Spring Bucket List Debrief

Wishing you a happy day, dear reader!

Wow! With Memorial Day fast approaching, spring is almost over and summer is at hand! I’m playing this seasonal bucket list challenge with some other bloggers, so my apologies for this final post so hot on the heels of my update. That one was late; I forgot about it and so now it looks like I’m updating bi-monthly. Please check out their blogs as well! The first is Juhli who writes A Boomer Girl’s Guide. She’s a transplant to California and a lovely lady. I will add Leslie’s at a later date… There seems to be a security issue with that site; if I linked her and something bad happened to your computer, my IT guru/husband would never forgive me!

This spring has had some wins and some learning experiences. I don’t like to call them losses or fails, because if I am smart enough to learn something from the mistake, it’s not a failure or a loss. It’s like a baby learning to walk. Just because they fall down, doesn’t mean they’re not getting better! I just have to keep getting up. Like last time, I’m listing my five bucket list items, and following them with how I’m doing now.

One (1)

Schedule “Dates” with my sons and grandsons for the next months. I’ve been wanting to take each of them out for mom and son time, and keep forgetting to get to it. Maybe a meal, or a walk at the canal. Someone will probably want to go shooting. I want to do something special with my daughters-in-law, too; I had better get scheduling!

So far, so good! One done, one for this weekend, and middle son is scheduled for June. To keep it simple, I decided that we would all do breakfast dates. Yay! Now I need to get working on doing something with my daughters-in-law. This list item has gotten me thinking hard about how, and with whom I want to spend my time. I’ve concluded that I have to schedule days off. When you work for yourself, and much of that from home, it’s far too easy to chase your tail and work absolutely every day. I’m also pondering changing my blogging schedule from three times a week to twice a week over summer, to take some of the pressure off and have more time with my grands while they are on summer break.

Two (2)

Plan and make a farewell trip to the Mermaid House with our grandsons. Sigh. The owner is retiring, and our happy place will be his permanent residence. We are pleased for him, and at the same time sad for us and for our family. We have made lovely memories over the years at the Mermaid House (dubbed so by our oldest grandson, Thomas) and will miss it terribly. Addendum to Item 2: Start hunt for a new place to stay in FB.

Complete and total fail. Not even sure I can call this one a learning experience. Memorial Day at the Mermaid house is not happening. With a new grandbaby expected in August, I’m not sure we’ll have a beach getaway at all this summer. As I said in the last update, I’ve started hunting, but am not finding places that fit our requirements. I know the our grandsons will be disappointed, and so am I, but we will find something else to do… Maybe it’s time to take them to the mountains! And if I want a beach trip, I’ll have a lot more homework to do.

Three (3)

Plan a business birthday party! Closet Play Image will be two in June, and it’s time to do something special to celebrate. Maybe drinks and nibbles? I want to invite my clients, friends and family, and all those who have supported me on my journey.

Hmmmm. I was making progress on this, and then had a change of heart. I’m feeling ambivalent as the blog heads into its Terrible Two’s. I have other priorities for the money I would be spending on a party which makes a party feels frivolous. Maybe I go small and have a little drop-in at our home? Less expense, less (or at least different) stress, less showy, and more intimate. Pondering…

Four (4)

Get consistent with my NHS Couch to 5K. I made it all the way to the end last summer/fall with the training, and loved how I felt. I have always hated (Read that with a capital H.) running, and on this regime I actually woke up looking forward to my run days… Not sure how that happened, but it was awesome! Unfortunately, I fell off over the winter. I don’t like the treadmill, and running in the pitch black mornings was not ideal for safety. I had a scare that frightened me inside, and I don’t like that feeling. I want that wake-up-looking-forward-to-a-run feeling again! Baby steps.

Doing much better! Even though I’m not even past Week Three, I’ve been more consistent about getting out there and at least having a good walk if not having a run. (I suffer from all-or-nothing syndrome.) I am working with a chiropractor who is helping me with an old injury, so I am trying to strengthen and improve without undoing the progress we are making. Monday morning was just a walk, but a really hilly one! Tuesday was a 2/2 X 5 and a nice stretch at yoga afterwards. A great start to the week!

Five (5)

Buy myself flowers. Every. Week. It’s the simple things. For the same price as a cup of foofy coffee, I can have a thing of beauty that will make me smile every time I see it. When we lived in England, I had fresh flowers in the house year round. There, flowers were quite inexpensive and lasted for at least a week, sometimes two. The shorter shipping distance made all the difference! I know the flowers I buy here won’t have the same staying power, but beauty is no less so for its fleeting nature.

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Oh, my goodness! Between buying three bunches (red, white and green) for Cinco de Mayo, and receiving more on Mother’s Day, the house is awash in flowers! Now I’m thinking about branching out (Bad pun!) and getting a few plants for the back porch. I usually kill everything, but am determined to spend more time out in our “outdoor living space.”

Did you make a bucket list? If so, how’s it going? If not, what might you put on a Summer Bucket List? I’m always open to good ideas! Let me know in the comments below; I do so love to hear from you!

Stylishly yours,