It is no secret to anyone that knows me well... I love making lists and keeping track of everything I do in my life. Bucket lists are one of my favorite types of lists to make.
Typically when making my yearly bucket lists, I like to shoot for the stars because I believe that what you manifest will come your way. I even accomplished almost all of my bucket list for 2022!
However... I am ringing in 2023 pregnant for the first time ever and I am due in June! Because of this and because my due date is in the summertime when I have the most time off to travel, I know that the bucket list I create for 2023 is going to be on a much smaller scale with less traveling, less exercise, & less spontaneity. Here are the goals and items that I am setting out to accomplish in 2023!
1. Go on a baby moon (preferably somewhere WARM)
I live in the midwest, where it is currently cold, snowy, and icy, and will remain this way until March/April. I would LOVE to escape the cold for my spring break in March and hop on an airplane for the last time that I am able to in my pregnancy to go somewhere warm and relaxing!
I will say, I already have a trip somewhat planned... My 2 friends and I have tickets to Taylor Swift: the Eras Tour over my spring break (on March 17th) in Glendale, Arizona. Therefore, I already have a destination and event set up for this item to happen! Luckily, Arizona will be warm & there will be plenty of time for relaxation before and after attending the concert.
*Honestly, the concert should be a bucket list item on its' own, but because I got tickets back in 2022 I felt that would be cheating the bucket list system.
2. Go to a local event that I have not attended before
Because travel will be much more limited in 2023 for me, than ever before in my adult life, I want to take advantage of things that are going on near me.
One event that comes to mind is a winter event that takes place on a frozen lake in a neighboring town. The event is a kite festival featuring huge, inflatable kites flown on the lake and people are able to go out and walk on the frozen lake to look at all of the colorful kites! My husband, who is from this area of the state, has never attended the event so I say we go!
3. Kitchen makeover
We officially moved to a new house in 2023! Because of that, we have a whole new list of house projects and now that we are having a baby in June, we have a list of nesting items to get done. One of those items is to give our kitchen a much-needed facelift.
Our kitchen came with a huge, outdated lightbox (see photo below). This is 100% not my style and makes the kitchen seem way small. For our makeover, we plan to take the lightbox out and have can lights installed in the ceiling.
Some other things I plan to do (in the future):
-Paint the cabinets
-Get new countertops
-Update to matching appliances
-New barstools
Stay tuned for updates!
4. Run a 5k
If you know me well, you know I have completed quite a few half-marathons, triathlons, and even a full marathon. Running is not my passion by any means, but running 5 half-marathons before I turn 30 IS one of my goals.
I do not for-see myself doing the training for a half-marathon this summer... because of birth. But, I would like to hopefully bounce back enough in the fall to run a 5k race.
If I WEREN'T pregnant, I would 100% sign up for the Grand Teton Half-Marathon taking place in June because 1) I've always wanted to do a National Park race (especially for my 5th one) and 2) My family members are considering running it! If it WEREN'T taking place in June, I would 100% be there to watch and cheer them on, but sadly, that won't be happening. I'll settle for a nice, easy (hopefully) 5K in October...
5. Take the baby to a pumpkin patch!
I LOVE the pumpkin patch; doing the seasonal fall and winter activities is one of my favorite parts of living in the midwest. The last few years that I have attended the pumpkin patch (and this last year, especially), it has really felt like it would be so much more fun with a small child. Now, I know my baby will only be 4 months old, but still!
6. Have 30 blog posts published
This is one bucket list item that I did not check off for 2022... I got way busy with my master's program and with coaching high school volleyball during the summer and fall and did not have time for writing for fun.
I actually completed my master's program, so no more papers to write! I also will not be coaching volleyball at all in this next coming season. So, I will hopefully find my time to document my trips, travel knowledge, and bucket lists! I still need to tell you all about our AMAZING Greek honeymoon from last year!
7. Complete The Adventure Challenge: Couples Edition
Last year my husband and I had a pretty solid routine of weekly date nights going and that was partially in thanks to our Adventure Challenge book. Every Wednesday have date night and sometimes we would select a category that worked for us based on the amount of time and energy we had. Then, we would scratch off a date night idea and complete it!
So far we have completed 5 of the scratch off activities, meaning we have 45 to go! In 2023, I would like to complete the whole book, therefore we should pretty much do one activity per week.
If you want to check out the book for yourself, here is the link!
8. Read 75 books
In 2022, I read 100 books! Because of the baby, my goal for the year is a bit lower (but still quite high because I think 50 would be too easy).
I have so many books on my TBR and received quite a few books for Christmas to get me started on the year.
9. Walk 100 miles on my treadmill
In 2022 I bought a treadmill for our new, finished basement with hopes of using it for marathon training. That didn't happen much, because life got busy and pregnancy took over BUT it is a great thing to have for walking when the weather outside is frightful.
My goal is to walk 100 miles on the treadmill in 2023. I honestly have no idea if that is too easy or out of reach, as I have never owned a treadmill and I usually go to fitness classes at a gym to get my daily exercise in. But, I love to walk and read on my iPad, so we will see!
10. Become a mom
This one is pretty obvious, as I am currently 17 weeks pregnant. I am hoping for a healthy remainder of my pregnancy and a smooth birth.
But, just because I am literally having a baby does not mean I have truly become a mom (yet). I still have so much to learn and want to truly embrace the title of 'mom' in June to the fullest by knowing and doing all of the things for my baby. It is going to be a huge lifestyle change for me in many ways, and I definitely want to be prepared but also want to rock the transition as best as I can!
We will see just how many of these I accomplish in the year 2023 and how much life truly changes this year!
-Mackensie
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