Our First Hike

Today we went on our first hike at Walker Ranch in Boulder. I won't write too much because I want to write about it for the Blade. However, you should know we had a blast! I was sooooo proud of my three children. They hiked a whole mile downhill until we reached a creek side picnic area which was filled with lots of fun and laughter. But I was more proud of them when they walked a whole mile UPHILL to get back to the car! We took plenty of rests but they trudged on and made it with very little complaining. What great little hikers! Of course, they slept the whole way home!

The above picture is actually taken at the base of the mountain at a rest stop. Where we hiked was six miles up the mountain from this point. Here is some more of the actual hike.

FAMOUS!!

I'm pretty sure that I'm supposed to be famous. I'm not sure how or why....but I've always just had this feeling.

Now this feeling would make much more sense if I enjoyed being in front of large groups of people....so not me!

It would make sense if I was adventurous....but if you remember the zip line story you know, without a doubt, that I so want to be but totally am not adventurous!

If I could write more than a blog entry or a column and maybe do a book then it would make sense...but I can't seem to write more than a thousand words at one time...and that includes beginning, middle and end!

If I could paint my way to fame that would make sense...but I'd rather paint for free because I can't stand the stress of having to get it perfect for money!

If I had a sense of humor...well, we all know that's not going to get me very far!

So if I'm supposed to be famous and I have absolutely no talents...I'm guessing I'm going to make the headlines in a not so very good way....

And that is so how my life just is!

A Moment

Me: Jagger can I have a kiss?

MMMWWWAAAA

Me: Jagger can I have another one?

MMMWWWAAAAAA

Jagger: I'm going to lick it off.

Me: You should swallow it and then my kiss will be in your tummy.

My sweet 3 year old Jagger: I swallowed it and it's in my heart. Right next to Jesus.

CHEAP Travel

I am so excited! I love the women's retreat with Second Baptist Church in Baytown. Love it! I joked with my husband that I wanted to go home for it. Then it turned out that he happens to be off that weekend. Then he mentions to me that he looked at airfares today and that he thinks it would be great if I went. So happy!!

So, what are you airline secrets? How do I get the cheapest fare possible? I want to fly out on a Friday and come back on Monday....that's not really negotiable because of my kids.

I would love to hear how you score cheap flights!

Cheap Meals

Okay, so now that I'm saving TONS of money....I want to know how to save even more by making delicious but affordable meals. I'd love your suggestions and I'm sure everyone reading will benefit if you put them in the comments.

One thing that our family has given up is eating out. We still eat out but not nearly as often. It's much more of a treat now. We don't even go out for lunch after church on Sunday anymore! That was hard for me to give up...it's the Sabbath...I shouldn't be cooking!! Anyways, I thought it would be fun to make our own fast food meal. So, a couple of days ago I made homemade hamburgers with homemade french fries. Delicious, easy and cheap! And my kids got to eat one of their favorite meals made a tad bit healthier.

So....give up your goods! I can't wait to try them!

HUGE SAVINGS!!

Today I did some grocery shopping. It is the first weekend of my year of weekend only newspapers (that only cost me $32 total!) and now I get coupons. I shopped by the sale ads and did not buy anything that was not on sale. I saved 27% of my bill at King Soopers and that was with coupons. Not bad, but I hope to improve.

But then I went to Safeways. This is what I bought:
1 bottle of Wishbone Ranch (the cheapest one): Reg: 3.54 I paid: 1.99
2 bags of Fresh Express Salads: Reg: 3.49 each I paid: 1.00 for a total of 2.00
5 zucchinis at 10 pounds for $10: Reg 3.58 I paid 2.40
4 bags of Tostitos at buy 2 get 2 free: Reg: 7.98 for 2 I paid:7.98 for 4

Total regularly would be: 30.60
I paid: 14.91
Total savings was 15.69 which is 52% of the total!!

I am sooo proud. For just a few minutes of my time to sit with the ads and coupons I was able to save a total of $32 between the two stores that I went to. Very exciting!!

With my competitive nature I can see this becoming a very lucrative deal for me!!

Family Fun

The other day Jagger and I were sitting on the couch talking about what we should take out for dinner that night. Jagger tells me that he would like to have a party for dinner. I thought about it and decided what a fun thing to do in the middle of January. So, a party we would have!

We went to Target and decided our theme would be whatever was on clearance. It just so happens that Speed Racer was on clearance and we picked up 8 plates for 42 cents and 8 cups for 38 cents. We then headed over to the dollar section and I let him pick out a gift for everyone in the family.

Daddy pitched in and made fried pork chops. Kaylee peeled some mashed potatoes and cut the ends off of the green beans. Jagger and I made a cake. James set the table. Tell the kids you're having a party and everyone wants to help out!

Jagger handed out his gifts before we brought out the cake. He bought Kaylee a velvet jewelry box that she could color. James received an "Incredibles" note box set. Daddy got a football chip bowl. And he even bought himself a Buzz Lightyear notepad. So fun!

When we brought out the cake (James and Jagger helped me carry it to the table) we sang Happy Wednesday to the Clintons and then each of us had our own candle to blow out.

This was a lot of fun and a perfect way to get rid of the January blahs!

Not Me January!

This has not been a crazy month and the following things could not have possibly happened to me!

At the hairdresser's:

Hairdresser: My hair is crazy today. I didn't have time to fix it before I got called in to work. Isn't it crazy James?

Me: Be careful what you ask my James, he's my honest one.

Hairdresser: Oh, I know it's crazy. Don't you think so James?

James: Well, you look like the Grinch.

Hairdresser: The Grinch?

James: Well, not just your hair, your face looks like the Grinch.

That conversation did not happen right in front of me because I would be dead from mortification right now. Besides, my James is way too sweet to just say whatever pops into his head.


While trying to get Jagger to sleep through the night without pull-ups. Conversation the next morning:

Jagger: Mom, I did it!! I didn't have an accident! Do I get M&M's?

Mom: Yay Jagger! Go potty and then come downstairs and you will get 5 M&M's.

Jagger: Yay!

Jagger goes potty and then comes downstairs to the kitchen.

Mom: Jagger, why did you change your jammies?

Jagger: Cuz. I want my M&M's.

Mom: Okay, just let me go check your other jammies first.

Jagger. No! Wait! Stop! I don't want you to go check. Get me my M&M's.

Mom: Jagger, I know you are lying to me. How about if you tell me the truth I will still give you one M&M for being honest. Now, did you have an accident?

Jagger: No.

Mom: Why did you change your jammies then?

Jagger: Cuz.

Mom: I'm going to check your jammies now.

Jagger goes flying up the stairs in front of me and grabs his WET jammies and sits on them.

I did not die of laughter while my poor child boohooed. Jagger is such a good boy and he would totally be able to sleep without pullups at 3 years old! There is no way this happened in my house...must have been a dream!


There is also no way that I would give up the joy of seeing my son disappointed every morning when he wet the bed and give in and go back to pullups. Nope, not me. I'm way too focused for that. I drive a hard house and I expect my kids to get out of pullups when I say so, not wait until they are ready! I'm sure he's sleeping in underwear and not having any accidents!


The following conversation also did not happen:

Jagger: Mommy I want you to play with me.

Mom: Jagger I'm making your bed right now, you play beside me.

Jagger: I want you to play cars with me.

Mom: Mommies don't play cars.

Jagger: Mommies don't play anything??

Mom: Nope, mommies cook and clean.

Jagger: And daddies sleep and play.

Mom: So true!!

I would never be so anti-feminist and tell my child that mommies only cook and clean so that I didn't have to play cars. And there is no way I would allow my son to believe the absolute truth that man only sleep and play....I mean obviously they eat too. I would never teach my child such things.


My daughter Kaylee did not inform me and show me that she is growing boobies yesterday. She is 9 for goodness sakes! I have at least another 5 years of her being my baby! There is absolutely no way this happened and I wouldn't even believe you if you showed me a video of it...I refuse!!


My son James did not almost rip off the whole tip of his finger yesterday when Jagger accidentally slammed the door on it. There was not blood all over my kitchen, my hands, James' face and soaked into tons of paper towels. Nope, I have a safe home and my children close the door as quiet as possible at all times. Nope, not our house!


I did not take James out of school early, Kaylee out of school early, and round up Jagger and Jimmy so that three of us could go to the eye doctor all the way in Denver only to find out that there was no appointment. My doctor did not go on vacation and the schedulers reschedule everyone EXCEPT US!!! Things like that never happen to me. I have the best luck in the world.


We did not, since we were already out of school, decide to play hooky and go to the Children's Museum for the rest of the day instead of bringing our kids back to school. Nope, not us! That would have been way too much fun!


I did not get a letter saying that my daughter has missed too much school this year (Colorado only allows 10 excused and unexcused absences combined...and they even count the minutes the child is gone for a doctor's appt!). I was not told that I would have to have a letter for every absence and that I needed to come in and talk to the attendance clerk. Nope, not my family. We are never sick and never have doctor's appts and never, I mean NEVER, miss school! Wrong child...sorry!


I am not sucking at this saving money crap and wanting to go out to eat all the time! Nope, not me. I am a steadfast and brilliant saver. I know that the money we are putting away is for future projects and I am not secretly wishing everyday that I could go get it out so I could go on a vacation without my children instead. Nope, I'm loving every saving minute!


I did not watch my husband play football with my kids in the kitchen. They would never do that. I was also not right that it would end badly when Kaylee ripped the end of her toe open and gushed puddles OF blood all over my kitchen floor. Nope, moms are never right when they say not to play football in the kitchen. Besides, dads would never allow that to happen. You've totally got the wrong family!


I don't know who is writing this post and who all of these things happened to....but I can tell you...it WAS NOT ME!!

Fan Base

It's really gratifying, when you are a writer, to know that people read what you write.

I received my first piece of "fan mail" about my column a couple of weeks ago. It was so exciting and I am still riding on the wave of fun it brought to my life.

So, based on how fun that was, I figured I would keep a counter on the blog. I know there are a lot of people that read that don't leave comments (and haven't signed up to be a follower) and so this was a way for me to get an idea of how many of you there are. Since yesterday, I'm up to 48 clicks..which is nuts.

My conclusion...I have estimated that there are about 5 of you that read and the rest is my good ol' mom checking to see if there are any new pictures of her grandchildren posted.....

5 Loaves of Bread

I bought five loaves of bread on Friday because they were only $2 each and it usually takes us 2 weeks to go through four loaves. Today is Thursday and we are almost done the fifth loaf! I know we are trying to save money but I promise I'm feeding my kids more than bread and water!

I also keep thinking that Jesus was able to feed the multitudes with five loaves of bread...I can't even feed my family of five!!

I'm pretty sure we need to invest in a bread maker...it has to be cheaper that way!

We Finally Made It

There was nothing spectacular that happened today. It was not a day of big adventures. In fact, it started off crummy when the first thing I saw as I walked down the stairs this morning was that my big puppy peed all over his kennel and I had to spend the first 10 minutes of my day cleaning up after him while he jumped all over me wondering why his food was late to the bowl! Nope, nothing special, just an ordinary day in the Clinton house!

But something did happen today. Today felt normal. The kids went off to school. My husband and I ran errands. I spent time on the phone making dentist, eye and ENT appointments. I called to find out about the local gymnastics program. It was a normal day.

What does this mean you ask?

We finally caught up. We are no longer moving in and adjusting. We are just living now. We have our church. We have our school. We have our doctors. We have a favorite mall and a favorite restaurant. We have our library. We have friends. We have finally arrived at living again.

It's a good place to be.

Looking For Thrify Ideas

Calling all of you thrifty people out there!!

I am sticking to my New Year's resolution of using cash only and also trying to build up our savings account.

I want to be thrifty and also be good to the environment. For example..I love getting my milk delivered because it comes in glass bottles and I'm not throwing out the big plastic containers anymore. I am thinking of going to cloth napkins so I can just wash them instead of going through a roll of paper towel every two days...thrifty and good for the environment. I've started borrowing kids movies from the library instead of buying them off of comcast.

Got any ideas??

If they are just thrifty, I want to hear them.
How do you save tons on groceries? What do you do with your kids on the weekend that is fun and cheap? What do you do so that you can build up your savings account quickly?

If they are just simple ways to be good for the environment, I want to hear them.
What simple ways can I change my daily lifestyle and be good to the environment? What one little thing do you do that helps you leave less of a fingerprint here on earth?

If they are both...that is great too!

I am very proud to say that I only spent $8 this week since Monday. Today I went grocery shopping but that is a necessity. Where do you get the best coupons? I don't get the paper and so I don't get great coupons. I hate Walmart but went grocery shopping there last week...I won't do it again. So...I have to figure it out with coupons. I'm really trying to change my spending lifestyle.

I can't wait to hear your suggestions!

Brighton Blade 1-7-09

Moose and Me

By Krista Clinton

Moving to Colorado opened up a whole new world to us; a world of puppies.

Our kids have begged us for a dog for a couple of years and when we saw how dog-friendly Colorado was we decided that we would finally give in. As luck would have it, a friend of mine had a purebred yellow lab to give away and we became brand new puppy parents to Moose.

Having a puppy, especially a yellow lab, is not all fun and games. They have a lot of energy. Moose was having a problem with jumping on the kids and biting. We know he is going to be a huge dog and we would rather fix the problems while he’s still little, so we enrolled him in puppy school.

We enrolled Moose at PetSmart and took an eight-week course with Paula as our trainer. The first thing I had to learn is that puppy training does not a perfect puppy make! Paula taught our family the tools and it was up to us to go home and really teach Moose. We almost gave up after week five but Paula reassured us about what we were doing and gave us some new tips on how to deal with the nipping and jumping. And while we don’t have the most well-behaved dog, we have a better understanding of how to detour the bad behaviors. Thanks Paula.

Every healthy dog needs a vet to keep him healthy. A friend recommended Horizon Veterinarian on Bridge Street and that’s where we have been going. Moose has had an exam and several shots so far. I love that they always call the next day to make sure that he handled the shots okay. He will be going in to get fixed at the end of January and I am very confident that he will receive the best care at Horizon.

We also had to find a babysitter for our Moose when we went out of town for a night. One of the places our vet recommended was Play, Stay and More and that’s where our Moose spent a night. I was very pleased with his care and no longer have to worry about what to do with my pup when we head out of town.

One of the things that we love to do with our dog is go to the dog park. Our neighbors, after seeing how much energy Moose had, suggested that we try the dog park behind the softball park on Bromley Lane. Moose loved it! And we loved that it tired him out. An added bonus is that we met some new friends for Moose and us.

Having a dog truly is hard work and a lot of responsibility. I don’t think I was prepared for all of the time that would be invested in this dog. Put in that work though, and love that dog and he will love you right back and bring lots of fun and happiness into your new world. We are so happy to have Moose as the newest member of our family.

My Favorite People

Here is a list of what I love about my favorite people.

Jimmy...He gives awesome massages! He's a true man. He makes the best carne guisada in the WORLD! ( I haven't tasted them all but I'm willing to bet a lot of things on it!) He makes me laugh...like, snort laugh! He is my biggest fan and my greatest competitor. He is an awesome husband and a fun daddy. He is my nightlight during my scary dreams. My lover and my friend.

Kaylee...She is spectacularly funky and goofy. She comes up with the weirdest outfits and hair-dos. She does crazy dances and odd gymnastics. She is willing to be the silliest girl in the house to get our attention. She is constantly coming up with new games with crazy changeable rules and fun "school" projects to do with her brothers. Kaylee is my crazy baby.

James...He laughs his way through anything. Trying to ride a bike...laugh, fall, laugh, fall, laughing while riding, laughing while falling. Trying to swim....laugh, go under water, laugh, go under water...how does he not choke on the water??!!! He laughs until his neck hurts and he can't hold his head up. James truly believes life is a joke! We could all learn a lesson from his carelessness and love of all things funny! James is my funny man.

Jagger...I love his big manly voice. I love his hair (what was, and will be again in six months!). He gives the biggest and best hugs and gives them with all of his heart. He is always up for an adventure and incredibly laid back about almost everything. He is tenderhearted and genuinely wants to get along with everyone. Jags is my sweet boy.

I'm not sure why I was chosen to be surrounded by such wonderful blessings, but today, I am thanking God that they are mine!

I Can Knit!

My lovely husband saw that I had "take up a new hobby such as knitting, quilting or sewing" on my 2009 List and bought me some knitting needles and yarn for Christmas. Well, I called the pro (my mom) and she emailed me a simple pattern and I now have me a new scarf!! I'm soooo excited to have created something all by myself. Youtube.com was a huge help in getting me started and helping get the scarf off of the knitting needle at the end.

Now, I can cross one thing off my list!


Can I tell you how excited I am that the kids are going back to school tomorrow?! First thing on my list after seeing this picture...getting my eyebrows waxed!

And here the scarf is worn ninja style...

Happy Knitting!

Colorado Springs

We just had the funnest 36 hours of our lives! We decided to pack the car up and head off to Colorado Springs for two days and one night. It was absolutely incredible. It's only January 3rd and I've already accomplished two major things...overcome my fear of heights (yet again) and even stood in the same room as a snake (AAAHHHHHH!!!). If this is how my year begins I'm a little scared for myself on how it will end!

We packed some major adventures into just a little bit of time. We went to the Royal Gorge, saw the Garden of the Gods, met our friends Jen, Scott and their kids for our first good Mexican dinner since we left Texas, stayed at the Quality Inn, visited the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and even stopped of at the Focus on the Family Visitor Center (awesome playground) on the way home.

We are exhausted and happy to be home. I think we made memories that will be with our family for years and years to come. And for those of you wondering...yes, we did it on a budget. No credit cards!!

I posted pictures already and tried to keep them in order of how we went. After this post, check out Royal Gorge, then Garden of the Gods, then Roadside Pit Stop and lastly, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Enjoy!

The Royal Gorge

We headed to Colorado Springs in the hopes of seeing the Royal Gorge. It wasn't until we made it to the Springs that we realized it was another 45 minutes away in a whole other city. I had shown the children pictures of the bridge on the Internet though and it was something that we all wanted to see. So, off we continued to Canon City to see the Royal Gorge.

Now, before you start making fun of me for being such a baby about heights, I'm going to show you the picture of the bridge that we took from the bottom of canyon. Maybe then you'll understand how brave I was for going across this thing...albeit walking very, very quickly!!

Here is a picture from 1053 feet below the bridge...


Now here we are walking across. I got about a quarter of the way and said that I think I have had enough. So, my loving husband and children said they were proud of me and we could turn around and go back. At that moment I realized what I was doing to my children. I grabbed my children by their hands and very firmly told them that this is probably the only time they are ever going to get to do this and it's an amazing journey to take and we are going to cross this bridge and have fun doing it! And we did do it. And we had fun. And I'm proud of all of us!

I was even brave enough to stop for the family picture. Actually, this picture is out of order. This is at the beginning of the bridge before I almost had a heart attack!

My brave children! They are my inspiration!

And here is the view while you are walking.

And the horrible fall should the bridge ever break! (Jimmy took this picture...I couldn't look!)This is the Arkansas River below the bridge. I'm looking forward to coming back one day to raft it....I'm just becoming this wildly, adventurous person I tell you!

Cute photo op.

My new favorite picture of my kiddos!

After the fun of the bridge we thought we would take it one step further and take a train on a 1500 foot track down the side of the mountain. Oh, will the fun never end!

The view on the way.

Looking up the tracks once we got off.

That is the bridge above their heads. I had to lay on the snowy, icy ground to take this shot..and it was sooo worth it!

Now, the Royal Gorge is a must see and do for everyone. Even the faint of heart. It is worth every penny and a lifetime of memories! I hope the children will remember this forever....partly because I'm not sure I could do it again!! haha

Roadside Pit Stop

On our way back from the Royal Gorge Jimmy just had to stop and see this Memorial that we found on the side of the road. The boys were more than happy to get out and take pictures with (for) him. My sweet boys!

I LOVE this picture!!

Garden of the Gods

We had two hours before we had to meet our friends for dinner so we headed towards our hotel to check in. Our hotel is located on Garden of the Gods road so we decided to go see the place and nix check in for a little while. Our friends told us that it is more fun to walk through than it is to drive through and we are so glad we took their advice! Another stunning find. And this one is free! We will definitely make a day of it, with a picnic, during the summer.

Our first view..


The kids found a small cave. They loved being able to explore...this is a kid's paradise!

A little brotherly help to get up the boulder...hahaha!!

I think Jim was pretty impressed that I climbed this thing. He had to hand the kids up to me so we could do pictures..so fun.

There were a lot of pathways and areas to run and play...or collect sticks, as my children would have it.

Some of the stunning views...

James was saying "I'M KING OF THE WORLD!!"

This formation is called "Kissing Camels." I loved it!

Another must see. Great for hikes, walks, drives, picnics, tiring your children, dog, spouse out. We are looking forward to returning in the summer.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

We woke up Saturday morning and the weather was beautiful. The storms we are expecting shouldn't be here until noon. After some debate, we decided to head to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Had we known how gorgeous and fun this place would be...there would not have been any debate! This zoo is located on the side of a mountain. Your first exhibit is at the bottom and then you have to keep walking up and up and up the mountain to see the other exhibits. Awesome! And it was perfect weather!

The first exhibit was the giraffes and I was blown away by how close they came to us. We were able to feed them and I pet a giraffe for the first time in my life. Incredible! Here are a few shots of the family feeding the giraffes...

This was one of the levels of the mountain and we couldn't resist the photo op...they had a bench set up and everything. I'm not sure which is more beautiful...my kids or the view?!!

This is my attempt at being a photographer...

In an area called the Big Backyard they had these huge chairs. Look how tiny my kiddos look.

I found me a MOOSE!

Like Gloria and Moto Moto from Madagascar 2.

This was one angry Papa! He kept hitting all the other gorillas away from the window. He was apparently having a bad day and felt the need to make everyone else suffer. Look at the size of him though! Yikes!

This is definitely a must see if you are in the Colorado Springs area. The most incredible zoo I've ever been to (and I'm not normally a zoo person!) Amazing!

New Year's Resolutions

A new year! Time to start over fresh. Make new goals and resolutions and then tell them on this blog so you can all hold me accountable. Yikes!

I'm going to break mine up into categories this year.

Spiritually: I want to continue on my journey of a relationship with Christ. I want to know all I can know. This year I will do Daily Devotionals to help me understand what I read last year a bit better!

Physically: I'll be happy if I can maintain my weight this year...go into 2010 at the same weight that I entered 2009. Or 15 pounds lighter...that would work too! I'm not stressing about this one...it's not high on my priority list. Of course, I'd be happy to have a surprise pregnancy and go into 2010 slightly heavier from that!! (That one is all for you Jimmy Wayne!)

Emotionally: Choose happiness! I want to laugh with my husband and kids everyday this year. I will choose kindness. I will choose honesty. I will choose patience....yikes!! I will choose to love others and myself.

And the big one....Financially: This is my big project of the year. I will use cash only. No more VISA for me. Ugh! It's not that we're in debt or even bad at paying things off...its' that we always buy now and pay later. I want to learn to save up and then spend. It's going to be hard because we have a list of stuff to do this year and we are going to have to say no to some things in order to be able to do it all with cash. Some examples:

1. Put in a backyard fence. We've already had the estimates and we have chosen Colorado Fence Company. And we know we will pay $4000 for what we want. That will be a big chunk to save up ahead of time...hopefully we can do it by summertime! We absolutely need it for the dog.

2. New counter tops. Not a huge deal but what we have sucks! I mean ugly sucks. We would definitely see a return in the investment, we just have to decide how high on the priority list this is going to be to get it done this year.

And the places we want to go this year:

1. Camping at Yellowstone.

2. See Mount Rushmore.

3. Drive to Canada and spend the month of June with my family.

4. Fly to Texas, rent a car and spend 10 days there for Thanksgiving with Jim's family.

It's going to be tough to do this...but I am committed! I will post about the journey throughout the year and even ask for your suggestions. I'll probably boo hoo every time I have to say no to something but really enjoy what I get to say yes to. Pray for me!

One thing I really want to do is get a part-time job. It's tough with everyone's schedules around here but there has to be someone out there who needs help for just a few hours a week. Or needs things typed up from home. And, of course, I did write that I want to try waitressing this year so I will have to do that at some point too. It's going to be hard to find something but I'm really going to try....then I won't have to say no too often!! hahaha Once school starts back up in August then all the kids will be in full-time and I'll actually get to have a full-time job....oh, the adult conversations I'll have!!

I've enjoyed reading other's resolutions on their blogs and I'd love to hear yours too....you can leave them in the comment box. Remember, if you don't have a blogger ID you can write anonymously (its' more fun for me when you sign your name at the bottom, please!).

Happy New Years. May the year be full of happiness, love and lots of surprise blessings in your life!

Brighton Blade 12-31-08

(I will enter a post with resolutions later today, for now here is the article.)

Three things have made a big impression on my life this year. One, is that I made a New Year's Resolution to read through the Bible in a year and completed the task. Second, I read a book called "The Next Thing on My List" by Jill Smolinski which is about a girl making and completing a list before her 25th birthday. Last, I watched the Bucket List which is about two men who have been given approximately six months to live and they create a list of things to do before they "kick the bucket."

I have asked many friends and family what they would put on their list. I have heard answers from climbing Mount Everest to eating a big greasy meal without feeling any guilt. There are those that think that the list should only be made with your financial means taken into consideration. Then, there are those like myself, who think that you should dream the impossible and have a couple things on the list that might or might not ever be accomplished but always give you something to strive for.

You can do a New Year's list and it would have to be completed before the end of next year. My sister likes the idea of picking a milestone birthday, the next big one on your horizon. Or, you could dream big and make a list that needs to be done before you die which allows the list to be much longer.

I am a goal oriented person and have chosen to do a New Year's List. I also like being able to cross things off my list as quickly as possible so only allowing myself a short period of time is more fun for me. So, here are a few things on my list.

1. Use cash only!
2. See Old Faithful at Yellowstone.
3. See Mount Rushmore.
4. Find a hobby for ME...knitting, sewing or quilting.
5. Try waitressing; I've always wanted to try it...call me if you're interested!
6. Do a daily devotional.
7. Meet my new niece and great niece that is on the way (both in Canada).
8. Laugh with my husband and kids everyday!
9. Find a part time job that I love and works with my family's schedule.
10. Make a best friend in Colorado.

I think the thing that hit me the strongest while watching The Bucket List was that I don't want to get to the end of my life and feel like I didn't live life to the fullest. So, while I want a list of things to look forward to and to bring added bonuses to my life, I am still choosing to live in the life that I have here and now. As the old saying goes "Live well. Laugh often. Love much." So, my biggest piece of advice is that if there is something on your list about making amends, giving forgiveness or loving someone better...start with those. As you get to the end of your list you'll realize that the true joys in life are found closest to you.

Happy New Year!
And check out the blog to see a list of 100 Things I Did This Year! (And I only had one thing on my list!).