Bucket List - 2011 edition

One of my WTE momma friends came across an idea that she shared, and I just had to jump on the bandwagon.

Obviously, the idea of a bucket list is nothing new.  But, the thought of sitting down and making a list of what I want to accomplish before I die - it's overwhelming to me.  I'm only 27 - I have a lot of life ahead of me, and everything changes - what I want to accomplish might change a year from now.

So, I'm going to do a bucket list for this year only.  I think it's a great idea - much more realistic that you can actually accomplish everything on it, yeah?  So here's mine:

1. Spend more time with my family.  It's hard living so far away.  Like, really hard.  It's hard to get time off of work to travel (us there or them here).  It's hard making travel plans for the entire winter because you never know what the weather in PA will be like, and the closest airport is REALLY expensive. It's expensive to fly for a lot of weekends!  That being said, I really, really miss my family - and this includes my friends back home, too!
2. Lose weight.  I know I say this all the time.  And I've had problems.  But I need to do it.  Like, I have to force myself to work out (hopefully the Wii will help with this) and watch what I eat.  Because even though I'm healthy now (for the most part), all this extra weight is going to really hurt me in the long run.  I'm going to try (again) to use this blog to hold myself accountable.
3. Take our first family vacation.  Yes, last year we traveled to PA for Brooke's birthday pary and Becky's wedding.  That was visiting family.  This year, we're going on a real family vacation - just the three of us.
4. Take my husband and daughter to Disney for the first time!  Yup, you read that right, Jim has never been to Disney World.  I haven't been since the high school trip that turned disaster in Animal Kingdom (LOL) so this is our year - we're going to go at least once.
5. Try new recipes.  As I've blogged before, I get into huge ruts with dinners - so this year, I'm going to make at least one new recipe a week (contenders welcome).
6. Be a better friend.  Not that I'm a bad friend (at least I don't think I am).  Just, sometimes I'm bad about keeping in touch - not calling, emailing, texting, etc., nearly enough.  There's always an excuse - I'm tired, I'm busy, Brooke's sick, I'm sick....no more.  And this applies to friends near & far.
7. Finish my CLE credits! I really don't have a choice about this one - I have a year left to finish my credits for my first reporting period, LOL.
8. Plan Brooke's baptism.  No, our girl is not baptized yet.  At the beginning, it was because we were dragging our feet looking for a church, etc.  Then, her godmother needed the stem cell transplant and there is no way in hell we are having the baptism until Jacqui is well enough to not only be there, but to enjoy herself - I mean, really enjoy herself - without a care in the world. :-)
9. Spend more time outdoors.  Brooke loves to be outside.  I find it stressful because I haven't found anywhere to take her that I feel is safe to let her run & play.  There's a park by work, but Jim and I are hardly ever that way on the weekends - often we're too busy running errands like laundry and groceries on the weekend because of my long commute during the week - not to mention, Jim works a lot of weekends.  This has to change.
10. Be more involved.  If you've been reading my blog, you know how much I've written about HLHS babies.  My heart just breaks for these families.  My goal for this year is to find a way to become more involved with spreading awareness and bringing attention to CHDs.
11. Buy new electronics.  By the end of this year, I hope to buy a new camera, a new laptop, and buy a video camera.
12. Get more pedicures!  I love pedicures but I rarely get them - I think I deserve this treat ;-)
13. Take a date night. Yes, this is on my bucket list.  Since we've had Brooke, I can count on one hand the number of "dates" we've gone on - the Clarks concert, Becky's wedding.  That's it, two.  When family comes to visit, they always offer to stay with Brooke, but we want to spend time with them and don't go anywhere (see item #1).  This year, I'm going to try to find a babysitter we trust and take some nights to focus on our relationship.
14. Get a massage.  The last time I had a massage was....Valentine's Day 2004 or 2005 (whichever year I was studying for the LSAT).  I loved it but haven't had one since - I think I deserve this, too!
15. Get my hair cut.  Yes, this too is on my bucket list.  I haven't had my hair cut since June 2010 (and before that it was Nov. 2009).  I need to find a great place down here.
16. Paint a piece of pottery with Brooke's handprint.  Jim promised to take me to one of those paint-your-own pottery places as a belated Christmas gift (we didn't really want to go if it was busy over the holidays).  I fully intend to take him up on this offer SOON.

So, I think that's it for now.  I'm sure I can do these ;-)  and I'm relatively sure I'll think of more to add.

I'll be sure to keep you posted on how it's going ;-)