!

I read 100 books in 2025. I am being so much more intentional with the books I read now. Life is too short to read a book that isn't going to interest me or serve me in some way!

I do still utilize the library for books that are recommended to me so that I don't have to buy a book just to read it one time. I much prefer reading the book, and then if it's something I definitely want to re-read in the future, I can order it from my favorite local bookstore (Gottwals). 

I feel pretty good about this - you can see that I only kept about 30% of the books I read, so I'm being quite picky, and hopefully this will help the piles of books in my house decrease!

Without further ado, here is my 2025 list (the "K" next to a book indicates that it was a keeper for me):

• "Growing in Holiness" by R.C. Sproul (1) (K)
• "Gladys Aylward: The Adventure of a Lifetime" by Janet and Geoff Benge (2)
• "George Muller" by Janet and Geoff Benge (3)
• "The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace" by Gary Chapman and Paul White (4) (K)
• "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" by Kate DiCamillo (5)
• "Six Hours One Friday" by Max Lucado (6) (K)
• "White Fang" by Jack London (7)
• "The Family Upstairs" by Lisa Jewell (8)
• "No Wonder They Call Him the Savior" by Max Lucado (9) (K)
• "Significant" by Rachel Risner (10) (K)
• "Pretty Girls" by Karin Slaughter (11)
• "The Whole-Brain Child" by Daniel Siegel (12) (K)
• "The Whisper Man" by Alex North (13)
• "Joy to the World" by Lifeway Women (14) (K)
• "No Exit" by Taylor Adams (15)
• "The House in the Pines" by Ana Reyes (16)
• "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd (17)
• "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder" by Holly Jackson (18)
• "A Swiftly Tilting Planet" by Madeleine L'Engle (19)
• "The Silent Patient" by Alex Michaelides (20)
• "Survive the Night" by Riley Sager (21)
• "Let Me Off at the Top!" by Ron Burgundy (22)
• "The House Across the Lake" by Riley Sager (23)
• "God Heard Their Cry" by Ray Vender Laan (24)
• "Wrong Place Wrong Time" by Gillian McAllister (25)
• "The Last Mrs. Parrish" by Liv Constantine (26)
• "Desperate Measures" by Stuart Woods (27)
• "The Lying Game" by Ruth Ware (28)
• "The Tale of Despereaux" by Kate DiCamillo (29)
• "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart (30)
• "God's Passion For His Glory" by John Piper (31) (K)
• "Lock Every Door" by Riley Sager (32)
• "What Have You Done?" by Shari Lapena (33)
• "Business Kombat" by Chris Casamassa (34)
• "None of This is True" by Lisa Jewell (35)
• "A Delicate Touch" by Stuart Woods (36)
• "The Black Stallion and Flame" by Walter Farley (37)
• "The Best Known Dojo" by Cris L. Rodriguez (38) (K)
• "The Year of Miss Agnes" by Kirkpatrick Hill (39)
• "Verity" by Colleen Hoover (40)
• "Moby Dog" (Wishbone series) by Alexander Steele (41)
• "The Perfect Marriage" by Jeneva Rose (42)
• "Tender is the Flesh" by Agustina Bazterrica (43)
• "Still Missing" by Chevy Stevens (44)
• "Under the Banner of Heaven" by Jon Krakauer (45) (K)
• "American Tall Tales" by Adrien Stoutenburg (46) (K)
• "One Perfect Couple" by Ruth Ware (47)
• "This is Day One" by Drew Dudley (48) (K)
• "His Last Words" by Kim Erickson (49) (K)
• "Zero Days" by Ruth Ware (50)
• "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Wishbone Classics" (51)
• "A Not-So-Simple Life" by Melody Carlson (52)
• "Starring Jules (As Herself)" by Beth Ain (53)
• "Christian Beliefs" by Wayne A. Grudem (54) (K)
• "William Still and the Underground Railroad" by Kathleen Stevens (55)
• "The Haunted Cove" by Elizabeth Baldwin Hazelton (56)
• "It Will Cost You Everything" by Steven J. Lawson (57) (K)
• "Learning to Live From the Acts" by Eugenia Price (58)
• "Pain Free Drug Free by Shelly Debin Toland (59)
• "A Place to Hide" by Jayne Pettit (60)
• "Faithful Women & Their Extraordinary God" by Noel Piper (61)
• "The Secret of the Indian" by Lynne Reid Banks (62) (K)
• "Answers Book for Teens Vol. 1" by Bodie Hodge/Tommy Mitchell/Ken Ham (63) (K)
• "Desert Neighbors" by Edith M. Patch and Carroll Lane Fenton (64)
• "Prayer" by John Onwuchekwa (65) (K)
• "Becoming a Nation of Readers" (A report of the commission on reading) (66) (K)
• "Why One Way?" by John MacArthur (67) (K)
• "1 Corinthians" by John MacArthur (68) (K)
• "Called & Accountable" by Henry T. Blackaby and Kerry L. Skinner (69)
• "The Weight of Glory" by C.S. Lewis (70) (K)
• "Uncle Arthur's Storytime" (71)
• "Paid Trial Playbook" by Jon Evans (72)
• "Empowerment Takes More Than a Minute" by Ken Blanchard (73) (K)
• "The House of My Mother" by Shari Franke (74)
• "Amazing Love" by Corrie ten Boom (75) (K)
• "Great Leaders GROW" by Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller (76) (K)
• "Beyond the Battle for the Bible" by J.I. Packer (77) (K)
• "The Beggars' Bible" by Louise A. Vernon (78)
• "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley (79)
• "Slave Girl" by Betsy Haynes (80)
• "Diddie, Dumps & Tot" by Louise-Clarke Pyrnelle (81)
• "R-T, Margaret, and the Rats of NIMH" by Jane Leslie Conly (82)
• "Come, You Weary" by Michael Reeves (83) (K)
• "Fish!" by Stephen C. Lundin (84) (K)
• "Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God" by J.I. Packer (85) (K)
• "The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek" by Kim Michele Richardson (86)
• "Jip" by Katherine Paterson (87)
• "Holy Moments" by Matthew Kelly (88)
• "The Servant" by James C. Hunter (89)
• "Eddie's Green Thumb" by Carolyn Haywood (90)
• "Perspective" by Jana Shugart (91)
• "Out of the Maze" by Spencer Johnson (92)
• "A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23" by Phillip Keller (93)
• "The Bobbsey Twins in the Country" by Laura Lee Hope (94)
• "I Funny" by James Patterson (95)
• "Dan Morgan: Rifleman" by Ernest E. Tucker (96)
• "Raving Fans" by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles (97) (K)
• "Power Through Prayer" by E.M. Bounds (98) (K)
• "I Even Funnier" by James Patterson (99)
• "When the Darkness Will Not Lift" by John Piper (100)

Favorite theology books of the year:
- Growing in Holiness by R.C. Sproul
- Christian Beliefs by Wayne Grudem
- It Will Cost You Everything by Steven Lawson
- Prayer by John Onwuchekwa
- Why One Way by John MacArthur
- Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer
- Beyond the Battle for the Bible by J.I. Packer

Favorite fiction of the year:
- The Whisper Man by Alex North
- No Exit by Taylor Adams
- The Secret Lift of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Completed studies with the whole family: Answers Book for Teens Volume 1, Why One Way by John MacArthur

Favorite library books I want to buy: Out of the Maze by Spencer Johnson, When the Darkness Will Not Lift by John Piper

Favorite authors overall: John Piper, John MacArthur, Ken Blanchard, Spencer Johnson, J.I. Packer    

Okay, so how did you do? What were some of your favorite books and authors?