A Look Back 2017

In 2013 I wrote my own version of a bucket list. I've mostly forgotten about it, but every now and then I remember to take a look at the list and see where I'm at. As in years past, I'm pleasantly surprised to see that I can cross off a few more items now!

1. Travel more - Our family vacations these past couple years have been to military graduations. Early 2016 we toured Chicago and went to a Cubs game to see Kid 2 graduate Navy boot camp. Later that same year we spent time up in the Ozark Mountains area of Missouri during Kid 3's Army boot camp graduation. This summer we spent a fabulous weekend in Charleston, SC playing in the ocean, riding jet skis and touring historic downtown after Kid 2's graduation from Naval Nuclear Engineering School.                                                                                                          The past couple summers we have also travelled to Iowa for my girls national dance competition. (Grand National Champions 2017 thank you very much!)                                                                                                  This past August the kids and I drove up to Kentucky to see the total solar eclipse. It was simply amazing!
2. Dance more 
3. Ride in a hot air balloon - I had forgotten this was on my list. Every year our little town hosts a Goat Days Festival (read about the best yoga class ever here). This year the festival had hot air balloon rides and since I was teaching Goat Yoga (the best yoga class ever!), my and the kids got passes for a free ride. We only went up about 50 feet in the air but it was still pretty exciting. 
4. Finally find a sun dress that doesn't make my butt look huge -2017 is the year I learned to dress for my body shape without hating my body shape. (Finally right?) A job promotion at work took me out of sneakers and yoga pants and in to professional work attire. Fortunately I took the advice of a friend and walked into a store out of my price range to shop for a new look. The sales woman asked if I needed help and I told her not only do I need help is she ready for all  the help I need?! I stayed in the fitting room while she brought me outfits to try on, taking all the stress away from me. She taught me more about how to shop for clothes in that one afternoon than I think I've ever learned.
5. Skydive
6. See the Grand Canyon
7. Not wait for special occasions to dress up - Although I sometimes miss the ease of wearing black yoga pants and sneakers every day, most days I enjoy dressing nice to go to work. I even went to our local Merle Norman and let the shop owner paint me up in adult make up. Every morning I carefully put on my make up with the tricks she taught me. 
8. Swim with dolphins
9. Go on a cruise
10. Whale watching - written about January 1, 2015
11. Take an aerobics class in Los Angeles with Richard Simmons at his Slimmons Gym
12. Ride a cable car in San Francisco
13. Visit all 50 states - Iowa, Kentucky and South Carolina 
14. Have more fresh flowers in my house 
15. Take a surfing lesson
16. Take ballroom dance lessons - written about April 17, 2013
17. Be more spontaneous 
18. Publish my book -  Published and available for sale here! 
19. Attend Summer Solstice in Times Square - written about January 1, 2015
20. Finish my 500 hour RYT
21. Get back to a regular yoga practice again- I'm always planning on getting back to a regular practice. Someday
22. Get back to a semi-regular meditation practice again 
23. Stress less about finances
24. Make time to read more 
25. Redecorate my kitchen - written about January 1, 2015
26. Take more pictures 
27. Walk more - I walked/ran the St Jude Half Marathon! For real! 
28. Get a Labradoodle dog - technically I don't own a Ladradoodle. However, I get to dog sit a Labradoodle a few times a year for some friends. 
29. Be able to afford a house cleaner
30. Watch my kids grow up to be healthy, productive adults - Kid 1 is living on his own with some good, sober roommates. Kid 2 is a Naval Nuclear Engineer. Kid 3 is in the Army National Guard and working a full time job with great growth potential. That's 3 productive adults so far! I'm 50% to my goal of 6 healthy and able young adults. 
31. Stay healthy into my old age
32. Walk the beach more - After driving 10 hours to Charleston, SC the first thing we did is drive 30 minutes further to get my feet in the sand and run through the waves.
33. Take more chances
34. Attend more live theater 
35. Find a way to combine what I love to do with a way to support myself financially - although I'm not financially stable like I want to be, I can say I am making a living doing what I love to do
36. Laugh more 
37. See my book for sale on Amazon - Creating A Joyful Life: The Lessons I Learned From Yoga and My Mom
38. Be debt free
39. Care a little less what people think
40. Paint a baseball field onto my backyard - I don't know why I haven't crossed this off the list before. But I've had a baseball field mowed into my backyard for a couple summers now. 
41. Take the kids to Disney World
42. Find balance 
43. Be happy- I was asked recently if I'm happy. Of course I have times of worry and still a lot of financial stress and fear, but overall, yes I am happy. 

The year the Cubs won the World Series

Folly Beach, SC

Hot air balloons rides at night

Iowa

Not really our own Labradoodle with
definitely our own rescue pup

Grand National Champions

Total solar eclipse, Kentucky

Folly Beach, SC

Lists & Prayers #Reverb15

In her seventh ever blog post, all the way back in March 2003(!), the inimitable Andrea Scher wrote: “Maybe lists are like prayers.”

What sorts of lists do you have on the go at the moment? 

What do they suggest you are praying for?

I am an avid list maker. My iPhone notes are full of lists; grocery lists, writing ideas, Christmas gift ideas, important phone number I shouldn't forget but since I didn't put a name next to it I don't know who it belongs to, etc.

I've also unintentionally made two important lists here on my blog:

Forty Four For My Next 44 Years - a list of things that I wrote in 2013 that I wanted to accomplish in my new post-divorce life. It's been interesting to look back at the end of each year to see just how many I have been able to scratch off. And how many more I want to add to my list!

and

Time To Take My Writing and My Yoga To The Next Level - a post I wrote one night when I decided it was time to take myself, and my writing, seriously.

Writing things down not only holds me accountable, it lets me put into writing what I really am hoping (praying) for.

The list makes it real.

Prayers and desires only have the potential to be real once you believe they can be real.

Writing down my hopes and prayers helps me believe they will eventually become my reality.


This post is part of #Reverb15, a series of daily writing prompts found at Kat McNally Words To Soothe The Weary Soul. 

#TBT: 44 For My Next 44 - a look back at 2014

Two years ago on my birthday I wrote a list of 44 things I'd like to do in my next 44 years.  Last year when I looked back I surprised myself by how much I had accomplished in just one year.

Looking back through my list this year I realize I've made some pretty good progress again!

1. Travel more - My new state this year was Portland, Oregon. It's beautiful! And I was excited like a kid when I saw Christmas trees growing on the beach! The kids and I also took our first post-divorce family vacation to Pinnacle Mountain Arkansas. And kid 2 and I rode bikes all over New York City while we were up visiting potential colleges for him. 
2. Dance more - It turns out I enjoy country line dancing! Who knew? 
3. Ride in a hot air balloon
4. Finally find a sun dress that doesn't make my butt look huge - Last year was sundresses, this summer was skirts.
5. Skydive
6. See the Grand Canyon
7. Not wait for special occasions to dress up 
8. Swim with dolphins
9. Go on a cruise
10. Whale watching - When I first wrote go whale watching I imagined I'd be on a boat. But no boat needed! As we were standing on the beach in Oregon my friend kept saying "I'm not sure we will see whales. It's really not the right time of year." Well, then what are those two huge gray things humping out of the water and blowing their spouts?! I was even more excited to see the whales than I was to see Christmas trees growing on the beach!
11. Take an aerobics class in Los Angeles with Richard Simmons at his Slimmons Gym
12. Ride a cable car in San Francisco
13. Visit all 50 states - I added one more to my list - Oregon state! (see #1)
14. Have more fresh flowers in my house 
15. Take a surfing lesson
16. Take ballroom dance lessons 
17. Be more spontaneous 
18. Publish my book -  It's been edited and is being read by a few trusted friends right now for their review. 
19. Attend Summer Solstice in Times Square - I don't know why I didn't write about this at the time! I guess it was just a super busy time. But it was freaking amazing! We literally lay out our mats in the middle of Times Square and did an hour of yoga. It was kind of funny when the tour buses would pass by and wave at us. 
20. Finish my 500 hour RYT
21. Get back to a regular yoga practice again- sporadic at best this year but always there for me when I can be there for it. 
22. Get back to a semi-regular meditation practice again 
23. Stress less about finances
24. Make time to read more - Now that I've cancelled DirectTv I'm finding not only, don't I miss it, but I am reading so much more. 
25. Redecorate my kitchen - I totally forgot this was on my list until I looked at it! I've repainted the walls, refurbished the cabinets and - what I'm most proud of - framed my mom's handwritten recipes and hung them on my kitchen walls. The only thing left to complete the project now is the counter tops and that only needs time set aside to do it.
26. Take more pictures - thanks to the iPhone and my Instagram account taking more pictures is easier than ever.
27. Walk more
28. Get a Labradoodle dog
29. Be able to afford a house cleaner
30. Watch my kids grow up to be healthy, productive adults - 2014 was the year I saw Kids 1 & 2 really grow up, and not just age chronologically. Kid 1 had some major life choices to make this year and I'm so proud of how far he's come. Kid 2 is looking ahead to his future and mapping out a plan to achieve what he wants. 
31. Stay healthy into my old age
32. Walk the beach more - the water was freezing but the beaches in Oregon are absolutely beautiful. 
33. Take more chances
34. Attend more live theater - this year I saw Wicked ( fabulous) and 50 Shades of Gray The Musical (almost as dumb as the books.)
35. Find a way to combine what I love to do with a way to support myself financially
36. Laugh more - Laughing will always make my gratitude list 
37. See my book for sale on Amazon (see #18)
38. Be debt free
39. Care a little less what people think
40. Paint a baseball field onto my backyard
41. Take the kids to Disney World
42. Find balance 
43. Be happy- I've become much more aware this year of what / who makes me happy, what I'm willing to do to be happy and what / who I will not allow to rob me of my happiness. 

What Went Right: #reverb13 Day 8

What went right in 2013?

Maybe you didn't quit smoking or lose those pounds or go to Paris, but something did work, did happen, and/or was realized. What was it?

On my birthday last April I made a list of thing to accomplish now that I am creating a new life: Forty Four For My Next 44. 

Some of the items on the list are still waiting to happen, but looking back I see that quite a few have already come true. What I'm most proud of getting right is actually the last one on this list.

1. Travel more - This year during my annual California trip I went to Los Angeles and Palm Springs. Who knew I would love the desert and Palm Springs so much? When I'm an old rich person I plan on pushing my little dog in a stroller down the streets of Palm Springs. Late this summer I went to Seattle and absolutely loved that city, and not just because it's the home of Starbucks. They have a fabulous yoga community, food and vibe.
2. Dance more - I miss dancing the night away.  I haven't been to a dance club in years, but not too long ago there I was in the middle of a club on the dance floor. I had so much fun dancing and laughing and feeling free. I will definitely be going back again. 
3. Ride in a hot air balloon
4. Finally find a sun dress that doesn't make my butt look huge -  Thank you to my mom for teaching me to love Macy's and know how to shop their sales. I not only found one sundress that didn't make my butt look huge, I found many of them! (See #7)
5. Skydive
6. See the Grand Canyon
7. Not wait for special occasions to dress up - This turned out to be the summer of sun dresses! (See #4) I wore them almost any day I wasn't at work. It didn't matter if I was going to the farmer's market or out with friends. Because I work in a gym my standard attire is sneakers and yoga pants. It feels good to dress girly when I can!
8. Swim with dolphins
9. Go on a cruise
10. Whale watching
11. Take an aerobics class in Los Angeles with Richard Simmons at his Slimmons Gym
12. Ride a cable car in San Francisco
13. Visit all 50 states - I added one more to my list - Washington state! (see #1)
14. Have more fresh flowers in my house - So it turns out you don't have to wait for someone to give you flowers, you can buy them for yourself!  Although I actually did receive many beautiful bouquets this year. 
15. Take a surfing lesson
16. Take ballroom dance lessons - thanks to a "bring a friend" offer I've already taken two free lessons. Maybe someday I'll be able to afford more lessons.
17. Be more spontaneous -I did good this year just "going with the flow" and learning to surrender control. It's very freeing to surround myself with people that I can trust to let my guard down. 
18. Encourage my creative side to flourish - I'm finally writing again and I've printed out some pictures I took this year. I even made a painting all by myself! 
19. Publish my book (It's in the editing process now. I just need to devote more time to it)
20. Attend Summer Solstice in Times Square 
21. Finish my 500 hour RYT
22. Get back to a regular yoga practice again- And oh how good it feels to be on the mat again.
23. Get back to a semi-regular meditation practice again - Maybe not quite semi-regular but on its way.
24. Stress less about finances
25. Make time to read more - My Kindle is with me almost always.
26. Redecorate my kitchen
27. Take more pictures
28. Walk more
29. Get a Labradoodle dog
30. Be able to afford a house cleaner
31. Watch my kids grow up to be healthy, productive adults
32. Stay healthy into my old age
33. Walk the beach more
34. Take more chances
35. Attend more live theater -I love the theater! And fortunately I've found a couple friends who also enjoy it. Last month I saw West Side Story and we already have tickets to Wicked in a couple months!
36. Find a way to combine what I love to do with a way to support myself financially
37. Laugh more - For a brief time I didn't think I'd ever laugh again. My laughter has returned and I'll be damn sure it doesn't leave me ever again. 
38. See my book for sale on Amazon (see #19)
39. Be debt free
40. Care a little less what people think
41. Paint a baseball field onto my backyard
42. Take the kids to Disney World
43. Find balance 
44. Be happy- yes I can honestly say I am happy. Of all the things on my list, this is the one I'm most proud to have gotten right this year. In odd moments it would hit me - hey I'm happy! And now that I'm happier than I've been in many, many years, I am more confident in what I want, what I don't want, and ready to set down a path to reach the rest of my goals. 

This post is a part of #reverb13, a series of daily writing prompts to explore the year passed and manifest the year ahead. This prompt was found at Kat McNally Words to Soothe The Weary Soul. 

Forty Four for my next 44 Years

It's actually the day after my 44th birthday. Last night I was just too sick with an ear infection and sinus infection to post a blog. Maybe it was the fever, or maybe just the Nyquil, but I gave a lot of thought to how this birthday is different and what I want to be different in the future.

So here is my list of what I'd like to accomplish in my next 44 years:

1. Travel more
2. Dance more
3. Ride in a hot air balloon
4. Finally find a sun dress that doesn't make my butt look huge
5. Skydive
6. See the Grand Canyon
7. Not wait for special occasions to dress up
8. Swim with dolphins
9. Go on a cruise
10. Whale watching
11. Take an aerobics class in Los Angeles with Richard Simmons at his Slimmons Gym
12. Ride a cable car in San Francisco
13. Visit all 50 states
14. Have more fresh flowers in my house
15. Take a surfing lesson
16. Take ballroom dance lessons - thanks to a "bring a friend" offer I've already taken two free lessons. Maybe someday I'll be able to afford more lessons.
17. Be more spontaneous
18. Encourage my creative side to flourish
19. Publish my book (It's in the editing process now. I just need to devote more time to it)
20. Attend Summer Solstice in Times Square 
21. Finish my 500 hour RYT
22. Get back to a regular yoga practice again
23. Get back to a semi-regular meditation practice again
24. Stress less about finances
25. Make time to read more 
26. Redecorate my kitchen
27. Take more pictures
28. Walk more
29. Get a Labradoodle dog
30. Be able to afford a house cleaner
31. Watch my kids grow up to be healthy, productive adults
32. Stay healthy into my old age
33. Walk the beach more
34. Take more chances
35. Attend more live theater
36. Find a way to combine what I love to do with a way to support myself financially
37. Laugh more
38. See my book for sale on Amazon (see #19)
39. Be debt free
40. Care a little less what people think
41. Paint a baseball field onto my backyard
42. Take the kids to Disney World
43. Find balance 
44. Be happy