With so many thoughts as of late about what is soon to come, I find myself making a mental checklist of what I hope life will include in the next few months and years. I’ve contemplated a “bucket list” for a long time, but now it seems as fitting as ever to finally put some of those intentions and aspirations to paper. I don’t want to miss a single opportunity to be the best mom and wife I’m able to be, but I also don’t want to lose pieces of myself (or my heart) in the transition to motherhood–and into what I know will be a very new and adaptation-filled segment of my life.

So I’m going to begin it here, today, with every expectation of adding to it and crossing a number of items off of it over the next five years. I don’t want to write a list that’s committed to the rest of my life, because in my head, that seems like a long time…and my priorities might change. In the meantime, this is where I’d like to start. It feels good to be getting it out. In no particular order:

1) Become a mom. (I know. This is an “easy ” one at this point. I feel like a mom already. But it’s been on my mental list, and it will be marvelous to check off. One of the greatest, most shaping experiences of my life, I’m certain.)

2) Give birth naturally. (Time will tell, and if I can’t for some reason, I’ll make my peace with it. 5 years gives me a few opportunities though, I suspect, and I’m really, really hopeful.)

3) Travel to Italy. Absolutely a must.

4) Write and publish a book. Also a must.

5) Organize every cabinet and drawer in our house, and be ruthless about getting rid of/donate what we no longer need.

6) Scrapbook/keep a baby book for each of our children.

7) See a musical on Broadway with Jason.

8) Take a mission trip as a family.

9) Journal regularly for a consistent period of time (not including the blog).

10) Hone my photography skills enough to be valuable.

11) Finalize my doula certification (hopefully Baby K’s birth will take care of this one!)

12) Assist the births of teen moms in the area who need support, and develop a local ministry.

13) Plant a successful and flourishing garden; build a compost.

14) Introduce each of our children to God’s creation through exploration, day trips, nature, prayer, conversation and exposure to new things daily.

15) Pray over/with our child/children every night.

16) Read something valuable as a daily routine.

17) Expand and further develop my blog.

18) Pay off my college loans. This is a HUGE one, but I know we’ll get there.

19) Cloth diaper. Successfully. 🙂

20) Return to Africa and/or India.

21) Take a gourmet cooking class.

22) Learn to make fondant and decorate a cake well.

23) Craft something worth selling.

24) Take sewing lessons from my mom; procure a sewing machine.

25) Visit with family as often as possible.

26) Host a Thanksgiving in our home for people who have nowhere else to celebrate.

27) Own an iPad. 🙂

28) Further develop my freelance portfolio.

29) Finish designing a baby nursery.

30) Watch 20 of the top 100 classic films of all time.

31) Read through the entire Bible.

32) Go on a cruise with Jason to somewhere warm and tropical.

33) Regularly support a missionary family.

34) Train for and successfully complete two more 1/2 marathons.

I am currently 28, but my 29th birthday will be here shortly after Baby K is born, which means that in 5 years I’ll be 34. So I’m starting this list with 34 items in honor of my 34th birthday and the personal goal I’m setting to accomplish each of these things in the next five years. I’ll probably keep adding to the list at random, but for now, this feels like a great start. And if some things don’t pan out, other things will…I’m just feeling ambitious and hopeful and glad to have more of this written down than I did before. Want to create a 5 year bucket list with me? Let’s inspire each other.

delighted by possibility,

mm