Reverse Bucket List: Holiday Gratitude for the Christmas Season
Reverse Bucket List: Holiday Gratitude
Before you “kick the bucket”, you probably have a few things that you still want to accomplish and thus, you’ve placed them on your bucket list. If you’re not terrified of heights (like me), you may want to bungee jump or jump out of a plane. Or perhaps you want to light your house up like the Griswold’s or have an old fashioned Christmas in a cabin. Maybe you want to fall in love, get married, and have a family of your own. The way I see it, if we’re not still wishing and hoping, then we aren’t still living. And those wishes don’t have to be monumental. Isn’t it nice to wish for a quiet evening playing board games with your family?!
50 Things That I’ve Accomplished
Many people are looking ahead to New Year’s Eve resolutions and I’ll do that soon too. For now, I want to take a step back and list 50 things that I’ve already accomplished. During this season of reflection, I’m truly grateful that these items have been crossed off my bucket list.
1. Visited Stonehenge.
2. Married my Prince Charming and best friend.
Our 1992 Wedding
3. Graduated from college.
4. Found a job where I get to read and write every day.
5. Had a baby.
Holding Nic “kangaroo style” in the NICU. As a preemie, he couldn’t regulate his own body temperature. Stay warm, baby!
6. Visited Carthage and Sidi Bou Said in Tunisia.
7. Swam with dolphins.
8. Explored Pompeii.
Pompeii was amazing.
9. Toured the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa.
10. Sailed into the port at Valletta, Malta.
Sailing into the Grand Harbor, Malta.
11. Traveled by train to Pisa and saw the Leaning Tower.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa
12. Kissed my husband under the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
13. Visited the British Museum.
14. Saw the Queen of England.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh leave Buckingham Palace for the State Opening of Parliament
15. Saw the Pantheon in Rome, Italy.
16. Renewed our wedding vows at The Wedding Pavilion in Walt Disney World.
17. Helped countless people plan trips to Walt Disney World on my own and through my past work with the Disney Parks Moms Panel.
18. Spent Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Walt Disney World.
19. Visited Devil’s Tower.
20. Saw a Broadway play in NYC.
21. Was a stay-at-home Mom.
22. Rode a trolley in San Francisco.
23. Toured Cinderella’s Castle Suite in Walt Disney World.
24. Went horse back riding in Wyoming.
Horseback riding at Bill Cody Ranch in Wyoming
25. Snorkeled in the Bahamas.
26. Had a pet rabbit (s).
27. Traveled solo on a Caribbean cruise.
28. Drank hot chocolate in Barcelona, Spain.
29. Visited the D-Day beaches, Normandy.
30. Visited the Tower of London.
31. Saw the Milky Way from Bryce Canyon.
32. Ran a 5K race.
33. Saw wildlife in Yellowstone.
34. Pet a stingray.
35. Lived in multiple states.
36. Rode in Cinderella’s Coach.
Cinderella’s Coach arrives The Wedding Pavilion for our 10th Anniversary Vow Renewal
37. Saw a rocket launch (twice).
New Horizons Rocket Launch, January 2006.
38. Watched Nic’s grandparents nurture (and spoil) him. Priceless.
39. Visited the Library of Congress.
40. Planned magical Christmas mornings for my family.
41. Saw cherry blossoms in full bloom at the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC.
42. Learned to ice skate.
43. Took our son for his first ocean trip.
First trip to the ocean
44. Took a romantic walk on a moonlit deck aboard a cruise ship.
45. Went whale watching from Provincetown, MA.
46. Visited a castle.
Windsor Castle
47. Toured the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.
48. Had a dog for his whole life (and he’s now 13).
49. Watched my son meet Mickey Mouse (age 2).
50. Saw the Roman Colosseum.
Roman Colosseum
