While searching for ideas of what to cover in my first blog post of 2020, I was reminded of an awesome tradition a co-worker of mine started with his wife eight years ago…an annual bucket list! So I did a little research and narrowed it down to 10 different categories of focus and even added a category to challenge YOU to complete some bucket list items of your own! I will update this throughout the 366 days this year when I complete each item, linking it to a new post covering how it went!!
Travel:
Take an overnight train ride– added to 40×40 list as “take a train ride”- Travel someplace where someone isn’t waiting for me to arrive – completed 2/8/20
- Visit 7 Pools in Bentonville, VA – completed 3/20/20
- Visit and complete races in
6+new states – was only able to do 4: FL in Jan, CA in Feb, NH in Oct, and TN in Dec - Visit Beachbody HQ – completed 2/6/20
- Visit
5+more National Parks/Forests to use our new annual membership – was only able to do 2 more: Shenandoah National Park and Smoky Mountain National Park, both which weren’t even asking for cards! Go for a road trip with just my cat– added to 40×40 list as “take a road trip”
Adventures & Experiences:
- Go canoeing or kayaking on the Shenandoah – completed 5/25/20 and many times thereafter!
- Bet on a Charles Town horse race – completed 3/7/20
Do karaoke again– added to 40×40 list- COVID
Attend a fashion show - COVID
Participate in a dinner theater or murder mystery - Go golfing – completed 4/20/20
Hike Old Rag– added to 40×40 list- Pick a wand at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – completed 12/19/20
- COVID
Visit a Zoo Lights - COVID
Attend the public open house for the Washington D.C. Temple after renovations - COVID
Go back up in the Washington Monument - COVID
See a play on Broadway - COVID
Attend 3+ BHS events, beyond football games Eat at a Michelin-starred restaurant– probably could have made this happen, but wasn’t a priority with COVID
Household:
Get our house cleaned professionally– not yet, but we got a Roomba! ^_^- Paint the family room and upstairs hallway – completed 4/19/20
Prepare my workout room to eventually become a nursery– nope, cuz I’m a slacker…but added to my 40×40 list to organize the closet at least (which is the worst!)- Get a quote for deck/addition renovation – completed 2/17/20
Relationships:
- Meet 5+ more people I only know online, in person – completed 2/6/20
Hang out with a neighbor– didn’t make this a priority due to COVID, but will try again!- End a pointless friendship – completed 10/20/20
- Reconcile with someone – completed 11/21/20
- COVID –
Spend more time with my coworkers outside of school or on-campus events(but will try again!!) Have more phone-free meals at the dining room table– this started out as a great intention, but the effort definitely went away once COVID struck
Financial:
Prepare my will– nope, but really should!!- Get both credit cards to less than 5% usage – got them both down by August, but back up now haha
- Reach $10,000 in savings – reached it in May but then got our addition put on!
- Speak with a tax professional and set up quarterly tax payments – quarterly tax payments started in March, but no talking with professional
- Get my credit score back to 800 – completed 3/18/20, down after loan for addition, then back to 800 in November!
Contribution:
- COVID
Volunteer at a soup kitchen or animal shelter Go Plogging– picked up trash during walks and runs, but not with the complete intention to do soUtilize more Farmer’s Markets– didn’t make this a priority with COVIDBuy someone’s drink or meal without their knowledge– no, but will do this again soon!- Donate one week’s commission to a good cause – no, but donated to many causes throughout the year, exceeding this amount!
Creativity:
- Plant and maintain my own garden – completed between March and August!
- Do another Paint Nite, or similar creative venture – completed 12/5 and 12/7/20!
- Send more handwritten letters – did a few more this year, but not enough!
- Make something from scratch – completed 4/8 and 4/9/20 with InstantPot adventures!
Complete a 1000+ piece puzzle by myself– started one but it was too hard and I just slacked on trying another haha- Send Christmas cards – completed 12/9/20!
- Make a vision board (completed 2/17/20)
Learning & Growing:
- Complete the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge, with advanced prompts, for the second year – completed 12/30/20!
Learn to play chess– could blame COVID for this, but only the learning in person part. I could’ve found something to help online!!- COVID
Join a choir again - COVID
Attend a religious service - Do more research on the presidential candidates before the election – completed and voted early 10/21/20
Take a free online course– signed up for one, but never did it (SLACKER!!!)- Watch “Game Changers,” at Ricky’s request – completed 12/24/20
Achieve 2-star Diamond, Premiere– didn’t make this a priority, but will keep working toward it!
Body & Health:
Participate in Flotation Therapy– added to 40×40 listMake a baby– unfortunately not yetBe able to do at least one unassisted pull-up– didn’t make this a priorityLearn proper meditation techniques– baby steps toward this one and added BB Meditation Program to 40×40 list!- Go vegetarian for at least a week again – completed 11/15/20
- Explore more meatless meal options and work toward having at least one meatless meal per week – completed Jan-Dec!, especially after completing The Ultimate Reset and watching Game Changers.
Try eyebrow threading– added to 40×40 list
Random:
Finally get twentysix.two tattooed on my left foot– added to 40×40 list as “get a tattoo” (could be my hummingbird instead)- Finally finish at least the first book in the Harry Potter series before we go to Universal Studios – completed 3/5 and 3/10/20 (first two books)
Rewatch the entire Star Wars saga– not yet, but will!- Sleep or nap in my hammock – didn’t get to sleep/nap, but did lay in it for awhile on 4/8/20
- Put up a real Christmas tree this year – didn’t end up going with a real one, but invested in a really nice artificial one and put it up 11/29/20
And the last category is for YOU!!
Goals for Others: These are things I’ve accomplished or experiences I’ve had that I think everyone should strive to do at some point, if it applies 😀
- Participate in a Polar Plunge
- Complete a full specific workout program, start to finish
- Get a book signed by a favorite author
- Get a professional massage
- Get a tattoo with a friend or family member
- Go streaking
- Do a “Tip the Bill” or something like “Operation Breakfast”
- Visit a hot springs and talk with strangers while you soak
- Roll down a hill, without kids
- Give up soda
- Hit rope drop on a fresh powdered slope to carve fresh tracks
- Order room service
- Go behind the falls at Niagara Falls
- Watch a space shuttle launch
- Go to a drive-in movie theater
- Quit smoking
- Reread a favorite childhood book
- Get a passport and travel somewhere outside of your native country
- Get up early to workout before work for at least one week
- Register and complete a 5k…walk it, jog it, run it, crawl it…just finish
Do you keep an annual or lifelong Bucket List? I’d love to see what’s on YOURS!
So when I made my Bucket List for 2020, obviously I had no idea how much more challenging it would become to do the things on the list. But when I sat down this week to assess my progress, I was actually pleasantly surprised at how much I was still able to cross off the list for 2020!
In my Travel category, though I wasn’t able to hit up 6 new states for races I was still able to get Florida, California, New Hampshire, and Tennessee! Races during the time of Covid is very different, but I was thrilled to get my total to 20 states during the year 2020. I was also able to travel someplace where someone wasn’t waiting for me to arrive, which also took care of my visit to Beachbody HQ! We didn’t get 5 more National Parks to use our annual membership we acquired last year in Wyoming, but we did hit up two more! And we were able to visit 7 Pools, which was awesome!
In Adventures & Experiences, I finally went kayaking on the Shenandoah and I was HOOKED! I think I ended up going 10 times this summer, in various locations! I was able to bet on a Charles Town horse race right before the shut down, went golfing shortly thereafter, and picked a wand at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter just a few weeks ago 🙂 Many of the other things on the list were impossible due to restrictions or closures.
For Household goals, we didn’t get out house cleaned professionally but we did invest in Reginald (our Roomba!) ^_^ We did paint the family room and upstairs hallway, plus two bathrooms! We also got a quote for deck/addition renovation…and decided to just get it done! Kitty and I have thoroughly enjoyed our new space ^_^
In my Relationships category, I actually did pretty well! I met more than 5 people that I only knew online in person, and continue to do so whenever possible. I ended a pointless friendship (highly recommend) and also reconciled with someone (also highly recommended). The rest are in progress haha.
I totally ROCKED my Financial goals this year! The only thing I haven’t done is prepare my will, but mostly because it felt a little too morbid to do with everything else going on! I got both credit cards to less than 5% usage, reached my savings goal, set up quarterly tax payments, and got my credit score back to 800 (TWICE! it took a dive during the addition loan then refinancing haha).
I BOMBED my Contribution category, mainly because it was harder to do these things with closures and restrictions. I did donate to various causes, support fundraisers, and contribute whenever possible. But I will continue working on these in the new year and do what I can when I can.
The Creativity category was another one I definitely did really well with – I think because I felt like I had more time since I wasn’t commuting 90 minutes a day, 5 days a week haha. I was able to plant and maintain my own garden (all from seed, no starters this year!), make lots of things from scratch (especially food, which Ricky was happy with haha), and made a Vision Board. I also completed two pieces of art through virtual Paint Nights, sent a few more handwritten letters, plus made the effort to send Christmas cards! I didn’t get to complete my 1000+ piece puzzle by myself, but mainly because the only one I have is super hard haha. Lame excuse, I know 😛
My Learning & Growing and Body & Health categories slacked a bit, as well, but I did completel the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge a second year in a row, did plenty of research on the presidential candidates before submitting my ballot, and watched Game Changers at Ricky’s request. Plus I went vegetarian for 3 weeks, vegan for 2 weeks, and we started eating more meatless meals per week.
Finally, my Random goals were a little half-assed haha. I DID get a chance to read the first two Harry Potter books before we headed to Universal! I didn’t sleep or nap in my hammock, but I did lay in it a few times! And we didn’t put up a real Christmas tree this year, but after careful consideration decided investing in a nice artificial one was more economical so at least there’s that.
I can’t wait to get started on my 2021 goals (and see if I can get some of the 2020 ones done once things die down a bit!!