Bucket list writing 101

There are a few things to consider when writing a bucket list. First of all, for those of you who don't know, a bucket list is a list of all the amazing things you want to see and do before you die. (Or while you are alive!! As I like to think of it.)

Here are some basic rules when writing one:

1) Don't think of the "how" and "when"! Just write it. Don't ever not put something on your list because you think it's unattainable. I firmly believe that once you set out to do something, the stars somehow align and make it possible.

2) Add everything, even if it scares you. My sister once told me, "If it scares you, do it!" I have followed her advice ever since that day and my life has changed! The only way to grow is to break away from your comfort zone and challenge yourself.

3) Make it fun and crazy! Imagine what your life would be like at the end, if you crossed everything off your list.

4) DO NOT worry about what other people think of your list. You don't ever have to show anyone if you don't want to.

5) Don't finish it. You can always add to it.

So for fun, I thought I would share with you, my bucket list. Keep in mind, some of these have been crossed off already. ;)

• Go skinny dipping
• Run the April Fools Run
• Raise $100 000.00 for charity
• Go to Paris and kiss under the tower
• See New York at Christmas time
• Go zip lining
• Go Kayaking 
• Take a Yoga class
• Become a successful, published author
• Go to Disneyland at Christmas
• Meet a celebrity
• Be on TV. A real show, not the news
• See a real fashion show
• Watch the Northern lights with my family
• Have lunch with Bryan Adams
• Be on the cover of a magazine
• Go to Nashville and wear cowboy boots
• Eat lobster on the East Coast
• Landscape my yard
• Become a millionaire
• Do the West Coast Trail
• Have a girls only camping weekend
• Judge a food contest
• Win a huge jackpot at a casino
• Take my family on the East Coast cruise
• Hold hands with my husband on our 50th wedding anniversary
• Go indoor rock climbing
• Run a successful business
• Start a charity
• Swim in an infinity pool
• swim with dolphins
• Own a new, white Mustang with pink metal flake racing stripes
• Finish my degree
• Compete in a fitness competition
• Renew my wedding vow in a cheese Vegas chapel
• Dance in a burlesque show
• Camp on the beaches of the Oregon coast
• Kiss under a waterfall
• Go river rafting
• Have a pen pal
• Ride on a steam train
• See the Klamath basin
• Experience the Calgary Stampede
• Participate in a bike race
• Organize a charity run
• See my boys be successful
• Walk through a foreign village in the middle of winter, see the street lights glow through the snow
• Hold my grandchildren   
• Change someones life
• Eat Kobe beef

That is all....for now anyway. Have fun writing!!

To the past and to the future.

After I tucked my kids into bed, I was thinking about how the day had gone. My parents are quick to tell me (especially today) where I am going wrong in raising my kids. I am sure I am not alone in this. It made me think of how I might act in their situation, and I thought it would be a good idea to make little reminders of what not to do as I get older. It also got me thinking of the past, where I came from and how I got to be the person I am today.  So for fun, here are top 5 things I would tell myself at 18, and the top five things to tell my future self.

To my 18 year old self:

* Getting hit with an orange going 75miles/hour in the hallway at school is not the worst thing that will ever happen to you. So let it slide.

* There are better days to come!! You will have a full life that you never dreamed possible! Wishes will come true, you will one day be in control of your life, and the people in your life will really matter.

* You will discover the meaning of true friendship. It may take a while, and you will find it in places you never expected, but you will find it.

* Love is not at all what you think it is, and there is no need to rush. You will find true love one day and you will KNOW it. You will feel it in your bones and no one else in the world matters.

* You will one day be strong. So strong, you will be capable of anything. You will set goals and achieve them, you will set standards and rise above them, you will do anything you dream of doing, because you can.


To my future self:

* Your kids are going to make mistakes. It is your job to support them. Even if you think they are wrong, they need to make mistakes.

*  When your kids are doing something they are excited about, get excited with them!

* Never forget that time spent together is worth more than diamonds or all the wealth in the world. Silly times together is what you remember in the end.

* Try to remember that raising kids is a one time gig. Your job after that is to be the best grandparents you can be. You don't get to do it twice.

* Remember that true family are the people in your life who support you, stick beside you thick and thin, dry your tears and celebrate your triumphs.

Changing tides.

With the changing tides, come new days, fresh sand, and little treasures. But overall, things remain the same. It's only after years that the rocks and surrounding beaches show any differences. I feel like the way I live my life is the same. I am always in a crazy circle, fighting with my inner self. Trying to be more creative, trying to be more organized, always trying to do more for everyone. Somehow that is changing, and I think I like it!

This change has been knocking at the backdoor of my brain for months now but I have been ignoring it. It's like there is a little voice in my head saying "You don't need do that, you don't have to be that way." I keep thinking it's just a phase, or I am overworked or tired....But the more I step back, the more I simplify, the more I LIKE IT!

I decided last week that I was going to make some huge changes in my life. It meant cleaning out 15years of love and creativity and starting fresh. I have made space for a tiny part of my former life to remain, and the rest will all be cleaned out, painted over and started over. I will no longer be the person who has every little piece of fabric you could need, I will no longer have 19 colors of glitter (that part makes me a little sad) and I will no longer have 500 buttons. As a sat in my craft room tonight, I wondered if I this was another phase I was going though, hormones, or maybe even a mid-life crisis....I still wonder if I am making the right decision. I will be taking the leap of faith, and turning my craft room into a commercial kitchen. I will be able to make my cool cakes for stores and restaurants, cover more events, get into weddings, and try to make a little something out of my crafty ways to support our little family. It's a big step, and once I commit there is no turning back. I like to think I am ready. I will no longer be pushing and pulling myself in a million different directions. I will have one clear path, a real career.

I know it looks like I am taking on another project, and I am. But at the same time, trimming everything else.   I will have more time with my kids, more focus with my booty camp girls (who I love and would never trade in, not for all the diamonds in the world!), and less STUFF!!

I am scared and unsure of what this will bring, but my mom always taught me that if you believe in yourself, you can achieve anything. And I believe that's true.


Always remember where you came from, never look back, and keep your eyes on the road ahead.

Thank you for your support. Much love. <3