The List

biking 300 miles from Pittsburgh to Washington D.C.
it took us 6 days and a whole lot of ibuprofen

Since this blog is a record of our crazy-awesome lives I feel like I should include the items from the list I made nine years ago.  What amazes me is these items are not little things.  Some are major, life changing accomplishments.  And, this list was simply a brainstorm!  At the time, I was working on putting together some New Year's resolutions and I made a list of some things that I might want to work on that year.  I had intended on picking a few and working on them.

• live in New York City (This was #1 on my list!)
• be a good mom (I am so blessed to have my 3 little ones!)
• be a wonderful wife (hopefully!)
• run a 10K race (After last year's half marathon, 10K's are so easy now!)
• be a bike rider (300 miles Pittsburgh to D.C. definitely counts)
• be a good cook (Brian has been pleasantly surprised)
• keep in touch with old friends (thank you facebook!)
• have a garden (I have always had at least some herbs growing in my windows)
• travel to Europe (we spent a month in France & Italy in 2004)
• go sailing (I've been on a couple of schooners, which totally qualifies in my book)
• know my ancestors (Isabella is named after her great, great grandma; whom I've learned much about)
• learn a different language, go to that country and speak it (Spanish=Guatemala, Italian=Italy)
• teach  (check!)
• take lots of photographs (this list was pre-digital cameras.  Crazy, right?)
• visit family often (this has been a priority for Brian and me)
• eat healthy foods (I'm amazed how much healthier I eat now)
• learn to sew (wow!)
• see Niagara Falls (Brian and I did this for our first anniversary
• stay in a cottage by the sea in Maine in the summer (this was so specific, but two summers ago we did it, thanks to Brian's aunt Marjorie!)
• go to Vermont (I love Vermont!)
• have a passport (yup!)
• have my own business (I still can't believe this one!)

Some items that I am still working on, and will perhaps always work on (in addition to some already listed above):

• be positive
• have charity
• have strong muscles
• smile
• know the scriptures well
• attend the temple regularly

In the next few years I hope to check these ones off:

• go snorkeling in the Caribbean
• go to Victoria, B.C.
• go to Navoo
• live in a home with a big yard and lots of sunlight
• play my violin for others
• learn to play the piano
• go rafting through the Grand Canyon

After reviewing this list several times I want to make a new one!  I had no idea the power that comes from writing these things down.  I'm going to start a new "Life List" today.